# Danish: is there a definite form of 'te'?



## wild-digestive

Hello everyone,

I have just started learning Danish, so apologies if this is a really stupid question! 

So... I know that 'kaffe' means 'coffee', and 'kaffen' means 'the coffee' - but when it comes to 'te', I am struggling to find / work out the definite form: does it exist, and if so, is it irregular?

Tak!


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## ger4

_teen --> te + en_

Many nouns ending in a stressed vowel have definite endings in _-en / -et_, just like _bro_ (=bridge) has the definite form _broen_... but wait for the native speakers


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## wild-digestive

Holger2014 said:


> _teen --> te + en_
> 
> Many nouns ending in a stressed vowel have definite endings in _-en / -et_, just like _bro_ (=bridge) has the definite form _broen_... but wait for the native speakers



So it's completely regular? I guess I just thought it looked a little strange! Thank you very much


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## ger4

It really looks a little strange, especially in isolation... in a context it's different: _Man mener, at teen er kommet til Danmark fra Holland_ (source: Danish Wikipedia)


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## wild-digestive

Holger2014 said:


> It really looks a little strange, especially in isolation... in a context it's different: _Man mener, at teen er kommet til Danmark fra Holland_ (source: Danish Wikipedia)



Tak for hjælpen!


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## Sepia

Sure it looks odd because you hardly ever have a double vowel in Danish. (Not just two, but the same one twice). The definite form of other nouns with an "e" at the end usually do not get a double wovel. People probably felt it hat to be that way because it is such s short word.


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## wild-digestive

Sepia said:


> Sure it looks odd because you hardly ever have a double vowel in Danish. (Not just two, but the same one twice). The definite form of other nouns with an "e" at the end usually do not get a double wovel. People probably felt it hat to be that way because it is such s short word.



Thank you for your reply! So is it because the 'e' in 'te' is stressed and therefore cannot be 'ignored' (for lack of a more grammatical word)? And in other nouns ending in 'e', there is usually another vowel that is stressed instead? e.g in 'pige', the stress is on the 'i' and so there doesn't need to be a double 'e' in 'pigen'?


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## ger4

One more example (staying on the topic of hot drinks): _kaffe_ > _kaffen_ (_-e_ is unstressed) >> but _café_ > _caféen _(_-é_ is stressed) >>


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## wild-digestive

Holger2014 said:


> One more example (staying on the topic of hot drinks): _kaffe_ > _kaffen_ (_-e_ is unstressed) >> but _café_ > _caféen _(_-é_ is stressed) >>



That's great! Thank you very much for the example


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## Sepia

wild-digestive said:


> Thank you for your reply! So is it because the 'e' in 'te' is stressed and therefore cannot be 'ignored' (for lack of a more grammatical word)? And in other nouns ending in 'e', there is usually another vowel that is stressed instead? e.g in 'pige', the stress is on the 'i' and so there doesn't need to be a double 'e' in 'pigen'?


 
You are probably right - sounds logical. I am often amazed by the things that talented students and often even beginners discover - as longs as you let them and give them credit for it. There are so many things in a language you are native in that you just somehow learned them and never had any logical explanation for. Too many native speaker / teachers just shrug it off and say "you just have to memorize that" whithout noticing that there often is a logical pattern that they have been using unconsciously all along. Keep looking and you'll find more. (In any language).


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## wild-digestive

Sepia said:


> You are probably right - sounds logical. I am often amazed by the things that talented students and often even beginners discover - as longs as you let them and give them credit for it. There are so many things in a language you are native in that you just somehow learned them and never had any logical explanation for. Too many native speaker / teachers just shrug it off and say "you just have to memorize that" whithout noticing that there often is a logical pattern that they have been using unconsciously all along. Keep looking and you'll find more. (In any language).



Thank you for your reply! I am a bit of a grammar geek so I enjoy discovering patterns and making connections like that. I was constantly frustrated in school (studying German) by teachers not giving explanations for things and just saying "that's the way it is, you just have to learn it". But now I have the resources to find things out for myself - with help from the lovely people at wordreference.com of course!


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