MINI GRAMMAR BOOK

ENGLISH

DANISH

UNIVEBB

The UNIVERB language courses

make it easier to teach yourself languages!
The U N I V E R B language courses
are based on the well known method:
L I S T E N R E P E A T L E A R N !

The course is bilingual: Each phrase is first pronounced

in English, then repeated slowly in Danish, leaving you a chance
to catch the proper pronunciation. A short interval in the recording gives you an opportunity to repeat the sentence yourself,
upon which the sentence is repeated at normal speed.
The course is easy to follow and it is you alone who choose
where and when you want to practise.
To make the course as interesting and as viable as possible,
we have concentrated on words and phrases
which you will often need when travelling abroad.
Each course consists of approx. three hours' training,
two training books and this miniature grammar showing
the fundamental grammatical rules of the Danish language.
The U N I V E R B language courses
make it easy for you to start learning a new language
or to brush up your existing knowledge.
You practise your pronunciation and enhance your vocabulary.

Contents

Preface

Preface

Danish is the official language in Denmark and an official

Spelling and Pronunciation

Nouns

language on the Faeroe islands and in Greenland. Danish is

taught as a foreign language in Iceland. In the rest of Scandinavia including Finland, people with a working knowledge

Adjectives
Adverbs

of Danish will always be able to understand, at the very least,

official notices, and to make themselves understood, as the

Verbs

differences between Norwegian and Swedish lie mainly in

Pronouns

the pronunciation. Swedish is one of the official languages in

Prepositions

Finland.
In Denmark, Danish is spoken by approx. 5 million people.
Danish belongs to the Germanic language group, and many
scholars believe that English has its origin in Danish. Even
though this is not immediately evident in the everyday language, striking similarities am definitely there and can be
easily observed in the structure as well as in the vocabulary
of the two languages. Thus, englishspoken people can rest assured that acquiring a working knowledge of Danish is by all
means possible.
The purpose of this book is to present an easily comprehensible survey of Danish grammar. A strictly practical approach
has been followed. In the hope that this book can encourage
further studies, we wish you good luck as you set out.

Spelling and P r o n u n c i a t i o n
The alphabet
Danish uses the same alphabet as English, with three additional letters w h i c h are placed at the end of the alphabet:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z / E 0 A
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v x y z a e 0 a

Spelling
To most foreigners, the relation between pronunciation and
spelling is not immediately clear. In Danish, an extensive use
is made of mute letters and in some cases, the distinction
between letters is decided only by a very fine margin. E.g.
we write dukke (doll), but pronounce it dike; we write pege
(point), but we pronounce it peje. However, this should not
discourage you, as the Danes with w h o m you share your
difficulties will allow you a w i d e margin for mistakes, and
also because spelling is only rarely essential to comprehension.

Stress

but

Like in English, stress on syllables in Danish does not follow a

skib - skibet (ship - the ship)

regular pattern. As a rule, however, stress is normally placed

skibe - skibene (ships - the ships)

on the first syllable, e.g. overtale (persuade), m0de (meeting).

stol - stolen (chair - the chair)

C o m m o n exceptions are words with the prefixes be-, ge-, er-,

stole - stolene (chairs - the chairs)

and for-; the latter prefix, however, is stressed w h e n it has an

Glottal stops can sometimes have an essential bearing in a

independent meaning:

phrase. In Danish, this is known as betoning w h i c h is best

Compare for example:

translated as

forklare (explain) and forvarme (preheat).

Compare for example:

accentuation.

Other exceptions are a number of place names, e.g.:

with glottal stop

without glottal stop

K0benhavn, and foreign words, e.g.: politi.

