localize-da

Translate to Danish (da) — High-Fidelity Skill

Scope & Variants

Danish is a single standard target — Modern Standard Danish (rigsdansk). No significant regional split for product UI:

Locale	Notes
`da` / `da-DK`	Standard Danish (Denmark). Default.
`da-GL`	Greenlandic Danish — vocabulary essentially identical for software UI.
`da-FO`	Faroese Danish — same.

Faroese (fo) and Greenlandic (kl) are separate languages, not Danish dialects — they have their own ISO codes. Don't confuse them with Danish.

Practical reality: Danish translation has one target. Treat da as the universal target.

Danish vs Norwegian Bokmål — distinct languages, often confused

Danish and Norwegian Bokmål are mutually intelligible in writing (Bokmål was historically derived from Danish) but they are separate languages. AI translators sometimes mix them. Key distinguishing features of Danish vs Bokmål:

English	Danish (da) ✓	Norwegian Bokmål (nb) — do NOT use in da
I	jeg	jeg (same, but Danish pronounces "yai")
not	ikke	ikke (same)
what	hvad	hva
how	hvordan	hvordan (same)
we	vi	vi (same)
me	mig	meg
you (obj.)	dig	deg
city	by	by (same)
now	nu	nå
sweet / nice	sød	søt
white	hvid	hvit
black	sort	svart
open	åben (or åbn)	åpen (or åpne)
school	skole	skole (same)
from	fra	fra (same)
many	mange	mange (same)
use (v.)	bruge	bruke
do / does	gøre / gør	gjøre / gjør
something	noget	noe
have / had	har / havde	har / hadde
become	blive	bli
say / said	sige / sagde	si / sa
big	stor	stor (same)

The soft-d (ð-like sound, spelled d) in many Danish words is the most distinctive feature: mad (food), god (good), gade (street). Norwegian Bokmål has hard-d or no-d in equivalent positions.

If a Danish translation contains meg / deg / nå / hva / søt / hvit / svart / åpen / noe / bli / si / sa — it's accidentally Norwegian.

Register Auto-Detection (Apply Before Translating)

Modern Danish, like Swedish and Norwegian, abandoned the formal De form. De is virtually extinct in modern Danish UI — even banking and government use du. Reserve De for ceremonial address to royalty or in very archaic legal text.

Auto-detect from source:

Source signal	Target register
Casual / conversational (`Hey!`, contractions, emoji, marketing voice, social)	Casual du — direct verbs, contractions where natural, short sentences. Allow some loanwords (`email`, `link` are fine alongside Danish equivalents).
Neutral product UI / docs (DEFAULT)	Neutral du — du throughout, imperative buttons, present-tense status, native Danish vocabulary preferred but established loanwords OK.
Legal / banking / government / enterprise	Formal du — still `du` (NEVER `De` in modern UI), but use full forms (`skal` not `ska`), prefer impersonal passives, avoid colloquialisms.

Hard rule: NEVER use De in modern Danish UI. It's archaic. Even formal Danish government communication uses du.

Hard rule: source register matching for vocabulary — if source is casual English (stay, countless, ship), do NOT elevate to literary Danish.

Critical Hard Rules (Severity ≥ 2.0 — Auto-Fail If Wrong)

1. Compound words written as ONE word — særskrivning is wrong (severity 2.5)

Danish forms compounds by concatenation, exactly like Swedish/Norwegian. Separating a compound (særskrivning — sometimes called "Danglish") is the most-mocked Danish writing error.

✗ Wrong (split)	✓ Correct (joined)	English
`data base`	`database`	database
`bruger grænseflade`	`brugergrænseflade`	user interface
`pass ord`	`password` (loanword) or `adgangskode`	password
`e mail`	`e-mail` (hyphen OK for this)	email
`web side`	`webside` or `hjemmeside`	website
`lyse rød`	`lyserød` (= pink) vs `lys rød` (= a light red)	pink vs light red
`tag selvbillede` (split)	`tag selvbillede` ✓ (`tage` = take, `selvbillede` = selfie — these ARE two words)	take a selfie
`kør stol`	`kørestol`	wheelchair

Hyphens appear only in:

Acronym + Danish word: IT-firma, 25-årig.
Compounds with brand/foreign words: Google-konto, iPhone-en.
e-mail is officially hyphenated (email increasingly accepted, but e-mail is the orthographic standard).

