Comparing Quantities: Countable vs. Uncountable
Just like in English, Danish uses different words to compare quantities depending on whether the noun is countable (like people or bicycles) or uncountable (like time or unemployment).
The Least vs. The Fewest
Use mindst (least) for uncountable nouns.
| Our city has the least unemployment. | Vores by har mindst arbejdsløshed. |
Use færrest (fewest) for countable nouns.
| Which country has the fewest citizens? | Hvilket land har færrest borgere? |
Fewer
When saying "fewer" (the comparative form for countable nouns), use færre.
| The trend shows that fewer are having children. | Tendensen viser at færre får børn. |
Talking About Statistics
When discussing social trends and demographics, you will frequently use words like antallet (the number or quantity), statistikken (the statistic), and befolkningen (the population).
| The number of men has fallen a lot. | Antallet af mænd er faldet meget. |
| That statistic applies to the population. | Den statistik gælder for befolkningen. |
Remember that even in the context of statistics, you must always evaluate if the noun following the quantifier is countable. Time (tid) is uncountable, so it still takes mindst.
| These fathers have the least time. | Disse fædre har mindst tid. |
The Most
To say "the most" of a countable noun, use flest.
| Their country has the most workplaces. | Deres land har flest arbejdspladser. |
| Which team has the most girls? | Hvilket hold har flest piger? |
The Average
Finally, the noun gennemsnittet translates to "the average".
| The average for women has risen. | Gennemsnittet for kvinder er steget. |
| The number is below the average, and we have fewer problems. | Antallet er under gennemsnittet, og vi har færre problemer. |