Sta pa bussen

Sta pa bussen

(stand on top of the bus)

(get on the bus)

Pronunciation
Danish is the only Germanic language that has preserved

Letters

the glottal stop, in Danish: stod. It appears only in stressed

Vowels

syllables w h e r e it falls either on a long vowel or on a voiced

Length

consonant immediately following a v o w e l . A stressed syllable

can lose its glottal stop w h e n the syllable is the first element

Normally, vowels are long:

of a c o m p o u n d .

a) before a single consonant, e.g.: bade (bathe), la;se (read)

The glottal stop can also be dropped w h e n suffixes are added.

b)

Vowels are normally short:

Examples:
with glottal stop

in monosyllables with a final v o w e l , e.g.: ske (spoon),

pa (on)

(This, however, does not apply to the enclitic article).

without glottal stop

a)

before a double consonant, e.g.: komme (come),

maelk (milk)

skal (bowl)

skale (bowls)

land (country)

lande (to land)

But there are numerous exceptions, e.g.:

hjem (home)

hjemme (at home)

Short vowel: kop (cup), bus (bus), da (when), vi (we)

lang (long)

langsom (slow)

Long vowel: aeble (apple), spiste (ate)

10

11

The vowels one by one

vowel
vowel

writing

[aa]

klare

3) when short, also like

[ah]

2) w h e n short,

hat

[klaarer]

[e']

[haht]
I

1)

when long,

[]

like " " in " b e e "

an alternative to the
ja

lail

tale

[]

" a " , almost like " a " in

[eh]

e as in "let"; it can be

3)

kan

like " e " in "letter" or

[]

4) like " } " in "think"

[kehn]

4) A city phenomenon is

1)

the " a " pronounced at

the back of the tongue,
tak

like "ar" in " b a r n "

(thank you)

[e]

sol

not a diphthong

(sun)

[oa]

sound

quality as " a " in "plate"

(ready)

and the " i " in "hit"

(lard)
12

[legger]

U
[feid]

[soal]

1)

2)

bonde

[boaner]

godt

[god]

(well/nice)

when long, like " o o " in

[oo]

"pool"
fedt

[draegger]

(peasant)
[o]

also like " o " in lot

[raythe]

2) w h e n short, somewhere
between the " a " in "plate " [ei]

ligger

"boat", but a pure v o w e l , [oa]

3) when short,
[ay]

drikker

when long, like "oa" in

the same quality of

1) w h e n long, the same

v o w e l , nor a diphthong

[leeder]

2) w h e n short, more or less

[tark]

almost like adding an "r" [ar]

only longer, and a pure

liter

(lies)

rede

[eeler]

(drinks)

(can)

long or short

ile

(liter)

[tailer]

[talk]

"hat" or tending towards

[]

like " " in "meet" or

(yes)

"flat" pronunciation of

hjaelpe [yehlper]

(hurry)

2) when short,
[]

[lehd]

(help)

3) you will also hear, as

above, a more or less

let

(easy/light)

4) w h e n unstressed, like

(hat)

more like " a " in "cart"

[eh]

" e " in "met"

(clear)

like " a " in car

pronun
ciation

ciation
1) w h e n long,

writing

pronun

frue

[frooer]

(Madam)

when short, like " o o " in

"loot"

[oo]

nu
(now)

13

[noo]

vowel

writing

pronun

Diphthongs

ciation
Y

1)

put your tongue in the

[ew]

nyde

position for " " as in

(enjoy)

"bee", but round your lips

lytte

as for the " o o " in " p o o l "

(listen)

diph-

[newdher]
like " o w " in " n o w "

EJ IJ EG

like

[ai]

[ah]

sasbe

[saiber]

EV

asgte

]']

[eghter]

OU OV

asrt

[asrt]

(pea)
[ur]

with the lips rounded;

[u']

fnzsken [frurken]

0l

[u'l]

(beer)
1) w h e n long, like " a w " in

[aw]

"saw"

sare

like " o " i n "pot"

followed by a short

[o']

[o]

"on"

band

[oi]

0V

[ur]

" o o " sound

]o']

aben

[sawer]

[bon]

[o'ben]

(open)

14

logn

s0vn
(sleep)

(tape/band)

" o p e n " (but not

[sjo']

[loin]

like "ur" in " c u r l "

followed by a short

3) or closed like "o" in

a diphthong)

sjov
(fun)

0 1 0 J 0 G like ' o i " i n " c o i l "

(hurt)

2) w h e n short, like " o " in

[laeoned]

(untruth)

(Miss)

(long or short)

levned
(lifestyle)

" o o " sound

[]

