Den nye nederdel er billigere end den gamle, men stoffet er stadig pænt.

Because Danish often uses a special definite pattern when there is an adjective before the noun.

Here, nederdel is a common-gender noun, so the pattern is:

• den
  • adjective + noun

So:

• den nye nederdel = the new skirt

A very important point: when you use den/det/de with an adjective, the noun is usually not given its normal definite ending.

So Danish says:

• den nye nederdel

  not

• den nye nederdelen

Compare:

• nederdel = a skirt
• nederdelen = the skirt
• den nye nederdel = the new skirt

This is something English speakers often need to get used to, because English only has the, while Danish has both a suffix definite article and a separate definite article.

Because the adjective is in the definite form.

In Danish, adjectives usually change form depending on whether the noun is:

• common gender
• neuter
• plural
• definite

Here, den nye nederdel is a definite noun phrase (the new skirt), so the adjective takes -e:

• ny nederdel = a new skirt
• den nye nederdel = the new skirt

So nye is not plural here; it is the form used for definite noun phrases as well.

Billigere is the comparative form of billig (cheap or inexpensive).

So:

• billig = cheap
• billigere = cheaper
• billigst = cheapest

In the sentence:

• Den nye nederdel er billigere ...

  means

• The new skirt is cheaper ...

This is similar to English cheap → cheaper, although in Danish the comparative is usually made with -ere.

End means than in comparisons.

So:

• billigere end den gamle = cheaper than the old one

A very common pattern in Danish is:

• adjective in comparative + end

Examples:

• større end = bigger than
• bedre end = better than
• billigere end = cheaper than

English speakers sometimes confuse end with the English word end, but in Danish it is a comparison word meaning than.

Because Danish can leave the noun out when it is already understood from the context.

Here, den gamle means:

• the old one
• more literally, the old [skirt]

Since nederdel was already mentioned, Danish does not need to repeat it.

Also, it uses den because nederdel is a common-gender noun.

Compare:

• den gamle nederdel = the old skirt
• den gamle = the old one

This works much like English, where we also often say the old one instead of repeating the noun.

Because den gamle refers back to nederdel, and nederdel is a common-gender noun.

In Danish:

• den is used with common gender
• det is used with neuter

So:

• en nederdel → common gender → den gamle
• et hus → neuter → det gamle

Even when the noun is left out, the article still has to match the gender of the noun being understood.

Stof means fabric/material, and stoffet is the definite form:

• stof = fabric
• stoffet = the fabric

It is definite because the sentence is talking about the specific fabric of the skirt that has just been mentioned, not fabric in general.

So:

• men stoffet er stadig pænt

  means

• but the fabric is still nice

The ending -et shows that stof is a neuter noun:

• et stof = a fabric / a material
• stoffet = the fabric

Because pænt agrees with stoffet, and stof is a neuter noun.

When an adjective is used after er as a predicate adjective, Danish still often shows gender agreement in the singular:

• en nederdel er pæn = a skirt is nice
• et stof er pænt = a fabric is nice

So here:

• stoffet = the fabric
• pænt = nice/fine, in the neuter form

That is why the sentence says:

• stoffet er stadig pænt

not

• stoffet er stadig pæn

Stadig means still.

So:

• stoffet er stadig pænt = the fabric is still nice

Its position here is very natural in Danish: it comes after the finite verb er.

A common main-clause order is:

• subject + verb + adverb + rest

So:

• stoffet = subject
• er = verb
• stadig = adverb
• pænt = adjective/complement

This is similar to English is still nice.

Because men means but, and it joins two clauses:

1. Den nye nederdel er billigere end den gamle
2. men stoffet er stadig pænt

In Danish, a comma before men is standard here.

So the comma helps show the break between:

• the first statement: the new skirt is cheaper than the old one
• the second statement: the fabric is still nice

Not always. Billig can mean:

• cheap
• inexpensive
• low-priced

In English, cheap can sometimes sound negative, as if something is poor quality. Danish billig can be neutral and simply mean not expensive.

So in this sentence, billigere most naturally means:

• cheaper
• or less expensive

The second clause, men stoffet er stadig pænt, helps show that although the skirt costs less, the fabric is still nice.

It has two main parts joined by men (but):

1. Den nye nederdel er billigere end den gamle

   • Den nye nederdel = the new skirt
   • er = is
   • billigere = cheaper
   • end den gamle = than the old one

2. men stoffet er stadig pænt

   • men = but
   • stoffet = the fabric
   • er = is
   • stadig = still
   • pænt = nice/fine

So the sentence contrasts two ideas:

• the new skirt costs less,
• but the fabric is still nice.