Den gamle printer er besværlig, fordi papiret ofte sidder fast.

to be

Breakdown of Den gamle printer er besværlig, fordi papiret ofte sidder fast.

• gammel: old
• papiret: the paper
• fordi: because

Questions & Answers about Den gamle printer er besværlig, fordi papiret ofte sidder fast.

Why does the sentence start with den gamle printer and not det gamle printer?

Because printer is a common-gender noun in Danish, not a neuter one.

Danish has two grammatical genders:

• common gender → takes en / den
• neuter gender → takes et / det

Since the noun is en printer, the definite phrase uses den:

• den gamle printer = the old printer

If the noun were neuter, you would use det instead.

Why is it gamle and not gammel?

Because adjectives change form in Danish depending on gender, number, and definiteness.

The basic form is:

• gammel = old

But in a definite noun phrase like the old printer, the adjective usually takes -e:

• den gamle printer

Compare:

• en gammel printer = an old printer
• den gamle printer = the old printer

So gamle here is the correct definite form.

Why is there both den and the ending in gamle? Isn’t that like saying the old twice?