"hat"; (long or short)

like "e" in "pet"

followed by a short

3) preceding an "r", it

like "ur" in "fur", but

ciation

[i]

" o o " sound

(real/genuine)

like " e " in "get"

1)

[how]

(sea)

(soap)

sounds more like " a " in

hav

(not)

in "tailor"

[ow]

[lewder]

fluctuates between that

2) w h e n short,

pronun-

thong
AVAF

1) w h e n long, vowel quality

of " a i " in "air" and " a i "

writing

15

[sur'n]

Consonants

The consonants one by one

Mute letters

In specific combinations, certain consonants are not pro

H L M

nounced, e.g.:

N S V

in the combination " n d " , " I d " , " r d " , and before "t" and " s "

as in English

conso

land (country), kold (cold), bord (table), kendt (known),

plads (place)
g

word after a v o w e l , or

"y" and as a final sound

between a vowel and

farlig (dangerous), lige (straight), fugl (bird), syg (sick),

unstressed " e " o r " i " ,

c/ag (day)

like "th" in "this"

before "v" and " j "

pronun
ciation

1) w h e n at the end of the

in the suffix -ig, and in most cases after " e " , " i " , " u " , and

2)

hvor (where), //erte (heart)

f

writing

nant

[th]

mad

[math]

(food)

in all other cases

as in English

in the prepositions "af" (of, by, for, off, from) and " a d " (by)

1)

at the beginning of a

det er pant af dig (it is kind of you)

word or a syllable, as

god

in the words

as go

(good)

gulv (floor), tolv (twelve)

2) before "r" and " I " , like

[w]

like " w " in d a w n

J

daglig

[go']

[dawli]

(daily)

1) like "y" in "yet"

[y]

ja

[]

(yes)

1)

between vowels, and

sometimes at the end of

[g]

a w o r d , like " g " in "goal"

2)

otherwise like "k" in

16

kilo
(kilo)

17

[fragger]

(coat)
[k]

"kilo"

frakke

[kilo']

consonant
L

1) always as in " l i v e " ,

III

never as in " w e l l "

NG 1) as in "king", never as

[ng]

pronun-

conso-

ciation

nant

writing

sal

[sahl]

sometimes at the end of

ingen

a w o r d , like " d " in " d o g "

[ingern]

(nobody)

and " g " are in seperate

ingre-

[inggray-

diens

deeehnss]

[ngg]

2)

(ingredient)
P

1) between vowels, and

1)

otherwise like "t" in

bytte

[bewder]

(exchange)
[t]

"tee"

tal

[ta'l]

(numbers)

Pronunciation is by many, experts as w e l l as laymen, considered the main difficulty in Danish. The Danes, w h o are aware

therefore allow you a margin for mistakes. Danes will have

tippe

in " b a l l "

(tip/do the pools)

ciation is but rarely essential to comprehension.

pakke

We recommend that you spend some time with this chapter,

otherwise like " p " in

[p]

[tibbe]

[pagge]

(pack)

absolutely no trouble understanding y o u , as a correct pronun-

before you proceed with your textbook.

pronounced in the back

of the throat, as in
G e r m a n , at the beginning
of a w o r d , but otherwise
often omitted (but in this
case prolonging a

[r]

preceding vowel)
SJ

[d]

a w o r d , generally like " b " [b]

"Paul"
R

ciation

of this, and delighted by any foreigner learning Danish, will

sometimes at the end of

2)

pronun-

1) between vowels, and

(hall/floor)

in "longer", unless " n "

syllables

writing

rask

[rahsk]

(rapid)

1) usually like " s h " in

"shower", but may also be
pronounced as the c o m bination of " s s " and

[sh]

" y " in "bless y o u "

sjov

[shorv]

(fun)
IK

19

Number

Nouns

Generally, nouns of either gender are provided with the ending -e, -ror -erto indicate the plural:

Gender

Common

Most Danish nouns are either c o m m o n or neuter. The easiest

Singular

w a y to learn the gender of a noun is to learn the noun together with its indefinite article.
A few nouns may be either c o m m o n or neuter as you please,
e.g.:

Plural

"en cirkus" or "et cirkus" (circus)

Neuter

kvinde

hus

(woman)

(house)

drem

sted

(dream)

(place)

kvinder

huse

dramme

steder

"en indeks" or "et indeks" (index)

W h i c h ending to choose is a rather complex matter. We sugOther nouns may get a different sense w h e n the gender is
changed:

gest a method of trial and error or that you remember the endings together with the words as you enhance your vocabulary.

