# A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar/Exercises

EXERCISES.
at være to be.
at have to have.
| Kat cat; | Horn (n.) horn; | Ræv fox; |
| Hus (n.) house; | Maane moon; | Hale tail; |
| Hest horse; | Ko cow; | stor big; |
| Næse nose; | Haar (n.) hair; | Mand man; |
| Bonde farmer; | long lang; | Mark field. |
(§§ 150–155) Katten har Næse, og (and) Maanen har Horn, og Ræven har Haar paa (on) Halen. Katten har en lang Hale. Koen har Horn, men (but) Hesten har ikke (not). Bonden har en Hest og en Ko. Den lange Næse, som ​(which) Manden bar, forskjønner (beautifies) ham (him) ikke. Maanen skinnede (shone) paa det store Hus. I Huset var der en Kat med (with) lang Hale.
The horse and the cow were in the house, but the man was in the field. He was looking at (saa paa) the moon. The man has a long nose, but no (ikke noget) hair on his (use def. art.) head (Hoved, pron. hode). The house is large. The moon shines on the large house and on the field, on the horse, on the cow and on the cat.
(§ 161.) I Arken var ikke et Ark Papir (paper) at faa (to be had). Men der var en Buk, som gjorde (made) et dybt (low) Buk for Noa, da (when) han (he) med sit (his) Følge forlod (left) Arken. Fyren havde fnndet (found) sig et Leie i Fyret, men ban betalte (paid) ingen (no) Leie. Barnet (child) bar en Værge, men Soldaten (soldier) bar et Værge.
This (denne) draught is a special (eiendommeligt) feature of this (dette) house. The fellow had the choice (Valget) between (mettem) the rice and the rod. A soldier without (uden) weapon is a miserable (elendig) fellow. The father (fader) is [the] guardian of (for) his child.
(§ 163.) Form the possessive of the following words, with and without the article:
| Slot (n.) castle. | Tag (n.) roof. | Farve color. |
| Bog book. | Hjærte heart. | Ven friend. |
| Bind (n.) cover. | | Fiende enemy. |
Et Tags, Tagets. En Farves, Farvens. Bogens. Mit (my) Hjærtes, Hjærtets. En Vens, Vennens. Min (my) Yens Bog bar et rødt (red) Bind. Bogens Bind er rødt. Bindets Farve er rød. Den røde Farve er Hjærtets Farve. Farven paa (NB.) Bogens Bind er rød. Vær (be) din (your) Yens Ven.
​The roof of the castle. The color of the roof of the castle is red. Be not the friend of your enemy’s friend. My friend’s enemy is my (min) enemy.
(§ 168.) Form the plural of the following words with and without the article:
| Have garden. | Lampe lamp. | Stue parlor. |
| Kirke church. | Skuffe drawer. | Værelse room. |
| Muffe muff. | By city. | Sö (N. Sjö) sea. |
| Mark field. | Skaal bowl. | Sön son. |
| Ven. | | Blomst flower. |
Min Yens Sønner er(e) min Søns Venner. Min Ven har ingen (no) Fiender. Mit Hus har to (two) Stuer og fire (four) smaa (small) Værelser. Paa Markerne rundt (around) Byen er der mange (many) Blomster. Brooklyn har mange Kirker. Kirkernes Tal (number) er stort (large).
The friends of my son are sons of my friend. The enemies of my (mine) friends are not my friends. My house has two (to) gardens. In (i) the gardens are (er der) many flowers.
(§ 169.) Form the plural of the following words:
| Dör door | Sten stone | Kniv knife. |
| Dag day | Dal valley | Elv river. |
| Fjeld mountain | Bæk brook | Fjord. |
| Kat cat | Snedker joiner | Amerikaner American. |
| Skomager shoemaker | | Skrædder tailor. |
Dette Værelse har to Døre. I Norge er der mange Bække, fulde (full) af Ørret (trout). Elve og Bække, Fjorde og Sjøer, Fjelde og Dale er Norge fuldt (full) af. Mine Brødre har mange Venner, og mine Søstre har mange Veninder. Fædre og Sønner.
