Word
Han var et lykkeligt barn.
Meaning
He was a happy child.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Han var et lykkeligt barn.
Why does the word for happy end in a -t here (lykkeligt)?
In Danish, adjectives change to match the noun they describe. Because barn is a neuter noun (it takes et, as in et barn), the adjective lykkelig gets a -t added to the end to become lykkeligt.
Could I use glad instead of lykkeligt in this sentence?
You could say Han var et glad barn, but it changes the meaning slightly. Glad usually means a temporary feeling of being in a good mood or pleased. Lykkelig implies a deeper, more profound, and longer-lasting state of happiness or joy.
How would the words change if the sentence was plural (They were happy children)?
The sentence would become De var lykkelige børn. The noun barn has an irregular plural (børn). Because the noun is now plural, the adjective also changes to its plural form by taking an -e ending (lykkelige), and the article et is dropped.