Det er min veninde, der har fået et nyt job i byen.

It is my (female) friend who has gotten a new job in the city.

Breakdown of Det er min veninde, der har fået et nyt job i byen.

• i: in
• et: a
• være: to be
• min: my

Questions & Answers about Det er min veninde, der har fået et nyt job i byen.

Why does the sentence start with “Det er …” instead of just “Min veninde har fået et nyt job i byen.”?

“Det er … der …” is a very common Danish structure called a cleft sentence. It’s used to emphasise one part of the sentence.

• Det er min veninde, der har fået et nyt job i byen.
  = It is my friend who has got a new job in town. (emphasis on my friend)

• Min veninde har fået et nyt job i byen.
  = My friend has got a new job in town. (neutral statement)

So both are correct, but “Det er … der …” puts focus on who got the job, often in contrast to someone else (e.g. not my brother, but my friend).

What does “der” mean here? Isn’t “der” usually “there”?