Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Danish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Hans efternavn er Hansen.
Is Hans here the boy's name or the word for "his"?
It means "his". It is only capitalized because it starts the sentence. However, it is a fun coincidence because Hans is also a very common Danish first name, and the surname Hansen literally means "son of Hans". If the sentence actually meant "Hans's surname", it would be written with an apostrophe: Hans' efternavn.
I know navn means "name", but how is efternavn put together?
It is a compound word made of efter (after) and navn (name), literally translating to "after-name". Danish builds a lot of vocabulary this way. For example, a first name is a fornavn (before-name).
Why doesn't efternavn have a definite ending, like efternavnet?
Whenever you use a possessive pronoun like hans (his), hendes (her), or vores (our), the noun that follows must drop its definite ending. You always use the basic, indefinite form of the noun (efternavn) after a possessive word, even though you are talking about a specific person's name.