Breakdown of Ekspedienten er den der hjælper os.
være
to be
hjælpe
to help
os
us
den
that (demonstrative, common gender)
der
who, which (relative, subject)
ekspedienten
the shop assistant
Questions & Answers about Ekspedienten er den der hjælper os.
Why do we use den here instead of det or dem?
We use den ("the one") because it refers back to ekspedienten (the shop assistant). Since ekspedient is a singular en-word (common gender), it takes den. If it were a t-word (neuter), we would use det, and if it were plural ("the shop assistants"), we would use dem.
Can I say den som hjælper os instead of den der hjælper os?
Yes, absolutely! Both der and som can act as the relative pronoun meaning "who" or "that" when they are the subject of the clause (the one doing the helping). Der is often preferred in spoken Danish for subjects, but both are perfectly correct here.
I thought den der meant "that one" (like pointing at an object). Is it different here?
Good catch! While den der can be used as a demonstrative pronoun meaning "that one (over there)" when pointing at something, here it forms a determinative construction. Because it introduces a relative clause explaining who the person is, it translates to "the one who".
Just to review, why is the -en ending attached to ekspedient?
The -en at the end of ekspedienten is the definite article, meaning "the shop assistant". If you wanted to make a general statement about any shop assistant, you would use the indefinite form: En ekspedient er den der... (A shop assistant is the one who...).
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