Vi har et lille budget denne måned, så jeg køber færre ting.

Questions & Answers about Vi har et lille budget denne måned, så jeg køber færre ting.

Why is it et budget and not en budget?

Because budget is a neuter noun in Danish. Neuter nouns take et, while common-gender nouns take en.

So:

  • et budget
  • en måned

Unfortunately, noun gender usually has to be learned word by word.

Why is it et lille budget? Shouldn't the adjective change after et?

Usually, yes: many adjectives take -t after a neuter noun in the singular indefinite form.

For example:

  • en stor bil
  • et stort hus

But lille is irregular. It stays lille in the singular:

  • en lille bil
  • et lille budget

In the plural, it becomes små:

  • små ting
Why is it denne måned and not dette måned?

Because måned is a common-gender noun: en måned. With common-gender singular nouns, you use denne.

Compare:

  • denne måned = this month
  • dette budget = this budget

So:

  • denne goes with en-words
  • dette goes with et-words
Why can Danish say denne måned without a preposition like i?

Danish often uses bare time expressions without a preposition when talking about time.

So denne måned is perfectly natural for this month.

You can sometimes say i denne måned, but it is often more formal, more emphatic, or more specific. In everyday speech, denne måned is very normal.

What does mean here, and why is the word order så jeg køber instead of så køber jeg?

Here means so and connects two main clauses:

  • Vi har et lille budget denne måned
  • så jeg køber færre ting

In this use, works like a coordinating conjunction, so the normal subject-verb order stays:

  • så jeg køber ...

If you used an adverb like derfor instead, Danish would usually have inversion:

  • Vi har et lille budget denne måned, derfor køber jeg færre ting.

So this sentence is correct as written.

Why is it færre ting and not mindre ting?

Because ting is a countable plural noun: you can count individual things. For countable nouns, Danish uses færre = fewer.

  • færre ting = fewer things

Use mindre with uncountable nouns or when talking about amount/degree:

  • mindre tid = less time
  • mindre vand = less water

So the same difference as English fewer vs less mostly applies here.

What form is færre?

Færre is the comparative form of , which means few.

The pattern is:

  • = few
  • færre = fewer
  • færrest = fewest

So jeg køber færre ting means that the speaker is buying fewer things than before / than usual / than expected.

Is ting singular or plural here?

It is plural here.

The noun ting is a little tricky because the indefinite singular and plural are spelled the same:

  • en ting = a thing
  • ting = things

In this sentence, we know it is plural because færre only goes with plural count nouns:

  • færre ting = fewer things
Why is there no article before ting?

Because Danish, like English, often uses a bare plural when talking about things in general.

So:

  • jeg køber færre ting = I buy fewer things

You would not normally add an article here. It is the same idea as English I buy fewer books, not I buy fewer the books.

What tense are har and køber?

Both are present tense:

  • har = have
  • køber = buy / am buying

Danish uses the present tense very often for:

  • general present facts
  • current situations
  • near-future results or plans

So jeg køber færre ting can sound natural even if English might sometimes prefer I’m buying fewer things or I’ll buy fewer things depending on context.

Could I move denne måned to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Danish often moves time expressions to the front for emphasis.

You can say:

  • Denne måned har vi et lille budget, så jeg køber færre ting.

But when something other than the subject comes first in a main clause, Danish follows the V2 rule: the verb must stay in second position. That is why it becomes:

  • Denne måned har vi ... not
  • Denne måned vi har ...
Why is there a comma before ?

Because the sentence contains two main clauses joined together:

  • Vi har et lille budget denne måned
  • så jeg køber færre ting

In standard Danish writing, a comma is normally used between main clauses like this. So the comma is helping mark the boundary between the two parts of the sentence.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
What's the best way to learn Danish grammar?
Danish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Danish

Master Danish — from Vi har et lille budget denne måned, så jeg køber færre ting to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • AI tutor to answer your grammar questions