Danish Nouns
Danish nouns have two genders (en and et), definite endings on the noun itself (bilen), several plural patterns, and possessives that agree with the noun (min bil, mit hus).
Every noun you learn comes in four forms: a car, the car, cars and the cars. Danish puts en or et in front for a, but adds the as an ending: bilen, bilerne. In the singular, both depend on whether the noun is an en-word or an et-word. In the plural, gender stops mattering.
One noun, four forms
Pick a noun to see how its endings change.
One
- en bila car
- bilenthe car
More than one
- bilercars
- bilernethe cars
An en-word with the most common plural, -er. Definite forms lesson
One
- et landa country
- landetthe country
More than one
- landecountries
- landenethe countries
An et-word, so “the” is -et. Plural -e. Definite forms lesson
One
- et æblean apple
- æbletthe apple
More than one
- æblerapples
- æblernethe apples
Ends in -e already, so it only adds -t, -r and -rne. Definite forms lesson
One
- en kopa cup
- koppenthe cup
More than one
- koppercups
- koppernethe cups
Short vowel + one consonant: the p doubles before an ending. Definite forms lesson
One
- en nata night
- nattenthe night
More than one
- nætternights
- nætternethe nights
The vowel changes in the plural, a → æ, and the t doubles before an ending. Definite forms lesson
One
- et barna child
- barnetthe child
More than one
- børnchildren
- børnenethe children
Irregular plural: børn. The definite plural adds -ene. Definite forms lesson
en or et decides the rest
The gender you learn with a noun picks its ending for “the” and the form of any adjective in front of it. That’s why it pays to learn every noun with its article: not just vindue, but et vindue.
| en-word | et-word | |
|---|---|---|
| a | en dør | et vindue |
| the | døren | vinduet |
| a new … | en ny dør | et nyt vindue |
| the new … | den nye dør | det nye vindue |
Which form when?
| You’re talking about | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Something new, mentioned for the first time | en / et | Vi har fået en hund. | We’ve got a dog. |
| Something you both know about | -en / -et | Hunden hedder Bella. | The dog is called Bella. |
| More than one, in general | Plural | Jeg kan godt lide katte. | I like cats. |
| Specific ones you both know | -ne / -ene | Børnene sover. | The children are asleep. |
| “The” + an adjective | den / det / de | det åbne vindue | the open window |
| “My”, “your” … + noun | no ending on the noun | min telefon | my phone |
All noun lessons
In the order we’d learn them
- 01Noun Gender (en / et)ExercisesEvery Danish noun is either common gender (en) or neuter (et). See what the gender changes and which endings give it away.en bil · et hus
- 02Definite FormsQuick checkDanish usually puts 'the' on the end of the noun: hus → huset, bil → bilen. With an adjective in front, it becomes a separate word: det store hus.bilen · huset · bilerne
- 03PluralsExercisesDanish plurals end in -er, -e or nothing, and some common nouns change their vowel: barn → børn, bog → bøger.biler · huse · bøger · børn
- 04Possessives (min, din, sin, hans)ExercisesMin, mit, mine: possessives agree with the thing owned, and sin says it belongs to the subject.min bil · mit hus · mine bøger
Nouns with an adjective in front: Adjective endings
Noun cheat sheet
| Form | en-word | et-word | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| a / an | en bil | et hus | en or et in front |
| the | bilen | huset | -en or -et on the end |
| plural | biler | huse | -er, -e, or no ending; learn it with the noun |
| the (plural) | bilerne | husene | plural + -ne (or -ene) |
| the + adjective | den hvide cykel | det hvide køleskab | den / det / de in front, no ending on the noun |
| my + noun | min telefon | mit navn | no ending on the noun |
Which noun form trips you up?
Question 1 of 6
Practise the rules you just read
Practise what you’ve read in exercises, alongside vocabulary and reading.
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