2. Hybrid-compound verb anti-pattern — REJECT (severity 2.5)

Danish prefixes (af-, fra-, ud-, op-, ind-) onto English roots create non-words. Always find the dictionary-attested native form.

✗ Wrong (hybrid)	✓ Correct (native attested)	English
`aflinke` / `aflinket`	`frakoble` / `frakoblet`	unlink / disconnected
`afsynce`	`synkronisere` / `fjerne synkronisering`	sync / desync
`delee` (as verb)	`dele` ✓ (dele exists)	share
`paire`	`parre` / `forbinde`	pair
`merge` (as Danish verb)	`flette sammen` / `sammenflette`	merge
`pushe`	`skubbe` / `pushe` (git context only, attested)	push
`downloade`	✓ `downloade` is attested in Den Danske Ordbog	download (also `hente`)
`uploade`	✓ `uploade` is attested	upload (also `lægge op`)
`installe`	`installere`	install
`cancele`	`annullere`	cancel
`deletee`	`slette`	delete
`updaee`	`opdatere`	update

Verification test: if you used a Danish prefix + English-looking root, look it up in Den Danske Ordbog (https://ordnet.dk/ddo) or Retskrivningsordbogen (Danish official orthography). If not found, replace with the native verb.

A few English loans are attested and acceptable: downloade, uploade, streame, chatte, mejle, googler, tweete. Their hybrid prefixed forms generally are NOT (no afmejle, udchatte, etc.).

3. Two-gender system — en (common) vs et (neuter) (severity 2.0)

Danish has two genders: common (en, ~75%) and neuter (et, ~25%). There's no reliable phonological rule — gender must be memorized.

Common IT nouns and their genders:

en (common)	et (neuter)
en fil (file)	et system (system)
en mappe (folder)	et konto — WAIT: en konto is common in modern Danish (NOT et konto, despite some old usage)
en platform (platform)	et problem (problem)
en app (app)	et password (password) — also "et adgangskode" wait: en adgangskode (common)
en side (page)	et netværk (network)
en knap (button)	et dokument (document)
en indstilling (setting)	et navn (name)
en bruger (user)	et alternativ (option)
en flig / fane (tab)	et felt (field)
en søgning (search)	et tema (theme)
en webside (web page)	et kort (card)
en e-mail	et emne (subject/topic)
en kommentar (comment)	et resultat (result)
en notifikation (notification)	—

Indefinite article: en/et before the noun. Definite (without adjective): suffix -en (common) or -et (neuter). filen, systemet. Definite (with adjective): free article den/det + adjective + noun in plain form — Danish uses only the free article, NOT a double-definiteness like Swedish.

4. Double-definiteness DIFFERENCE from Swedish (severity 2.0)

This is a critical Danish-specific rule. Unlike Swedish (which uses both article AND suffix), Danish uses EITHER suffix OR free article — never both:

✗ Wrong (over-marked, Swedish-style)	✓ Correct (Danish)	English
den store filen	den store fil	the big file
det nye systemet	det nye system	the new system
de nye filerne	de nye filer	the new files

Pattern:

No adjective → use suffix only: filen, systemet, filerne.
With adjective → use free article + plain noun: den store fil, det nye system, de nye filer.

This is the OPPOSITE pattern from Swedish (den stora filen — both article AND suffix). Don't confuse them.

5. V2 word order (verb in position 2 of main clauses) (severity 2.0)

Like all Scandinavian languages, Danish is strict V2: the finite verb takes position 2 of any declarative main clause, regardless of what fills position 1.

✗ Wrong	✓ Correct
I dag brugeren gemmer filen	I dag gemmer brugeren filen (Today saves the user the file)
Nu systemet indlæser data	Nu indlæser systemet data
Efter login du kan ændre...	Efter login kan du ændre...
Snart vi lancerer	Snart lancerer vi

When an adverbial or object is fronted to position 1, the subject is inverted with the verb.

V2 after subordinate clauses (main clause comes second): the main clause after a subordinate clause still respects V2 — the subordinate clause counts as position 1.

