hans/hendes
His / Her
Hans = His
Hendes = Her
These words never change form, regardless of the noun they describe.
How It Works
Unlike English, Danish makes a strict distinction between owning something yourself and owning something belonging to someone else.
1. Non-Reflexive Use
Use hans and hendes when the object belongs to a third party. If you say Han vasker hans bil, it means 'He is washing his (another man's) car.' To say he is washing his own car, you would need sin/sit/sine.
2. No Agreement (Invariant)
Most Danish possessives like min change based on the noun's gender or number. However, hans and hendes are 'immune' to this. They always stay the same:
- Hans hund (Common gender)
- Hans hus (Neuter gender)
- Hans bøger (Plural)
3. Subject Position
Because sin can never be part of a grammatical subject, you must always use hans or hendes at the start of a sentence, even if referring back to a person mentioned previously.
Example: Mads er glad. Hans hund er sød. (Mads is happy. His dog is cute.)
Examples (4)
- Hendes bil er rød.
Her car is red.
Word by Word: Her car is red.
Here, 'hendes' is the subject's possessive. Since 'sin' cannot be a subject, 'hendes' is the only option.
- Jeg kender hans bror.
I know his brother.
Word by Word: I know his brother.
The owner (he) is not the subject (I), so we use 'hans'.
- Hun elsker hendes kat.
She loves her (someone else's) cat.
Word by Word: She loves her cat.
Using 'hendes' here implies the cat belongs to another woman, not the 'she' who is loving it.
- Hans huse er meget gamle.
His houses are very old.
Word by Word: His houses are very old.
Notice that 'hans' does not change even though 'huse' (houses) is plural.
Common Mistakes
Using 'hans' for the man's own house.
Different MeaningManden maler hans hus.Manden maler sit hus.'Manden maler hans hus' is a good sentence, but 'hans' points to another man, so it means the man is painting someone else's house. For his own house, use the reflexive 'sit'.
Trying to decline 'hans' or 'hendes' for neuter nouns.
Det er hendt barn.Det er hendes barn.Unlike 'mit' or 'dit', 'hans' and 'hendes' never change their endings.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'hans' and 'hendes', you first need to know the subject pronouns for 'he' and 'she'. It is also helpful to have already encountered the concept of possession through 'min/mit/mine', though 'hans' and 'hendes' are simpler as they do not change based on the noun's gender or number.
- jeg/du/han/hunSubject Pronouns Singular
Learners need to understand the subject pronouns 'han' (he) and 'hun' (she) to grasp the corresponding possessive forms 'hans' (his) and 'hendes' (her).
Level 1 - min/mit/mineMy
Understanding the concept of possessive pronouns in Danish is essential before learning the third-person forms.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- sin/sit/sineReflexive Possessive (Sin/sit/sine)
These are the reflexive counterparts used when the subject owns the object.
Level 2 - sin / hans / hendesChoosing Sin or Hans/Hendes
A dedicated guide on choosing between reflexive and non-reflexive possessives.
Level 2 - mig/dig/ham/hendeObject Pronouns Singular
The object pronouns for 'him' and 'her'.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice hans/hendes in Bubblegum
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