Loan Words and Foreign Vowels
Most Danish adjectives add -t when describing neuter nouns and -e for plural or definite nouns. However, certain adjectives never change form, taking "zero inflection." These are called invariable adjectives.
One major group of invariable adjectives includes loan words and adjectives ending in a vowel, like pink, beige, retro, and vintage. Whether the noun they describe is common (en), neuter (et), or plural, the adjective stays exactly the same.
| Is the houseboat pink or beige? | Er husbåden pink eller beige? |
| Our new commune is a retro house. | Vores nye kollektiv er et retro hus. |
| There are several vintage caravans in the field. | Der er adskillige vintage campingvogne på marken. |
Adjectives Ending in '-s'
Another common group of invariable adjectives are those ending in -s, such as nymodens (newfangled), gammeldags (old-fashioned), and anderledes (different).
They remain entirely unchanged. Notice how they keep their base form whether describing a common noun, a neuter noun, or a plural noun.
| She does not know whether the co-housing community is newfangled. | Hun ved ikke om bofællesskabet er nymodens. |
| The man lives in an old-fashioned trailer, right? | Manden bor i en gammeldags skurvogn, ikke også? |
| Quite a few families are looking for a different co-housing community. | En del familier leder efter et anderledes bofællesskab. |
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