Breakdown of Det er en politisk beslutning.
være
to be
det
it (neuter)
en
a / an (common)
beslutningen
the decision
politisk
political
Questions & Answers about Det er en politisk beslutning.
Why does the sentence start with Det instead of Den, since beslutning is an en-word?
When you use "it is" to introduce or identify what something is (a structure called a preparatory subject), Danish always uses the neuter pronoun det, regardless of the noun's actual gender. If you were instead referring back to a decision already mentioned in a previous sentence (for example, "I made a decision. It is political."), you would use den to match en beslutning: "Den er politisk."
Does the adjective politisk change if the noun is neuter (an et-word)?
No, it doesn't. While Danish adjectives usually add a -t for neuter nouns, adjectives ending in -isk, like politisk, are a major exception. They never take a -t in the neuter singular. So whether it is en politisk beslutning or et politisk parti (a political party), the adjective stays exactly the same.
Is there a trick to remembering the gender of beslutning?
Yes! The word is formed from the verb at beslutte (to decide) plus the suffix -ning. In Danish, almost all nouns that end in the suffix -ning are common gender (en-words). Recognizing this pattern is a highly reliable shortcut for knowing the gender of many abstract nouns.
Learn Det er en politisk beslutning and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free