✗ Wrong	✓ Correct
Hvis du klikker her, du vil se...	Hvis du klikker her, vil du se...
Når filen gemmes, du får besked	Når filen gemmes, får du besked

6. Subordinate clause word order — subject before verb (severity 1.5)

In subordinate clauses (introduced by at, som, fordi, når, om, mens, inden, efter at), the subject comes BEFORE the verb, and adverbs like ikke, altid, aldrig go between subject and verb.

Clause type	Word order	Example
Main (V2)	Subj — Verb — Adv — Obj	`Brugeren gemmer ikke filen.`
Subordinate (SVx)	Subj — Adv — Verb — Obj	`…fordi brugeren ikke gemmer filen.`

7. Negation placement (severity 1.5)

Context	Pattern	Example
Main clause	Verb + ikke	`Filen gemmes ikke.` (The file is not saved.)
Subordinate clause	ikke + Verb	`…fordi filen ikke gemmes.`

8. Adjective agreement (severity 1.5)

Three forms: base / -t / -e.

Subject	Form	Example
en-noun (common) indefinite sg.	base	en stor fil
et-noun (neuter) indefinite sg.	-t	et stort system
plural (indefinite)	-e	store filer
definite (sg./pl., either gender)	-e	den store fil, det store system, de store filer

Irregular: lille (small) → lille (neuter same) / små (plural).

9. Comma rules — `eller` / `og` vs `men` / `for` (severity 1.0)

Same pattern as Swedish/Norwegian:

Rule	Example
NO comma before `og` (and)	Træk hertil og klik.
NO comma before `eller` (or)	Træk hertil eller klik.
NO comma before `eller` (or, second use)	Vælg fil eller mappe.
Comma before `men` (but)	Hurtig, men effektiv.
Comma before `for` (because)	Annulleret, for det fejlede.
Comma before `at` (subordinating "that")	Jeg ser, at filen er åben.
Comma before `når / hvis / fordi / hvorfor`	Gem, når du er klar.
Comma before relative `som / der` (with care — see below)	Filen, som er gemt, ...

Note on som / der (relative pronouns): Danish has both restrictive (no comma, often som or der) and non-restrictive (with comma) relative clauses. For UI / product copy, the comma is usually omitted in short relative phrases. For prose, follow standard Danish punctuation (the so-called "new comma" vs "grammatical comma" rules — both are tolerated in modern Danish).

10. Special characters æ ø å — NEVER strip (severity 3.0)

Replacing æ ø å with ae oe aa (or worse, a o a) is a critical readability failure. These are letters, not diacritics. Gem vs Gem is fine but Vælg → Vaelg and Søg → Soeg are broken.

A Danish product UI with Adgangskode → Adgangskode ✓ but Søg → Sog ✗.

11. ICU plurals — one / other (severity 1.5)

Danish has two CLDR plural categories: one (n = 1) and other (everything else).

{count, plural,
  one {# fil}
  other {# filer}
}

Pronouns and Possessives

Personal pronouns

English	Danish	Notes
I	jeg
you (sg.)	du	NEVER `De` for singular formal (archaic)
you (pl.)	I (capitalized when 2nd-person plural — yes, the pronoun is literally `I`)	Capitalization is fixed for unambiguity
he / she / they (sg.)	han / hun
it (common)	den
it (neuter)	det
we	vi
they	de (subject) / dem (object)
me	mig
you (obj. sg.)	dig
us	os
them	dem

Possessive (agree with possessed noun's gender/number)

Person	en-noun	et-noun	plural
min (my)	min fil	mit system	mine filer
din (your sg.)	din fil	dit system	dine filer
hans / hendes (his / her — invariable)	hans fil	hans system	hans filer
sin / sit / sine (reflexive — own)	sin fil	sit system	sine filer
vores (our — invariable)	vores fil	vores system	vores filer
jeres (your pl. — invariable)	jeres fil	jeres system	jeres filer
deres (their — invariable)	deres fil	deres system	deres filer

Reflexive sin / sit / sine is required when the possessor is the subject of the same clause:

Hun gemmer sin fil. (She saves her own file.) ← reflexive
Hun gemmer hendes fil. (She saves [someone else's] file.) ← non-reflexive

UI Conventions

Buttons — imperative (preferred)

