Personal Pronouns in Danish

Overview

Personal pronouns (personlige pronominer) are the very first building blocks you need when learning Danish. At the A1 level, mastering these pronouns allows you to talk about yourself and others in even the simplest conversations. Danish has subject pronouns for all the expected persons: jeg (I), du (you), han (he), hun (she), den/det (it), vi (we), I (you plural), and de (they).

One of the most welcome features of Danish for beginners is that verbs do not change form based on the pronoun. Unlike French or Spanish where each pronoun triggers a different verb ending, Danish uses the same verb form regardless of the subject. So jeg er (I am), du er (you are), han er (he is) all use the same form er. This makes conjugation significantly simpler.

Danish also has two pronouns for "it": den for common gender nouns and det for neuter gender nouns. This distinction connects directly to the two-gender system of Danish nouns, which you will learn about in noun gender.

Formation

Subject pronoun forms

Danish	English	Notes
jeg	I	Pronounced like "yai"
du	you (singular)	Informal, used almost universally
han	he
hun	she
den	it (common gender)	Refers to en-words
det	it (neuter gender)	Refers to et-words; also "that"
vi	we
I	you (plural)	Capitalized to distinguish from i (in)
de	they

Key features

• Danish verbs do not change form based on the pronoun. The verb stays the same for all persons: jeg er, du er, han er, vi er, de er.
• The formal "you" (De, capitalized) exists but is almost never used in modern Denmark.
• Den and det for "it" depend on the noun's grammatical gender, not natural gender.

Pronoun with er (is/am/are)

Danish	English
Jeg er dansk.	I am Danish.
Du er her.	You are here.
Han er laerer.	He is a teacher.
Hun er traet.	She is tired.
Vi er glade.	We are happy.
De er fra Sverige.	They are from Sweden.

Examples in Context

Danish	English	Note
Jeg hedder Anna.	My name is Anna.	Self-introduction
Du er min ven.	You are my friend.	Informal 'you'
Han taler dansk.	He speaks Danish.	Third person masculine
Hun bor i København.	She lives in Copenhagen.	Third person feminine
Den er rød.	It is red.	Referring to common gender noun
Det er godt.	It is good.	Referring to neuter noun or general
Vi arbejder her.	We work here.	First person plural
I er velkomne.	You (all) are welcome.	Plural 'you'
De kommer i morgen.	They are coming tomorrow.	Third person plural
Jeg er dansk.	I am Danish.	Nationality
Er du sulten?	Are you hungry?	Question with pronoun

Common Mistakes

Using "det" for all "it" references

• Wrong: Bilen? Det er rød. (The car? It is red.)
• Right: Bilen? Den er rød.
• Why: Use den for common gender nouns and det for neuter gender nouns. Bil is common gender (en bil), so the pronoun is den.

Conjugating the verb for different pronouns

• Wrong: Jeg er, du er, han ers.
• Right: Jeg er, du er, han er.
• Why: Danish verbs have the same form for all persons. Never add extra endings for third person or any other person.

Confusing I (you plural) with i (in)

• Wrong: i er velkomne (in are welcome)
• Right: I er velkomne (You all are welcome)
• Why: The plural "you" pronoun I is always capitalized to distinguish it from the preposition i (in).

Using the formal De in casual situations

• Wrong: Using De when speaking to a shopkeeper or colleague.
• Right: Use du in virtually all situations.
• Why: Modern Danish is extremely informal. The formal De is reserved only for royalty or extremely formal written correspondence.

Usage Notes

In everyday Danish, subject pronouns are rarely omitted, unlike some other European languages. The informal second-person pronoun du is used in virtually all situations in modern Denmark, even with strangers and in professional contexts. The formal De (capitalized) exists but is almost never used today, reserved only for addressing royalty or in extremely formal written correspondence. This egalitarian approach to pronouns reflects Danish culture's emphasis on equality.

In spoken Danish, pronouns are often reduced: jeg may sound like "ja" or even just a glottal stop, and det frequently contracts to "'et." While you should learn the full forms first, be prepared to hear shortened versions in everyday conversation.

Practice Tips

• Describe people around you. Point to photos or people and make simple sentences: Hun er min mor. Han er min ven. De er fra Danmark. This builds automatic pronoun selection.
• Practice with verb er. Since the verb does not change, focus on switching pronouns: Jeg er glad, du er glad, hun er glad, vi er glade. Notice only the adjective changes in plural.
• Pay attention to den vs. det. When learning new nouns, immediately practice the matching pronoun: en stol... den er ny; et bord... det er nyt.

Related Concepts

• Være (to be)
• Have (to have)
• Present Tense
• Object Pronouns
• Pronoun Reference (Den/Det/De)
• Colloquial Danish