Demonstrative Pronouns in Danish

Overview

Demonstrative pronouns (pegende stedord) allow you to point to specific things and distinguish between what is near and what is far. At the A1 level, these pronouns help you be specific in conversations, whether you are shopping, describing objects, or asking about things around you.

The formal system uses denne/dette/disse (this/these) for proximity and den/det/de for distance. However, in everyday spoken Danish, people far more commonly use den her/det her (this) and den der/det der (that) instead. Both systems are correct, but knowing the spoken forms is essential for natural communication.

Like many aspects of Danish grammar, demonstratives must agree with the noun in gender and number. Denne goes with common gender, dette with neuter, and disse with plural.

How It Works

Formal demonstratives

	This/These (near)	That/Those (far)
Common (en)	denne bog	den bog
Neuter (et)	dette hus	det hus
Plural	disse boger	de boger

Informal demonstratives (more common in speech)

	This/These (near)	That/Those (far)
Common (en)	den her bog	den der bog
Neuter (et)	det her hus	det der hus
Plural	de her boger	de der boger

Used without a noun

Danish	English
Denne er min.	This one is mine.
Hvad er dette?	What is this?
Jeg vil have den der.	I want that one.
Disse er dyre.	These are expensive.

Examples in Context

Danish	English	Note
denne bog	this book	Formal, common gender
dette hus	this house	Formal, neuter gender
de biler	those cars	Formal, plural
Hvad er dette?	What is this?	Formal question
den her stol	this chair	Informal, common
det der bord	that table	Informal, neuter
Jeg kan lide den her.	I like this one.	Without noun
Vil du have denne eller den der?	Do you want this one or that one?	Comparing
Disse sko er for store.	These shoes are too big.	Formal plural
Den der film var god.	That movie was good.	Informal reference

Common Mistakes

Mixing gender forms

• Wrong: denne hus (using common form with neuter noun)
• Right: dette hus
• Why: Demonstratives must agree with the noun's gender. Hus is neuter (et hus), so use dette (this) or det (that).

Using formal forms in casual conversation

• Wrong: Not wrong, but unnatural: Denne bog er interessant in casual speech.
• Right: Den her bog er interessant is more natural in conversation.
• Why: While denne/dette/disse are grammatically correct everywhere, spoken Danish overwhelmingly prefers the den her/det her forms. Using formal demonstratives in casual speech sounds bookish.

Confusing det (demonstrative) with det (formal subject)

• Wrong: Interpreting Det er koldt as "that is cold" when it means "it is cold."
• Right: Context determines meaning: Det hus er stort (that house is big) vs. Det er koldt (it is cold).
• Why: Det has multiple functions in Danish. As a demonstrative, it modifies or replaces a specific neuter noun. As a formal subject, it introduces impersonal expressions.

Practice Tips

• Point and name. Practice pointing at objects and using both formal and informal demonstratives: Den her stol... det her bord... de her boger.
• Shop in Danish. Practice shopping scenarios: Jeg vil gerne have den der (I'd like that one), Hvor meget koster denne? (How much does this one cost?).
• Compare things. Practice choosing between items: Denne er storre end den der (This one is bigger than that one).

Related Concepts

• Noun Gender (Common/Neuter) - Parent concept