English	✓ Imperative
Save	Gem
Cancel	Annuller
Delete	Slet
Send	Send
Edit	Rediger
Search	Søg
Confirm	Bekræft
Continue	Fortsæt
Submit	Send / Indsend
Sign in / Log in	Log ind
Sign out / Log out	Log ud
Sign up	Opret konto / Tilmeld dig
Next	Næste
Back	Tilbage
Done	Færdig
OK	OK
Close	Luk
Upload	Upload / Læg op
Download	Download / Hent
Refresh	Opdater
Settings	Indstillinger
Apply	Anvend
Reset	Nulstil
Select all	Vælg alle
Add more	Tilføj flere

Status messages — present tense + ellipsis

English	✓ Danish
Loading…	Indlæser…
Saving…	Gemmer…
Sending…	Sender…
Connecting…	Forbinder…
Processing…	Behandler…
Uploading…	Uploader…
Downloading…	Downloader…
Searching…	Søger…
Please wait	Vent venligst / Vent et øjeblik

Completion messages — concise

English	✓ Danish
Saved	Gemt / Alt gemt
Done	Færdig / Klar
Translation complete	Oversættelse fuldført
File uploaded	Filen er uploadet / Fil uploadet
Sent	Sendt
Payment successful	Betalingen er gennemført / Betaling gennemført

Empty states — concise, drop pronouns

✗ Verbose	✓ Concise
Der blev ikke fundet nogen resultater	Ingen resultater
Du har endnu ikke nogen projekter	Ingen projekter endnu
Der er ikke noget at vise	Intet at vise
Ingen filer tilgængelige	Ingen filer

Drag-and-drop

drag → træk
drop → slip (NOT drop as English calque, though many Danes use it informally)
release → slip
Combined: Træk og slip filer her (Drag and drop files here).

Quantity expressions

✗ Calque	✓ Native
25+ sprog	mere end 25 sprog / over 25 sprog
+{count} mere	og {count} mere
+25 nye funktioner	over 25 nye funktioner

Error messages — what + next step

✗ Bare	✓ With next step
Filen blev ikke fundet.	Filen blev ikke fundet. Tjek stien.
Netværksfejl.	Netværksfejl. Prøv igen.
Ugyldig e-mail.	Ugyldig e-mailadresse. Tjek formatet.
Login mislykkedes.	Login mislykkedes. Tjek brugernavn og adgangskode.

Support expressions

✗ Calque	✓ Native
Understøttelse af X-filer	Understøtter X-filer / X-filer understøttes
Understøttelse af flere sprog	Understøtter flere sprog

Punctuation, Numbers, Dates, Currency

Punctuation

Mark	Danish	Notes
Question mark	`?`	Same as English
Comma	`,`	Different conjunction rules
Period	`.`	Same
Colon	`:`	NO space before
Quotation marks	`„…"` German-style OR `»…«` French-style (inward-pointing — opposite of Norwegian)	Either acceptable; `"…"` increasingly common in modern UI
Apostrophe	only in foreign names (`Joe's`)	Danish genitive: bare `-s`
Em-dash	`—`	Used for parenthetical breaks

Critical: Danish guillemets point INWARD »…« — opposite of Norwegian's outward «…». If using guillemets, get the direction right.

Numbers

Format	Pattern	Example
Thousands separator	period (.) or space	1.234.567 or 1 234 567
Decimal separator	comma (,)	3,14 / 99,99
Negative	`-25`
Percent	`25 %` (with space) or `25%` (acceptable in UI)

Critical: Danish uses period OR space for thousands, comma for decimal — same as Norwegian, different from Swedish (space-only). Never 1,234.56 (English) in Danish UI.

Dates

Format	Example	Use
DD-MM-YYYY	15-01-2024	Default Danish format (hyphens)
DD.MM.YYYY	15.01.2024	Acceptable alternative (periods)
D. måned YYYY	15. januar 2024	Long-form prose
YYYY-MM-DD	2024-01-15	Technical/API only

Critical: Danish prefers HYPHEN-separated dates (15-01-2024), unlike Norwegian's period (15.01.2024) and Swedish's ISO (2024-01-15). All three are mutually understood, but hyphen is the Danish-specific default.

