Jeg har en lille pumpe på bagagebæreren, hvis dækket mangler luft.

I

Breakdown of Jeg har en lille pumpe på bagagebæreren, hvis dækket mangler luft.

• en: a
• på: on
• luften: the air

Questions & Answers about Jeg har en lille pumpe på bagagebæreren, hvis dækket mangler luft.

Why is it en lille pumpe and not et lille pumpe?

Because pumpe is a common-gender noun in Danish, so it takes en in the indefinite singular: en pumpe.

The adjective lille goes before the noun, so you get en lille pumpe.

Compare:

• en lille pumpe = a small pump
• et lille dæk = a small tire

So the article depends on the noun’s gender, not on the adjective.

Why is the adjective lille the same with both en and et nouns?

Lille is a bit irregular. In attributive use before singular nouns, it stays lille for both common and neuter nouns.

So you say:

• en lille pumpe
• et lille dæk

But in the plural, Danish normally uses små:

• små pumper
• små dæk

Why does bagagebæreren end in -en?

In Danish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• en bagagebærer = a luggage carrier / bike rack
• bagagebæreren = the luggage carrier / the bike rack

Here it refers to a specific one, most likely the rack on the bicycle.

What does bagagebærer mean literally?