​These (disse) mountains and valleys with (med) their (D. deres, N. sine) rivers and brooks are rather (temmelig) monotonous (ensformige). Shoemakers and tailors are useful (nyttige) members (Medkmmer) of society (Samfundet).
(§§ 170–171). Decline the following neuter words: Flag flag; Ben bone, leg; pl. also feet; Aar year; Dæk deck. Væddelöb horse race.
Udstillingsbygningen (the exposition building) var deko reret (decorated) med alle Nationers Flag. Mine Ben er(e) ømme (sore). Mine Forældre og Søskende have (N. har) mange Penge, men jeg har ingen. Min Vens Klæder er(e) af Klæde (broadcloth); men mine er(e) af Vadmel (russet). For mange Aar siden (for siden ago) havde jeg ogsaa mange Penge. Denne Mand er seks (six) Fod høi (tall).
The ship has two decks. The distance (Afstand) between (mellem) the decks is eight (otte) feet. Have you money, then you have (saa har du) food (Mad) and clothes.
(§§ 172–177.) Decline the following adjectives:
stor big; smuk nice; tam tame, domesticated; kostbar expensive; billig cheap; engelsk English; fransk French; glat smooth; öm tender, sore; barsk severe, stern; haard hard; varm warm; sund healthy; vanskelig difficult; simpel simple; kjölig cool; lydig obedient.–
fölges ad go together.
Hesten, Hunden, Koen og Katten er tamme Dyr (animals). Smukke Klæder er(e) i Regelen (as a rule) kostbare; det billige (what is cheap) er sjelden (seldom) smukt. Et barskt Væsen (manner) og et ømt Hjerte følges ofte (often) ad, og det gjør ogsaa (and so do) et glat Ansigt og et haardt Hjerte.
​The big city has many nice and expensive houses. A tame lion (Löve) is like (som) a big cat. Cheap and healthy residences (Boliger) are difficult to get (skaffe) in a big city. The cool night is very refreshing (forfriskende) after (efter) the warm day. A nice child (Barn, n.) ought always to (burde altid) be obedient.
(§§ 178–182). Decline the following adjectives:
| sagte soft; | blaa, | tro, | fri |
| egen, | megen, | afsides, | nymodens. |
Den frie Hand og den frie Kvinde (woman) blev proklameret (were proclaimed) for alle Vinde (winds). Min egen Stue. Kongens eget Slot. Det ham (him) egne Væsen.
New-fangled ideas. Out-of-the-way towns. This man’s eyes (Öine) are blue. A nice suit (Sæt) of clothes made (syet) of blue cloth.
(§§ 183–189). Compare the following adjectives:
| kold cold; | söd sweet; | blöd soft; |
| venlig friendly; | from pious; | ung; |
| ond; | | gammel. |
Min Broder er yngre end jeg, men jeg har et venligere Væsen. Det største Hus er ikke altid (always) det smukkeste. De ældste Børn er(e) de værste. Det nederste Trin (step) var ganske glat (slippery). Hr. Jensen er lærdere end Hr. Kristensen. Verdens (in the world) største Mand er ikke netop (exactly) den, som (who) veier (weighs) mest. Den yngste af de to Brødre er den smukkeste.
My father has the largest house in the block (Kvartalet). It has more windows (Vinduer) than (end) the other houses. The younger girl (Pige) is the handsomer. [N. B. Use the superlative in D.-N. in this case!]
(§§ 190–194). Har du min Bog? Nei, men jeg saa (saw) den (it) nu nylig (just now). Hvor (where) var den? ​Den var paa Bordet i mit Værelse. Jeg har ikke lagt (placed) den der (there). Nei, din Moder lagde (placed) den der. Saa du hende gjøre (do) det (it)! Nei, men him har selv (§ 196) fortalt (told) mig det. Min Broder fortalte (told) mig ogsaa (also), at (that) han havde seet (seen) den der. Den Den unge Mand har nylig mistet (lost) his Søn.
