dygtig

Dygtig is a Danish adjective meaning capable, competent, skilled, or proficient. It is commonly used to describe people who perform tasks well or demonstrate a high level of ability in a particular domain, such as work, study, or manual skills. The term carries a generally positive, neutral-to-favorable tone in everyday Danish and can also describe the quality of results or performances.

Grammatical notes are useful for proper usage. Dygtig inflects to reflect gender and number: en dygtig mand (a capable man), et dygtigt barn (a capable/young neuter noun), and dygtige mennesker (capable people). The adverbial form is dygtigt, used to describe how an action is performed, as in han løste det dygtigt. In phrases such as "dygtig til noget," the adjective describes proficiency in a specific task or skill, e.g., "Hun er dygtig til matematik."

Related terms and cognates appear in other Scandinavian languages. Norwegian uses dyktig, while Swedish uses duktig, with similar meanings but slight nuances in usage. Although closely related, these forms are not interchangeable across languages. In Danish, dygtig is widely used in both spoken and written language to convey competence and skill in people, abilities, and outcomes. Examples include everyday praise, professional evaluations, and educational context.