The Suffix "-værdig"
In English, we often use the suffix -worthy (like trustworthy or praiseworthy) or -able (like memorable) to evaluate things. In Danish, the equivalent suffix is -værdig, which literally means "worthy of."
You can attach -værdig to verb stems or nouns to form formal evaluative adjectives. For example, adding it to the verb at se (to see) creates seværdig (worth seeing). Adding it to tro (trust/faith) gives you troværdig (credible or trustworthy).
| The building is very worth seeing because the architecture is unique. | Bygningen er meget seværdig fordi arkitekturen er unik. |
| The travel guide is not credible unless it describes all the problems. | Rejseguiden er ikke troværdig medmindre den beskriver alle problemerne. |
Evaluating Attractions
This suffix is incredibly useful for travel guides and formal reviews. You can attach it to a wide variety of base words to rate your experiences. For instance, combining it with minde (memory) creates mindeværdig (memorable), and with ros (praise) it forms rosværdig (praiseworthy).
Sometimes, an "s" is used to glue the root word and the suffix together. This happens in words like bemærkelsesværdig (remarkable) or bevaringsværdig (worth preserving).
| Yesterday the man read a memorable article in the travel guide. | I går læste manden en mindeværdig artikel i rejseguiden. |
| All of the cultural heritage is considered to be worth preserving. | Hele kulturarven bliver anset for at være bevaringsværdig. |
| It is a remarkable building that attracts many tourists. | Det er en bemærkelsesværdig bygning der tiltrækker mange turister. |
Adjective Endings with "-værdig"
Because words ending in -værdig are regular adjectives, they must agree with the noun they describe.
- Add a -t when describing a neuter (et) word (e.g., bevaringsværdigt or seværdigt).
- Add an -e when describing plural nouns, or when the adjective is used in a definite phrase (e.g., bevaringsværdige).
| The castle is really worth preserving. | Slottet er virkelig bevaringsværdigt. |
| The reviewer found no noteworthy errors in the travel guide. | Anmelderen fandt ingen nævneværdige fejl i rejseguiden. |
| Tomorrow, the church worth preserving will be described in the travel guide. | I morgen bliver den bevaringsværdige kirke beskrevet i rejseguiden. |