Months (lowercase always, no period for full names):

| 1 | januar | 7 | juli | | 2 | februar | 8 | august | | 3 | marts | 9 | september | | 4 | april | 10 | oktober | | 5 | maj | 11 | november | | 6 | juni | 12 | december |

Weekdays (lowercase): mandag, tirsdag, onsdag, torsdag, fredag, lørdag, søndag.

Week starts Monday.

Time

24-hour preferred: 14:30 or kl. 14:30 (kl. = klokken).
12-hour rarely used.

Currency — Danish krone (DKK / kr.)

Format	Pattern	Example
Symbol	`kr.` after amount with space (period after kr is standard)	99,99 kr.
ISO code	DKK	99,99 DKK / DKK 99,99

Never kr.99,99 (no space) or $99.99 style. Danish krone is kr. with period after — Norwegian uses kr without period.

Denmark is in the EU but uses krone, NOT euro. Don't switch to EUR in Danish localization (Denmark opted out of the euro).

Terminology — preferred Danish terms

English	✓ Danish preferred	✗ Avoid
user	bruger	user
account	konto	akkaunt
password	adgangskode (formal) / password (acceptable loanword)	—
settings	indstillinger	opsætning (= setup, different)
dashboard	dashboard (loanword OK) / kontrolpanel	—
email	e-mail	mejl (very informal)
link	link / hyperlink	—
website	hjemmeside / website	—
folder	mappe	—
file	fil	—
device	enhed	device
phone	telefon / mobil	—
computer	computer	komputer
application / app	applikation / app / program	—
update (v.)	opdatere	update
save	gemme	sejve
delete	slette	delete
upload	uploade / lægge op	— both common
download	downloade / hente	— both common
sign in / log in	logge ind	sign in
sign up	oprette konto / tilmelde sig	—
search	søge / søgning	search
click	klikke	—
share	dele	share
profile	profil	—
notifications	notifikationer / underretninger	—
privacy	privatliv / privatlivspolitik	—
terms	vilkår / betingelser	—
support	support	—
help	hjælp	—
feedback	feedback (OK) / tilbagemelding	—
menu	menu	—
home	hjem / startside	—
logout	logge ud	—
browser	browser (loanword OK)	—
screen	skærm	—
keyboard	tastatur	tipkovnica (that's Croatian!)
mouse	mus	—
build (software)	bygge / udvikle	—
deploy	udrulle / installere / deploye (informal)	—
pipeline	pipeline (keep)	—
commit (git)	committe (informal, attested) / gemme ændringer	—
merge (git)	flette / sammenflette	mergee
repository	repository / arkiv	—
branch (git)	gren / branch	—
API	API (keep — Latin always)	—
endpoint	endpoint (keep)	—
cache	cache (keep) / mellemlager	—
log (n.)	log	—
sync	synkronisere / synke (informal)	—
webhook	webhook (keep)	—
source of truth	sandhedskilde / kanonisk datakilde	—

Danish is slightly more open to English loanwords than Swedish or (especially) Croatian/Icelandic. Many anglicisms are fully naturalized: computer, email, download, upload, browser, cookie. Don't over-purify.

Tech identifiers — keep in Latin/English

These MUST stay in English inside Danish text:

Programming languages, frameworks, tools (Git, GitHub, Docker, npm, pip).
Protocols (HTTP, REST, GraphQL).
File formats (JSON, XML, CSV, PDF).
Commands, paths, URLs, code.

False Friends — Critical

Danish word	Actually means	NOT this	Correct for the English
aktuel	current / relevant	"actual"	"actual" → faktisk / egentlig
eventuelt	possibly / perhaps	"eventually"	"eventually" → til sidst / med tiden
sympatisk	likeable / pleasant	"sympathetic (compassionate)"	"sympathetic" → medfølende
sensitiv	sensitive	"sensible"	"sensible" → fornuftig
kontrollere	to check / verify	"to control (manage)"	"control (manage)" → styre / lede
receptur	recipe (formal)	"receipt"	"receipt" → kvittering
barn	child	"barn" (building)	"barn" → lade
chef	boss / manager	"chef" (cook)	"chef" → kok
gift	married OR poison	"gift" (present)	"gift" → gave
rolig	calm / quiet	(also OK)	—
præsentation	presentation (slides, performance)	(mostly OK)	—
event	event (party) — attested loanword	(OK in casual)	"event (formal)" → begivenhed

