det er

It Is (Det Er)

Level 1

Use 'det er' to say 'it is', 'that is', or 'those are' when introducing something for the first time or talking about the weather.

How It Works

The phrase det er is one of the most versatile tools in Danish. It serves several primary functions:

  • Identification: When you point at something and say what it is, you always use det er. It doesn't matter if the noun is common gender (en), neuter gender (et), or plural. For example: Det er en bil (It is a car) and Det er mine børn (Those are my children).
  • Weather and Time: It acts as a 'dummy subject' for expressions where there is no real actor. Det er koldt (It is cold).
  • Evaluation: Use it to comment on a situation. Det er godt (It is good).
  • Anticipatory Subject: It holds the spot for a longer thought coming later in the sentence. Det er sjovt at lære dansk (It is fun to learn Danish).
  • Emphasis (Clefting): You can use it to highlight a specific part of a sentence. For example: Det er ham, der har nøglen (It is him who has the key). This is a more advanced way to focus the listener's attention.

Pronunciation Tip: In natural speech, the 't' in det is silent. The phrase det er often merges into a single syllable that sounds like /dæ/ or a short /de-æ/.

Important Distinction: Use det er to introduce something. Once you have introduced it, you switch to den or det to refer back to it based on its specific gender.

Examples (5)

  1. Det er en hund.

    It is a dog.

    Word by Word: It is a dog.

    Even though 'hund' is common gender (en hund), we use 'det er' to identify it for the first time.

  2. Det er mine venner.

    Those are my friends.

    Word by Word: It is my friends.

    Danish uses the singular 'det er' even when identifying plural objects or people.

  3. Det er varmt i dag.

    It is warm today.

    Word by Word: It is warm in day.

    Here, 'det' acts as a placeholder subject for the weather.

  4. Det er et stort hus.

    That is a big house.

    Word by Word: It is a big house.

    Used here to identify a neuter gender noun (et hus).

  5. Det er dejligt at se dig!

    It is lovely to see you!

    Word by Word: It is lovely to see you!

    The 'det' refers to the action of seeing the person.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'den er' to identify a common-gender noun.

    Different MeaningDen er en flot bil.
    Det er en flot bil.

    When you introduce or identify something, you normally say 'det er'. 'Den er en flot bil' is fine when you point back to a car you already mentioned.

  • Using 'de er' to identify a group of people.

    Different MeaningDe er mine forældre.
    Det er mine forældre.

    While 'De er' means 'They are', when you are pointing them out to someone ('Those are my parents'), Danish prefers the fixed 'Det er'.

  • Confusing 'det er' with 'der er'.

    Different MeaningDet er en kat i haven.
    Der er en kat i haven.

    Use 'der er' for existence (There is a cat). Use 'det er' for identification (That is a cat).

How It Connects

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det erLevel 1It Is (Det Er)

Learn This First

To understand 'det er', you need to know the basic verb 'to be' (være) and how the pronoun 'det' functions. It is also helpful to understand noun gender, as 'det er' is a fixed expression used for introducing things or people, even when the noun itself might be common gender.

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være