Have (to have) in Danish

Overview

The verb have (to have) is one of the most important verbs in Danish, serving both as a main verb for possession and as an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses. At the A1 level, you will use it daily in expressions like Jeg har en hund (I have a dog) and Jeg har tid (I have time).

The present tense is har and the past tense is havde, both the same for all persons. As an auxiliary, har combines with the past participle to form the perfect tense: Jeg har spist (I have eaten). This makes have one of the two most frequently used verbs in the language, alongside vaere.

Danish uses have in some expressions where English uses "be": have det sjovt (have fun, literally "have it fun"), have ret (be right, literally "have right"), and have lyst til (feel like, literally "have desire to").

Formation

Conjugation of have (to have)

Form	Danish	English
Infinitive	at have	to have
Present	har	have/has
Past	havde	had
Past participle	haft	had

As a main verb (possession)

Danish	English
Jeg har en hund.	I have a dog.
Hun har hovedpine.	She has a headache.
Vi har tid.	We have time.
De har tre born.	They have three children.

As an auxiliary verb (perfect tense)

Danish	English
Jeg har spist.	I have eaten.
Hun har laest bogen.	She has read the book.
Vi har boet her laenge.	We have lived here for a long time.

Common expressions with have

Danish	Literal	English meaning
have det sjovt	have it fun	have fun
have ret	have right	be right
have brug for	have use for	need
have lyst til	have desire to	feel like

Examples in Context

Danish	English	Note
Jeg har en hund.	I have a dog.	Possession
Hun har hovedpine.	She has a headache.	Physical state
Vi har tid.	We have time.	Abstract possession
De havde det sjovt.	They had fun.	Past tense expression
Har du en bil?	Do you have a car?	Question
Han har tre børn.	He has three children.	Counting
Jeg har ikke penge.	I don't have money.	Negation
Vi har spist.	We have eaten.	Perfect auxiliary
Hun havde ret.	She was right.	Past expression
Har I set filmen?	Have you seen the movie?	Perfect question

Common Mistakes

Conjugating for different persons

• Wrong: hun haver
• Right: hun har
• Why: The present tense har is the same for all persons.

Confusing har and er in perfect tense

• Wrong: Jeg er spist.
• Right: Jeg har spist.
• Why: Most verbs use har as the perfect auxiliary. Only certain motion/change verbs use er.

Translating 'have fun' literally

• Wrong: have sjov
• Right: have det sjovt
• Why: The Danish expression includes det and uses the neuter adjective form sjovt.

Usage Notes

The verb have is essential both as a main verb expressing possession and as an auxiliary in perfect tenses. In spoken Danish, har often reduces to something close to "ha" in fast speech. Note that Danish uses have differently from English in some expressions: for example, Danes say har det sjovt (have it fun) rather than "have fun."

Practice Tips

• Practice with flashcards. Create cards with examples of have (to have) on one side and their English translations on the other. Review daily until the patterns feel automatic.
• Use have (to have) in daily sentences. Try to create three new sentences each day using this grammar point. Write them in a notebook and review them weekly.
• Listen for have (to have) in Danish media. Even at the beginner level, try listening to simple Danish podcasts or children's shows and notice how native speakers use this pattern.

Related Concepts

• Personal Pronouns - Parent concept
• Expressing Need and Want
• Perfect Tense (Førnutid)