Learn Hardcore Danish: Rabatten er god for hende.

So rabatten er god means “the discount is good”, not just “discount is good.”
In Danish you almost always need to mark definiteness somehow; you can’t normally leave a bare noun like in English.

What grammatical gender is rabat, and how does that affect the form rabatten?

Rabat is a common gender (en-word) noun:

en rabat = a discount
rabatten = the discount

For common gender nouns, the definite singular ending is typically -en:

en bil → bilen (the car)
en bog → bogen (the book)
en rabat → rabatten (the discount)

If it were a neuter noun (et-word), the ending would usually be -et (e.g. et hus → huset).

Why is the verb er used, and does it change with the subject?

Er is the present tense of at være (to be).

In Danish, the present tense doesn’t change with the subject:

Jeg er
Du er
Han / hun / den / det er
Vi er
I er
De er

So you always say er in the present, no matter who or what is the subject:

Rabatten er god = The discount is good.
Hun er glad = She is happy.

Why is the adjective god and not gode?

This is about adjective agreement and position.

In Rabatten er god, god is predicative (it comes after the verb to be and describes the subject). In that position, the basic rule is:

Singular, indefinite/definite subject: use the short form (no -e)
- Bilen er god (The car is good.)
- Pigen er glad (The girl is happy.)
- Rabatten er god (The discount is good.)

You add -e (gode) mainly in these cases:

Before a definite noun / with a demonstrative:
- den gode rabat (the good discount)
- den store bil (the big car)
In plural:
- Rabatterne er gode (The discounts are good.)
- Bilerne er store (The cars are big.)

So: Rabatten er god, but den gode rabat and rabatterne er gode.

Why is it for hende and not for hun?

Hun and hende are different forms of the same pronoun:

hun = subject form (like English she)
hende = object form (like English her)

You use hun as the subject of a verb:

Hun køber en bil. = She buys a car.

You use hende after prepositions (for, til, med, hos, etc.) and as a direct/indirect object:

Gaven er til hende. = The gift is for her.
Jeg kan godt lide hende. = I like her.

In for hende, the pronoun comes after the preposition for, so it must be hende, not hun.

What does for mean here, and could you use another preposition?

In Rabatten er god for hende, the preposition for is similar to English for in “good for her”:

god for nogen = good for someone / beneficial to someone

You can sometimes use other prepositions, but they change the nuance:

god for hende – good for her (advantageous, beneficial)
til hende – to/for her, more about direction/intended recipient
- Rabatten er til hende could sound more like the discount is intended for her (e.g. a discount that applies only to her).

So for the idea of something being beneficial, god for hende is the standard choice.

Can the word order change? Could you say “For hende er rabatten god”?

Yes, Danish word order is relatively flexible for emphasis.

Neutral, most common order:

Rabatten er god for hende.

You can front the phrase for hende for emphasis:

For hende er rabatten god.
→ Emphasis on “for her (as opposed to someone else) the discount is good.”

Both are grammatically correct. The original version is more neutral and typical.

How would you turn this into a yes/no question?

In Danish yes/no questions, you normally invert subject and verb:

Statement: Rabatten er god for hende.
Question: Er rabatten god for hende? = Is the discount good for her?

So you move er to the front.

How do you say “The discount is not good for her” in Danish?

You insert ikke (not) after the verb:

Rabatten er ikke god for hende.
= The discount is not good for her.

Basic pattern: [Subject] [verb] ikke [rest of the sentence].

How is rabatten pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (in IPA): [ʁɑˈbætn̩] (varies slightly by dialect).

Key points:

r = a uvular or guttural r (in the back of the throat).
Main stress is on the second syllable: ra-BAT-ten.
The tt cluster is pronounced with a short t sound.
The final -en often reduces, and the n can be syllabic (almost like a little “n” syllable at the end).

A rough English approximation: ra-BAT-n (with a more guttural r and a short final “n” syllable).

How is hende pronounced, and why doesn’t it sound like the spelling?

Approximate pronunciation (in IPA): [ˈhenə] or [ˈhenə̥].

Features:

h is a normal h sound.
e in the first syllable is like the e in “get”.
d is very soft – often not clearly heard as an English d; in many accents it’s close to zero or just a slight tongue movement.
Final -e is a weak, reduced vowel (a schwa, like the a in sofa).

So it ends up sounding more like “HEN-uh” than something with a clear d.

Could you say this in another way, like “The discount suits her well”?

Yes, there are other ways to express a similar idea, depending on nuance:

Rabatten passer hende godt.
= The discount suits her well / is a good fit for her (e.g. matches her needs or situation).
Rabatten gavner hende meget.
= The discount benefits her a lot.
Rabatten er til hendes fordel.
= The discount is to her advantage.

But Rabatten er god for hende is the most direct, neutral version meaning “The discount is good for her / beneficial to her.”

How would you say “The discounts are good for her” (plural)?

You change rabat to plural and adjust the adjective:

Rabatterne er gode for hende.

Breakdown:

rabat → rabatter (discounts)
rabatter → rabatterne (the discounts)
god → gode (plural adjective form)
for hende stays the same.