Plural-Only Nouns

Level 5

Pluralia tantum are nouns like 'penge' (money) or 'briller' (glasses) that are grammatically plural in Danish, even if they refer to a single concept or object.

How It Works

In Danish, a small group of nouns called pluralia tantum exist only or primarily in the plural. This is a critical distinction for learners because these words dictate the plural form of adjectives and pronouns in the sentence.

1. Grammatical Agreement
Because these nouns are plural, every word that shows number agreement must be plural:

  • Verbs: In Danish, verbs like er do not change form between singular and plural. However, the conceptual plurality is important for the rest of the sentence.
  • Pronouns: Use dem (them) or de (they) instead of singular forms like 'den' or 'det'.
  • Adjectives: Use the plural -e ending. For example: Dine bukser er sorte (Your trousers are black).

2. Common Examples
Most of these are high-frequency words:

  • Penge (Money)
  • Folk (People)
  • Forældre (Parents)
  • Søskende (Siblings)
  • Briller (Glasses)
  • Bukser (Trousers/Pants)

3. Counting with 'Et Par'
For items that come in pairs, such as briller or bukser, you must use the construction et par to count them. For example, "one pair of pants" is et par bukser, and "two pairs of glasses" is to par briller.

4. Nuances and Comparisons
While penge (money) is plural in Danish but singular in English, be careful with møbler (furniture). In English, 'furniture' is uncountable and singular, but in Danish, møbler is a standard countable plural noun (en stol, to møbler).

Additionally, while forældre was historically plural-only, the singular en forælder is now standard. However, søskende remains strictly plural; to refer to just one, you must say en bror or en søster.

Examples (6)

  1. Hvor er mine briller? Jeg kan ikke finde dem.

    Where are my glasses? I cannot find them.

    Word by Word: Where are my glasses? I can not find them.

    Notice the use of 'dem' (plural) to refer to 'briller', even if it's just one pair.

  2. Pengene er lagt i banken.

    The money has been put in the bank.

    Word by Word: The-money are laid in the-bank.

    'Penge' takes the plural definite suffix '-ene' and the plural verb form 'er'.

  3. Folk er meget venlige her.

    People are very friendly here.

    Word by Word: People are very friendly here.

    'Folk' is a pluralia tantum noun and always requires plural agreement, such as the plural adjective 'venlige'.

  4. Jeg har købt et par nye bukser.

    I have bought a pair of new trousers.

    Word by Word: I have bought a pair new trousers.

    To count plural-only items like 'bukser', use the construction 'et par'.

  5. Dine bukser er alt for lange.

    Your trousers are way too long.

    Word by Word: Your trousers are all too long.

    The adjective 'lange' must be in the plural form to match 'bukser'.

  6. Jeg har tre søskende.

    I have three siblings.

    Word by Word: I have three siblings.

    'Søskende' is a collective plural; you cannot say 'en søskende' in standard Danish.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a singular pronoun for 'money'.

    Jeg har mistet min penge. Har du set den?
    Jeg har mistet mine penge. Har du set dem?

    In Danish, 'penge' is plural. You must use 'mine' (plural my) and 'dem' (them) instead of 'min' and 'den'.

  • Using a singular adjective with pluralia tantum nouns.

    Hendes briller er ny.
    Hendes briller er nye.

    Adjectives must agree with the plural nature of the noun. 'Ny' becomes 'nye' in the plural.

How It Connects

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

Plural-Only NounsLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand pluralia tantum (plural-only nouns), you first need to be familiar with how Danish nouns typically form the plural and the definite plural. Since these nouns are always plural, they also require you to understand plural subject-verb agreement and plural pronouns.