Understanding Danish Articles
In Danish, just like in English, we use articles to talk about specific or general things. There are two kinds of articles: definite and indefinite. These help us know if we are talking about something specific or just any one of those things.
Indefinite Articles in Danish
Indefinite articles are like saying 'a' or 'an' in English. In Danish, we use 'en' for common gender nouns and 'et' for neuter gender nouns. They are used when talking about something general or non-specific.
Examples
- Jeg har en hund.
- Hun vil gerne have et æble.
Definite Articles in Danish
Definite articles are like saying 'the' in English. In Danish, we add endings to the nouns. For common gender nouns, we add '-en' or '-n', and for neuter gender nouns, we add '-et' or '-t'. This shows we are talking about something specific.
Examples
- Jeg ser hunden i parken.
- Kan du give mig æblet?
Important Points
- Some words change a little when they become definite, like 'barn' becomes 'barnet'.
- If a noun is plural, the definite form is different, like 'bøger' (books) becomes 'bøgerne' (the books).
Examples
- Barnet leger udenfor.
- Bøgerne er på bordet.