Questions & Answers about Måltidet er godt, men desserten er bedst.
Why does the word for best look so different from the word for good?
Just like in English (good, better, best), the Danish adjective god changes completely when you compare it. The forms are god (good), bedre (better), and bedst (best). This complete change of the word is what the current lesson means by suppletion.
Why is there a t at the end of godt?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because the word for meal is a neuter noun (et måltid), the adjective takes a -t at the end to become godt. If we were describing a common-gender noun, it would just be god.
Why do måltidet and desserten have different endings if they both translate to words with the?
In Danish, the definite article (the word for the) attaches to the end of the noun. Because måltid is a neuter noun, it gets the -et ending. Dessert is a common gender noun (en dessert), so it gets the -en ending.
Does bedst need a special ending to match desserten?
No. When a superlative adjective (the highest degree, like best or fastest) comes right after the verb to be, you can just use the base superlative form bedst. You do not need to add an extra ending to match the gender of the noun.