Prepositional Reflexives
In Danish, some verbs always pair with a reflexive pronoun (mig, dig, sig, os, jer) and a specific preposition. The reflexive pronoun must always match the subject.
Looking Forward
To say you are "looking forward to" something, use glæde sig til (literally "gladden oneself to").
| He is looking forward to the long visit. | Han glæder sig til det lange besøg. |
When asking a question, the subject and verb invert. Notice how sig changes to dig when the subject is du:
| Are you looking forward to the exhibition about architecture and art? | Glæder du dig til udstillingen om arkitekturen og kunsten? |
Taking an Interest
To say you are "interested in" something, use interessere sig for (literally "interest oneself for").
| The woman is interested in modern art and architecture. | Kvinden interesserer sig for den moderne kunst og arkitekturen. |
Use the plural reflexive pronoun jer when addressing multiple people (I):
| Are you interested in sports or music? | Interesserer I jer for sporten eller musikken? |
Word Order with Adverbs
When adding an adverb like især (especially) to a main clause, place it after the reflexive pronoun, just before the preposition.
| The girl is especially interested in nature and photography. | Pigen interesserer sig især for naturen og fotografiet. |
In a subordinate clause, standard word order applies: central adverbs like ikke (not) move between the subject and the verb. The reflexive pronoun remains immediately after the verb.
| I know that she is not interested in the project. | Jeg ved at hun ikke interesserer sig for projektet. |
Past Tenses
In compound tenses like the past perfect, the reflexive pronoun simply follows the past participle.
| My brother had looked forward to the match. | Min bror havde glædet sig til kampen. |