"en v a r " (springtime)

O n e thing is clear, though: A stressed syllable ending in a

"et v a r " (pillow case)

consonant will double the consonant before adding another

ending.

Cases
The only noticeable case declination in Danish nouns is the

Nouns ending in -el, -en- or -er:

Genitive (possessive form). Like in English, it is indicated by

In most cases, the -e will disappear w h e n forming the definite

adding an " s " to the w o r d :

form or the plural:

Peter is reading

Peter lasser

artikel - artiklen - artikler

(article)

Peter is reading a book

Peter lasser en bog

hilsen - hils(e)nen - hils(e)ner

(greeting)

It is Peter's book

Det er Peters bog

neger - negeren - neg(e)re

(negro)

G i v e the book to Peter

G i v Peter bogen
lasrer - lasreren - laerere

(teacher)

20

21

A few words change vowel in the plural, e.g.:

Singular

Adjectives

Plural

mand (man)

masnd (men)

(cow)

koer (cows)

Adjectives ending in -el, -en or -er loose the " - e " before -I, -n,
and - r w h e n an ending starting with a vowel is attached to it:

(Again, you will notice the resemblance with English).

sedel - asdle - asdlere - sedlest

(noble sing. - noble plur. - nobler - noblest)
doven - dovne

Articles

(lazy sing. - lazy plur.)

The Indefinite Article

C o m m o n gender: " e n "

Neuter gender:

"et"

en mand

(a man)

en kvinde

(a w o m a n )

Two identical consonants can not exist before an -/, -n or -r:

et hus

(a house)

gammel - gamle (old)

radden - radne (rotten)
sikker - sikre - sikrere - sikrest (safe)

The Enclitic Article (definite article added as an ending)

In Danish, unlike most European languages, the definite ar
ticle is enclitic, i.e. attached to the end of the w o r d instead
of placing it before the w o r d , so the equivalent of the English
"the" will be as follows:
Common
Singular

Plural

Neuter

manden

huset

(the man)

(the house)

maendene

husene

Normally, a "-t" is added w h e n the noun, that the adjective

relates to, is of neuter gender:
en gammel bil

et gammelt hus

(common)

(neuter)

(an old car)

(an old house)

Adjectives ending in -skdo normally not add a "-t" in the

neuter gender:
et persisk marked

(a Persian market)

et musikalsk eventyr

(a musical tale)

et elektrisk hegn

(an electrical fence)

23

Adjectives ending in a stressed vowel are, as a rule, left undeclined:

et ru braet

(a rough board)

de tro tjenere

(the faithful servants)

Adverbs
Adverbs c o m e in two kinds:
1) those that are "genuine adverbs":
e.g. "aldrig" (never), "gerne" (willingly), "sandelig"

Exceptions from this rule:

(indeed), "ret" (rather), and

words ending in " a " and the words " n y " and "fri" add a "t" in
the neuter gender:
et blat torklaede

2)

those that are formed by adding a "A" to an adjective, eg.

"stort" (big), "hurtigt" (fast), "relativt" (relatively) - like the

(a blue scarf)

et nyt ur

(a new watch)

etfritliv

(a free life)

English "Ay" in fact.

Adverbs formed on the basis of adjectives ending in "-ig" or
"-lig" do not always add a " 4 " if they indicate a degree,
you can choose to leave out the "-t":

The comparative is formed either by adding " - e r e " as an e n d -

Der var afsindig(t) mange mennesker til receptionen.

ing or by placing the word " m e r e " (more) before the adjective

(An incredibly large number of people attended the reception.)

(notice again the resemblance to English usage). Don't forget

FJes0get var vassentlig(t) st0rre end beregnet.

to leave out the "t" in the neuter w h e n forming the compara-

(The number of visitors w a s much larger than expected.)

tive!