Calque / Anti-Pattern List

✗ Calque	✓ Native	Reason
tage plads	finde sted	"Take place" calque
i slutningen af dagen	i sidste ende / når alt kommer til alt	"At the end of the day" calque
på en daglig basis	dagligt / hver dag	"On a daily basis" calque
ikke rigtig	ikke ligefrem / ikke helt	"Not really" — more natural form
foretage en forbedring	forbedre	"Make an improvement" — use verb
give et svar	svare	"Provide an answer" — use verb
Få det oversat på minutter	Oversættelse på få minutter	"Get X done" structural calque
Hold dine projekter synkroniserede	Sørg for synkronisering af projekterne	"Keep X synced" calque
Gør din arbejdsgang hurtigere	Effektiviser din arbejdsgang	"Make X faster" calque
Hurtig oversættelse. Sikker. Pålidelig. (telegram)	Hurtige, sikre og pålidelige oversættelser	Telegram fragments → complete noun phrase
Det giver mening	Det giver mening ✓ (this is actually correct Danish)	(Note: `det giver mening` IS native Danish — leave it)
AI-drevet	AI-baseret / drevet af AI / med AI	"X-driven" awkward
AI-bevidst	AI-klar / understøtter AI / med AI-understøttelse	"X-aware" calque
brugervenlig	(this IS standard Danish, not a calque — leave it)	—
Amerikas Forenede Stater	USA	UI short form
Det Forenede Kongerige	Storbritannien / UK	UI short form
Drag here	Træk hertil	English verb → native
Drop here	Slip her	English → native
Færdig! Din oversættelse er nu klar.	Oversættelse fuldført	Verbose completion → concise
Fantastisk! Alt er blevet gemt.	Alt gemt	Verbose with interjection → concise

Custom Sections

Time / duration — `tilbage` and unit abbreviations

English	✓ Danish
30 seconds remaining	30 sek tilbage / 30 s tilbage
5 minutes remaining	5 min tilbage (NOT `5 m`)
2 hours remaining	2 t tilbage (NOT `2 h` — `h` is English)
3 days remaining	3 d tilbage / 3 dage tilbage

tilbage is the standard Danish UI form for "remaining".
Always space between number and unit: 5 min ✓, 5min ✗.
min for minutes (NOT m — ambiguous with meters).
t for timer (NOT English h).

Per vs for (rate vs total)

Source	✓ Danish	Meaning
per language (rate)	pr. sprog / per sprog	rate, per-unit
for 25 languages (total)	for 25 sprog / til 25 sprog	total scope
5 USD per language	5 USD pr. sprog	rate
5 USD for all languages	5 USD for alle sprog	total

Danish uses pr. (abbreviation of Latin per) as the standard form, optionally per written out. Never use English per style without the period.

Cost / estimate ordering

Amount-first:

✗ Ambiguous	✓ Clear
5 sprog 25 kreditter	25 kreditter for 5 sprog

"Hygge" cultural tone

Danish culture values hygge — cozy, warm, low-key. UI copy in Danish should:

Be direct but warm (Janteloven-style modesty — no boasting).
Avoid superlatives and hype ("BEDST!" → just Forbedret or Bedre).
Use friendly but not overly enthusiastic tone.
Prefer practical, solution-oriented language.

For marketing copy, soften American-style hyperbole.

UI element references in prose

When prose refers to a specific named UI element, use quotation marks:

✗ Compound	✓ Quoted label
Klik på Gem-knappen	Klik på knappen "Gem"
Åbn Indstillinger-fanen	Åbn fanen "Indstillinger"
Brug Navn-feltet	Brug feltet "Navn"

Brand names + Danish suffixes — use apostrophe + s for genitive

Foreign brand names take Danish definite/possessive endings via apostrophe or hyphen:

OneSky → OneSky'et (def. neuter, with apostrophe) or OneSky-en (def. common).
Google's (Google's) — Danish genitive can use English-style 's for foreign brands.
iPhone-en (the iPhone).
GitHub-en (the GitHub).

