🇩🇰A2

A2 Danish GrammarAdjective Endings

Master Danish adjective agreement and declension. Learn how adjectives change form based on the noun's gender (common/neuter), number (singular/plural), and definiteness. Understand the rules for adding -t for neuter and -e for plural and definite forms.

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1Indefinite Singular Forms

In Danish, adjectives agree with the noun they describe. With indefinite singular nouns, the adjective takes different forms for common (en-words) and neuter (et-words) gender. Common gender uses the base form, while neuter gender adds -t. This is one of the most important grammar rules in Danish.

Adjective Forms with Indefinite Nouns

Gender	Article	Adjective	Example
Common	en	base form	en stor bil
Neuter	et	base + t	et stort hus
Common	en	base form	en rød kjole
Neuter	et	base + t	et rødt æble

Examples

Det er en god bog.

It is a good book.

Common gender: 'god' (base form)

Det er et godt spørgsmål.

It is a good question.

Neuter gender: 'godt' (base + t)

Jeg har en ny telefon.

I have a new phone.

Common: 'ny' stays unchanged

Vi bor i et nyt hus.

We live in a new house.

Neuter: 'nyt' (ny + t)

2Plural Forms

In the plural, adjectives take the ending -e regardless of gender. This same -e ending is used for both common and neuter nouns in the plural. This simplifies things: whenever you see a plural noun, the adjective always ends in -e.

Plural Adjective Forms

Singular (en)	Singular (et)	Plural (both)
en stor bil	et stort hus	store biler/huse
en gammel mand	et gammelt træ	gamle mænd/træer
en smuk pige	et smukt billede	smukke piger/billeder
en lang vej	et langt bord	lange veje/borde

Examples

Der er mange høje bygninger.

There are many tall buildings.

Plural: 'høje' (høj + e)

Vi har to små børn.

We have two small children.

Plural: 'små' (irregular plural form)

Jeg kan lide danske film.

I like Danish films.

Plural: 'danske' (dansk + e)

De bor i gamle huse.

They live in old houses.

Plural: 'gamle' (gammel → gamle)

3Definite Forms

When used with definite nouns (den/det + noun, or noun with definite suffix), adjectives take the -e ending. This is the same -e as in the plural. Remember: definite = -e ending, just like plural. The pattern is: den/det + adj-e + noun(-en/-et).

Definite Adjective Forms

Indefinite	Definite Form	Alternative Definite
en stor bil	den store bil	bilen er stor
et stort hus	det store hus	huset er stort
en rød rose	den røde rose	rosen er rød
et nyt vindue	det nye vindue	vinduet er nyt

Examples

Den store hund løber hurtigt.

The big dog runs fast.

Definite: 'store' (stor + e)

Det gamle slot er smukt.

The old castle is beautiful.

Definite: 'gamle' (gammel → gamle)

Jeg kender den unge kvinde.

I know the young woman.

Definite: 'unge' (ung + e)

Det hvide hus ligger der.

The white house is over there.

Definite: 'hvide' (hvid + e)

4Special Adjective Forms

Some adjectives have irregular forms or spelling changes. Adjectives ending in -ig don't add -t in neuter (billigt → billig is wrong). 'Lille' (small) becomes 'små' in plural. 'Gammel' becomes 'gamle' in all other forms. Double consonants may simplify.