Jeg føler mig sikker i haven.

I

Breakdown of Jeg føler mig sikker i haven.

• i: in
• haven: the garden
• mig: myself

Questions & Answers about Jeg føler mig sikker i haven.

Why do we say føler mig and not just føler?

In Danish, when you talk about how you feel in yourself (an emotional or physical state), you almost always use at føle sig + adjective.

So:

• Jeg føler mig sikker. = I feel safe / secure.
• Jeg føler mig træt. = I feel tired.
• Jeg føler mig syg. = I feel ill.

If you drop mig and just say Jeg føler sikker, it’s wrong Danish.
Føle without the reflexive pronoun is usually about feeling something else:

• Jeg føler smerte. = I feel pain.
• Jeg føler kulden. = I feel the cold.

So for “I feel safe”, you really need the reflexive: Jeg føler mig sikker.

Is føler mig a fixed pattern? How does it work with other pronouns?

Yes, at føle sig is a reflexive verb pattern in Danish, and it changes with the subject. The reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject:

• Jeg føler mig sikker. = I feel safe.
• Du føler dig sikker. = You (sing.) feel safe.
• Han/hun/den/det føler sig sikker. = He/she/it feels safe.
• Vi føler os sikre. = We feel safe.
• I føler jer sikre. = You (pl.) feel safe.
• De føler sig sikre. = They feel safe.

The adjective will also adjust (singular/plural, etc.), but føler sig / føler mig / føler dig / etc. is the core pattern.