I have a nice little horse; have you seen it? My father gave (gav) it to me, and I thanked (takkede) him. Does (kan) your brother ride? No, he does not ride; but my sister does. She rides better than I do myself (§ 196). Once (engang) she lost (mistede) (§ 245 note) her hat while riding horseback (mens hun var ude og red). My parents (Forældre) have lost five (fem) of their [N. B. different in Danish and in Norwegian] children.
(§§ 195–198.) Hvem er denne Mand med den lange Næse? Det er en Landstryger (tramp), som sælger (sells) Bliktøi (tinware). Undertiden (sometimes) stjæler (steals) han lidt fra saadanne Folk (people), som ikke holder (keep) deres (D., sine N.) Døre lukkede (closed). Hvor sover (sleeps) han? Hvem giver (gives) ham Mad (food)? Hvem faar (get) han Penge af? Han sover paa Marken, han spiser hvad han kan faa, og Penge har han ikke.
Who has got (har) my book? Which book do you mean (mener)? By (af) whom is the book? Whose book is it? Mine, of course (naturligvis). It is the book, that I placed on this table an hour ago.
(§§ 200, 201). Man siger (say), at nogen har været (been) her og ringet (rung the bell). Men da (as) ingen lukkede op (opened the door), gik (went away) de. Det kan ikke have været nogen af vore Venner. Nei, det var nogle fremmede (strange) Mennesker (people). Mangen Mand gaar (goes) hungrig (hungry) tilsengs (to bed), som man ikke vilde (would) tro (believe) det om (about).
​They think that everybody can do this thing, but they are mistaken (tage feil). Nobody can learn (lære) a foreign (fremmed) language (Sprog n.) without persistent (ihærdig) work (Arbeide n.). Some called (kaldte) him a hero (Helt), others a humbug (Humbugmager). Many a heart is aching (blöder).
(§§ 202–205). Der er trehnndrede og fern og seksti Dage i et Aar. Et Minut bar seksti Sekunder (tresindtyve Sekunder). Min Søster er tolv Aar gammel. Tolv Gange tolv er hundrede og fire og fyrretyve (or: firti). For tyve Aar siden var jeg halvandet Aar gammel. En Centimeter er to Femtedels Tomme (inch). Han har sine Penge staaende (standing) paa (at) seks Procents Rente.
Some months (Maaneder) have 30 days and others have 31. One month, February, has only 28 days. The war (Krigen) lasted (varede) seven years. Seven times seven is 49. 20 years ago this big town was nothing but (ikke andet end) a little village (Landsby). My friend rises (staar op) at 6 in the morning (om Morgenen) and goes to bed (gaar til sengs) at 10 in the evening (om Aftenen).
(§ 208). Conjugate the following verbs:
| bie to wait, | hoppe to jump, | plante to plant, |
| önske to wish, | ofre to sacrifice, spend, | salve to anoint, |
| raade to advise, | vente to wait, | hakke to peck. |
Jeg har nu (now) ventet paa ham i en halv Time (hour), men nu kan jeg ikke bie længer. Jeg vil raade Dem til at vente en Stund (while) til (more). Nei, jeg har allerede (already) ofret for (too) megen Tid (time) paa ham. Jeg skulde have ventet en Stund til, hvis jeg ikke havde havt det saa travlt (been so busy). Se den lille Spurv (sparrow), som hopper udenfor Vinduet (window) og hakker i Vin dueskarmen (window frame). Den venter paa at faa (to yet) sin Frokost (breakfast).
​Whom do you wish to see (at tale med)? I wish to see your father? Please (vær saa god at) wait a while, he is not in (hjemme) just now (netop i Öieblikket). I can only (bare) wait 5 minutes. Cannot you spend any more time on him, he will be in (kommer tilbage) at 5 sharp (paa Slaget fern). What do you advise me to do?
(§§ 210–211). Conjugate the following verbs:
| tabe to lose, | sluge to devour, | lede to seek, |
| tale to speak, | betale to pay, | laane to borrow, to lend, |
| löse to loosen, | sætte to set, | sætte sig to sit down (§ 234), |
fölge to follow.
