S-Verbs in Danish

In Brief

Danish has a small but important group of verbs whose dictionary form ends in -s, including mødes “meet each other,” synes “think,” lykkes “succeed,” and findes “exist.” Keep the -s in the present tense and do not add the usual -r: jeg synes, vi mødes. Some s-forms express an action between people, while others simply have to be learned as complete verbs.

Overview

Most Danish verbs have an infinitive (the basic dictionary form) ending in -e and a present tense ending in -er: at tale → jeg taler. S-verbs look different because their infinitive already ends in -s: at mødes, at synes, at lykkes, at findes. Their present-tense form normally looks exactly like the infinitive. This pattern appears early at A1 because several of these verbs are essential in ordinary conversation.

The final -s does not always carry one neat English meaning. With a reciprocal verb—one describing people doing something to each other—it can correspond to “each other”: Vi mødes means “We meet each other.” In synes, lykkes, and existential findes, however, the -s belongs to the verb as a whole. Translating it as “each other” or “is done” would make no sense.

Danish also uses an -s ending to form a true passive, as in Døren lukkes klokken ti (“The door is closed at ten”). A passive presents the subject as the person or thing affected by an action. That larger passive system is a later topic. For now, learn the common A1 s-verbs as vocabulary and use the meaning of the sentence—not the final letter alone—to identify them.

How It Works

The beginner rule

For the four core verbs, use at + s-verb for the infinitive and the same s-form in the present tense.

Meaning	Infinitive	Present-tense example
meet each other	at mødes	Vi mødes.
think, have an opinion	at synes	Jeg synes.
succeed, work out	at lykkes	Det lykkes.
exist, be found/available	at findes	Der findes.

Unlike English, Danish does not change these forms according to the subject:

• jeg synes — I think
• du synes — you think
• hun synes — she thinks
• vi synes — we think
• de synes — they think

The English -s in “she thinks” marks the third person singular. The Danish -s in synes is part of the verb and appears with every person. Do not add -r or an extra ending.

Reciprocal meaning: mødes

At mødes describes a meeting involving both sides. A plural subject (the word or phrase telling you who performs or experiences the action) often makes the relationship clear:

• Vi mødes på caféen. — We are meeting at the café.
• Anna og Malik mødes efter arbejde. — Anna and Malik meet after work.

A singular subject is possible when the other participant follows med:

• Jeg mødes med min lærer. — I am meeting with my teacher.

Compare møde without -s. It is an active verb that normally takes an object (the person or thing directly affected by the verb):

• Jeg møder min lærer på gaden. — I run into/meet my teacher in the street.
• Jeg mødes med min lærer klokken tre. — I have a meeting with my teacher at three.

English often uses plain “meet” for both ideas, so the contrast must be learned from the Danish sentence pattern.

Opinion and impression: synes

Use synes when giving an opinion. It is commonly followed by a clause—a group of words containing its own subject and verb:

• Jeg synes, det er en god idé. — I think it is a good idea.
• Synes du, filmen er sjov? — Do you think the film is funny?

An at meaning “that” can also introduce the clause: Jeg synes, at det er en god idé. In everyday Danish, at is frequently omitted after synes. The construction synes om + noun means “like” or “have a favorable opinion of”:

• Hvad synes du om bogen? — What do you think of the book?
• Jeg synes godt om planen. — I like the plan.

Do not confuse an opinion with factual knowledge. Jeg synes, København er dyr presents “Copenhagen is expensive” as your judgment; Jeg ved, at København ligger i Danmark means you know a fact.

Success and outcome: lykkes

With lykkes, the successful plan, attempt, or result is usually the subject:

• Planen lykkes. — The plan succeeds.
• Det lykkes. — It works out.

When a person manages to do something, Danish commonly uses det lykkes + person + at...:

• Det lykkes mig at åbne døren. — I manage to open the door.
• Det lykkes hende altid at finde en løsning. — She always manages to find a solution.