Filmen var utrolig(t) spasndende.

Likewise, the superlative is formed by adding "-est" as an ending or by placing the word "mest" (most) before the adjective
(again like in English).

(The film was incredibly exciting.)

W h e r e a s the "-t" should not be left out w h e n the adverb indicates the way in w h i c h things behave or exist:

Generally, words of two syllables or more, tend to take

H u n kan ikke stave rigtigt. (She is unable to spell properly.)

" m e r e " and "mest" instead of the " - e r e " and "-est" version.
H u n d e n vendte sig velbehageligt om pa ryggen.
(The dog rolled pleasingly to its back)
Manden smilede venligt til mig. (The man smiled kindly at me.)
So generally, you may choose to use the -for to omit it!
24

23

In verbs ending in a stressed v o w e l , you have two categories:

Verbs

1.

Ending in -e, -, , -0or -a:

In these verbs, the -r is added directly to the v o w e l :

Conjugations

Active form:

Apart from the fact that Danish like most languages has
regular and irregular verbs, the conjugation of Danish verbs is

Det sner - jeg tror - han ler - vi far

(It is snowing - I believe - he laughs - we get)

easy:

Passive form:

I walk

jeg gar

you w a l k

du gar

he, she, it walks

han, hun, den, det gar

we walk

vi gar

you walk

I, De gar

they w a l k

de gar

Det ses - maden tes op - det kan nas

(It is seen - the food is being defrosted - it can be reached)
2.

Ending in -/, -u or -y:

H e r e , the -r or -s may be added directly, or you may insert an

-e before the -r or -s:
"Saften sis" or "saften sies"

You see - it is "gar" all the way!

(The juice is being strained)

This present tense is formed by adding an "-r" to the infinitive:

(It is no use)

" D e t dur ikke" or "det duer ikke"

at ga (to walk)

"Knappen skal sys i" or "knappen skal syes i"

present tense, active form:

jeg gar

(The button has to be sewn on)

present tense, passive form:

der gas

(but you may also choose not to add the " e " ! )

infinitive:

The trend is a declining use of "e".

2b

27

Unless the stem would then end in two identical consonants,

T h e Past T e n s e
The regular verbs add -ede (so called "weak" ending):
tror - troede

(believe - believed)

in w h i c h case one of the consonants is erased:

for m a d !

the hostess for the food is a special

or -fe (so called "strong" ending):

lasser - lasste

Scandinavian phenomenon w h i c h takes

(read - read)

place after each meal)

The irregular verbs change v o w e l :

giver gav

(give - gave)

or take no ending at all:

sover - sov

(Thank you for the food!) - (Thanking

Kom snart igen!

(Please c o m e back soon!)

Spil musikken igen!

(Play the music again, please!)

(sleep - slept)

The easiest w a y to learn w h i c h solution to choose, is to learn

Verbs ending in a stressed vowel will remain unchanged in

the past tense together with the present tense as you develop

the imperative:

your vocabulary.

Sy selv knappen i!

(Sew on the button yourself!)

Seop!

(Lookup!)

Ga ikke over sporet!

(Don't cross the track!)

The imperative
As a rule, the stem of the verb (the infinitive minus the " - e "
ending) will form the imperative form:
Hils din mor!

(Give my regards to your mother!)

Skriv til mig!

(Please write me!)

G l e m det!

(Forget it!)

Even to the Danes, imperatives ending in odd letter combina

tions such as -bn (abn), -s/(pensl), -str (klistr), -gtn (sagtn),
-ndl (behandl) should be avoided. Most Danes w o u l d use an
equivalent expression instead.

M o d a l auxiliary verbs
"kan", " m a " and "b0r" (can, may, ought to) are - like other
verbs - not conjugated.

