Spatial Prepositional Reflexives
When describing where something is located relative to the subject, Danish uses a spatial preposition combined with the reflexive pronoun sig. This applies whenever the subject is in the third person (han, hun, den, det, or de).
Unlike English, which uses regular object pronouns (in front of him, behind her), Danish requires sig to show the space is relative to the subject themselves.
- foran sig (in front of him/her/them)
- bag sig (behind him/her/them)
- over sig (above him/her/them)
- under sig (under him/her/them)
- ved siden af sig (next to him/her/them)
| The boy held the headlamp in front of him down in the cave. | Drengen holdt pandelygten foran sig nede i grotten. |
| They heard the echo behind them down in the cave. | De hørte ekkoet bag sig nede i grotten. |
| He scraped his back against the rock above him. | Han skrabede ryggen mod klippen over sig. |
| She felt the damp mud under her. | Hun mærkede det fugtige mudder under sig. |
| She touched the damp rock next to her. | Hun rørte ved den fugtige klippe ved siden af sig. |
Reflexive Verbs vs. Spatial Phrases
You will also see sig used as a direct object with reflexive verbs like at klemme sig (to squeeze oneself). You can use both a reflexive verb and a spatial prepositional reflexive in the same sentence.
| to squeeze | klemme |
| The girl squeezed herself through the opening, and she heard an echo behind her. | Pigen klemte sig gennem åbningen, og hun hørte et ekko bag sig. |
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