Breakdown of Hun hænger sin våde regnjakke ved døren og sætter hjelmen på hylden i gangen.
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Questions & Answers about Hun hænger sin våde regnjakke ved døren og sætter hjelmen på hylden i gangen.
Why does Danish use sin here instead of hendes?
Because sin is the reflexive possessive form. It is used when the thing belongs to the subject of the same clause.
- Hun hænger sin våde regnjakke ... = She hangs her own wet raincoat ...
If you said hendes, it would normally mean the raincoat belongs to some other woman, not to the subject hun.
A useful rule:
- sin/sit/sine = the subject owns it
- hans/hendes/deres = someone else owns it
So here sin shows that the woman is hanging up her own raincoat.
Why is it sin and not sit or sine?
These forms agree with the noun being possessed:
- sin → common gender singular
- sit → neuter singular
- sine → plural
Here the noun is regnjakke, which is a common gender singular noun:
- en regnjakke
- therefore: sin regnjakke
Examples:
- sin jakke
- sit hus
- sine sko
So the choice depends on the noun, not on the owner.