Den ene bog er god, den anden er bedre, og den sidste er bedst.

The first book is good, the second one is better, and the last one is best.

Breakdown of Den ene bog er god, den anden er bedre, og den sidste er bedst.

• og: and
• være: to be
• bogen: the book
• bedre: better
• bedst: best
• god: good
• den anden: the second one
• den sidste: the last one

Questions & Answers about Den ene bog er god, den anden er bedre, og den sidste er bedst.

What do the phrases den ene, den anden, and den sidste indicate in this sentence?

They are demonstrative expressions that point to specific items—in this case, books. Although they literally translate to “the one”, “the other”, and “the last,” they function here to compare the books by ranking them in terms of quality (good, better, best).

Why is the noun bog in its base (indefinite) form and not with a definite ending (as in bogen)?

In Danish, when a demonstrative phrase like den ene is used alongside an adjective, the definiteness is already indicated by the demonstrative article (den). As a result, the noun bog remains in its base form, since adding the definite suffix is not necessary in this construction.

How are the comparative and superlative forms of god formed in the sentence, and why are they considered irregular?

The adjective god (good) changes to bedre (better) in the comparative and bedst (best) in the superlative. These are irregular forms because they do not follow a simple pattern of suffix addition; instead, they involve a vowel change, which is common with frequently used adjectives in Danish.

Why does the sentence use expressions like den ene instead of ordinal numbers such as første (first) or anden (second)?

Rather than strictly numbering the items, Danish speakers often use idiomatic phrases like den ene, den anden, and den sidste to express a subjective judgment or ranking. This emphasizes the evaluation (good, better, best) instead of merely indicating sequence, even when there are three or more items involved.

How does the sentence structure clarify that the same noun is being compared across the three parts?

The sentence follows a parallel structure where the first clause explicitly mentions bog, and the subsequent clauses omit it because the context makes it clear that the comparison still refers to the same item. This use of ellipsis avoids repetition while maintaining clarity.

What is the role of punctuation in this sentence?

The commas separate different clauses, each expressing an evaluation of one of the books. This punctuation aids the reader in understanding the clear progression of comparisons from one book to the next, ensuring that the structure and flow of the information remain coherent.