Learning a new language involves understanding its grammar, a fundamental component that allows you to form sentences correctly. Today we are going to delve into Danish grammar by looking at two vital parts: pronouns and prepositions. These are key to building sentences that make sense and convey the intended meaning. We’ll examine the various types of pronouns and prepositions in Danish, with definitions and examples.

Pronouns replace nouns and can do anything that a noun can do in a sentence. In Danish, pronouns are used to avoid repeating the same nouns and are essential for constructing coherent and fluid sentences.

Personal Pronouns refer to specific people or things. In Danish, the personal pronouns vary depending on the grammatical number (singular/plural) and the case (subjective, objective).

Jeg is the Danish word for “I.” It’s used as a subjective pronoun to indicate the speaker.
Jeg lærer dansk.

Du translates to “you” (singular, informal). It addresses the person one is speaking to.
Du taler meget godt dansk.

Han is the Danish pronoun for “he.”
Han kommer fra Danmark.

Hun corresponds to “she.”
Hun kan lide at spise smørrebrød.

Den and Det both mean “it” but are used according to the gender of the noun they replace. Den is for common gender nouns, and Det for neuter gender nouns.
Den er min bil. Det er et godt spørgsmål.

Vi means “we.”
Vi studerer sammen.

I is “you” (plural, informal) and is used when speaking to more than one person.
I skal komme tidligt i morgen.

De translates to “they” or formal “you” for both singular and plural.
De har en aftale.

Possessive Pronouns indicate ownership and are equivalent to English pronouns like “my,” “your,” or “their.”

Min/mit/mine stands for “my,” adapting to the gender and number of the noun it modifies.
Min hund er sød. Mit hus er stort. Mine bøger er gamle.

Din/dit/dine corresponds to “your” for singular, informal use.
Er det din bil? Er det dit job? Er det dine penge?

Hans and Hendes mean “his” and “her” respectively.
Hans kat er venlig. Hendes cykel er ny.

Vores is “our.”
Vores familie er stor.

Jeres translates to “your” for plural ownership.
Jeres hus ser hyggeligt ud.

Deres refers to “their” or formal “your.”
Deres børn er høflige.

Prepositions are short words used to express the relationship of a noun or pronoun to the other parts of the sentence, usually indicating time, place, or direction.

Til means “to” and indicates direction or purpose.
Jeg går til festen.

Fra translates to “from.”
Han kommer fra Amerika.

Med means “with” and is used to indicate accompaniment or additive information.
Hun er med sin ven.

Uden is “without.”
Jeg kan ikke leve uden musik.

For can mean “for” or “because of.”
Vi gør det for sjov. Han er syg for vejret.

I is used for “in” to denote location or state.
Bogen er i tasken.

På translates to “on,” indicating the position of something.
Katten sidder på bordet.

Over means “over” or “above.”
Flyet flyver over skyerne.

Under is “under” or “beneath.”
Hunden ligger under bordet.

Bag indicates “behind.”
Skolen ligger bag biblioteket.

Understanding pronouns and prepositions will significantly improve your ability to construct sentences and communicate effectively in Danish. Practicing these basics concepts will help you to form connections between words and better understand the structure of the language. Happy learning!