The pronouns mig and hende are object forms: in plain terms, they identify the person for whom the attempt works out. This structure is unlike the direct English pattern “I succeed.” At beginner level, treat det lykkes mig at... as one useful frame.

Existence and availability: findes

Findes often follows der, giving der findes (“there exists/there are”). The form does not change for singular or plural:

• Der findes en løsning. — There is a solution.
• Der findes mange løsninger. — There are many solutions.

It can also say that something exists or is available in a place:

• Bogen findes også som lydbog. — The book is also available as an audiobook.
• Denne plante findes kun i Norden. — This plant is found only in the Nordic countries.

Compare finde, “find,” which is an ordinary active verb: Jeg finder nøglen means “I find the key.” Do not replace existential findes with finder.

Tense forms

S-verbs keep their special identity outside the present tense, but their past forms are not all identical. Learn the principal forms together rather than trying to invent them from one universal rule.

Infinitive	Present	Past	Perfect	Core meaning
mødes	mødes	mødtes	har mødtes	meet each other
synes	synes	syntes	har syntes	think, have an opinion
lykkes	lykkes	lykkedes	er lykkedes	succeed, work out
findes	findes	fandtes	har fandtes	exist

The perfect is a form with a helper verb such as har or er plus another verb form. In practice, har eksisteret (“has existed”) is often a natural alternative to har fandtes. Notice especially the spelling contrast synes (present) and syntes (past), even though the two can sound very similar in speech.

After a modal verb such as skal or kan, use the infinitive without at:

• Vi skal mødes i morgen. — We are going to meet tomorrow.
• Der kan findes flere svar. — There may be several answers.

Examples in Context

Danish	English	Note
Vi mødes i morgen.	We’ll meet tomorrow.	Present tense used for an arranged future event
Jeg mødes med Sara efter arbejde.	I’m meeting Sara after work.	Singular subject with med
De mødtes på universitetet.	They met at university.	Past reciprocal form
Skal vi mødes ved stationen?	Shall we meet at the station?	Infinitive after skal
Jeg synes, det er godt.	I think it’s good.	Personal opinion
Hvad synes du om restauranten?	What do you think of the restaurant?	synes om asks for an opinion
Hun syntes, opgaven var svær.	She thought the assignment was difficult.	Past tense syntes
Det lykkes aldrig første gang.	It never succeeds the first time.	Outcome as the subject
Det lykkedes os at komme til tiden.	We managed to arrive on time.	Past: det lykkedes os at...
Projektet er lykkedes.	The project has succeeded.	Perfect with er
Der findes mange slags ost.	There are many kinds of cheese.	Existential der findes
Findes der en billigere løsning?	Is there a cheaper solution?	Question with verb before der
Den app findes også på dansk.	That app is also available in Danish.	Availability
Så ses vi på fredag!	See you on Friday, then!	Reciprocal ses in a fixed everyday phrase
De ses ikke så ofte længere.	They don’t see each other so often anymore.	Another common reciprocal s-verb

Common Mistakes

Adding the regular present-tense ending

• Wrong: Jeg syneser, det er dyrt.
• Right: Jeg synes, det er dyrt.
• Why: The present tense of synes is already synes. Do not add -r or -er to an s-verb.

Using active møde without an object

• Wrong: Vi møder i morgen. (if you mean that you will meet each other)
• Right: Vi mødes i morgen.
• Why: Reciprocal mødes expresses the mutual event. Active møde normally needs someone as its object: Vi møder vores guide (“We meet our guide”).

Copying the English subject pattern with lykkes

• Wrong: Jeg lykkes at åbne døren.
• Right: Det lykkes mig at åbne døren.
• Why: Standard Danish commonly presents the successful result with det and puts the person in the object form: mig, dig, ham, hende, os, jer, dem.

Confusing finde and findes

• Wrong: Der finder mange muligheder.
• Right: Der findes mange muligheder.
• Why: Finde means “find something.” Findes expresses existence or availability.

