Papiret er hvidt og rent.

The paper is white and clean.

Breakdown of Papiret er hvidt og rent.

• og: and
• være: to be
• papiret: the paper
• hvid: white
• ren: clean

Questions & Answers about Papiret er hvidt og rent.

Why is papiret used instead of the indefinite papir?

In Danish, nouns typically come in an indefinite form (e.g., papir) and a definite form (e.g., papiret). When you add the suffix -et to a neuter noun (like papir), you're indicating the paper rather than just paper in general.

Why does the adjective hvidt get a -t at the end?

Adjectives in Danish agree with the noun's gender and number. Papir is a neuter noun, so the adjective hvid becomes hvidt when it describes a singular neuter noun in the definite form.

Why do we also add a -t to the adjective ren, making it rent?

Just like hvid, the adjective ren needs to match the neuter noun. So in the neuter singular, ren changes to rent.

Is there any difference if I drop og and just say Papiret er hvidt, rent?

Yes. Grammatically, you can list adjectives in a row without the conjunction og, but it’s less natural in everyday Danish to do so. Using og makes it sound more fluid: hvidt og rent.

Would the adjectives still have the same forms if the sentence just said Papiret er hvidt or Papiret er rent?

Yes. In both sentences, hvidt and rent remain in their neuter forms because papir is a neuter noun and remains so whether you have one adjective or more.