Learning pronouns in Danish, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Denmark and parts of Greenland, is essential for mastering both spoken and written communication. Danish pronouns vary according to person, number, and case (subjective, objective). This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Danish replace nouns referring to people or things and change based on their function in a sentence (subject or object).

Subject Pronouns:

• Jeg (I): “Jeg går.” – I am going.
• Du (You – singular, informal): “Du løber.” – You run.
• Han/Hun/Den/Det (He/She/It): “Han spiser.” – He eats. / “Hun danser.” – She dances. / “Den virker.” – It works (for common gender nouns). / “Det regner.” – It is raining (for neuter nouns).
• Vi (We): “Vi studerer.” – We study.
• I (You – plural): “I synger.” – You sing.
• De (They): “De kommer.” – They come.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns are used after the verb or preposition and indicate to whom or what the action is directed.

• Mig (Me): “Han ser mig.” – He sees me.
• Dig (You – singular, informal): “Jeg kender dig.” – I know you.
• Ham/Hende/Den/Det (Him/Her/It): “Jeg elsker ham.” – I love him. / “Jeg følger hende.” – I follow her. / “Jeg tager den.” – I take it (common gender). / “Jeg tager det.” – I take it (neuter).
• Os (Us): “De hjælper os.” – They help us.
• Jer (You – plural): “Hun inviterer jer.” – She invites you.
• Dem (Them): “Vi ser dem.” – We see them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Danish show ownership or relationship and must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

• Min/Mit/Mine (My): “Min hund.” – My dog. / “Mit hus.” – My house. / “Mine bøger.” – My books.
• Din/Dit/Dine (Your – singular, informal): “Din kat.” – Your cat. / “Dit bord.” – Your table. / “Dine penge.” – Your money.
• Hans/Hendes/Dets (His/Her/Its): “Hans bil.” – His car. / “Hendes cykel.” – Her bike. / “Dets farve.” – Its color.
• Vores (Our): “Vores familie.” – Our family.
• Jeres (Your – plural): “Jeres hjem.” – Your home.
• Deres (Their): “Deres børn.” – Their children.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Danish are used to point to specific nouns and vary based on proximity.

• Denne/Dette/Disse (This/These): “Denne bog.” – This book. / “Dette æble.” – This apple. / “Disse biler.” – These cars.
• Den/Det/De (That/Those): “Den mand.” – That man. / “Det træ.” – That tree. / “De huse.” – Those houses.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Danish are used when the subject and object of the verb are the same, referring back to the subject.

• Sig (Himself/Herself/Itself/Themselves): “Han vasker sig.” – He washes himself. / “De ser sig i spejlet.” – They look at themselves in the mirror.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• Hvem (Who): “Hvem er det?” – Who is it?
• Hvad (What): “Hvad laver du?” – What are you doing?
• Hvilken/Hvilket/Hvilke (Which – masculine/feminine/neuter/plural): “Hvilken bog vil du have?” – Which book do you want?

Understanding and correctly using Danish pronouns is crucial for effective communication. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations to apply these concepts actively. Remember, the context and the grammatical gender and number of the noun are crucial in choosing the correct pronoun form in Danish.