Typiske

Typiske is the inflected form of the Danish and Norwegian adjective typisk, meaning typical or characteristic. The word is used to describe something that belongs to a class or category and shares common features with others in that group. Typiske often appears before plural nouns or in phrases that refer to multiple instances or examples.

Etymology and relation to other languages

Typisk and typiske share a common linguistic lineage with German typisch, Dutch typisch, and English typical. The root traces back to the concept of a type or typus, with influences on the various Germanic languages that adopted the word shape and meaning. In everyday use, typiske functions similarly across Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk, with only slight variations in agreement rules.

Grammatical usage

In Danish, adjectives agree with the noun in number and definiteness. Typiske is used before plural nouns, for example: typiske eksempler (typical examples). For singular neuter nouns, the base form typisk is used, as in et typisk eksempel (a typical example). In definite plural constructions, Danish often mirrors the pattern de typiske eksempler.

In Norwegian Bokmål, typiske serves the same plural function: typiske trekkene (the typical features). In Norwegian Nynorsk, you may also see typiske before plural nouns, with corresponding definite plural forms such as dei typiske trekkene. The form change is mainly about number (singular vs. plural) and definiteness.

Usage notes

Typiske is common in descriptive writing about culture, phenomena, or categories, such as typiske norske retter or typiske trekk ved et fenomen. It is a standard, neutral term for indicating representative or characteristic qualities of a group.