Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet.

The purchase was cheap in the supermarket.

Breakdown of Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet.

• i: in
• være: to be
• billig: cheap
• supermarkedet: the supermarket
• indkøbet: the shopping

Questions & Answers about Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet.

What exactly does indkøbet mean here?

Indkøbet is the definite form of indkøb (a neuter noun).

• indkøb = shopping / (a) purchase / groceries
• indkøbet = the shopping / the purchase / the groceries

So in this sentence, Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet can be understood as:

• “The shopping was cheap in the supermarket”
  or
• “The purchase was cheap in the supermarket.”

Why does indkøbet end in -et?

In Danish, the definite article (“the”) is usually added as an ending on the noun, not as a separate word:

• Common gender nouns (n-words): en bil → bilen (“a car → the car”)
• Neuter nouns (t-words): et indkøb → indkøbet (“a purchase/shopping → the purchase/shopping”)

Because indkøb is a neuter noun (et indkøb), the definite form is made by adding -et: indkøbet = “the shopping / the purchase.”

Why is it billigt and not billig?

Adjectives in Danish agree with the noun in gender and number.

• Common gender singular: billig
  
  • Bilen er billig. – “The car is cheap.”
• Neuter singular: billigt
  
  • Indkøbet er billigt. – “The shopping is cheap.”
• Plural (both genders): billige
  
  • Indkøbene er billige. – “The purchases are cheap.”

Because indkøb is a neuter noun, the predicate adjective after var must be the neuter form: billigt.

Would Indkøbet var billig i supermarkedet be wrong?

Yes, that would be considered grammatically wrong in standard Danish.

The adjective after er/var (is/was) has to match the gender and number of the subject.

• Subject: indkøbet (neuter)
• Correct adjective form: billigt

So you need: Indkøbet var billigt …, not billig.

Why is it i supermarkedet and not på supermarkedet or hos supermarkedet?

Prepositions are a bit different in Danish:

• i supermarkedet = literally “in the supermarket”, used the same way as English in/at the supermarket, especially when you mean “inside that place” or “as a place to shop.”
• på is used for some locations, but not for supermarkets: you say på arbejde (at work), på restauranten can occur, but på supermarkedet is not idiomatic.
• hos is used more like “at the place of a person or business,” e.g. hos lægen (at the doctor’s), hos frisøren (at the hairdresser’s). You wouldn’t normally say hos supermarkedet.

So i supermarkedet is the natural choice here.

Does the sentence mean the supermarket is cheap, or that my shopping there was cheap?

Grammatically, the subject is Indkøbet (“the shopping / the purchase”), so the sentence literally says:

• “The shopping was cheap in the supermarket.”

However, in real-life interpretation this usually implies that the supermarket is a cheap place to shop – i.e. prices there are low. But strictly speaking, it’s the shopping (what you bought) that is described as cheap, not the building itself.

Why is supermarkedet also in the definite form?

supermarked is a neuter noun: et supermarked (“a supermarket”).

Definite form is made the same way as with indkøb:

• et supermarked → supermarkedet (“the supermarket”)

Using the definite here suggests a specific supermarket that you and your listener know from context:

• Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet.
  = The shopping was cheap in the (known/specific) supermarket.

If you wanted to talk more generally, you could say something like:

• Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkeder. – “The shopping was cheap in supermarkets.” (very generic, and sounds a bit odd without more context).

Can I change the word order to I supermarkedet var indkøbet billigt?

Yes, that is correct Danish.

Danish main clauses follow the “verb in second position” (V2) rule:

• Neutral order: Indkøbet (1) var (2) billigt i supermarkedet.
• If you front the place phrase: I supermarkedet (1) var (2) indkøbet billigt.

Both are grammatical. The second version gives extra emphasis to the location: In the supermarket, the shopping was cheap.

How would I say “The shopping was cheap in the supermarket yesterday”?

You can keep the structure and just add i går (“yesterday”). Two natural options:

1. Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet i går.
2. I går var indkøbet billigt i supermarkedet. (more emphasis on “yesterday”)

Both are fine. The verb still stays in second position in the main clause.

What is the plural form, if I want to say “The purchases were cheap in the supermarkets”?

You need plural forms of both nouns and the adjective:

• indkøb (indef. sing.) → indkøbene (def. plural: “the purchases”)
• supermarked → supermarkeder (indef. plural) → supermarkederne (def. plural: “the supermarkets”)
• billige (plural adjective)

So you get:

• Indkøbene var billige i supermarkederne.
  = “The purchases were cheap in the supermarkets.”

Is there a more natural or common way for Danes to express this idea?

Your sentence is correct and understandable, but in everyday speech Danes might more often say something like:

• Det var billigt at handle ind i supermarkedet.
  – “It was cheap to do the shopping at the supermarket.”

or focus on the goods:

• Varerne var billige i supermarkedet.
  – “The items were cheap in the supermarket.”

Your version Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet is still fine, especially in written or slightly more formal language.

How is Indkøbet var billigt i supermarkedet pronounced?

Very roughly in English-like syllables:

• Indkøbet ≈ IN-køh-beth (with a soft “th/d” at the end)
• var ≈ var (like English “var” in “varnish,” but shorter)
• billigt ≈ BIL-leet (final t is often very light)
• i ≈ ee
• supermarkedet ≈ SOO-puh-mah-keh-deth (again with a soft “th/d” sound)

In IPA (standard Danish, approximately):
[ˈenˌkʰøːb̥əð vaː ˈbilid̥ i ˈsuːpɐˌmɑːkəðð̩] (exact realisation varies by accent).