A1 Danish GrammarPersonal Pronouns
Learn the Danish personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and how to use them in simple sentences. Danish pronouns are essential for basic communication and share many similarities with other Scandinavian languages.
1Subject Pronouns
Danish personal pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence. Danish is closely related to Norwegian and Swedish, so the pronouns are similar but with some important differences in spelling and pronunciation. Unlike English, Danish uses 'man' as an impersonal pronoun (like 'one' in English or 'you' in general statements).
Danish Subject Pronouns
| Danish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| jeg | I | Jeg hedder Anna. |
| du | you (singular) | Du er sød. |
| han | he | Han arbejder. |
| hun | she | Hun læser. |
| den/det | it | Det regner. |
| vi | we | Vi bor i København. |
| I | you (plural) | I er velkomne. |
| de | they | De spiller fodbold. |
'I' (you plural) is capitalized to distinguish from 'i' (in)
Examples
Jeg er fra Danmark.
I am from Denmark.
jeg = I (always lowercase unless starting sentence)
Du taler dansk.
You speak Danish.
du = you (informal, singular)
Han og hun er venner.
He and she are friends.
han = he, hun = she
Vi lærer dansk.
We are learning Danish.
vi = we
2Den and Det (It)
Danish has two words for 'it': 'den' and 'det'. The choice depends on the grammatical gender of the noun being replaced. Danish nouns are either common gender (using 'en') or neuter gender (using 'et'). 'Den' replaces en-words, while 'det' replaces et-words. Additionally, 'det' is used in impersonal expressions.
Using Den vs Det
| Noun Type | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| en-words (common) | den | Bogen? Den er god. |
| et-words (neuter) | det | Huset? Det er stort. |
| weather/impersonal | det | Det regner. |
| time expressions | det | Det er sent. |
Examples
Hvor er bilen? Den er udenfor.
Where is the car? It is outside.
bilen is en-word → den
Jeg kan lide æblet. Det er lækkert.
I like the apple. It is delicious.
æblet is et-word → det
Det sner i dag.
It is snowing today.
det for weather
Det er mandag.
It is Monday.
det for time/day expressions
3The Impersonal Man
Danish uses 'man' as an impersonal pronoun, similar to English 'one', 'you' (general), or 'people'. It's very common in Danish and avoids passive constructions. When speaking generally about what people do or should do, 'man' is the natural choice.
Examples
Man taler dansk i Danmark.
One speaks Danish in Denmark. / Danish is spoken in Denmark.
man = one/people (general)
Man kan ikke ryge her.
One cannot smoke here. / You can't smoke here.
man for rules
Man ved aldrig.
One never knows. / You never know.
Common expression
Hvad gør man i sådan en situation?
What does one do in such a situation?
man for general questions
4Common Patterns with Pronouns
Danish pronouns follow the verb in statements but come before the verb in questions with inversion. The word order is typically Subject + Verb + Object. Learning these patterns helps construct correct sentences from the beginning.
Examples
Jeg elsker dig.
I love you.
jeg = I, dig = you (object)
Vi ses i morgen.
We'll see each other tomorrow.
Common phrase
Hun hjælper mig.
She helps me.
hun as subject, mig as object
I kan begynde nu.
You (all) can start now.
I for plural 'you'