sin/sit/sine

Reflexive Possessive (Sin/sit/sine)

Level 2

Danish uses sin/sit/sine to mean "his/her/its own." It is used only when the owner is the singular third-person subject of the same clause in the basic pattern.

How It Works

In English, the sentence "He washes his car" is ambiguous—is it his own car or someone else's? Danish removes this ambiguity.

1. The Reflexive Rule
In the basic standard pattern, use sin/sit/sine if the owner is the singular third-person subject of the clause. Use hans or hendes if the owner is someone else.

  • Han vasker sin bil = He washes his (own) car.
  • Han vasker hans bil = He washes his (another man's) car.

2. Matching The Possessed Noun
The form changes based on the noun being owned:

  • sin: Common gender singular (en-words). E.g., en taske → sin taske.
  • sit: Neuter gender singular (et-words). E.g., et hus → sit hus.
  • sine: Plural nouns (both genders). E.g., bøger → sine bøger.

3. Important Limitations

  • Subject Restriction: In an ordinary complete clause, sin cannot supply a possessor for the subject when there is no suitable local antecedent. You cannot say "Sin bil er rød." You must use Hans bil er rød.
  • Singular Subjects Only: In standard Danish, these forms only refer back to singular subjects (he, she, it). For plural subjects (they), use deres.

Beyond A Direct Object: Han bor i sit hus has sit in a prepositional phrase. Each Clause Matters: Peter siger, at Anna tager sin taske normally makes the bag Anna's. Advanced Exceptions: Reflexives can refer to a logical subject in an infinitive, and shortened comparisons allow Han er højere end sin bror. Some regional and spoken varieties also use sin with plural antecedents; the standard beginner contrast remains Han elsker sine børn / De elsker deres børn.

Examples (5)

  1. Manden tog sin hat.

    The man took his (own) hat.

    Word by Word: The man took his hat.

    Since the man is the subject and he took his own hat, we use 'sin' because 'hat' is a common gender noun (en hat).

  2. Pigen maler sit værelse.

    The girl is painting her (own) room.

    Word by Word: The girl paints her room.

    We use 'sit' because 'værelse' is a neuter noun (et værelse) and it belongs to the subject (the girl).

  3. Han elsker sine børn.

    He loves his (own) children.

    Word by Word: He loves his children.

    We use 'sine' because 'børn' (children) is plural.

  4. Hun læser hendes bog.

    She is reading her (another woman's) book.

    Word by Word: She reads her book.

    Using 'hendes' instead of 'sin' indicates the book belongs to someone other than the subject.

  5. Hunden spiser sin mad.

    The dog is eating its (own) food.

    Word by Word: The dog eats its food.

    Reflexive possessives also apply to animals and inanimate objects acting as subjects.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'sin' as the subject of a sentence.

    Sin mor er sød.
    Hans mor er sød.

    In this independent clause, Sin mor has no suitable antecedent. Use hans/hendes or name the person. This beginner restriction does not cover every comparative or non-finite construction.

  • Using 'sine' with a plural subject like 'de' (they).

    De elsker sine børn.
    De elsker deres børn.

    In standard Danish, 'sin/sit/sine' only refers back to singular subjects. For plural subjects, use 'deres' for both reflexive and non-reflexive possession.

  • Using 'sin' with first or second person subjects (I, you).

    Jeg har sin bog.
    Jeg har min bog.

    Reflexive possessives are only for third-person subjects (he/she/it). For 'I' or 'you', use 'min' or 'din'.

How It Connects

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

sin/sit/sineLevel 2Reflexive Possessive (Sin/sit/sine)

Learn This First

To use 'sin/sit/sine' correctly, you need to understand how Danish nouns are categorized by gender (common vs. neuter) and number, as the possessive must agree with the object. Furthermore, you must be familiar with standard third-person pronouns and possessives to understand when the reflexive form is required to refer back to the subject of the sentence.

Words in This Pattern

sinsitsine