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Skuespilleren er sjov, og publikum griner højt.

Skuespilleren er sjov, og publikum griner højt.
The actor is funny, and the audience laughs loudly.
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Questions & Answers about Skuespilleren er sjov, og publikum griner højt.

Why does Skuespilleren end in -en instead of using a separate word for “the”?

In Danish, the definite article (“the”) is usually a suffix attached to the noun, not a separate word.

  • en skuespiller = an actor
  • skuespilleren = the actor

So -en here means “the” for common-gender nouns (the en-words).
Neuter nouns (the et-words) take -et instead, e.g. et hus → huset (a house → the house).

Why is it “Skuespilleren er sjov” and not “Skuespilleren er sjove”?

In Danish, predicate adjectives (adjectives after er, bliver, etc.) usually stay in the basic form (common gender singular) and do not agree in number or definiteness with the noun.

  • en sjov skuespiller (a funny actor) – attributive, before the noun
  • skuespilleren er sjov (the actor is funny) – predicate, after er

Even though skuespilleren is definite (the actor), the adjective stays sjov, not sjove.

What is the difference between sjov and sjovt?

Sjov is the base adjective; sjovt is the neuter or adverbial form.

Typical patterns:

  • Common-gender noun: en sjov mand (a funny man)
  • Neuter noun: et sjovt barn (a funny child)
  • Predicate with common gender subject: Manden er sjov (The man is funny)
  • Predicate with neuter subject: Barnet er sjovt (The child is funny)
  • Adverbial use (“in a fun/funny way”): Det lyder sjovt (That sounds funny)

In your sentence, skuespilleren is common gender, so we use sjov: Skuespilleren er sjov.

Why is there a comma before og in “…, og publikum griner højt.”?

Danish often uses a comma (called startkomma) before og when it joins two independent clauses:

  • Skuespilleren er sjov, og publikum griner højt.
    Clause 1: Skuespilleren er sjov
    Clause 2: publikum griner højt

Both have their own subject and verb, so a comma is standard in the traditional comma system.
In more modern “comma-light” usage, you can drop this comma, but you will still very often see it written.

Is publikum singular or plural, and why is there no article?

Publikum is grammatically singular in Danish, even though it refers to a group of people (a collective noun).

  • et publikum = an audience (with article)
  • publikum = the audience / audiences in general (often used without article)

In your sentence, publikum is used in a generic/collective way, so no article is needed:

  • Skuespilleren er sjov, og publikum griner højt.
    The actor is funny, and the audience laughs loudly.

It’s similar to how English sometimes says “audience reaction was good” without the.

Could we also say “Publikummet griner højt”? What’s the difference from “Publikum griner højt”?

Yes, Publikummet griner højt is grammatical, but the nuance is a bit different.

  • Publikum griner højt – more general or collective; “the audience” as a mass/group present at the event.
  • Publikummet griner højt – more clearly the specific audience, often implying a particular, identifiable group (e.g. the audience of this show).

In everyday speech, publikum without article/ending is very common when you talk about “the crowd” at a performance.

How does the present tense work in er and griner? Why don’t the verbs change with the subject?

Danish verbs do not change for person or number in the present tense.

  • jeg griner, du griner, han griner, vi griner, de griner – always griner
  • er (from at være = to be): jeg er, du er, han er, vi er, de er

So:

  • Skuespilleren er sjov – The actor is funny
  • Publikum griner højt – The audience laughs loudly

The present tense is formed by adding -r to the verb stem for regular verbs (grine → griner). Er is irregular, like English am/is/are, but it still has just one form.

What’s the difference between at grine and at le (both “to laugh”)?

Both mean “to laugh”, but they differ in style and frequency:

  • at grine – the most common, everyday verb for “to laugh”. Colloquial/neutral.
    • Publikum griner højt. – very natural.
  • at le – more formal, literary, or old‑fashioned in everyday speech.
    • Publikum ler højt. – correct, but sounds more bookish or stylistic.

In ordinary modern Danish, grine is usually the default.

Why is it højt and not høj in “publikum griner højt”?

Høj is the adjective (high / tall / loud).
Højt is:

  1. the neuter form of the adjective (et højt bjerg – a high mountain), and
  2. the adverb form meaning “loudly / loudly out / in a loud voice”.

In publikum griner højt, højt describes how they laugh, so it functions as an adverb: the audience laughs loudly.

Can the word order change to “Publikum højt griner”?

No, “Publikum højt griner” is not normal Danish word order.

The standard order in a simple main clause is:

Subject – Verb – (Object/Other Elements) – Adverbials

So:

  • Publikum (subject)
  • griner (verb)
  • højt (adverb)

→ Publikum griner højt.

Adverbs like højt normally come after the main verb in a simple sentence like this.

How do you pronounce sjov and og? They don’t look like they sound.

Very roughly (using English approximations):

  • sjov

    • sj is like a soft “sh” but further back in the mouth.
    • The o here is closer to the vowel in English “yo” or “show” but shorter.
    • Overall it sounds somewhat like “shyow” in one syllable.

  • og

    • The g is usually silent.
    • It’s pronounced a bit like “oh” or a short “aw” depending on dialect.

So the phrase “sjov, og publikum griner højt” will often sound more like:
“shyow, oh publikum griner højt” (with Danish vowel qualities, of course).