Three Pronunciations of Danish Word Af

The Danish word af means off. In certain cases, it also means by. It can be pronounced in three distinct ways. Let us illustrate with examples.

When af is a prefix, it is always pronounced as a diphthong. In the words aftale (agreement) and affald (garbage), the first syllable is a diphthong.

In the other two cases, the word af is a vowel. The final letter f is silent. Before a noun phrase, the vowel is short, but in isolation or before a word such as an adverb or preposition, it has a longer pronunciation.

In the sentence, Vi skal af toget her (We must get off the train here), the word af comes before the noun phrase toget (the train). For this reason, it is pronounced short. However, in the sentence, Vi skal af her (We must get off here), the word af comes before the adverb of place her (here), and thus it is pronounced long.

The word af can also mean by. This is the case in the word Frygt og Bæven er skrevet af Søren Kierkegaard (Fear and Trembling was written by Søren Kierkegaard). Here the word af comes before a noun phrase. For this reason it is pronounced with a short vowel.

The pronunciation of the word af depends on the context. When it is a prefix, it is a diphthong. Before a noun phrase, it is pronounced with a short vowel, and in isolation, it is pronounced with a long one. Thus the Danish word af has three different pronunciations.