her/der

Here / There

Level 1

Her (here) and der (there) are the basic building blocks for pointing things out in Danish. They work just like in English to show location, but they also help create words like 'this' and 'that'.

How It Works

In Danish, her and der are essential words for pointing out locations and objects.

1. Basic Location and Further Movement Forms
You use them to state where someone or something is located. While her and der are the basic forms, Danish uses compound adverbs to add specific meaning:

  • Movement: Use herhen or derhen to emphasize direction toward a destination (e.g., Kom herhen!).
  • Static Location: Use herhenne or derhenne to describe being at a location some distance away (e.g., Han er derhenne).

2. Creating Demonstratives ('This' and 'That')
In spoken Danish, you combine these with den or det to point at objects:

In formal writing, denne or dette is used specifically for this. There is no single formal word for 'that'; instead, Danes use a stressed den or det.

3. The 'Existential' Der
The word der is used to mean 'there is' or 'there are' with er. Crucially, this existential der typically introduces a new entity with an indefinite noun phrase (e.g., Der er en hund).

4. Further Reading: The Relative Pronoun Der
One of the most common uses of der is as a relative pronoun meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'. It is used when the pronoun is the subject of the sub-clause:

  • Manden, der bor her. (The man who lives here.)

5. Pronunciation Tip
These words have stressed and reduced pronunciations. Stressed her and der normally have an r-colored vowel ending rather than a consonant r. Unstressed der can sound like da; do not pronounce every stressed here/there as ha/da.

Start here: First learn Jeg er her (I am here) and Han er der (he is there), then den her/den der. The compounds and relative der above are reference material for later study. Existential der normally introduces something new, but definite phrases can occur in special list or reminder contexts; indefiniteness is not an absolute ban.

Examples (6)

  1. Jeg bor her i København.

    I live here in Copenhagen.

    Word by Word: I live here in Copenhagen.

    A simple use of 'her' to show a location near the speaker.

  2. Hvem er det, der står der?

    Who is that [who is] standing there?

    Word by Word: Who is it, who stands there?

    The first 'der' is a relative pronoun (who), while the second 'der' is the location (there).

  3. Kan du række mig den her kniv?

    Can you hand me this knife?

    Word by Word: Can you reach me the here knife?

    Using 'den her' is the standard way to say 'this' in Danish speech.

  4. Der er en kat i haven.

    There is a cat in the garden.

    Word by Word: There is a cat in garden-the.

    This shows 'der' acting as a dummy subject. En kat is indefinite because this sentence introduces a cat; this is the basic existential pattern.

  5. Kom herhen!

    Come over here!

    Word by Word: Come here-to!

    When emphasizing movement toward a specific destination, Danes often use the compound adverb 'herhen'.

  6. Han sidder derhenne.

    He is sitting over there.

    Word by Word: He sits there-at.

    The long form 'derhenne' is used to describe a location that is some distance away.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'Det er' instead of 'Der er' for existence.

    Det er en bil i haven.
    Der er en bil i haven.

    English speakers often use 'it is' (det er) by mistake. Use 'der er' to say 'there is' when introducing something new.

  • Confusing 'denne' with 'that'.

    Jeg vil have denne der bog.
    Jeg vil have den der bog.

    The formal word 'denne' only means 'this'. To say 'that', you should use 'den der' or a stressed 'den'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

her/derLevel 1Here / There

Learn This First

To use 'her' and 'der' effectively, you need to know how to form simple sentences using subject pronouns and the verb 'to be', as these words are primarily used to indicate the location of a subject.

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Words in This Pattern

herder