Offentlige

Offentlige is a Danish adjective meaning “public” or “of the public.” It describes things that are accessible to everyone, funded by the state or local government, or belonging to the public realm rather than to private individuals. The term is commonly used to denote public services, institutions, and spaces.

In practice, offentlige is used before plural nouns. Examples include offentlige tjenester (public services), offentlige bygninger (public buildings), and offentlige transportmidler (public transportation). It is also used in official terms and phrases such as offentlige myndigheder (public authorities) and Offentlighedsloven, the Danish law on public access to information, commonly referred to by its official name Offentlighedsloven.

Grammatical notes and related forms: offentlige functions as the plural or definite plural form of the adjective when describing plural nouns. The related concept in Danish includes areas like public administration, public finance, and public law. The term is widely used in media, government, and civic discourse to distinguish state or community-owned or -operated aspects from private sectors.

Etymology and cognates: offentlige has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Norwegian offentlig and Swedish offentlig, reflecting a shared Germanic linguistic heritage and a common concept of the public sphere across the region.

See also: public sector, public administration, public law, Offentlighedsloven.