en

Indefinite Article (Common Gender)

Level 1

In Danish, en is the indefinite article for 'common gender' nouns, equivalent to 'a' or 'an' in English. It is the most frequent article you will encounter.

How It Works

The indefinite article en serves several key functions in Danish:

  • Indefinite Reference: It introduces a non-specific singular noun. For example, Jeg har en bog (I have a book). Unlike English, Danish uses no article for plural indefinite nouns (e.g., Jeg har bøger), though you can use nogle to mean 'some'.
  • Gender Marker: It signals that the noun belongs to the common gender category. Since about 75% of Danish nouns are common gender, en is the most frequent article you will encounter.
  • Placement: It always stands before the noun or any adjectives modifying the noun (e.g., en stor hund).
  • Zero Article Rule: Danish often omits the article for professions, nationalities, or religions when using the verbs være (to be) or blive (to become). You say Jeg er lærer (I am a teacher) or Hun vil gerne blive læge (She wants to become a doctor). However, if you add an adjective, the article returns: Jeg er en god lærer.
  • The Number One: The word en also means the number 'one'. When you want to emphasize the number specifically, it is often written with an accent: én (e.g., Jeg har kun én hund).
  • Connection to Definiteness: The article en is the basis for the -en definite suffix. To say 'the dog', you move the article to the end: en hund → hunden.

Examples (4)

  1. Jeg har en hund.

    I have a dog.

    Word by Word: I have a dog.

    'Hund' is a common gender noun, so it takes 'en'.

  2. Der står en kop kaffe på bordet.

    There is a cup of coffee on the table.

    Word by Word: There stands a cup coffee on table-the.

    'Kop' is common gender. Note that 'kaffe' (coffee) is uncountable and doesn't need an article here.

  3. Hun er en dygtig lærer.

    She is a skilled teacher.

    Word by Word: She is a skilled teacher.

    Although professions usually don't use 'en', the presence of the adjective 'dygtig' requires the article to return.

  4. Jeg ser en rød bil.

    I see a red car.

    Word by Word: I see a red car.

    The article 'en' comes before the adjective 'rød' and the noun 'bil'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'en' for neuter gender nouns.

    Jeg bor i en hus.
    Jeg bor i et hus.

    'Hus' is neuter gender (intetkøn), so it must use et instead of 'en'.

  • Using 'en' for professions without an adjective.

    Han er en læge.
    Han er læge.

    In Danish, you omit the article when stating someone's profession, nationality, or religion unless an adjective is modifying the noun.

  • Using 'en' with plural nouns.

    Jeg ser en hunde.
    Jeg ser hunde.

    The article 'en' is strictly singular. For indefinite plural nouns, Danish uses a zero article (no article at all), just like saying 'dogs' instead of 'a dogs'.

How It Connects

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enLevel 1Indefinite Article (Common Gender)

Learn This First

Before learning how to say 'a' or 'an' in Danish, you need to understand that nouns are divided into two groups (genders). The article 'en' is the marker used for nouns belonging to the common gender category.

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