Page:A simplified grammar of the Danish language.djvu/64

52 ; as, Han har længe gået omkring i Haven, 'He has walked about the garden for a long time;' Han har kört tyve Mil, 'He has driven twenty miles.'

The use of være, 'to be,' is indicated where a changed or temporary condition has to be expressed; as, Barnet er falden ned af Muren, 'The child has fallen off the wall.' Blive, 'to be,' 'remain,' 'become,' serves to give a passive sense to an active verb; as, Hun blev elsket, 'She was beloved.' And when used in an active sense it loses its character of an auxiliary; as, Han blev gal, 'He became mad;' Kongen bliver i Byen, 'The king remains in town;' Bliv ikke vranten, 'Do not be cross!'

Some verbs, as at stå, can only be conjugated with at have, 'to have;' others, as at komme, require være; as, Han har stået på skibet Siden i Morgen, 'he has been on the ship since this morning;' Fruen er kommen til Bys, 'The lady has come to town.'

The use of skal, 'shall,' vil, 'will,' is often the same as in English; but it may be still more exactly defined by saying that the former implies the will of the subject, and the latter the agency of some person, or thing, apart from the subject: as, Jeg nok komme hjem i Aften, 'I shall be sure to come home to-night;' and Min Mand  næppe komme hjem i Aften, 'My husband will scarcely come. . . .'

The auxiliary at få implies a necessity or obligation where it is not used in the sense of 'to get;' as, Han får gå, 'He will have to go;' Matrosen fik intet at spise hos Admiralen, 'The sailor got nothing to eat at the Admiral's.'

When the auxiliaries være and blive are used impersonally,