põne

Pæne is a Danish adjective form used before plural nouns. It denotes neatness, attractiveness, or general pleasantness in appearance or demeanor. In use, pæne suggests a everyday, approachable positive quality rather than strong beauty.

The form pæne specifically appears as the attributive plural before a plural noun, for example: pæne mennesker (nice people), pæne kjoler (nice dresses). When the noun is definite (de pæne mennesker), the same form pæne is used. The corresponding singular forms are pæn (common gender) and pænt (neuter or adverbial use, as in Han opførte sig pænt).

Pæne is often contrasted with stronger terms such as smuk (beautiful) or flot (handsome) in describing appearance, or fin when referring to quality or propriety. It can also describe behavior in a modest way, for instance pænt opførsel (polite behavior) is typically expressed with the adverbial form pænt.

Etymology traces pæn to the Danish language’s Germanic roots, with cognates in related North Germanic languages. The word has been a stable part of Danish vocabulary since medieval times and remains common in contemporary speech and writing.

See also: smuk, fin, flot, behagelig.