Breakdown of Er hele laksen til buffeten eller kun alle resterne?
være
to be
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
hel
whole
eller
or
alle
everyone; all
kun
only
laksen
the salmon
buffeten
the buffet
resterne
the leftovers
Questions & Answers about Er hele laksen til buffeten eller kun alle resterne?
Why is it hele laksen instead of den hele laks?
Normally, adding an adjective to a definite noun requires a front article, like den store laks. However, hele (meaning "the whole") is a special exception. It drops the front article and is followed directly by the noun with its definite suffix, resulting in hele laksen.
Why do we use hele for the salmon but alle for the leftovers?
We use hele because it refers to the complete entirety of one singular object (one whole salmon). We use alle for the leftovers because resterne is plural, and alle is required when talking about "all of" a countable, plural group.
Does alle resterne follow the same grammar exception as hele laksen?
Exactly! Just like hele, the word alle skips the plural front article (de) and attaches directly to the definite noun. That is why it is alle resterne rather than alle de rester.
Could we use alt instead of alle for the leftovers?
No, because alt is strictly for singular uncountable nouns (like alt vandet - all the water). Since resterne (the leftovers) is a countable plural, you must use alle.
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