Fienderne tabte det første Slag (battle). Paa Slagmarken (battlefield) var mange Folk (people), som ledte efter deres (N. sine) Venner. Min Ven talte ikke til mig hele Aftenen. Det var, fordi (because) jeg har laant ham Penge, som ban ikke kan betale tilbage (back). Han havde sat sig, dog (yet) stod han op (got up) og fulgte mig til Døren.
He spoke slowly (langsomt), as if (som om) he did not wish his audience (Tilhörere) to lose a single (eneste) syllable (Stavelse). An honest (ærlig) man pays back with interest (Rente) what he borrows Sit down and wait a little while, then I shall follow you to church (Kirke).
(§§ 213 and 214.) Skibet begyndte (commenced) at synke ti Minuter efter Sammenstødet (collision). Alle Passagererne (passengers) sprang til Baadene (boats), som var(e) bundne saa fast, at man maatte hugge dem løs (loose). Matroserne (sailors) havde drukket adskilligt (considerably) og vilde ikke slippe Passagerne ned i Baadene først. Tiggeren (tramp) bad først om Penge, men da de ingen gav him, kom (came) han igjen (again) om Aftenen og stjal, hvad de ikke vilde (would) give ham. Han havde seet Pengene ligge i en aaben Komodeskuffe (bureau drawer).
​I found a dog, tied to the fence (Gjærde); it ran to-wards (imod) me as far (langt) as the chain (Lænke) would allow (tillade) it [to]. It was very thirsty (törst), it had not drunk water (Vand) the whole day. I helped it to get out (komme ud af) the chain and gave it something to eat. While (medens) I was sitting (§ 229) by the roadside, I saw a man cutting (skjære, use inf.) grass in the field. Another man was helping him.
(§§ 215–217). Da Musen (mouse) krøb frem (forth) af af sit Hul (hole), greb Katten den og vilde æde den. Men først vilde den lege (play) lidt men den. Den slap den, ligesom (as) om (if) den vilde lade (allow) den løbe (run), men saa (then) greb den den igjen og bed den ihjæl (to death). Det ryger fra Skorstenen (chimney), mens jeg røger min Cigar og nyder den. Medens du jagede Harer (hares) og skjød Ræve, jog (chased) jeg Fienden ud af Landet. Fienderne blev(e) slagne i tre Slag (battles), og mange af dem blev(e) tagne tilfangne (made prisoners).
I only (kun) obeyed [see § 245 in fine] your order (Befaling) when I chased the pigs (Svinene) out (ud) of the garden (Have). They had dug themselves an entrance (Vei) under the fence. They took the same way back again, and they pushed (skjöv til) each others in their efforts (translate i. th. e.: idet de anstrængte sig for) to get (komme) först ud.
(§§ 218–220). Naar (when) kom din Broder? Han kom for nogle Dage siden; nu skal ban netop (just) gaa ud. Han gav mig en Velociped (bicycle), og Kristian fik et ud mærket (excellent) Gevær (gun). Jeg laa og sov, da min Broder kom, men stod (got) straks (at once) op, da jeg hørte det ringe paa Klokken (the bell). Jeg kan ikke gjøre, hvad du beder mig om. Jo du skal og maa gjøre det. Tør De ikke gaa forbi Kirkegaarden (cemetery) om Natten? Jo, jeg er ikke bange (afraid) for Spøgelser (ghosts).
​I know I ought to do it, but I dare not do it now. Yes, you must do it. What is your name, my friend? John is my Christian name (Fornavn) and Johnson is my family name (Efternavn). Did you sleep well last night (inat), Mr. Johnson? Yes, thank you. I slept very well and did not get up (get up: staa op) till (for) it (Klokken) was after (over) 8. Did you really (virkelig) stay in bed (ligge) as long as that? Yes, I have often stayed in bed longer than (end) that.
(§§ 234 to 235). Jeg skammer mig over at se, hvor (how) lidet jeg virkelig ved. Det hænder undertiden, (sometimes), at man ikke ved, hvad man skal gjøre. Det siges, at Kongen kommer (§ 222) hid (here) i Sommer (this summer). Det er blevet mig fortalt (I have been told), at ti Skibe forliste (were lost) i den frygtelige Orkan (hurricane), som blæste (blew) ifredags (last Friday).
