ledige

Ledige is a term used in Norwegian and Danish and stems from the adjective ledig, meaning free, available, or vacant. In both languages, ledige is an inflected form of ledig and is most commonly encountered as an adjective in plural, describing things that are open or unoccupied. The usage differs somewhat between Norwegian and Danish, especially in how it relates to employment.

In Norwegian, ledig and its plural ledige are typically used to describe vacancies and availability. For example, ledige stillinger means vacancies or job openings, and ledige rom or ledig kapasitet can refer to available space or capacity. When speaking about work, Norwegians more often use ledig in the sense of being available for work or, more precisely, arbeidetledige for unemployed individuals (the latter term being more common for formal contexts). Thus ledige is primarily associated with what is open or unfilled rather than the status of a person.

In Danish, ledige has a broader functional use. It is commonly used as an adjective to describe vacancies, such as ledige stillinger or ledige pladser (open spots). It can also function as a plural noun meaning unemployed people, as in der er mange ledige. This noun usage is more characteristic in Danish than in Norwegian. When used as a predicate or in phrases about employment, Danish may treat ledige as a substantive group rather than an adjective.

Related terms include ledig (free, available), ledighed (unemployment in Danish; similar concepts in Norwegian), and ledige stillinger (vacancies). The precise meaning of ledige depends on language, context, and whether it refers to vacancies, availability, or unemployment.