Using the present spelling for a past opinion

• Wrong: I går synes jeg, filmen var for lang.
• Right: I går syntes jeg, filmen var for lang.
• Why: In a past-time account, synes changes to syntes. The extra t matters in writing.

Assuming every final -s means “each other”

• Wrong interpretation: Der findes en café her = “A café finds another café here.”
• Right interpretation: Der findes en café her = “There is a café here.”
• Why: Reciprocal meaning belongs to verbs such as mødes and ses. Other s-verbs have their own lexical meaning and must be learned as complete units.

Usage Notes

Danish often uses the present tense for a planned future event when a time expression makes the timing clear. Vi mødes i morgen is therefore entirely natural and often more direct than a construction with an explicit future helper. Vi skal mødes i morgen is also possible and can emphasize the arrangement.

Synes is one of the most useful ways to soften a statement by presenting it as your view: Jeg synes, kaffen er lidt stærk (“I think the coffee is a little strong”). Questions with Hvad synes du om...? are a routine way to invite someone’s opinion. For preferences, also distinguish synes om from kan lide: both can express liking, but kan lide is the basic everyday choice for “like,” while synes om foregrounds an assessment or favorable view.

The short expression Vi ses! or simply Ses! is a very common informal goodbye meaning “See you!” It is best learned as a fixed phrase. In more formal writing, you are more likely to see s-passives in instructions, notices, and descriptions of procedures; lexical s-verbs such as synes remain ordinary in both speech and writing.

Negation follows normal Danish word order. In a main clause, ikke generally comes after the finite verb (the verb carrying tense): Vi mødes ikke i dag and Jeg synes ikke, det er svært. The s-ending does not change this rule.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the full passive system yet, but you should know why identical-looking endings can be misleading. Compare these three uses:

Danish	English	What the -s does
Maja og Bo mødes hver uge.	Maja and Bo meet every week.	Reciprocal: they meet each other
Jeg synes, bogen er god.	I think the book is good.	Lexical: -s belongs to the verb synes
Døren lukkes klokken 22.	The door is closed at 10 p.m.	Passive: the door undergoes the closing

A productive passive can be made from many active verbs: Personalet lukker døren (“The staff closes the door”) becomes Døren lukkes af personalet (“The door is closed by the staff”). The phrase with af names the agent—the person or thing doing the action. That analysis does not fit Jeg synes or existential der findes.

Context can sometimes allow more than one analysis. De ses ofte will normally mean “They see each other often,” but in the right context it could mean “They are seen often.” Danish speakers resolve this from the surrounding information. If an event-focused passive could be unclear, Danish can use blive plus a past participle: De bliver ofte set sammen (“They are often seen together”).

Do not assume you can add -s to any verb to create a natural reciprocal verb. Danish uses established forms such as mødes and ses, but many mutual actions require hinanden (“each other”): De hjælper hinanden (“They help each other”), not an invented s-verb. Some additional lexical s-verbs, such as trives (“thrive”), længes (“long”), and færdes (“move about/frequent”), also contain a fixed -s. They are useful later, but their meanings must be learned individually.

Practice Tips

1. Learn a whole three-part chunk. Make cards such as at synes — jeg synes — i går syntes jeg. This prevents both the extra -r error and confusion between present and past.
2. Sort examples by meaning. Put sentences into three groups: reciprocal (mødes, ses), lexical (synes, lykkes, findes), and true passive (døren lukkes). Always explain what the subject is doing or experiencing.
3. Reuse four reliable frames. Complete Vi mødes..., Jeg synes..., Det lykkes mig at..., and Der findes... with details from your own life. Saying five variations of each is more useful than memorizing an abstract definition of -s.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense — provides the basic Danish tense pattern that s-verbs contrast with.
• Useful contrast: Reflexive Verbs — shows verbs used with forms such as mig, dig, and sig, rather than reciprocal -s.
• Next step: S-Passive — develops the productive passive use of -s in signs, instructions, and formal descriptions.