I was told that I could come whenever I wanted to (saa ofte jeg havde Lyst). Don’t you feel ashamed that you did not know this? No, I do not feel ashamed. You ought to do (gjöre det), at least (i det mindste). How did this thing happen?
(§§ 237–237.) Hr. Jones har besøgt (visited) os oftere i den senere Tid (of late), end ban gjorde før (formerly). Ja, og han har været længer hver Gang. Hvor længe er det, siden du saa ham sidst (the last time)? Jeg saa ham for en Time siden. Vil De heist danse eller synge? Jeg vil gjerne begge Dele (do both). Hvor reiser De hen? Jeg reiser til Norge og tænker, jeg bliver to Maaneder borte (tænker, jeg bliver borte–expect to be gone). Har De ikke seet mine Handsker (gloves)? Jo, jeg har.
​How long do you expect to be gone? Four months. I would like to stay (blive der) longer, because (fordi) it is so long since I was there the last time. Why do you like better to dance than to sing? Because there is more fun (Moro) in it. Have you seen your father’s hat? Yes, I have. Have not you seen your father’s hat? Yes, I have.
(§§ 240–242). Hvem bar ban hørt (heard) det af? Af mig kan han ikke have hørt det. Paa Island er der ingen Kjøreveie (carriage roads), saa der maa man overalt reise tilhest; men i Irland er der gode Veie. Min Broder Karl har været tilsøs i 25 Aar, saa det er nu paatide (about time), at han slaar sig ned (settles) tillands. Paa Grand af den tætte (thick) Taage (fog), kunde vort Skib ikke komme ind til Bryggen (pier).
Where do you come from? From Iceland. Have you been a long time in Iceland? Yes, I have been there quite (temmelig) long, and everywhere we had to travel around on horseback, because they had no roads there. By (med) which ship did you come from America? By the “Island” of Copenhagen. Have you been in any of ihe cities of Norway? Yes, I have been in Christiania and Bergen, and at Kongsberg and Fredriksstad.
(§ 243). “Dine Penge eller dit Liv” (life) er et haardt Valg (choice); men værre er det at miste baade Pengene og Livet. I Byens Udkant (outskirts) bor der mange fattige (poor), som hverken har Mad eller Klæder. Naar (when) du ikke vil høre, maa du føle (must be made to feel). Jeg maa straffe (punish) dig, forat du kan blive en brav (good) Hand. Min Søster har en smukkere Hat en du. Jeg har ingen bedre Ven end dig. Han er saa glad (happy), at han næsten ikke (hardly) kan lade være at (l. v. a.–abstain from) hoppe (jump) høit op i Veiret (air).
​I give you this punishment (Straf) in order to improve (forbedre) your morals (Sæder). I make (lader) you study in order that you may be a useful (nyttigt) member (Medlem) of society (Samfundet). When (naar) I come here, I wish (önsker) to see everybody happy. When (da) I came home I saw many sad (bedrövede) faces (Ansigter). Neither my mother, nor my sister had such a nice hat as you had. A judgment (Dom) must either be right (rigtig) or wrong (gal), and it cannot be both right and wrong at the same time.
(§§ 245 - 246). Hvem har De talt med (seen)? Jeg har talt med Deres Broder. Er det min ældste Broder, De har talt med? Hvor er min Hat? Deres Hat er her. Han gav en Tigger (beggar) sin nye Hat. Hvem gav han sin gamle Frak (coat). Træffer (meet) jeg dig her igjen, skal jeg lade (have) dig kaste (throw) ud af Vinduet.
Whom did you see? Where did you get (faa) that hat? I got it at the hatter's (hos Hattemageren), and I gave my old hat to a beggar. If I ever (nogensinde) see you again, I shall certainly (visselig) be most (særdeles) happy.
* ↑ What is in the active the indirect object should in D.-N. be made subject in passive. Some authors follow the English rule in that respect, but it is not considered good language.
* ↑ " When " referring to a single occurrence of the past is da, when referring to the future is naar. Da, besides time, indicates cause, naar, besides time, indicates condition.