Possessives: My and Your
In Danish, words like "my" and "your" act a lot like adjectives. They change their form to match the noun they describe. You have to choose the correct version based on whether the noun is an en-word, an et-word, or plural.
Common Gender (en-words)
When "my" or "your" describes a singular common gender noun (an en-word), use min and din.
| My mother works here. | Min mor arbejder her. |
| Your father is in the car. | Din far er i bilen. |
Neuter Gender (et-words)
For singular neuter nouns (which take et instead of en), you add a -t to the end of the possessive word. Use mit and dit.
| Where is my passport? | Hvor er mit pas? |
| Your job is important. | Dit job er vigtigt. |
Plural Nouns
When talking about more than one item, gender no longer matters. For all plural nouns, simply add an -e to the base form: use mine and dine.
| My shoes are black. | Mine sko er sorte. |
| I have your tickets. | Jeg har dine billetter. |
Putting It All Together
Here is a quick summary of the forms you just learned:
| English | en-word | et-word | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| My | min | mit | mine |
| Your (singular) | din | dit | dine |
Let's see some examples combining different forms in the same sentence. Notice how the possessive word always directly matches the gender and number of the noun right after it.
| My brother is reading your book. | Min bror læser din bog. |
| My father has your passport. | Min far har dit pas. |
| Your mother and your sister are coming now. | Din mor og din søster kommer nu. |
