Standalone Possessive Pronouns
In English, possessive pronouns change when they stand alone without a noun (for example, "my" becomes "mine"). In Danish, the possessive pronoun stays exactly the same, whether it is placed before a noun or stands alone.
You just need to ensure the pronoun agrees with the gender (en or et) and number of the noun it replaces.
| Owner | Common (en) | Neuter (et) | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | min | mit | mine |
| You | din | dit | dine |
Notice how mit is used for the neuter noun tørklæde (scarf), while min is used for the common noun handske (glove):
| The scarf is yours, but the glove is mine. | Tørklædet er dit, men handsken er min. |
| I took his scarf because I lost mine. | Jeg tog hans tørklæde fordi jeg mistede mit. |
For plural nouns, use the plural form (mine or dine), regardless of the noun's original gender.
| If you lose your gloves, you can always borrow mine. | Hvis du mister dine handsker, kan du altid låne mine. |
Fixed Pronouns
Some possessive pronouns do not change based on gender or number. Hans (his), hendes (hers), vores (ours), and deres (theirs) only have one form.
| The sunglasses are theirs, not ours. | Solbrillerne er deres, ikke vores. |
| Is it your cap, or is it his? | Er det din kasket, eller er den hans? |
Asking About Ownership
You can state ownership using at være (to be) alongside a standalone possessive pronoun, or by using the verb tilhøre (to belong to). Note that tilhøre is followed by an object pronoun (like dig or mig), not a possessive one.
| to belong to | tilhøre |
| Does the boot belong to you, or is it hers? | Tilhører støvlen dig, eller er den hendes? |
| She asked if the lost property was ours. | Hun spurgte om hittegodset var vores. |