almindelige

Almindelige is a Danish adjective meaning ordinary, common, or general. It is used to describe things that are typical, widespread, or not exceptional. The word can refer to people, phenomena, practices, or situations that are seen as part of everyday life rather than special or unusual.

Grammatical note: the base form is almindelig. In plural or definite contexts, the form almindelige is used, for example almindelige mennesker (ordinary people) or de almindelige regler (the general/general rules). The singular indefinite form is almindelig (en almindelig dag). The adverbial form is almindeligt, as in det er almindeligt at gøre sådan (it is common to do it this way).

Usage and nuances: almindelige conveys a sense of normalcy or typicality. It often contrasts with særlige (special) or usædvanlige (unusual). In everyday language, it appears in phrases such as almindelig praksis (general practice), almindelig befolkning (general/public population), and i almindelighed (in general). In more technical or statistical contexts, it can denote what is typical for the majority rather than exceptional cases.

Cross-language context: the term has cognates in other Scandinavian languages. Norwegian Bokmål uses alminnelig or alminnelig (general/ordinary), and Swedish uses allmän allmänt or allmän, reflecting a common Germanic root for the concept of general or ordinary.

See also: ordinary, general, general population, common sense, everyday language.