Learn Hardcore Danish: Det andet tog er forsinket.

In a sequence (train 1, train 2, train 3…), det andet tog = “the second train”.
If there are only two trains, and you’re talking about “the other one (not the first)”, det andet tog = “the other train”.

So andet is the neuter form of “second / other”, and the precise English translation (“second” vs “other”) depends on what has been said before.

Why is it andet and not anden?

Danish adjectives agree with the gender of the noun.

tog is a neuter noun: et tog (a train).
For neuter singular nouns, the adjective form is -t:
- en stor bil → et stort tog
- en anden bil → et andet tog

So:

anden = “second/other” with common gender nouns (en-words)
- en anden bus (another bus)
andet = “second/other” with neuter nouns (et-words)
- et andet tog (another train)

Because tog is neuter (et tog), you must say andet.

Why is it det and not den?

Again, this is gender agreement.

den is used with common gender (en-words):
- en bil → den anden bil
det is used with neuter gender (et-words):
- et tog → det andet tog

Since tog is neuter (et tog), the matching demonstrative/definite word is det.

If it means “the second train”, why don’t we say toget (“the train”)?

In Danish, when a definite noun has an adjective in front of it, you usually mark definiteness with a separate word (den/det/de) instead of (or in addition to) the -et / -en ending.

Compare:

No adjective:
- Toget er forsinket. = The train is delayed.
With adjective:
- Det andet tog er forsinket. = The second/other train is delayed.

You do not say det andet toget – that would be incorrect.
The pattern is:

den/det/de + adjective + (bare) noun

So det is carrying the definiteness, and tog appears without the -et ending.

Is tog singular or plural here? How would plural look?

In this sentence, tog is singular.

Forms of tog:

Singular:
- Indefinite: et tog (a train)
- Definite: toget (the train)
Plural:
- Indefinite: tog (trains)
- Definite: togene (the trains)

Examples:

Det andet tog er forsinket.
The second/other train is delayed. (singular)
De andre tog er forsinkede.
The other trains are delayed. (plural: de
- andre
  - tog; verb/adjective plural agreement often only in writing: forsinkede).

How do you know that tog is a neuter noun (et tog)?

Unfortunately, Danish gender is mostly lexical: you have to learn each noun with its article.

et tog (neuter)
en bus (common)

There are some weak tendencies (e.g. many words for people are en, many one-syllable concrete objects tend to be en, but there are lots of exceptions). For tog, you simply need to memorize et tog.

Once you know it’s et tog, it explains:

et tog (not en tog)
det tog (not den tog)
andet tog (not anden tog)

What kind of word is forsinket? Is it a verb or an adjective?

Forsinket is the past participle of the verb forsinke (“to delay”), used here as an adjective:

forsinke → (har) forsinket = to delay → (has) delayed

In Det andet tog er forsinket, literally:

“The second train is delayed”
→ er (is) + forsinket (delayed)

This pattern is very common in Danish:

Døren er lukket. = The door is closed.
Butikken er åbnet. = The shop is opened / has opened.
Toget er aflyst. = The train is cancelled.

So grammatically, it’s a participle functioning like an adjective.

Why do we use er here? Could you use other tenses like var?

Er is the present tense of “to be” (at være):

er = is / am / are
var = was / were

In the sentence:

Det andet tog er forsinket.
→ The second/other train *is delayed* (now / currently).

If you want past tense, you’d say:

Det andet tog var forsinket.
→ The second/other train *was delayed* (earlier, but not necessarily now).

So:

er forsinket = is delayed (present state)
var forsinket = was delayed (past state)

What’s the difference between er forsinket and bliver forsinket?

Both are possible, but they focus on different things.

er forsinket = is delayed (focus on the state right now)
- Det andet tog er forsinket.
  → It is (currently) delayed.
bliver forsinket = is getting / will be delayed (focus on the process or a prediction)
- Det andet tog bliver forsinket.
  → The second train is going to be delayed / is getting delayed.

So use:

er forsinket when you just want to report the current situation.
bliver forsinket when you talk about a delay that is developing or expected.

Can I change the word order, like “Det andet tog forsinket er”?

No, that word order is not possible in normal Danish.

In main clauses, Danish is a V2 language: the finite verb (here er) must be in the second position in the clause.

Correct patterns:

Subject first:
- Det andet tog er forsinket.
  (Subject) + (Verb) + (Rest)
If you move something in front (for emphasis or adverbials), the verb still stays second:
- I dag er det andet tog forsinket.
  (I dag) + (er) + (det andet tog) + (forsinket)

But:

Det andet tog forsinket er – verb is not in second position → incorrect.

How do you pronounce each word in Det andet tog er forsinket?

Approximate standard Danish pronunciations (IPA + rough English hints):

Det – /de/ (often with a very weak final consonant)
→ like “deh”
andet – /ˈanəð/
- a like in “cat” (but a bit shorter)
- final -et is usually a weak schwa plus a soft “th-ish” sound
tog – /ˈtoːˀ/
- long o like in British “taw”
- final g is not a hard g; there is a glottal stop (stød) at the end
er – /ˈeɐ̯/
- a bit like a fast “air” without a strong r
forsinket – /fɔˈseŋkəð/
- for- with an open “o” (like British “for” but shorter)
- -sin- sounds more like “seng”
- final -ket is weak “kəð”

Spoken quickly, the whole sentence can sound something like:

[de ˈanəð ˈtoːˀ eɐ̯ fɔˈseŋkəð]

What’s the difference between andet and andre?

They are different forms of the same adjective (“other / second”) and depend on gender and number.

Singular:

anden – common gender (en-word)
- en anden bus (another bus)
andet – neuter gender (et-word)
- et andet tog (another train)

Plural:

andre – plural for both genders
- de andre tog (the other trains)
- de andre busser (the other buses)

So:

andet → neuter singular
andre → plural (for both en- and et-nouns)

When would you say det næste tog instead of det andet tog?

det andet tog = the second train (in a sequence) or the other train (when there are only two).
det næste tog = the next train (the one that comes after the current one in time).

Examples:

Two specific trains you’re comparing:
- Første tog er aflyst, det andet tog er forsinket.
  The first train is cancelled, the second/other train is delayed.
You just missed one train, and you ask when the following one will come:
- Hvornår kommer det næste tog?
  When does the next train arrive?

So andet is about order/otherness in a set; næste is about time sequence (“next after this one”).

If there are only two trains, can Det andet tog mean “the other train”?

Yes.

When there are exactly two items, Danish andet often corresponds to English “the other”:

Vi har to tog: det første tog og det andet tog.
We have two trains: the first train and the other train.

In English you’d normally say “the other train” rather than “the second train” in that situation, but Danish det andet tog can cover both readings. Context usually makes it clear.