Han savner sine venner i byen.

in

Breakdown of Han savner sine venner i byen.

• vennen: the friend
• han: he
• byen: the city

Questions & Answers about Han savner sine venner i byen.

1. What does savner mean exactly? Is it the same as English misses?

Savner is the present tense of at savne, and it usually means to miss (emotionally) — to feel the absence of someone or something you care about.

In Han savner sine venner i byen, it is the normal, direct equivalent of English He misses his friends in town.

A useful contrast:

• at savne = to miss emotionally
  
  • Jeg savner dig. – I miss you.
• at mangle = to lack / to be missing (in the sense of something not being there or not being enough)
  
  • Der mangler en stol. – A chair is missing / There is one chair too few.

So here savner is about feeling, not just physical absence.

2. Why is it sine venner and not hans venner?

Danish distinguishes between reflexive and non‑reflexive possessives in the 3rd person.

• sin / sit / sine = his/her/its/their own (refers back to the subject of the same clause)
• hans / hendes / dens / deres = his/her/its/their (refers to someone/something else, not the subject)

In Han savner sine venner i byen:

• Subject: Han (he)
• Possessive: sine (his own)
• Noun: venner (friends, plural)

Because the friends belong to him, the subject, Danish uses the reflexive form sine.
So the meaning is: He misses his own friends in town.

3. Could I say Han savner hans venner i byen? What would that mean?