Introducing Yourself

When Danes introduce themselves, they don't say "I am Anna" the way English does — they say Jeg hedder Anna, using the verb hedde, which means roughly "to be called". This little verb is the backbone of every introduction, and getting comfortable with it instantly makes you sound more natural. This page covers the core phrases for meeting someone, the all-important du-default that lets you skip formality, and the bit of grammar each phrase relies on.

The key verb: hedde ("to be called")

The natural way to give your name is Jeg hedder…. Hedder is the present tense of hedde, and like most Danish verbs it's the same for everyone — jeg hedder, du hedder, han hedder. There is no separate verb for "named" or "called"; hedde does that single job, and it's used far more than English speakers expect.

You can say Jeg er Anna ("I am Anna"), and it's perfectly grammatical — Danes use it to identify themselves in some contexts, like answering a phone or pointing themselves out. But for a standard introduction, Jeg hedder Anna is the idiomatic choice and the one to default to.

Asking someone's name

To ask "what's your name?", use the question word hvad ("what") plus hedder: Hvad hedder du? Notice that the subject du comes after the verb — that's the inversion that all Danish questions use.

The literal sense is "what are you called?", which is exactly how the answer pattern (Jeg hedder…) lines up.

The du-default

Modern Danish is famously informal. You address almost everyone — strangers, shop staff, new acquaintances, even your boss — with the casual du ("you"). The formal pronoun De still exists but is now reserved for royalty, the very elderly, and ceremonial occasions. So when you meet someone, you don't agonise over formality the way a French or German learner must: just use du. (The formal De is best treated as something to recognise, not produce.)

"My name is…" — mit navn er

There is a second, more formal way to give your name: Mit navn er… ("My name is…"). It's grammatically fine and you'll see it in writing, on forms, and in formal self-introductions. But in everyday speech it sounds stiff — a job-interview register rather than a coffee-shop one. (formal) Default to Jeg hedder; keep Mit navn er for formal moments.

"Nice to meet you"

The warm phrase to say on meeting someone is Hyggeligt at møde dig — literally "cosy/pleasant to meet you", built on the untranslatable Danish word hyggelig. A shorter, very common version is just Hyggeligt on its own, or Dejligt at møde dig ("lovely to meet you").

Note dig (object form of du) and jer (object form of I, "you all") — "meet" takes the object pronoun, just as English says "meet you", not "meet thou".

Introducing other people: det her er…

To introduce a third person, point and say Det her er… ("This is…"). For a more neutral "this is", Det er… also works.

Quick reference

A short dialogue

Two people meeting at a party:

The whole exchange hangs on hedde, du, and kommer fra — three patterns that carry you through any first meeting.

A bit of grammar hiding inside

• Hvad hedder du? is a wh-question: the question word goes first, then the verb, then the subject. The verb-before-subject order is the same inversion you see in yes/no questions like Hedder du Anna? ("Is your name Anna?").
• møde dig uses the object pronoun dig, because du (subject) becomes dig (object) after a verb — like English you covering both, but with two distinct forms in Danish.
• Det her er… literally stacks det ("that") + her ("here") into a pointing "this".

Common Mistakes

Don't translate "my name is" piece by piece. Use the verb hedde, or the full Mit navn er Anna.

Hvad er dit navn? isn't wrong, but in live conversation Danes ask Hvad hedder du? The navn version sounds like a registration desk.

After møde, the object form dig is required, not the subject du.

Mit navn er is a one-time formal opener at most. Switch to the everyday jeg hedder / jeg kommer / jeg kan lide for the rest.

Key Takeaways

• Introductions hinge on hedde, not "be": say Jeg hedder…, ask Hvad hedder du?
• Jeg er Anna is grammatical but means more like "I'm the Anna" — keep hedde as default.
• Mit navn er… is the formal alternative; don't overuse it.
• Default to du for everyone — formal De is for royalty and ceremony.
• "Meet you" takes the object form: møde dig, møde jer.