Generic Sentences

Level 5

Danish uses four main ways to make general statements: the bare plural (facts about a group), the indefinite singular (definitions), the definite singular (abstract concepts/species), and the pronoun man (general human experience).

How It Works

Generic statements (generiske udsagn) allow you to talk about the world in general terms rather than specific instances.

1. The Bare Plural (Indefinite Plural)
This is the most common way to state facts about a class of things. You use the plural form without any article or suffix.

  • Biler er dyre. (Cars are expensive.)
  • Danskere drikker meget kaffe. (Danes drink a lot of coffee.)

2. The Indefinite Singular
Used for definitions, rules, or when a single example represents the whole category.

  • En trekant har tre sider. (A triangle has three sides.)
  • En god ven lytter altid. (A good friend always listens.)

3. The Definite Singular (Generic Definite)
Using the definite suffix on a singular noun represents the 'prototype' or the species as a whole. This is common in scientific or formal contexts.

  • Hunden er menneskets bedste ven. (The dog [as a species] is man's best friend.)
  • Computeren har ændret alt. (The computer [as an invention] has changed everything.)

4. The Pronoun 'man'
When making generalizations about people, rules, or common experiences, Danish uses man. It is much more common than the English 'one'.

  • Man skal huske at smile. (One/You should remember to smile.)
  • Object form: Use én (e.g., Det gør én glad).
  • Possessive form: Use sin/sit/sine when referring back to the subject man (e.g., Man skal passe på sine ting). Use éns only when it is not reflexive (e.g., Det er éns eget ansvar).
  • Reflexive form: Use sig (e.g., Man vasker sig).

Examples (5)

  1. Børn elsker at lege.

    Children love to play.

    Word by Word: Children love to play.

    A bare plural is used here to make a general statement about all children.

  2. Hvalen er et pattedyr.

    The whale is a mammal.

    Word by Word: The whale is a mammal.

    The definite singular is used to refer to the entire species of whales.

  3. Man kan ikke altid vinde.

    One cannot always win.

    Word by Word: One can not always win.

    The pronoun 'man' is used for a general truth applying to anyone.

  4. Det gør én træt at arbejde hele dagen.

    It makes one tired to work all day.

    Word by Word: It makes one tired to work whole the-day.

    This shows the object form 'én' used in a generic sense.

  5. Danskerne elsker kaffe, men svenskere drikker endnu mere.

    The Danes love coffee, but Swedes drink even more.

    Word by Word: The-Danes love coffee, but Swedes drink even more.

    Note the contrast: 'Danskerne' refers to a specific nation, while 'svenskere' is a generic bare plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the definite plural for generic statements.

    Hundene er loyale dyr.
    Hunde er loyale dyr.

    In Danish, 'Hundene' refers to specific dogs you are looking at. For a general truth about all dogs, use the bare plural 'Hunde'.

  • Using 'man' as an object.

    Det glæder man.
    Det glæder én.

    'Man' can only be the subject of a sentence. If you need the generic 'one/you' as an object, you must use 'én'.

  • Using 'éns' as a reflexive possessive for 'man'.

    Man skal passe på éns taske.
    Man skal passe på sin taske.

    When referring back to the subject 'man' within the same clause, you must use the reflexive possessive sin/sit/sine. Use 'éns' only when it does not refer back to the subject 'man' (e.g., 'Det er éns eget ansvar').

How It Connects

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Generic SentencesLevel 5

Learn This First

To form generic statements, you need to understand how to use the definite singular and bare plural forms of nouns to represent general categories, as well as the indefinite pronoun 'man' for general human actions.

Words in This Pattern