Tools and Repairs
When things break around the house, it is time to do some handy work. The general word for tools is the neuter noun værktøjet. You can pair this with the action verb at reparere (to repair).
| Where are my tools? I cannot repair the car. | Hvor er mit værktøj? Jeg kan ikke reparere bilen. |
Building and Hammers
If you are not fixing something, you might be creating something new. The verb for this is at bygge (to build). A common tool you will reach for is hammeren (the hammer), which is a common (en) noun.
| The boy builds a house and uses the hammer. | Drengen bygger et hus og bruger hammeren. |
Screws and Screwdrivers
For assembling furniture or fixing doors, you will need skruen (the screw) and skruetrækkeren (the screwdriver). Both of these are also common nouns, taking the -en suffix in their definite forms.
| He is repairing the door, but he cannot find the screw. | Han reparerer døren, men han kan ikke finde skruen. |
| I am buying a new screwdriver because mine is old. | Jeg køber en ny skruetrækker fordi min er gammel. |
Saws and Nails
When working with wood, you might need to cut it with saven (the saw) or fasten it with a nail. The word for a nail is a neuter noun: et søm.
Because søm is a short neuter noun, its indefinite plural form is exactly the same as the singular: søm (nails). When you want to say "the nails" (definite plural), it takes the -ene suffix and doubles the final consonant: sømmene.
| The woman has a screwdriver, a hammer and three nails. | Kvinden har en skruetrækker, en hammer og tre søm. |
| The woman uses the saw to build the table. | Kvinden bruger saven til at bygge bordet. |
| The man cannot repair the chair because he cannot find the nails. | Manden kan ikke reparere stolen fordi han ikke kan finde sømmene. |
