Dokumentationen er vigtig.

to be

Breakdown of Dokumentationen er vigtig.

• vigtig: important
• dokumentationen: the documentation

Questions & Answers about Dokumentationen er vigtig.

Why does dokumentationen end in -en?

In Danish, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front.

So:

• dokumentation = documentation
• dokumentationen = the documentation

Because dokumentation is an en-word (common gender), the definite singular ending is -en.

That is why Danish does not need a separate word for the here.

Could I also say Dokumentation er vigtig?

Yes. That would usually mean Documentation is important in a general sense.

The version with dokumentationen usually refers to specific documentation that both speaker and listener already know about:

• Dokumentation er vigtig = documentation in general is important
• Dokumentationen er vigtig = the specific documentation is important

So the -en adds definiteness and usually makes the sentence more context-specific.

What does er mean, and does it change like English am / is / are?