en
/en/
In Danish, 'one' is said as en.
en is the cardinal number 1.
Meaning: cardinal number 1 (num)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Jutland region, the pronunciation of en may sound more like æn.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of 'one' changes from en to et depending on the grammatical gender of the noun it modifies. When you want to say 'the only one', use the form eneste. If you are using 'one' to mean 'alone' or 'single' (such as in 'one person' or 'one by one'), the forms ene or alene are often used instead of the cardinal number.
How do you pronounce it?
/en/
Did you know?
- The word en also functions as the indefinite article 'a' or 'an' in Danish, meaning the number 1 and the word for 'a' are identical.
- While en means 'one', adding the suffix -en to a noun creates the definite article 'the', essentially embedding the concept of 'one' into the end of the word.
- Danish uses en in a way that allows it to act as a pronoun for 'a person', such as in the phrase en må jo kunne which means 'one must be able to'.
Examples in context
- Vil du have en?Want one?This sentence is useful for seeing how to offer en.Tatoeba #10578037 by danepo, translation #2485150 by Hybrid
- Jeg har en bror.I have one brother.This sentence shows how to use en when counting a person.Tatoeba #1129078 by danepo, translation #256071 by CK
- Jeg har en hund.I have one dog.This sentence shows how to use en when counting an animal.Tatoeba #1130894 by danepo, translation #7580718 by porfiriy
- Kan jeg få ét stykke kage?Can I have one piece of cake?
- Han er én af mine bedste venner.He is one of my best friends.
- 302 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofie and Mads are ordering coffee at a cafe.
- SofieJeg vil gerne have en kaffe.I would like one coffee.
- MadsSkal jeg også købe en til dig?Should I also buy one for you?
- SofieNej, en er nok.No, one is enough.
- MadsOkay, jeg henter den nu.Okay, I'll get it now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry en, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
