A2 Danish GrammarPossessive Pronouns
Learn Danish possessive pronouns and adjectives. Understand the reflexive 'sin/sit/sine' and how possessives agree with noun gender.
1Possessive Adjectives
Danish possessives agree with the gender of the noun they modify. For en-words use min/din, for et-words use mit/dit, for plural use mine/dine.
Possessive Forms
| Person | En-word | Et-word | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| my | min | mit | mine |
| your (sg) | din | dit | dine |
| his/her | hans/hendes | hans/hendes | hans/hendes |
| our | vores | vores | vores |
| your (pl) | jeres | jeres | jeres |
| their | deres | deres | deres |
Examples
Det er min bog.
It is my book.
min for en-word
Det er mit hus.
It is my house.
mit for et-word
Det er mine venner.
They are my friends.
mine for plural
Det er hans bil.
It is his car.
hans never changes
2Reflexive Possessive: Sin/Sit/Sine
Danish uses 'sin/sit/sine' when the possession belongs to the subject. This is different from hans/hendes which refer to someone else.
Sin vs Hans/Hendes
| Danish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hun elsker sin mand. | She loves her (own) husband. | sin = her own |
| Hun elsker hendes mand. | She loves her (other's) husband. | hendes = other's |
Examples
Erik tager sin taske.
Erik takes his (own) bag.
sin refers to Erik
Erik tager hans taske.
Erik takes his (other's) bag.
hans = someone else's
De elsker sine børn.
They love their (own) children.
sine for plural
Maria rydder sit værelse.
Maria cleans her (own) room.
sit for et-word
3Possessive Pronouns (Standing Alone)
When possessives stand alone (mine, yours), they use the same forms as adjectives but must agree with the replaced noun.
Examples
Den bog er min.
That book is mine.
min as pronoun
Huset er dit.
The house is yours.
dit for et-word
Er de biler jeres?
Are those cars yours?
jeres for plural
Vores er større end deres.
Ours is bigger than theirs.
vores and deres as pronouns
4Common Expressions
Possessives appear in many Danish expressions.
Examples
Hvems er den her?
Whose is this?
hvems = whose
Det er ikke min skyld.
It's not my fault.
min skyld = my fault
På egen hånd.
On one's own.
Common idiom
Min ære!
My word! / My goodness!
Exclamation