28

29

C o m p o u n d Tenses

The future tense

are constructed by means of the auxiliary verbs "er" and

is originally constructed from an auxiliary verb plus the infini

plus the participle form of the verb:

tive.
There is a growing tendency to use the present tense instead

The perfect tense

of future, also because it seems awkward always to use a n

indicates concluded actions seen from the present:

other verb to indicate the future tense:

H a n harspist

( H e has eaten)

Future

Present

Jeg har taget toget hertil

(I travelled by train to get her

Jeg skal om fern minutter

(jeg korer om fern minutter)

De er blevet snydt

(You have been fooled)

(I'll be going in five minutes)

H a n vil ikke kunne klare det
( H e will not be able to make it)

The pluperfect tense

indicates concluded actions seen from the past:
Vi havde spist, da han kom

(han klarer det ikke)

( W e had already eaten

Du vil komme en time for sent

(du kommer en time for sent)

(You will be one hour late)

when he arrived)
De havde lejeten bil i ferien

(They had rented a car

for the holidays)

Bilerne er lejet or lejede

(The cars are rented)

before the rescue team

H a n saslger brugte biler

( H e sells second hand cars)

reached her)

Plakaterne solgtes i

(The posters w e r e sold

nummererede

in numbered copies)

H u n var omkommet af kulde, (She had died from cold

inden redningen naede frem

A large number of participle forms are used as adjectives

- and are conjugated accordingly:

30

eksemplarer

31

Negation

Pronouns

O n l y one w o r d : "ikke". In most cases placed in connection

with the verb:
H a n kommer ikke i aften.
Jeg synes ikke,

( H e will not be here tonight.)

Personal pronouns
Singular

Plural

1 . jeg (I)

vi (we)

2 . du, D e (you)

I (you)

(I don't think you should go.)

du skal tage afsted.

In some cases, however, English w o u l d place the negation

logically: I hope you don't mind, where Danish places the ne-

3. han, hun, den, det

(he, she, it)

de (they)

gation in the first part of the sentence: J e g haber ikke, du har

noget imod det.

Personal pronouns are used together with verbs (just like in

English).

" D u " or " D e " ?

The general trend since the last few decades is an increasing
use of the more familiar form " d u " . Observe however, that
the polite form " D e " is used with people you don't know
and with people whom you want to show your respect. If, in
English, you w o u l d use " S i r " or " M a d a m " choose the Danish
"De".
" I " may be used without any regard to familiarity w h e n a d dressing more than one person.
Do observe that " D e " and " \ " are written in capital letters
- the latter to distinguish it from the " d e " indicating "they".

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These pronouns may be declined in case (like in English):

- Either as a result of their function in the sentence (object):
Singular

Plural
vi vasker os ( w e wash)

du vasker dig (you wash)

I vasker jer (you wash)

han vasker sig (he washes) de vasker sig (they wash)

1. mig ( H a n redder mig)

( H e saves me)

2.

dig/Dem ( H a n redder dig/Dem)

3.

ham/hende/den/det
(Han

Singular
Jeg vasker mig (I wash)

redder

( H e saves you)
( H e saves him/her/it)

The impersonal pronoun

" m a n " is used very much like the English " y o u " or "they" (or
" o n e " ) to indicate a general v i e w :

ham/hende/den/det)

Plural
1. os ( H a n redder os)

( H e saves us)

2. jer ( H a n redder jer)

( H e saves you)

3. dem ( H a n redder dem)

( H e saves them)

M a n mener, at ilden var pasat.

(They think it is arson.)

M a n siger, at det snart bliver forar.

(They say that spring

is near.)

M a n har aldrig fundet arsagen.

- or directed by a preposition:

M a n bliver aldrig trast af det.

(You never get fed up

Singular

with it.)

1 . for mig

(for me)

2. for dig/Dem

(for you)

3. for ham/hende/den/det

(for him/her/it)

2.

M a n kan aldrig vide.

(You'll never know/

one can never know.)

The same effect may often be obtained by using the indefinite

pronoun "det" plus the passive form of a verb:

Plural
1 . for

(They never found

the reason.)

OS

forjer

3. for dem

(for us)

Det menes, at ilden var pasat.

(for you)

Det siges, at det snart bliver forar.

(for them)

Det forventes at ske i moreen.

