sin / hans / hendes

Choosing Sin or Hans/Hendes

Level 2

Danish distinguishes between 'his/her/its own' (reflexive) and 'his/her/its' (someone else's). In standard written Danish, this distinction can change who is understood as the owner. Regional and conversational usage varies.

How It Works

In Danish, choosing the right possessive pronoun is crucial for clarity. Unlike English, where 'his' can mean his own or another man's, Danish requires you to identify the owner relative to the subject.

1. The 3rd Person Singular Rule (sin/sit/sine)
Use these when the subject of the sentence (han, hun, den, or det) is the owner. They agree with the noun naming what is possessed (which need not be a direct object):

  • sin: Common gender singular (e.g., en bil -> sin bil)
  • sit: Neuter gender singular (e.g., et hus -> sit hus)
  • sine: Plural (e.g., bøger -> sine bøger)

This applies to people, animals, and objects alike (e.g., 'Hunden spiser sin mad').

2. Non-Reflexive 3rd Person (hans/hendes/dens/dets)
Use hans or hendes when the owner is a person but not the subject of the clause. Use dens or dets when the owner is an animal or object that is not the subject. These forms do not change based on the object's gender.

3. The Subject Position Restriction
In the ordinary finite-clause pattern taught here, do not use sin as the determiner of the clause’s own subject. For example, you cannot say 'Sin far er her'; you must say 'Hans far er her'.

4. Plural Subjects and 1st/2nd Person
The standard basic possessive contrast taught here concerns the third person singular.

  • For ordinary plural subjects (de), standard writing uses deres, even if they own the object themselves.
  • For 1st and 2nd person (jeg, du, vi, I), always use the standard possessives (min, din, etc.).

5. Clause Boundaries and Logical Subjects
The reflexive pronoun usually refers to the subject of its own clause. However, in constructions like 'Jeg bad ham hente sin jakke', 'sin' refers to 'ham' because he is the logical subject of the infinitive 'to fetch'.

Useful limits: In Peter er højere end sin bror (Peter is taller than his brother), the comparison can use sin; hans is also possible. Do not apply the simple subject-position wording mechanically to every comparison or infinitive construction. The standard plural-subject model remains De elsker deres børn; some regional speech uses sine more broadly.

Examples (5)

  1. Mads vasker sin bil.

    Mads is washing his (own) car.

    Word by Word: Mads washes his car.

    Since Mads is the subject and the owner of the car, we use 'sin'.

  2. Mads vasker hans bil.

    Mads is washing his (someone else's) car.

    Word by Word: Mads washes his car.

    Using 'hans' indicates the car belongs to another man, not Mads.

  3. Hunden spiser sin mad.

    The dog is eating its (own) food.

    Word by Word: The dog eats its food.

    The reflexive rule also applies to animals and objects. Since the dog is the subject, we use 'sin'.

  4. Jeg bad ham hente sin jakke.

    I asked him to get his (own) jacket.

    Word by Word: I asked him fetch his jacket.

    In this construction, 'sin' refers to 'ham' because he is the logical subject of the action 'to fetch'.

  5. Peter sagde, at Maria havde solgt hans cykel.

    Peter said that Maria had sold his bike.

    Word by Word: Peter said that Maria had sold his bike.

    Even though the bike belongs to Peter, he is not the subject of the 'at'-clause (Maria is). Therefore, 'hans' is used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'sin' as part of the subject.

    Sin far er sød.
    Hans far er sød.

    A reflexive pronoun must refer back to a subject. It cannot be the subject itself. If you want to say 'His father is nice,' you must use 'Hans'.

  • Using 'sin' with a plural subject.

    De elsker sine børn.
    De elsker deres børn.

    In standard Danish, 'sin/sit/sine' only refers back to singular subjects. For plural subjects ('de'), use 'deres'.

  • Looking for reflexive forms for 'I' or 'You'.

    Jeg vasker sin bil.
    Jeg vasker min bil.

    The reflexive choice only exists for the 3rd person. For 1st and 2nd person, always use the standard possessives like 'min' or 'din'.

How It Connects

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sin / hans / hendesLevel 2Choosing Sin or Hans/Hendes

Learn This First

This comparison explains when to use hans/hendes versus related patterns.

Words in This Pattern

sinhanshendes