The Absolute Comparative
In English, we sometimes use phrases like an "older gentleman" or a "larger amount" without comparing them to anything else. We just mean they are rather old or fairly large.
Danish uses this structure—called the absolute comparative—very frequently. By using the comparative form of an adjective (which usually ends in -ere) without a direct comparison, you soften the meaning to "fairly," "rather," or "quite."
| The producer makes a fairly mild olive oil. | Producenten fremstiller en mildere olivenolie. |
| The woman notices a rather strong aroma of green apples. | Kvinden bemærker en kraftigere aroma af grønne æbler. |
Common Irregular Comparatives
Some of the most common adjectives used in the absolute comparative have irregular forms:
- stor becomes større (rather large)
- lille becomes mindre (fairly small / fairly low)
- god becomes bedre (rather good)
- gammel becomes ældre (rather old)
| We are exploring a rather large olive grove. | Vi er ved at udforske en større olivenlund. |
| Every drop reveals a fairly low acidity. | Hver dråbe afslører en mindre syrlighed. |
| The harvest is delayed due to an older press. | Høsten er forsinket på grund af en ældre presse. |
A Polite Undertone
The absolute comparative often sounds more polite, modest, or formal than the base adjective. For example, asking for en mindre smagsprøve (a fairly small taste sample) feels softer and less blunt than asking for en lille smagsprøve.
| We get a fairly small taste sample before the dinner. | Vi får en mindre smagsprøve før middagen. |
| He pours a fairly good olive oil into the carafe. | Han hælder en bedre olivenolie i karaflen. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
