Nationalities

Level 3

In Danish, nationalities are not capitalized. Nouns (demonyms) usually end in -er (e.g., dansker), while adjectives usually end in -sk (e.g., dansk).

How It Works

Following the 1948 spelling reform, Danish stopped capitalizing common nouns, including nationalities. This applies to both the noun form and the adjective form. However, country names (e.g., Danmark, Tyskland) remain capitalized.

1. Nouns (Demonyms)
These refer to a person from a specific country. Most end in -er. When talking about your own identity, Danish often omits the indefinite article.

  • Tyskland → en tysker
  • Italien → en italiener

Plural Nouns: If the noun already ends in -er, the plural is formed by adding -e (e.g., to tyskere).

2. Adjectives and Languages
Adjectives describe things or food and also serve as the name of the language. Most end in -sk.

  • Danmark → dansk
  • Frankrig → fransk

Neuter Rule: A critical rule is that nationality adjectives ending in -sk do not take the -t suffix when describing neuter nouns. For example: et dansk flag (not danskt).

3. Usage Nuance
To say 'I am Danish,' you have two options:

  • Jeg er dansker (Noun: focuses on being a member of the group)
  • Jeg er dansk (Adjective: focuses on the quality/origin)

Note: If you add an adjective to the noun, you must use an article: Jeg er en glad dansker.

Examples (6)

  1. Jeg er dansker.

    I am Danish (a Dane).

    Word by Word: I am Dane.

    Using the noun 'dansker' without an article is the standard way to state one's nationality.

  2. Taler du fransk?

    Do you speak French?

    Word by Word: Speak you French?

    The name of a language is identical to the adjective form and is always lowercase.

  3. Vi spiser italiensk mad i aften.

    We are eating Italian food tonight.

    Word by Word: We eat Italian food in evening.

    The adjective 'italiensk' describes the noun 'mad'.

  4. Hun er amerikaner, men hun bor i Tyskland.

    She is American, but she lives in Germany.

    Word by Word: She is American, but she lives in Germany.

    Note that 'amerikaner' (the person) is lowercase, but 'Tyskland' (the country) is a proper noun and must always be capitalized.

  5. Det er et dansk flag.

    It is a Danish flag.

    Word by Word: It is a Danish flag.

    Nationality adjectives ending in -sk do not take the -t ending in the neuter form.

  6. Er de tyskere?

    Are they Germans?

    Word by Word: Are they Germans?

    For nationality nouns ending in -er, the plural -e is added (tysker + e = tyskere).

Common Mistakes

  • Capitalizing nationalities.

    Jeg er Dansk.
    Jeg er dansk.

    In Danish, unlike English, nationalities (both nouns and adjectives) are always written in lowercase.

  • Adding -t to nationality adjectives in the neuter form.

    Et danskt hus.
    Et dansk hus.

    Adjectives ending in -sk, like 'dansk' or 'tysk', are exceptions and do not take the neuter -t suffix.

How It Connects

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

NationalitiesLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn nationalities in Danish, you need to understand how nouns and adjectives function. You must be familiar with noun gender to use the correct articles for nationality nouns, and understand how adjectives agree with the nouns they describe, both when placed directly before a noun and when used as a predicate after a verb.