Question 1

Why does the compound børnevenlig use børne- instead of the singular barn-?

Accepted Answer

When forming compounds with barn (child), Danish typically uses the plural stem børne- as the linking form. This is why it is børnevenlig (child-friendly), just like børnehave (kindergarten) or børnetøj (children's clothes). The suffix -venlig can be attached to many nouns this way to describe what something is suitable for or kind to.

Question 2

The city is definite (byen). Why isn't the adjective in the definite form (børnevenlige)?

Accepted Answer

Because børnevenlig is used here as a predicative adjective (describing the object after the verb gør), rather than an attributive adjective placed directly before the noun. In Danish, predicative adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe, but they never take the definite -e ending. Since byen is singular and common gender (en-word), børnevenlig stays in its basic form.

Question 3

Can I always use gøre to mean "make" when causing a state or condition?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The construction gøre + object + adjective (like gør byen børnevenlig) is a direct parallel to English. It is the standard way to express causing a change in state. Just remember the common B2 pitfall: if you are physically creating or producing an object, you must use lave instead of gøre.

Question 4

How is the compound noun byplanlægningen broken down?

Accepted Answer

It combines by (city) and planlægning (planning). Planlægning itself is formed from the verb at planlægge (to plan) plus the suffix -ning, which turns the verb into a noun representing the process or action. Finally, the -en at the very end is the definite article, making it "the urban planning".

Byplanlægningen gør byen meget børnevenlig.

Breakdown of Byplanlægningen gør byen meget børnevenlig.

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