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Danish

### Adjectives of Absence

When you want to describe a product or concept by what it *lacks*, Danish uses two common suffixes added to the end of nouns: **-løs** and **-fri**. These function very much like the English suffixes "-less" and "-free".

### The Suffix "-løs"

The suffix **-løs** indicates that something is missing or absent. Often, this carries a negative tone (like being "tasteless" or "meaningless"). However, in modern technology, it is simply a neutral description of how a product works.

Like regular Danish adjectives, words ending in **-løs** must agree with the noun they describe. You will add a **-t** when describing a neuter noun (*et*-word).

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### The Suffix "-fri"

The suffix **-fri** corresponds to the English "-free". It indicates a positive exclusion—meaning that something unwanted, harmful, or annoying has been removed. You will see this suffix frequently in advertising for modern consumer products, diets, and appliances.

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### Comparing the Nuances

It is common to see both suffixes used together in the same sentence to contrast a positive exclusion with a negative lack. For example, a diet product might be beneficially free of an ingredient (**-fri**), but unfortunately lacking in flavor (**-løs**).

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You can also use both types of adjectives to describe the different features of a single everyday experience, such as technology that lacks wires but also avoids problems:

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Adjectives of absence (-løs, -fri)

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
wireless	trådløs
The new keyboard is completely wireless.	Det nye tastatur er helt trådløst.
cordless	ledningsfri
the vacuum cleaner	støvsugeren
By the way, a cordless vacuum cleaner is very practical.	I øvrigt er en ledningsfri støvsuger meget praktisk.
trouble-free	problemfri
The wireless connection is not always trouble-free.	Den trådløse forbindelse er ikke altid problemfri.
sugar-free	sukkerfri
tasteless	smagløs
A sugar-free cake is often completely tasteless.	En sukkerfri kage er ofte helt smagløs.
caffeine-free	koffeinfri
I prefer caffeine-free coffee, even if it is tasteless.	Jeg foretrækker koffeinfri kaffe selvom den er smagløs.
spotless	pletfri
I wish the white shirt was spotless!	Gid den hvide skjorte var pletfri!
meaningless	meningsløs
A wireless charger is pointless without power.	En trådløs oplader er meningsløs uden strøm.
noiseless	lydløs
It is pointless to buy a noiseless alarm.	Det er meningsløst at købe en lydløs alarm.
The toy made of plastic is almost noiseless.	Legetøjet af plastik er næsten lydløst.
They are both sugar-free and caffeine-free.	De er begge to sukkerfri og koffeinfri.
A white shirt made of cotton is not always spotless.	En hvid skjorte af bomuld er ikke altid pletfri.
The wireless speaker is trouble-free to use.	Den trådløse højttaler er problemfri at bruge.
The vacuum cleaner is cordless and practical.	Støvsugeren er ledningsfri og praktisk.