Breakdown of Festen var en glimrende oplevelse.
være
to be
en
a / an (common)
festen
the party
oplevelsen
the experience
Questions & Answers about Festen var en glimrende oplevelse.
Why doesn't glimrende change its ending to match the noun?
Glimrende is a present participle, which is a verb form ending in -ende doing the job of an adjective. In Danish, these words follow a zero-agreement rule. This means they never take a -t ending for neuter nouns or an -e ending for plural and definite nouns. The spelling stays exactly the same no matter what noun it describes.
Where does the word glimrende come from?
It is formed from the verb at glimre, which means to glitter, gleam, or shine. When used as an adjective ending in -ende, it literally means shining, but it is very commonly used in Danish to mean excellent or brilliant.
Could I use the word erfaring instead of oplevelse for experience here?
No, because they mean different types of experience. You use en oplevelse for a specific event or adventure that you lived through, like a great party or a vacation. You use en erfaring to talk about knowledge or skills you have gained over time, like work experience.
Just to review, why does festen end in -en?
Fest (party) is a common gender noun, so its indefinite article is en (en fest). To say 'the party', Danish attaches that article to the end of the word, making it festen.