meget

Meget is a common word in Danish, used as both an adverb and a determiner meaning "much" or "very." It functions as an intensifier, qualifying adjectives, verbs, or nouns to express degree or quantity. In Danish, meget can convey a qualitative sense (very) as well as a quantitative sense (a lot of).

Grammatically, meget is flexible. When modifying adjectives or adverbs, it strengthens the meaning: “Det går meget godt” (It is going very well) or “Det er meget svært” (That is very difficult). When used with mass nouns, meget expresses quantity: “Jeg har meget arbejde” (I have a lot of work) or “Der er meget vand” (There is a lot of water). With count nouns, Danish normally uses mange instead of meget: “mange mennesker” (many people). In negations or contrasts you can encounter phrases like “ikke meget” to mean “not much.”

Meget has cognates in other North Germanic languages. In Norwegian Bokmål the form is likewise meget; in Swedish the corresponding word is mycket; in Icelandic, mycket corresponds to mikið. The word originates in the same Proto-Germanic roots meaning large or great, and it has remained a core intensifier across these languages.

In usage, meget is widely recognized in both spoken and written Danish. It is commonly employed in everyday speech to convey both emphasis and quantity, and it often appears in formal and informal registers alike. Examples include everyday statements, journalistic prose, and instructional language, making meget a foundational element of Danish expression.