substantivet

Substantivet is a term used in Danish and Norwegian grammar to refer to the definite form of a noun, or more broadly to the noun as a part of speech. In these languages, nouns inflect for definiteness by attaching a suffix to the base form. The suffix depends on the noun’s gender and language. In Danish, common gender nouns take -en and neuter nouns take -et; the definite forms are for example bordet (the table) and stolen (the chair). In Norwegian Bokmål, the system is similar: bordet (the table) and stolen (the chair). The definite form is used when referring to a specific instance that is known to both speaker and listener, or when the noun functions as the subject or object with definite meaning.

In addition to definiteness, substantivet is the grammatical category that denotes words referring to persons, places, things, or ideas, typically inflected for number (singular/plural) and, in older or more conservative systems, for case. Indefinite forms use the bare noun without the definite suffix.

Substantivet can be contrasted with the indefinite form and with other parts of speech such as adjectives, verbs, or pronouns. In linguistic description, the distinction between the noun (substantivet) and other word classes is foundational; some traditions explicitly emphasize substantivet as the category representing the referential, nombrial class of words rather than its determiner or modifier behavior.

See also: noun, grammar, definiteness, gender, number.