-ere/-est

Comparative and Superlative -ere/-est

Level 2

Danish adjectives change their endings to show degree: -ere (more) and -est/-st (most). For example: varm (warm) → varmere (warmer) → varmest (warmest).

How It Works

Danish comparison, known as gradbøjning, follows these primary rules:

1. The Comparative (-ere)
Used to compare two things. It is equivalent to English '-er'.
Example: Vejret er varmere i dag end i går (The weather is warmer today than yesterday).

2. The Superlative (-est/-st)
Used to indicate the highest degree in the relevant comparison set.

  • -est is the standard ending for most adjectives, as in consonant-final kold → koldest and stressed-vowel-final ny → nyest.
  • -st is used for adjectives ending in -ig, -lig, or -som: billigst, dejligst, langsomst.

3. Spelling Rules

  • Consonant Doubling: If a word has a short, stressed vowel followed by one consonant, double the consonant: smuk → smukkere.
  • Stem Syncope: Some adjectives ending in unstressed -el, -en, -er drop e before a suffix; learn each pattern: sikker → sikrere.

4. Periphrastic Comparison (mere/mest)
Many long adjectives, adjectives ending in unstressed -e such as moderne and stille, polysyllabic adjectives ending in -sk (especially -isk), and participles ending in -ende or -et typically use mere and mest instead of suffixes. Note that monosyllabic adjectives ending in -sk (like frisk or falsk) are regular: friskere, friskest.
Example: spændende → mere spændende → mest spændende.

5. Common Irregular Adjectives
Some very common adjectives change their stem entirely. You should become confident with these:

  • god, bedre, bedst (good, better, best)
  • lille, mindre, mindst (small, smaller, smallest)
  • gammel, ældre, ældst (old, older, oldest)
  • stor, større, størst (big, bigger, biggest)
  • ung, yngre, yngst (young, younger, youngest)
  • lang, længere, længst (long, longer, longest)
  • mange, flere, flest (many, more, most: countable number)
  • meget, mere, mest (much, more, most: amount or degree)

6. Definite Superlative
When a superlative is used before a noun (attributive), it takes an -e ending: den billigste bil. See Definite Superlative for more.

Do Not Count Syllables Alone: Lille is an unstressed-e exception with mindre/mindst. Many longer -ig/-lig adjectives still take suffixes, such as hyggeligere. Some words allow both suffixal and mere/mest comparison; consult the word's established forms.

Examples (5)

  1. Min nye cykel er hurtigere end min gamle.

    My new bike is faster than my old one.

    Word by Word: My new bike is faster than my old.

    Here, the suffix -ere is added to 'hurtig' (fast) to compare two bikes.

  2. Det er den billigste telefon i butikken.

    It is the cheapest phone in the shop.

    Word by Word: It is the cheapest phone in shop-the.

    Since 'billig' ends in -ig, we use the -st suffix. Because it is used with 'den', we add the definite -e ending (billigste).

  3. Denne opgave er sværere, end jeg troede.

    This task is harder than I thought.

    Word by Word: This task is harder, than I thought.

    The adjective 'svær' (hard/difficult) takes -ere to form the comparative.

  4. Han er den klogeste mand i verden.

    He is the smartest man in the world.

    Word by Word: He is the smartest man in world-the.

    The superlative 'klogest' takes an -e because it stands before the noun 'mand' in a definite construction.

  5. Vejret er smukkere i dag.

    The weather is more beautiful today.

    Word by Word: Weather-the is more-beautiful in day.

    Note the double 'k' in 'smukkere' (from 'smuk') to keep the vowel sound short.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -est instead of -st for adjectives ending in -ig.

    Denne bil er den billigest.
    Denne bil er den billigste.

    Adjectives ending in -ig (like billig) or -som (like langsom) must use -st, not -est.

  • Forgetting to double the consonant.

    Hun er smukere end ham.
    Hun er smukkere end ham.

    In Danish, a single consonant after a short stressed vowel must be doubled when adding a suffix starting with a vowel.

  • Using -ere/-est for very long adjectives.

    Filmen var interessantere end bogen.
    Filmen var mere interessant end bogen.

    Many long adjectives and participial adjectives in -et/-ende use 'mere' and 'mest' instead of suffixes.

How It Connects

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

-ere/-estLevel 2Comparative and Superlative -ere/-est

Learn This First

To understand the comparison of adjectives using -ere and -est, you first need a solid grasp of basic adjective usage and agreement in Danish, as well as the ability to form simple sentences using the verb 'to be'.

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