Self-Check Checklist (Run Before Returning Output)

Accuracy (auto-fail on miss)

Compound words written as ONE word — no særskrivning (database, brugergrænseflade).
Hybrid-compound verbs rejected — no aflinke, afsynce, cancele, deletee, installe.
Gender (en/et) correct on every article and definite suffix.
No double-definiteness (Swedish-style) — Danish uses EITHER suffix OR free article: den store fil ✓ NOT den store filen.
Adjective agreement: -t for et-noun indefinite singular, -e for plural/definite.
V2 word order in every main clause (verb in position 2).
Subordinate clause word order: subject before verb, ikke between them.
Negation placement: after verb (main), before verb (subordinate).
No comma before og / eller; comma before men / for / at / subordinating conjunctions.
Special chars æ ø å preserved — never replaced.
ICU plurals: one and other categories.
Placeholders preserved.
Latin tech identifiers: Git, API, JSON, React, etc. stay in Latin.
Numbers: comma decimal (3,14), period/space thousands (1.234 / 1 234), kr. after amount.
Dates: DD-MM-YYYY (hyphen — Danish default).
Time: 24-hour, kl. 14:30.
per vs for: pr. sprog for rate, for X sprog for total.

Register

du throughout — never De (archaic).
No literary register elevation when source is casual.
Possessive forms match the du-form (din / dit / dine), never Deres.

UI conventions

Buttons use imperative (Gem, Annuller, Slet).
Status uses present + ellipsis (Indlæser…, Gemmer…).
Completion concise (Gemt, Oversættelse fuldført, NOT Fantastisk! Alt er blevet gemt!).
Empty states concise (Ingen resultater, NOT Der blev ikke fundet nogen resultater).
Drag-drop uses træk and slip.
Understøtter X not Understøttelse af X.
Quantity: mere end 25 not 25+; og {count} mere not +{count}.
Error messages include next step.

Naturalness

No English calques (tage plads, i slutningen af dagen, på en daglig basis, foretage en forbedring).
No anglicism-verb hybrid forms (aflinke, afsynce).
False-friend check: aktuel ≠ actual, eventuelt ≠ eventually, kontrollere = check (not manage), gift = married OR poison (not present).
tilbage for time-remaining; min not m; t not h; space before unit.
Proper nouns short forms (USA, Storbritannien).
Hygge tone — no hype, modest, warm.
Currency kr. (with period) after amount.
No accidental Norwegian forms (meg, deg, nå, hva, søt, hvit, noe, bli, si).

Worked Example — Standard da UI

Source (neutral product UI):

Welcome back! You have 3 new files in your account. Click Continue to review them or Cancel to stay here. Saving your changes…

Register check: neutral product UI → casual du, present-tense status.

Translation:

Velkommen tilbage! Du har 3 nye filer på din konto. Klik på Fortsæt for at gennemgå dem eller Annuller for at blive her. Gemmer dine ændringer…

Why this works:

Velkommen tilbage — standard greeting.
Du har — du-form throughout.
3 nye filer — plural adj nye (-e suffix for plural), plural noun filer. Indefinite, no article.
på din konto — på + plain noun (no double-def with possessive). konto is en-noun (modern Danish), din agrees.
Buttons imperative: Fortsæt, Annuller.
for at gennemgå dem / for at blive her — purpose for at + infinitive.
Status: Gemmer dine ændringer… (present + ellipsis, possessive plural dine).
No comma before eller ✓.
Punctuation: Latin !, … standard.
æ ø å preserved.

Same string with formal/banking register (still du):

Velkommen tilbage. Du har 3 nye filer på din konto. Klik på Fortsæt for at gennemgå filerne, eller klik på Annuller for at afbryde. Ændringerne gemmes…

(Drop !, switch to passive gemmes instead of Gemmer, use definite filerne to reinforce specificity, still du throughout.)

Worked Example — Compound word + V2

Source: Today, the system saves your file automatically every five minutes.

Translation:

I dag gemmer systemet din fil automatisk hvert femte minut.

Notes:

I dag fronted → V2 inversion → gemmer systemet.
systemet — definite suffix on et-noun.
din fil — possessive, en-noun.
hvert femte minut — "every fifth minute" (Danish idiom for "every X minutes"). NOT hver fem minutter.
No særskrivning issues; systemet is single word.

