al/alt/alle

All / Everything / Everyone

Level 2

Danish uses al, alt, and alle to express 'all' or 'every'. The form changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes.

How It Works

To use these correctly, you must identify the gender and number of the noun:

  • Al: Used with singular common gender mass nouns (e.g., al maden - all the food).
  • Alt: Used with singular neuter gender mass nouns (e.g., alt vandet - all the water).
  • Alle: Used with plural nouns of any gender (e.g., alle børnene - all the children).

Definiteness: When referring to a specific quantity ('all the...'), the noun usually takes the definite suffix. In abstract or general statements, the indefinite form is used (e.g., al magt - all power).

Pronoun Usage:

  • Alt means 'everything' (e.g., Jeg har alt - I have everything).
  • Alle means 'everyone' or 'everybody' (e.g., Alle er her - Everyone is here).

Adverbial Usage: Alt is also used as an intensifier meaning 'way' or 'far' before adjectives, such as alt for stor (way too big).

Examples (5)

  1. Han drak al mælken.

    He drank all the milk.

    Word by Word: He drank all milk-the.

    'Mælk' is common gender (en mælk), so we use 'al'.

  2. Har du spist alt brødet?

    Have you eaten all the bread?

    Word by Word: Have you eaten all bread-the?

    'Brød' is neuter gender (et brød), so we use 'alt'.

  3. Alle børnene leger i haven.

    All the children are playing in the garden.

    Word by Word: All children-the play in garden-the.

    'Børnene' is plural, so we use 'alle'.

  4. Tak for alt.

    Thanks for everything.

    Word by Word: Thanks for all.

    Here 'alt' acts as a pronoun meaning 'everything'.

  5. Alle er glade i dag.

    Everyone is happy today.

    Word by Word: All are happy in day.

    Here 'alle' acts as a pronoun meaning 'everyone'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'al' or 'alt' for time expressions like 'all day'.

    Jeg arbejdede al dagen.
    Jeg arbejdede hele dagen.

    Danish uses 'hel/hele' (whole) for single units of time like 'day' or 'year'. 'Al' is for quantities of mass nouns.

  • Gender mismatch with mass nouns.

    Al vandet er koldt.
    Alt vandet er koldt.

    'Vand' is a neuter noun (et vand), so it must take the neuter form 'alt'.

  • Using 'al' for plural nouns.

    Al folkene er her.
    Alle folkene er her.

    Even if you are thinking of a 'mass' of people, 'folkene' is grammatically plural and requires 'alle'.

How It Connects

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al/alt/alleLevel 2All / Everything / Everyone

Learn This First

To use 'al', 'alt', and 'alle' correctly, you need to understand Danish noun genders (common vs. neuter) and the difference between singular and plural forms, as the word changes its ending to match the noun it describes.

Words in This Pattern

al