Kusinens hund løber i haven.

the dog

Breakdown of Kusinens hund løber i haven.

• i: in
• haven: the garden
• løbe: to run

Questions & Answers about Kusinens hund løber i haven.

What exactly does kusinens mean, and how is it formed?

Kusinens is the possessive form of kusine, which means female cousin.

• kusine = (female) cousin
• Add -s to make it possessive: kusine + s → kusinens = the cousin’s

In English you show possession mainly with an apostrophe (cousin’s).
In Danish you just add -s directly to the noun, without an apostrophe: kusinens.

Does kusine always mean a female cousin? What about a male cousin?

Yes, kusine is specifically a female cousin.

• kusine = female cousin
• fætter = male cousin

So:

• Kusinens hund løber i haven. = The female cousin’s dog runs / is running in the garden.
• Fætterens hund løber i haven. = The male cousin’s dog runs / is running in the garden.

Why is there no separate word for the in kusinens hund, even though English has the cousin’s dog?