Language/Danish/Grammar/Plurals

Danish Grammar - Plurals

Hi Danish learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the Danish plural forms. Understanding pluralization is essential to mastering the Danish language. You will need it to form sentences, express amount, and even ask for directions. Therefore, I made this guide as simple and informative as possible to help you get started.

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Danish Grammar → Introduction to Danish Alphabet and ..., Conditional Mood, Cardinal Numbers in Danish & Prepositions.

Introduction

In Danish, words change their forms to indicate singular or plural. The plural form is usually formed by adding "-ene", "-erne", "-er", "-s", "-de", or "-te" to the singular form. However, some words may have irregular plural forms.

To improve your Danish Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Rules

Let's start with some rules on plural formation:

Adding -ene

Nouns ending with "d", "t", "s", or "x" typically take "-ene" to form the plural.

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Brodene	[ˈb̥ʁoðənə]	Bread
Bornene	[ˈboːɐ̯nənə]	Children
Dageene	[ˈdæːjənə]	Days
Flødebollerne	[ˈfløːðəb̥oləʁnə]	Marshmallows

Adding -er and -erne

Most Danish nouns take "-er" or "-erne" to form the plural.

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Æble	[ˈɛplə]	Apple
Æbler	[ˈɛblɐ]	Apples
Kage	[ˈkʰɑːə]	Cake
Kagerne	[ˈkʰɑːənə]	Cakes

Adding -s

Some nouns borrowed from foreign languages may add "-s" to form the plural.

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Quiz	[kʰwiːs]	Quiz
Quizzen	[ˈkʰwiːsən]	Quizzes
Hotel	[hoˈtɛl]	Hotel
Hoteller	[hoˈtɛlɐ]	Hotels

Irregular Plurals

There are some words that don't follow the usual conventions. They have irregular plurals that you need to memorize:

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Barn	[baːn]	Child
Børn	[b̥ɶɐ̯n]	Children
Fod	[f̥ʌð̞ˀ]	Foot
Fødder	[ˈføð̞ˀɐ]	Feet
Mus	[mus]	Mouse
Mus	[myːs]	Mice

Dialogue

• Person 1: Hej, jeg købte fem æbler på torvet. ([Hi, I bought five apples at the market.])
• Person 2: Fem æbler?! Vil du lave en æbletærte? ([Five apples?! Are you going to make an apple pie?])
• Person 1: Ja! Med flødeskum på toppen! ([Yes! With whipped cream on top!])

Fun Facts

- The Danish language has nine vowels and fourteen consonants. - Denmark is the first country to legalize same-sex unions.

Conclusion

Learning Danish plurals might seem challenging at first, but with constant practice and repetition, you'll get the hang of it. Don't forget to use the internal link Danish and external link Polyglot Club to help you along the way. Remember to keep practicing since every form of language learning is like a game, and practice makes perfect. 😊

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Danish grammar - Wikipedia
• The Plural Plurals of Danish | Danish Language Blog
• How is the plural formed in Danish? - Quora

Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Danish Grammar: Intermediate Grammar: Adjective Comparison, Danish Grammar: Modal Verbs, Negation & Pronunciation Basics.

Other Lessons

• Nouns
• Indefinite Articles in Danish
• How to Use Be
• How to Use Have
• Present Tense
• How to use “to speak” in Danish
• The Inclusive Case in Danish
• Future Tense
• Cardinal Numbers in Danish
• Questions