Worked Example — Date and currency

Source: Last login: January 15, 2024 at 2:30 PM. Subscription: $99.99/month.

Translation:

Sidste login: 15-01-2024 kl. 14:30. Abonnement: 99,99 kr. pr. måned.

(Hyphen-separated date — Danish default. kl. 14:30 for 24-hour time. 99,99 kr. for currency. pr. måned for "per month".)

Worked Example — ICU plurals

Source:

{count, plural, one {# new file} other {# new files}}

Translation:

{count, plural,
  one {# ny fil}
  other {# nye filer}
}

Notes:

one: ny (base form, en-noun indef. sg.).
other: nye filer (plural adjective -e, plural noun).

Worked Example — Reflexive possessive

Source: She saves her [own] file. She saves her [Anna's] file.

Translation:

Hun gemmer sin fil. (her own) Hun gemmer hendes fil. (Anna's = someone else's)

Reflexive sin when possessor = subject; hendes when referring to a different person.

When in Doubt

Default to da, du-form, hyphen-separated dates, two-gender (en/et) checked per noun.
If you typed meg / deg / nå / hva / søt / hvit / noe / bli → switch to Danish equivalents (mig / dig / nu / hvad / sød / hvid / noget / blive). You accidentally wrote Norwegian.
If a word looks like an English root with af- / op- / ud- prefixed → stop and find the native verb (frakoble, synkronisere, slette).
If you typed two nouns with a space (data base, bruger grænseflade) → join them.
If you put both article AND suffix (Swedish-style den store filen) → remove the suffix: den store fil.
If you used De / Deres for formal singular → switch to du / din. Always.
If currency is kr (no period) → add the period: kr. Danish convention.
If currency is EUR for a Danish locale → switch to DKK (Denmark opted out of euro).
If date is 2024-01-15 or 15.01.2024 → prefer Danish default 15-01-2024 (hyphens).
If you over-claim with marketing hype → soften with hygge tone.

About this skill

Scope & Variants

Danish vs Norwegian Bokmål — distinct languages, often confused

Register Auto-Detection (Apply Before Translating)

Critical Hard Rules (Severity ≥ 2.0 — Auto-Fail If Wrong)

1. Compound words written as ONE word — særskrivning is wrong (severity 2.5)

2. Hybrid-compound verb anti-pattern — REJECT (severity 2.5)

3. Two-gender system — en (common) vs et (neuter) (severity 2.0)

4. Double-definiteness DIFFERENCE from Swedish (severity 2.0)

5. V2 word order (verb in position 2 of main clauses) (severity 2.0)

6. Subordinate clause word order — subject before verb (severity 1.5)

7. Negation placement (severity 1.5)

8. Adjective agreement (severity 1.5)

9. Comma rules — eller / og vs men / for (severity 1.0)

10. Special characters æ ø å — NEVER strip (severity 3.0)

11. ICU plurals — one / other (severity 1.5)

Pronouns and Possessives

Personal pronouns

Possessive (agree with possessed noun's gender/number)

UI Conventions

Buttons — imperative (preferred)

Status messages — present tense + ellipsis

Completion messages — concise

Empty states — concise, drop pronouns

Drag-and-drop

Quantity expressions

Error messages — what + next step

Support expressions

Punctuation, Numbers, Dates, Currency

Punctuation

Numbers

Dates

Time

Currency — Danish krone (DKK / kr.)

Terminology — preferred Danish terms

Tech identifiers — keep in Latin/English

False Friends — Critical

Calque / Anti-Pattern List

Custom Sections

Time / duration — tilbage and unit abbreviations

Per vs for (rate vs total)

Cost / estimate ordering

"Hygge" cultural tone

UI element references in prose

Brand names + Danish suffixes — use apostrophe + s for genitive

Self-Check Checklist (Run Before Returning Output)

Accuracy (auto-fail on miss)

Register

UI conventions

Naturalness

Worked Example — Standard da UI

Worked Example — Compound word + V2

Worked Example — Date and currency

Worked Example — ICU plurals

Worked Example — Reflexive possessive

When in Doubt

9. Comma rules — `eller` / `og` vs `men` / `for` (severity 1.0)

Time / duration — `tilbage` and unit abbreviations