So maybe you want to tell a story in Danish. Or tell your colleagues what you’re going to do after work (“When I get home…”).
But then you remember that you can either use når or da when saying “when” in Danish. These two words – conjunctions to be exact – can be translated to the same English word, but have two different meanings! But which one do you use?
Don’t let this question ruin your stories and plans! Check out these tips on whether you should use når or da.
When to use da
Da is used when talking about an action that happened at some point in the past and is now finished. It can often be replaced with dengang (back when).
Da jeg kom ind på kontoret, spurgte min chef: ”Hvorfor kommer du så sent?” (When I came to the office, my boss asked, “Why are you coming so late?”)
Jeg kom aldrig for sent i skole, da jeg var barn. (I never came to school late when I was a kid.)
Note here that the first example describes a single point in time after da, while the action described in the second example (being a kid) is much longer. The point here is not how long the actions are, but that they are both finished!
When to use når
It gets a little bit more complicated with når – but don’t worry, you will manage!
You can use når when talking about the past, but this time, it’s about repeated actions. In other words, you are talking about what happened every time something occurred. Remember how with da, you could replace it with dengang? When using når with the past tense, you can usually replace it with hver gang (every time). What is all of that supposed to mean, you ask? Here are some examples:
Min tidligere chef tilbød mig kaffe, når/hver gang jeg kom for sent. (My former boss offered me coffee when/everytime I arrived late.)
This time, the actions can also happen regularly in the present:
Min nuværende chef bliver sur, når jeg kommer for sent. (My current boss gets angry when/every time I arrive late.)
Når does not only describe repeated actions, though!
It can be used when talking about the future – and here, it’s not just for describing single actions:
Når jeg kommer hjem i aften, laver jeg pizza. (When I come home tonight, I’ll make pizza).
Tell me again – how do I know if I should use når or da?
The most important points to remember when deciding whether to use når or da:
- Talking about something that happened one time in the past? Use da!
- Talking about something that happened, or happens, repeatedly in the past or in the present? Når is the way to go!
- And finally, you can also tell the future – okay, maybe not that – but you can tell people ABOUT the future using når.
Check out this lesson on Swap Language to learn more about når or da – and get smarter on the Danish Royal family!
