A1 Danish GrammarBasic Adjectives
Describe people, places, and things with common Danish adjectives. Learn how adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number, when to add -t or -e endings, and master essential descriptive words for everyday conversation.
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1Adjectives with Common Gender Nouns
With common gender (en-words) nouns, adjectives use their basic form (no ending). The adjective comes before the noun. This is the simplest pattern: just use the adjective as-is. Most everyday descriptions use this pattern.
Adjectives with En-words
| Danish | English | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| en stor bil | a big car | stor |
| en lille hund | a small dog | lille |
| en god bog | a good book | god |
| en gammel mand | an old man | gammel |
Examples
Det er en stor by.
It is a big city.
'stor' = big, no ending with en-word
Hun har en rød kjole.
She has a red dress.
'rød' = red, basic form
Vi bor i en lille lejlighed.
We live in a small apartment.
'lille' = small (irregular, never changes)
Han er en god ven.
He is a good friend.
'god' = good, basic form
2Adjectives with Neuter Nouns (-t ending)
With neuter (et-words) nouns, adjectives add '-t'. This is a key rule in Danish. The pattern is: et + adjective-t + noun. Some adjectives double the final consonant before adding -t. Note: 'lille' is irregular and doesn't change.
Adjectives with Et-words
| Common | Neuter | English |
|---|---|---|
| en stor bil | et stort hus | a big house |
| en rød blomst | et rødt æble | a red apple |
| en ny sko | et nyt job | a new job |
| en smuk kvinde | et smukt landskab | a beautiful landscape |
Examples
Det er et stort hus.
It is a big house.
stor + t = stort with neuter
Jeg har et nyt job.
I have a new job.
ny + t = nyt with neuter
Det er et rødt æble.
It is a red apple.
rød + t = rødt
Vi bor i et lille hus.
We live in a small house.
'lille' never changes
3Adjectives with Plural Nouns (-e ending)
With plural nouns, adjectives add '-e'. This applies to both common and neuter nouns in the plural. The pattern is: adjective-e + plural noun. This ending also applies when using 'de' (the) with plural nouns.
Singular vs. Plural Adjectives
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| en stor bil | store biler | big cars |
| et stort hus | store huse | big houses |
| en gammel mand | gamle mænd | old men |
| et nyt job | nye jobs | new jobs |
Examples
De har store biler.
They have big cars.
stor + e = store with plural
Vi ser mange smukke blomster.
We see many beautiful flowers.
smuk + ke = smukke (add -ke)
Der er mange gamle huse her.
There are many old houses here.
gammel → gamle with plural
Børnene er søde.
The children are sweet.
sød + e = søde with plural
4Adjectives after 'er' (Predicative)
When adjectives come after 'er' (is/are), they must agree with the subject. Use basic form for common singular, -t for neuter singular, and -e for plural. This is called predicative position (after the verb).
Predicative Adjective Agreement
| Subject | Danish | English |
|---|---|---|
| en bil (common) | Bilen er stor. | The car is big. |
| et hus (neuter) | Huset er stort. | The house is big. |
| biler (plural) | Bilerne er store. | The cars are big. |
| børn (plural) | Børnene er søde. | The children are cute. |
Examples
Kaffen er varm.
The coffee is hot.
Common noun, basic adjective form
Vejret er koldt.
The weather is cold.
Neuter noun, adjective + t
Mine forældre er gamle.
My parents are old.
Plural, adjective + e
Filmen var interessant.
The movie was interesting.
Common noun, basic form
Practice Exercises
3 exercises
Complete: 'en _____ hund' (a big dog) - common gender noun
Complete: 'et _____ hus' (a big house) - neuter noun
Complete: 'Husene er _____' (The houses are big) - plural
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