Nouns
Numbers
The Danish nouns – like the English - decline according to number: en bombe, 2 bomber, (a bomb, 2 bombs), et hus, 2 huse (a house, 2 houses). The regular plural endings are –e and –r.
Gender
Unlike the English nouns however, the Danish nouns decline according to gender in singular – marked out by the article en or et before the noun: en stol, et bord. (a chair, a table). These articles must be learned by hearth as part of the word. In plural the difference in gender between en- and et- words is not visible: 2 stole, 2 borde.
Definiteness
As already mentioned, the indefinite singular articles are en or et. Definite articles fall in two cases: 1) Stand-alone noun or 2) Noun with an adjective. For stand-alone nouns, the is an ending in Danish: –en, -et. But if the noun is preceded by an adjective, Danish has definite article den, det before the adjective/noun, like in English. 1) En stol, stolen; et bord, bordet (a chair, the chair; a table, the table) 2) En lille stol, den lille stol; et lille bord, det lille bord. (a little chair, the little chair; a little table, the little table). The corresponding plural definite articles are –ne and de for both genders: 1) 2 stole, stolene (2 chairs, the chairs) 2) 2 små stole, de små stole (2 small chairs, the small chairs)
Understanding Nouns
| Indefinite | Definite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Unknown | Known | Demonstrative | |
| Singular (N-Words) | Banan (Banana) | en banan (a banana) | bananen (The banana) | den banan (der!) (that banana) |
| Plural | Bananer (Bananas) | nogle bananer (some bananas) | bananerne (The bananas) | de bananer (der!) (those bananas) |
| Singular (T-Words) | Bord (Table) | et bord (a table) | bordet (The table) | det bord (der!) (That table) |
| Plural | Borde (Tables) | nogle borde (some tables) | bordene (The tables) | de borde (der!) (those tables) |
General Form
Noun without article describes an abstract type. For incountables like kød (meat) singular is used, for countables plural. The general form is often used in connection with an unstressed verb, thus forming a phrasal verb – a new more specific verb: at lave mad (to cook). • Det smager af banan. (It tastes like banana) • Gider du dække bord? (Could you set the table?) • Nicaragua eksporterer bananer. (Nicaragua exports bananas)
Unknown Form
The indefinite article en/et/noget/nogle (a, some) introduces a concrete thing or amount in the context - or a new feature or aspect of the thing. By using the indefinite article you give focus to the noun and connect it to the other nouns in the text. It is a bit like introducing a new person in a novel. • Vil du have en banan? (Do you want a banana?) • På restauranten fandt vi et bord til to personer. (In the restaurant we found a table for 2) • Der ligger nogle bananer i køkkenet. (There are some bananas in the kitchen)
Demonstrative Form
Den, det, de before the noun in most cases translates into this/that, these/those. They are pointers saying: that one, look at it! • Hvem har lagt den banan på min stol? (who has placed that banana on my chair?) • Du kan ikke sidde ved det bord. Det er reserveret til chefen. (You can't sit at that table. It has been reserved for the boss.) • De borde, der står derovre, er på udsalg. (Those/the tables standing over there are on sale.)
Known Form
The definite article is in Danish an ending. Instead of writing "the" before the word, you add the endings "-en", (singular en-words) "-et", (singular et-words) or "-ne", (plural). The ending says: you know from the context what I mean! Like a person in a novel that you do not have to pay attention to. • Han havde lagt sin pose med frugt på stolen og opdagede pludselig, at han sad på bananen. (He had set down his bag of fruits on the chair and suddenly found himself sitting on the banana) • Er bordet stort nok? (Is the table big enough?) • Er alle bordene optaget? (Are all the tables taken?)