entalls

Entall is a grammatical category that marks a single referent, as opposed to flertall, which marks more than one. The term is used in the grammar of several Scandinavian languages, including Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish, and in broader linguistic literature as the equivalent of the English term singular. It helps describe how nouns, determiners, adjectives, and other elements agree with number in a sentence.

In most languages that distinguish entall, the singular form influences how noun phrases are constructed. Nouns may take singular determiners or adapters, while plural forms use different determiners and numerals. In Norwegian, for example, singular nouns typically accompany singular articles such as en, ei, or et, whereas plural forms use other numerals and articles. Verbs, by contrast, often do not reflect number in many Nordic languages, so present-tense verb forms are the same for both singular and plural subjects.

Entall also interacts with adjectives and other modifiers, which often agree in number with the noun. This can affect adjective endings or word order in some languages, contributing to the overall syntactic and morphological harmony of a noun phrase. In educational contexts, entall is a fundamental concept for learners to master when describing how languages encode quantity and reference.

While entall corresponds to the English singular, its exact realization varies across languages. Some languages have rich inflection for number on nouns, adjectives, and related words, while others rely more on determiners or context. Understanding entall helps explain how languages distinguish one item from several in both spoken and written forms. See also: flertall, entall (Norwegian), grammar.