Danish marks "the" with an enclitic suffix glued onto the noun: hus → huset ("the house"), bøger → bøgerne ("the books"). The complication at B1 is that quantifiers and demonstratives interfere with that suffix in inconsistent ways. After a demonstrative like denne or a quantifier like hver or mange, the noun stays bare (no suffix). But after begge, hele, and alle, the noun keeps its definite suffix. There is no single rule covering all of them, which is exactly why learners get this wrong — so this page sorts the quantifiers into clear groups, with a reference table to lean on.
Why this is confusing
In a plain noun phrase, Danish puts definiteness on the noun: bilen ("the car"). But a demonstrative or a strong quantifier is itself a kind of "pointing" word, and in many cases it takes over the definiteness, leaving the noun in its bare, suffixless form. The trouble is that Danish is not consistent about which words do this — some take the bare noun, some demand the suffix. English gives you no guidance here because English never glues "the" onto the noun in the first place.
Group 1: bare noun (no definite suffix)
Demonstratives and most simple quantifiers take the noun in its indefinite, suffixless form. The pointing word already supplies the definiteness or quantity, so the noun stays bare:
| Word | Meaning | Correct | Not |
|---|---|---|---|
| denne / dette / disse | this / these | denne bog, disse bøger | *denne bogen |
| hver / hvert | each, every | hver dag, hvert år | *hver dagen |
| nogen / noget / nogle | some, any | nogle bøger | *nogle bøgerne |
| mange | many | mange huse | *mange husene |
| få | few | få mennesker | *få menneskene |
| de fleste | most | de fleste biler | *de fleste bilerne |
| flere | several / more | flere problemer | *flere problemerne |
Denne bog er meget bedre end den forrige.
This book is much better than the previous one.
Jeg drikker kaffe hver morgen.
I drink coffee every morning.
De fleste danskere cykler til arbejde.
Most Danes cycle to work.
Note that de fleste ("most") already contains the free article de, yet the noun after it still stays bare — a point learners regularly miss, writing *de fleste bilerne.
Group 2: definite noun (suffix kept)
A small but high-frequency set of quantifiers keeps the enclitic definite suffix on the noun. The most important are begge, hele, and alle (with a definite, specific plural):
| Word | Meaning | Correct | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| begge | both | begge bøgerne | both (of) the books |
| hele | the whole | hele huset | the whole house |
| alle | all (specific set) | alle bøgerne | all the books |
Begge bøgerne lå på bordet.
Both books were lying on the table.
Hele huset blev malet om i sommer.
The whole house was repainted this summer.
Alle bøgerne i reolen er på dansk.
All the books on the shelf are in Danish.
A subtlety with begge: when you mean "both X" generically rather than "both the specific X," Danish drops the suffix — begge biler ("both cars" in general) vs begge bilerne ("both of the [particular] cars"). And alle + a generic plural also drops the suffix: alle mennesker ("all people, in general") vs alle menneskene ("all the [particular] people"). The presence of the suffix tracks whether you mean a specific, identifiable set.
Alle mennesker har brug for søvn.
All people need sleep. (generic — no suffix)
Alle menneskene i lokalet rejste sig.
All the people in the room stood up. (specific set — suffix kept)
Group 3: the double definite with adjectives and numbers
When you add an attributive adjective or a number to a definite noun, Danish switches to the double-definite construction: a free article den / det / de in front, and the definite (e-)form of the adjective — but the noun then loses its enclitic suffix:
De to store huse blev solgt sidste år.
The two big houses were sold last year. (de + adjective + bare noun)
Den gamle kirke ligger midt i byen.
The old church is in the middle of town.
So definiteness can be carried in three different places depending on the phrase: on the noun alone (huset), by a free article + adjective (det gamle hus), or split across a quantifier and a suffixed noun (alle husene). This is the broader pattern that the double-definiteness page treats in full.
Quick reference
| Pattern | Noun form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| denne / dette / disse | bare | denne bog |
| hver / hvert | bare | hver dag |
| nogle / mange / få / flere | bare | mange huse |
| de fleste | bare | de fleste biler |
| begge (specific) | definite suffix | begge bøgerne |
| hele | definite suffix | hele huset |
| alle (specific set) | definite suffix | alle bøgerne |
| den/det/de + adjective | bare (double definite) | de store huse |
Common Mistakes
❌ Denne bogen er spændende.
Incorrect — Norwegian-style double marking; Danish demonstratives take the bare noun.
✅ Denne bog er spændende.
This book is exciting.
❌ Hver dagen tager jeg toget.
Incorrect — hver takes a bare noun.
✅ Hver dag tager jeg toget.
Every day I take the train.
❌ De fleste bilerne er elbiler.
Incorrect — de fleste takes a bare noun despite the free article de.
✅ De fleste biler er elbiler.
Most cars are electric cars.
❌ Begge bøger lå på bordet.
Incorrect for 'both THE [specific] books' — needs the definite suffix.
✅ Begge bøgerne lå på bordet.
Both books were lying on the table.
❌ Alle bøger i reolen er på dansk.
Incorrect for a specific, identifiable set — needs the definite suffix.
✅ Alle bøgerne i reolen er på dansk.
All the books on the shelf are in Danish.
Key Takeaways
- Demonstratives (denne, dette, disse) and the quantifiers hver, nogle, mange, få, flere, de fleste take the bare noun — no suffix.
- begge, hele, and alle (with a specific set) keep the enclitic definite suffix: begge bøgerne, hele huset, alle bøgerne.
- The suffix on begge/alle tracks specificity: drop it for generic statements (alle mennesker), keep it for an identifiable set (alle menneskene).
- Avoid the Norwegian-style pattern *denne bogen — Danish demonstratives never double-mark the noun.
- Adding an adjective or number triggers the double-definite den/det/de
- adjective + bare noun.
Now practice Danish
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Danish→Related Topics
- Definiteness: Special CasesB1 — Where Danish definiteness surprises English speakers — the definite for body parts and clothing, generic nouns, superlatives, hele, and fixed phrases like på arbejde vs i skolen.
- Al, Alt, Alle and Hel: All vs WholeB1 — How to distinguish Danish al/alt/alle ('all') from hel/helt/hele ('whole/entire'), with their gender and number agreement and the 'det hele' idiom.
- Double Definiteness: With an AdjectiveA2 — When a definite noun has an adjective, Danish drops the suffix and uses a free article instead — bilen but den røde bil.
- Quantifiers: Mange, Meget, Få, Al, HeleA2 — How Danish quantifiers split by countability — mange/få for countable nouns, meget/lidt for mass nouns — plus the agreeing forms of al/alt/alle, hel/helt/hele, and hver/hvert.
- Articles in Danish: An OverviewA1 — How Danish marks 'a' and 'the' — the indefinite en/et, the suffixed definite -en/-et/-ne, the free den/det/de used with adjectives, and the zero article — unified as a single choice driven by modification and noun type.