-lig/-ig

Adjective Suffixes -lig and -ig

Level 3

The suffixes -lig and -ig are the most common ways to create adjectives in Danish. While they often correspond to English endings like '-ly' (friendly) or '-y' (sleepy), the choice between them is usually fixed by tradition rather than a strict rule.

How It Works

In Danish, adjectives are frequently derived from other words using these two suffixes.

1. Usage Patterns:

  • -lig: Primarily attaches to nouns. Example: ven (friend) → venlig (friendly).
  • -ig: Primarily attaches to nouns. Example: søvn (sleep) → søvnig (sleepy). Unlike -lig, it is rarely used with verbs.
  • -elig: This is the standard suffix for deriving adjectives from verbs, often matching the English '-able'. Example: forstå (understand) → forståelig (understandable).

2. The Silent 'g':
The 'g' at the end of these suffixes is silent in standard Danish. You will hear 'ven-li' or 'mod-i', but you must write the 'g'. Crucially, the 'g' remains silent even when you add grammatical endings, such as in farligt or farlige.

3. Grammatical Agreement:
These words follow the rules for adjective agreement. Unlike some other adjective groups, -ig and -lig adjectives are highly predictable and normally take the -t ending for neuter nouns and the -e ending for plural or definite forms.

  • En farlig hund (A dangerous dog - common gender)
  • Et farligt dyr (A dangerous animal - neuter gender)
  • De farlige hunde (The dangerous dogs - plural)

Examples (5)

  1. Han er en meget venlig mand.

    He is a very friendly man.

    Word by Word: He is a very friendly man.

    'Venlig' is derived from the noun 'ven' (friend) using the -lig suffix.

  2. Det var en farlig situation.

    It was a dangerous situation.

    Word by Word: It was a dangerous situation.

    'Farlig' comes from 'fare' (danger). Note that the 'g' is not pronounced.

  3. Jeg er altid søvnig om morgenen.

    I am always sleepy in the morning.

    Word by Word: I am always sleepy in the morning.

    'Søvnig' is derived from the noun 'søvn' (sleep) using the -ig suffix.

  4. Er svampen spiselig?

    Is the mushroom edible?

    Word by Word: Is the mushroom edible?

    Spiselig means edible. It has no neuter -t here because svamp is common gender. Drikkelig is the corresponding word for drinkable.

  5. Barnet har et meget barnligt smil.

    The child has a very childlike smile.

    Word by Word: The child has a very childlike smile.

    Note that 'barnligt' ends in -t because 'smil' is a neuter noun (et smil).

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the silent 'g' when writing.

    Han er meget venli.
    Han er meget venlig.

    Because the 'g' is not pronounced in standard Danish, learners often forget to include it in spelling.

  • Forgetting the neuter -t agreement.

    Et farlig dyr.
    Et farligt dyr.

    Even though the 'g' is silent, you must still add the neuter -t when describing a neuter noun.

  • Confusing the adjective suffix -lig with the noun suffix -hed.

    Det er en god mulig.
    Det er en god mulighed.

    While 'mulig' is the adjective (possible), -hed creates the noun (possibility). Make sure you use the correct form for the sentence structure.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-lig/-igLevel 3Adjective Suffixes -lig and -ig

Learn This First

To understand the suffixes -lig and -ig, you should already be familiar with how adjectives are used to describe nouns in Danish and how they change their endings to agree with the gender and number of the noun.

Words in This Pattern

-lig-ig