Breakdown of Hun lægger sine bøger i tasken, før hun går til universitetet.
i
in
bogen
the book
gå
to go
til
to
Questions & Answers about Hun lægger sine bøger i tasken, før hun går til universitetet.
Why is it sine bøger and not hendes bøger?
Because Danish uses the reflexive possessive sin / sit / sine when the owner is the same as the subject of the clause.
Here, the subject is hun, and the books belong to her, so Danish says sine bøger = her own books.
- Hun lægger sine bøger i tasken = She puts her own books in the bag.
- Hun lægger hendes bøger i tasken would usually mean she puts another woman’s books in the bag.
Why sine specifically? Because bøger is plural, and the plural form of the reflexive possessive is sine.
What is the difference between sin, sit, and sine?
They all mean his/her/its own, but they agree with the noun being owned, not with the person who owns it.
- sin = for a common-gender singular noun
- sit = for a neuter singular noun
- sine = for a plural noun
Examples:
- Hun tager sin taske. = She takes her own bag.
- Hun tager sit brev. = She takes her own letter.
- Hun tager sine bøger. = She takes her own books.
So in your sentence, bøger is plural, so sine is required.
What does lægger mean here, and how is it different from ligger?