Invariable Adjectives Ending in -e
Normally in Danish, adjectives change to match a noun's gender, number, and definiteness (usually adding a -t for neuter and an -e for plural or definite nouns). However, adjectives that already end in an unstressed -e never change.
Whether describing a common, neuter, plural, or definite noun, these adjectives stay exactly the same. Words like indre (inner) and ydre (outer) belong to this group.
Notice how indre takes no -t even when describing the neuter noun liv (life):
| My horoscope says that my star sign has a rich inner life. | Mit horoskop siger at mit stjernetegn har et rigt indre liv. |
Here is ydre used in a definite phrase (det ydre udseende), remaining unchanged:
| Understanding people focus on the inner life, not the outer appearance. | Forstående mennesker fokuserer på det indre liv, ikke det ydre udseende. |
Adjectives Ending in -ende
This zero-inflection rule is especially useful for adjectives ending in -ende (which often translate to English "-ing" words). Words like dominerende (dominating), tiltrækkende (attractive), and beskyttende (protective) are entirely invariable.
Used with a neuter noun (et stjernetegn), tiltrækkende takes no -t:
| Is it an attractive star sign for a man? | Er det et tiltrækkende stjernetegn for en mand? |
Used with a plural definite noun (de ... planeter), dominerende does not take an extra -e:
| The astrologer thought that the dominating planets made the prediction difficult. | Astrologen syntes at de dominerende planeter gjorde forudsigelsen svær. |
And here is beskyttende with a common noun (en ... personlighed):
| Her horoscope showed a very protective personality. | Hendes horoskop viste en meget beskyttende personlighed. |