Verbs 1 - Present perfect or past tense

The use of present perfect and past tense in Danish is pretty much as in English. Present perfect is in fact a kind of present: it refers to actions that are important in the present, although they started or took place in the past.

Jeg har spist (=I have eaten) basically means: Jeg er mæt (I am full) - where and when I ate is irrelevant - only the result counts.

Past on the contrary describes actions that took place at a given time and place. I ate a lot at the end of diet party. Time or place might not be mentioned, but still past tense refers to a specific scene in the past.


Past describes a situation, present perfect describes a present result or experience up till now. Choose present perfect or past in the drop down list.
1) - Jeg min mand på et motelværelse, han havde fået den forkerte nøgle i receptionen.
2) - Jeg din mand på et motelværelse mindst 15 gange!

3) - Jeg Paris Hilton i metroen på vej hjem.
4) - Det er da ikke noget! Jeg Bill Clinton, da jeg var nede og købe cigarer.