tilfældet

Tilfældet is a Danish noun meaning the case, the instance, or the occurrence of something. It is the definite singular form of the noun tilfælle? Actually the standard form is tilfælde; the definite singular is tilfældet. Indefinite singular is et tilfælde, and the plural forms are tilfelde? The common plural is tilfælde. In usage, tilfældet appears in sentences like “Det var tilfældet,” meaning “That was the case,” or in fixed expressions such as “i dette tilfælde” meaning “in this case.” The word is frequent in formal writing, law, statistics, science, and academic prose, but it also appears in everyday Danish.

Etymology and form: Tilfældet derives from the verb tilfalde, meaning to happen or occur, with the noun-forming suffix -e and the definite ending -t for the singular. The concept entered Danish historically to refer to a particular occurrence or example within a set of observations or arguments. The related adjective tilfældig means random or incidental, sharing a common root related to happening or occurring.

Usage notes: Indefinite form is et tilfælde; definite form tilfældet is used when the case is known or being singled out, most visibly in the predicate “Det var tilfældet.” In many contexts the simple plural tilfælde or the fixed phrase i dette tilfælde (in this case) is used rather than the definite singular. The term can appear in legal, medical, and statistical prose to denote a specific instance among others, or more broadly to refer to a situation under discussion.

See also: tilfældig (random, incidental); tilfælde (plural/indefinite form of the noun).