Making nouns from verbs
Just like in English, you can turn a Danish verb into a noun describing the person performing the action by adding -er.
Add -er to the infinitive of the verb to form an agent noun. If the infinitive already ends in -e (which most do), simply add -r.
- læse (to read) -> en læser (a reader)
- lytte (to listen) -> en lytter (a listener)
- se (to see) -> en seer (a viewer)
Definite forms of -er nouns
These agent nouns are common gender words (en-words). To make them definite (e.g., "the reader"), add the standard suffix -en, which results in the ending -eren.
| The exciting story catches the reader and the listener. | Den spændende historie fanger læseren og lytteren. |
| When the series ended, the creator said thank you to the viewer. | Da serien sluttede, sagde skaberen tak til seeren. |
Professions and media
This pattern is very common when discussing publishing, software, and the internet. Nouns like publisher (udgiver), translator (oversætter), and developer (udvikler) are built directly from their verbs (udgive, oversætte, udvikle).
Notice how the indefinite form (ending in -er) is used after words like en (a) or sin (his/her own), while the specific, definite form always ends in -eren:
| The publisher keeps looking for a good translator. | Udgiveren bliver ved med at lede efter en god oversætter. |
| The developer actually reads every comment from his follower. | Udvikleren læser faktisk hver kommentar fra sin følger. |
| Neither the publisher nor the reviewer is satisfied. | Hverken udgiveren eller anmelderen er tilfreds. |