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Danish

### The Suffix "-skab"

In Danish, you can form abstract nouns representing states, conditions, or collectives by adding the suffix *-skab* to an existing noun or adjective. This works exactly like the English suffixes "-ship" (*ven* -> *venskab*) or "-hood" (*broder* -> *broderskab*).

Nouns ending in *-skab* are almost always neuter (*et* words). To form the definite article (like "the brotherhood" or "the friendship"), you simply add the neuter suffix *-et*.

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### Collectives and Concepts

The *-skab* suffix is highly versatile for creating abstract concepts or describing groups of people acting as a single entity. It transforms *leder* (leader) into *lederskab* (leadership), and *fjende* (enemy) into *fjendskab* (enmity).

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You will also see this suffix used for states of being, legal statuses, or relationships, such as *fangenskab* (captivity) or *slægtskab* (kinship).

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### The Common Gender Exception

While the vast majority of *-skab* nouns are neuter (*et* words), there is a small handful of exceptions. A few abstract nouns ending in *-skab*—often those derived from adjectives to describe states of mind—take the common gender (*en* words).

A classic example is *galskab* (madness), derived from the adjective *gal* (mad). Because it is an *en* word, "the madness" becomes *galskaben*.

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Abstract noun suffix '-skab' (-skab)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite nouns and the copula (-en, -et, er)

Indefinite articles (en, et)

Present tense verbs and word order (-r)

Plural subject pronouns (vi, I, de)

The verb to have (har)

Yes/No questions

Wh-questions (hvad, hvem, hvor)

Main clause negation (ikke)

Regular noun plurals (-er, -r)

Short noun plurals (-e)

Definite plurals (-ne)

Neuter adjective agreement (-t)

Plural adjective agreement (-e)

Adjectives with indefinite nouns

Adjectives with definite nouns (den / det / de ... -e)

Numbers 1 to 10

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Expressing age (er ... år)

Genitive possession (-s)

Singular possessives (min, din)

Third-person possessives (hans, hendes)

Plural possessives (vores, jeres, deres)

Reflexive possessives (sin, sit, sine)

Singular object pronouns (mig, dig)

Plural object pronouns (os, jer, dem)

The infinitive marker (at)

The modal verb can (kan)

The modal verb want to (vil)

The modal verb must (skal)

Negating modal verbs

Inversion after adverbs

Prepositions of position (i, på)

Prepositions of direction (til, fra)

Days of the week (mandag, tirsdag...)

Months of the year (januar, februar...)

Telling time (hel, halv, kvart)

Coordinating conjunctions (og, men, eller)

Subordinating conjunctions (at, fordi)

Subordinate clause negation

Commands (køb, vent, spis)

Zero-ending neuter plurals

The Human Body: Head and Face

The Human Body: Limbs and Torso

Personal Hygiene

Digital Life

Tools and Hardware

Emergency and Safety

Common Materials

Money and Payments

Short answers (Ja, det gør jeg)

Greetings (hej, godmorgen, farvel)

Thanks and apologies (tak, undskyld)

Jobs and nationalities (Hun er lærer)

Likes and dislikes (kan godt lide)

Somebody and something (nogen, noget, ingen)

How much? (meget, lidt, mere, nok)

With, by, over and under (med, ved, over, under)

Ordinals and dates (den første april)

Wishes for every occasion (tillykke, god bedring)

Times of day (om morgenen, om aftenen)

My day (stå op, gå i seng)

Past tense I: -ede and -te (i går)

My new hat (min nye hat, små, gamle)

Past tense II: irregular verbs (var, havde, gik)

Reacting in a conversation (nå, det lyder godt)

The family and irregular plurals (mænd, børn, fødder)

In the shop (Hvad koster det?)

Demonstratives: that and those (den, det, de)

Demonstratives: this and these (denne, dette, disse)

Adverbs of manner (-t)

Comparing things (-ere, end)

Superlative adjectives (-est)

Definite superlative adjectives (-este)

Irregular adjective comparison

Comparing long adjectives (mere, mest)

The reflexive pronoun (sig)

Reflexive verbs

Reciprocal verbs (-s)

Deponent verbs (-s)

Past opinions (syntes)

Present perfect tense with regular verbs (har... -et/-t)

Present perfect tense with irregular verbs (har...)

Present perfect tense with movement (er...)

Past perfect tense (havde / var...)

Question	Answer
the brotherhood	broderskabet
The brotherhood is watching you.	Broderskabet overvåger dig.
Do you want to be a part of the brotherhood?	Vil du være en del af broderskabet?
the friendship	venskabet
The friendship is dangerous for the brotherhood, right?	Venskabet er farligt for broderskabet, ikke også?
If we fight, the friendship dies.	Hvis vi slås, dør venskabet.
the enmity	fjendskabet
The enmity between the two groups is old.	Fjendskabet mellem de to grupper er gammelt.
We must stop the enmity, right?	Vi skal stoppe fjendskabet, ikke også?
the madness	galskaben
The madness will destroy the secret group.	Galskaben kommer til at ødelægge den hemmelige gruppe.
She hid the madness from the other members.	Hun skjulte galskaben for de andre medlemmer.
the leadership	lederskabet
The leadership does not know the truth.	Lederskabet kender ikke sandheden.
If the attempt fails, the leadership kills you.	Hvis forsøget mislykkes, dræber lederskabet dig.
the message (underlying meaning, moral)	budskabet
We hid the message in the dark.	Vi skjulte budskabet i mørket.
They could not decode the message.	De kunne ikke afkode budskabet.
the kinship	slægtskabet
The kinship between them is a secret.	Slægtskabet mellem dem er en hemmelighed.
Like the father, he denied the kinship.	Ligesom faren benægtede han slægtskabet.
the ownership	ejerskabet
The ownership of the book is unknown.	Ejerskabet af bogen er ukendt.
The leadership demands the ownership of the treasure.	Lederskabet kræver ejerskabet af skatten.
the partnership	partnerskabet
The partnership was a big mistake.	Partnerskabet var en stor fejltagelse.
If you expose us, the partnership ends.	Hvis du afslører os, slutter partnerskabet.
the captivity	fangenskabet
She survived the captivity in the dark cellar.	Hun overlevede fangenskabet i den mørke kælder.
The madness started during the captivity.	Galskaben begyndte i løbet af fangenskabet.

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