Pointing and Ownership | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Hvad er det her?

   What is this?

   Hvad

   what

   er

   is

   det her

   this

   More detail

   Hvad means “what” here and asks for the identity or nature of something. It is the Danish question word used when the expected answer is a thing or description. For comparison, hvem means “who” when asking about a person. Example: Hvad er det? — “What is it?” Er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” In Danish, the present form er is used with different subjects rather than changing for person or number in the way English forms do. Example: Det er en bog. — “It is a book.” Det her means “this,” referring to something near the speaker or being indicated as near. Det is the neuter singular demonstrative/pronoun form, while her adds the meaning “here.” The supplied context contrasts it with det der, “that,” for something farther away or indicated as there. The expression does not by itself identify exactly what the thing is. Together, Hvad + er + det her forms the reusable question pattern Hvad er det her? — “What is this?” The question asks the listener to identify the nearby indicated thing.

2. Hvad er det der?

   What is that?

   Hvad

   what

   er

   is

   det der

   that there

   More detail

   Hvad means “what” here and is the question word asking for the identity or nature of something. It is used for things or information; for a person, Danish commonly uses hvem, as in the contextual example Hvem er det? (“Who is that?”). Example: Hvad er det? means “What is it?” er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). Danish uses er with different subjects, so this form does not by itself mark a particular person or number. In this sentence it links the question word to the demonstrative expression. det der is the demonstrative expression meaning “that” in this utterance. det is a neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun, while der adds the sense of a more distant or indicated location, roughly “there.” The expression is used here for the thing being pointed out or identified. This contrasts with det her in the preceding example, meaning “this” or “this here.” The specific thing referred to is not named in the sentence. Together, Hvad + er + det der forms the reusable pattern Hvad er ...? (“What is ...?”). The complete utterance asks for the identity or nature of the indicated thing: “What is that?”

3. Hvem er det?

   Who is that?

   Hvem

   who

   er

   is

   det

   that

   More detail

   Hvem means “who” and asks for a person’s identity. It is an interrogative pronoun. Compare hvad (“what”), which asks about a thing, information, or an action, and hvilken (“which”), which selects from known alternatives. Example: Hvem er hun? — “Who is she?” Er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). In Danish, er is used with all persons in the present: jeg er (“I am”), du er (“you are”), and de er (“they are”). In this question, it links the question about identity with the demonstrative pronoun. Det is a neuter singular demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. Its grammatical form is distinct from its referent: the fixed translation identifies the referent only as “that,” without specifying what or whom it is. Danish also uses det in other functions, including the pronoun “it,” so its exact role comes from the construction and context. Example: Det er en bog. — “That is a book.” Together, Hvem + er + det forms the question “Who is that?” The question asks for the identity of the person indicated by det; Hvem comes first because it is the information being requested, followed by the present-tense form er and the demonstrative det.

4. Hvilken er din?

   Which one is yours?

   Hvilken

   which one

   din

   yours

   More detail

   Hvilken means “which one” here: it asks the listener to identify one item from a set of possible items. Danish hvilken is used with a singular common-gender noun, including when that noun is understood rather than spoken. Compare hvilket with a singular neuter noun and hvilke with plural nouns. Example: Hvilken bog vil du have? — “Which book do you want?” din means “yours” here. It is the possessive form used for one singular common-gender item; the possessed noun is omitted because it is understood from the situation. The related forms are dit for one singular neuter item and dine for plural items. Example: Er den røde bog din? — “Is the red book yours?” Together, Hvilken identifies an item by asking which one, and din identifies its possessor: “Which one is yours?” The question is concise because the item being compared is understood, while hvilken and din still show the relevant singular common-gender pattern.

5. Den her er min.

   This one is mine.

   Den her

   this one

   er

   is

   min

   mine

   More detail

   Den her means “this one.” Den is a demonstrative pronoun for a singular common-gender item, while her adds the meaning “here,” marking the item as near the speaker. The phrase can be reused with a different noun when the noun is understood: den her = “this one.” Danish also uses den der for “that one,” with der marking greater distance. er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” It links the item to what is said about it. For example, Bogen er ny. means “The book is new.” min means “mine” here. As a standalone possessive, it agrees with the understood possessed noun: min is used with a singular common-gender noun, mit with a singular neuter noun, and mine with a plural noun. The form min does not itself identify what the item is. For example, Bogen er min. means “The book is mine,” while Huset er mit. means “The house is mine.” Together, Den her + er + min gives “This one is mine.” The demonstrative identifies one nearby item, er states the relationship, and min expresses possession while matching the understood singular common-gender item.

6. Den der er din.

   That one is yours.

   Den der

   that one

   er

   is

   din

   yours

   More detail

   Den der means “that one” here. den is a common-gender singular demonstrative pronoun, and der adds the pointing-away meaning “there/that.” Together, den der is a reusable way to identify one common-gender singular item, contrasting with den her in the preceding sentence, “this one.” The exact item is not named, but the translation establishes that it is the one being pointed out as “that one.” Er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” The same form is used with different subjects: for example, Jeg er klar means “I am ready,” while De er klar means “They are ready.” Here it links the identified item to its possession. Din means “yours” in this sentence. It is the common-gender singular possessive form; dit is used with a neuter singular possessed noun, and dine with plural possessed nouns. These forms agree with the thing possessed, not with the person who owns it. For example, Bogen er din means “The book is yours,” while Huset er dit means “The house is yours.” Assembled, Den der er din. means “That one is yours.” The pattern Den der er [possessive form] identifies one item and states who owns it.