Present Participles as Adjectives
In Danish, present participles are formed by adding -ende to a verb. Like English adjectives ending in "-ing," they describe an ongoing action or quality.
| He is an excellent baker. | Han er en glimrende bager. |
| The job is just very demanding. | Jobbet er bare meget krævende. |
The Zero-Agreement Rule
Unlike regular adjectives, words ending in -ende follow a zero-agreement rule. They never change their endings to match the noun's gender, number, or definiteness.
For example, strålende does not add a -t when describing an et-word like vejr (weather):
| The sun is shining, and we have brilliant weather. | Solen skinner, og vi har strålende vejr. |
Similarly, levende (living) and manglende (lacking) look exactly the same whether they describe a singular en-word or a plural noun:
| It is a living tortoise. | Det er en levende skildpadde. |
| Her lacking abilities are a problem. | Hendes manglende evner er et problem. |
Using Strong Descriptive Words
Because present participles express active states, they are perfect for strong descriptions. Whether a person is furious (rasende), a trip is exhausting (udmattende), or someone is accommodating (imødekommende), you can use these adjectives without worrying about extra endings.
| The cousin became furious about the bill. | Kusinen blev rasende over regningen. |
| We met some accommodating people on the trip. | Vi mødte nogle imødekommende mennesker på rejsen. |
| Nature here is completely fascinating. | Naturen her er helt fascinerende. |
| Will it be an exhausting project? | Bliver det et udmattende projekt? |