The reflexive p r o n o u n
M a n " is never declined.
"sig" is used in the singular as well as in the plural, otherwise
these pronouns are identical with the declinated personal
pronouns:
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Demonstrative pronouns

Possessive p r o n o u n s

Singular

Plural

(here)
common

denne

neuter

dette

disse

Singular
1.

mit/min

vor/vores

2.

din/dit/Deres

jeres

3.

hans/hendes/
dens/dets

(there)
common

den

neuter

det

Plural

deres

de/dem
These pronouns, of course, depend on what they relate to. If
they relate to a neuter noun, you use the "-t version", other-

Denne bil er bedre end den derhenne.

wise you use the "-n version":

(This car is better than the one over there.)

Min taske (my bag)

Mine tasker (my bags)

Disse stole er for harde, ad os pnave dem, der star ved siden

Dit hus (your house)

Dine huse (your houses)

af.

Dens pels (its fur)

Dens kloer (its claws)

(These chairs are too rigid, let us try the ones next to them.)

Dets dor (its door)

Dets vinduer (its windows)

De sko, jeg har pa, klemmer.

(The shoes I am wearing hurt.)

" h a n s " , "hendes", "jeres" and "deres" are always the same:
Hans taske - hendes tasker - jeres hus - deres huse

There is a tendency, however, to use " d e m " instead of "disse"

(but mostly together with "her"):
W h e t h e r to use "vor" or "vores" is more or less a matter of
Kan du lide den her?

taste.

( D o you like this one?)

Vor store datter - vores D0rn
" d e " is used as a subject, whereas " d e m " is used as a direct or
(Our eldest daughter - our children)

indirect object:
De aebler ser gode ud, skal vi k0be dem?
(Those apples look delicious, should we buy some?)

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vores datter - vore faelies born

(Our daughter - our children)

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The relative pronouns

H v e m er den man?

( W h o is that man?)

" s o m " and "der" both relate to a previous sentence or w o r d .

H v a d er det for en farve?

( W h a t colour is this?)

In most cases the two words are equivalent:

Hvilken 0I kan du bedst lide

( W h i c h beer do you prefer

M a n d e n , der {or "som") bor i dette hus, er blind (relates to

- Carlsberg ellerTuborg?

- Carlsberg orTuborg?)

" m a n d e n " , i.e. sing.)

Hvilken vej skal vi ga?

( W h i c h w a y do we choose?)

(The man w h o lives in this house is blind.)

Hvilket af disse to flag er

( W h i c h of these two flags

De katte, der {or "som") bor i baggarden (relates to "katte",

det danske?

is the Danish one?)

i.e. plur.)

Hvilke sko synes du bedst om ( W h i c h shoes do you prefer -

(The cats that live in the backyard.)

- de rade eller de sorte?

the red ones or the black ones?)

However, you can always use " s o m " whereas "der" can never

Hvis frakke er det?

( W h o s e coat is this?)

be used as a direct or indirect object.

Bordet, som vi spiste v e d , var rundt (relates to "bordet", i.e.
neuter)

Indefinite pronouns

(The table at w h i c h we ate was round.)

Common

B a d e n , som vi sejlede med, var hvidmalet (relates to " b a d e n " ,

al/hele

alt

alle

(all)

i.e. common).

anden

andet

andre

(other)

nogen

noget

nogle/nogen

(some)

ingen

intet

ingen

(none)

Interrogative pronouns

mange

(many)

All start in " h v - " .

flere

(several)

(The boat that we sailed with w a s painted white.)

Neuter

Plural

" H v e m " relates to persons ( W h o )

" H v a d " relates to things (What)
"Hvilken/hvilket/hvilke" relates to both kinds ( W h i c h )
" H v i s " relates to a person in the genitive case:

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Prepositions
In every language, prepositions follow their o w n logic. Also in
Danish, you should give them thorough attention as you meet
them. We recommend that you learn them as your vocabulary
grows. See for instance the following examples:

Drengen gar i skole

(in)
(The boy goes to school)
Lserlingen gar pa skole
(on)
(The apprentice attends a course)
Publikum gar i teatret
(in)
(The audience goes to the theatre)
Skuespilleren gar pa teatret
(on)
(The actor goes to the theatre)

W h e n in doubt: choose the preposition that you w o u l d have

chosen in English - the two languages are very much alike.

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