ingen/intet/ingenting

No One / Nothing

Level 2

Danish uses ingen, intet, and ingenting to express negation directly. They replace the need for ikke (not).

How It Works

In Danish, you can negate a sentence in two ways: using ikke + nogen/noget, or using the 'fused' negative forms ingen, intet, or ingenting.

1. Agreement with Nouns (Determiners)
When these words come before a noun, they must match the noun's gender:

  • Ingen + common gender: Jeg har ingen bil (I have no car).
  • Intet + neuter gender: Der er intet håb (There is no hope).
  • Ingen + plural: Der er ingen æbler (There are no apples).

Note: Ingenting can never be used before a noun; you cannot say "ingenting bil".

2. Standing Alone (Pronouns)

  • Ingen means 'no one' or 'nobody'. It is used for a person-denoting negative subject: Ingen ved det (No one knows it).
  • Ingenting means 'nothing' and is common in speech, including as a subject: Ingenting hjælper (Nothing helps).
  • Intet can also mean 'nothing', often more formal, including as a subject: Intet er sikkert (Nothing is certain).

3. No Double Negation
Danish is a single-negation language. For a simple negative meaning, do not add ikke to ingen/intet/ingenting. Two negatives can instead deliberately negate one another: Det er ikke ingenting means it is not nothing, or it amounts to something.

4. Structural Requirements
There are specific rules for using these forms in complex sentences:

  • Subordinate Clauses: In subordinate clauses (starting with words like fordi or at), the negation must appear before the verb. For an ordinary unstressed negative object, a broadly usable pattern is ikke nogen/noget: ...fordi jeg ikke har nogen penge. However, if ingen is the subject, it is perfectly fine: Jeg ved, at ingen kom (I know that no one came).
  • Modal Verbs: After kan, vil, skal, or må, it is much more natural to use ikke nogen/noget: Jeg vil ikke have noget.

Formal Danish can also place a negative object before the lexical verb, as in fordi jeg ingen penge har. This differs from the everyday fordi jeg ikke har nogen penge. Learn the ordinary pattern first; the presence of a subordinate clause does not absolutely ban ingen as an object.

Examples (5)

  1. Der er ingen mælk i køleskabet.

    There is no milk in the fridge.

    Word by Word: There is no milk in fridge-the.

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

  2. Jeg har intet arbejde lige nu.

    I have no work right now.

    Word by Word: I have no work right now.

    'Arbejde' is neuter gender (et arbejde), so we use 'intet'.

  3. Jeg ved ingenting om det.

    I know nothing about it.

    Word by Word: I know nothing about it.

    'Ingenting' is the standard pronoun for 'nothing' in everyday Danish.

  4. Der kom ingen til festen.

    No one came to the party.

    Word by Word: There came no one to party-the.

    When used as a pronoun for people, 'ingen' means 'no one'.

  5. Han har ingen venner.

    He has no friends.

    Word by Word: He has no friends.

    'Ingen' is used for all plural nouns, regardless of their gender.

Common Mistakes

  • Using double negation (ikke + ingen).

    Jeg har ikke ingen penge.
    Jeg har ingen penge.

    In Danish, 'ingen' already contains the negation. Adding ikke does not reinforce the same no-money meaning; it can instead deny having no money. Use only ingen for the ordinary negative statement.

  • Using 'ingen' for neuter nouns.

    Det er ingen problem.
    Det er intet problem.

    'Problem' is a neuter noun (et problem), so it requires the neuter form 'intet'.

How It Connects

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

ingen/intet/ingentingLevel 2No One / Nothing

Learn This First

To use 'ingen', 'intet', and 'ingenting' correctly, you must understand Danish noun genders (common vs. neuter) and plural forms, as the choice depends on the noun being modified. It is also helpful to be familiar with the positive counterparts 'nogen/noget' and basic negation with 'ikke'.

Words in This Pattern

ingeningenting