Right Dislocation

Level 4

Right Dislocation (højredislocation) is a common feature of spoken Danish where you place a noun at the very end of a sentence to clarify who or what you are talking about. For example: 'Han er sød, din bror' (He is sweet, your brother).

How It Works

Right Dislocation, or højrestilling, is a natural feature of Danish. It allows a speaker to start a sentence quickly with a pronoun and then provide specific details at the end as an afterthought or clarification.

Key Rules:

  • Cataphoric Pronoun: The main sentence contains a pronoun that refers forward to the upcoming noun. This pronoun occupies the standard subject or object position, while the verb maintains its V2 word order position.
  • Agreement: The pronoun must match the noun in gender and number. Use den or det for objects, han or hun for people, and de for plural nouns.
  • The Oblique Case: If the dislocated element is itself a pronoun, it must take the oblique form (e.g., ham, hende, or dem), even if it functions as the subject: 'Han er sød, ham'.
  • Clausal Dislocation: This pattern is very common with entire clauses, such as: 'Det er vigtigt, at du kommer' (It is important that you come).
  • The Pause: In writing, a comma is mandatory when dislocating a noun phrase ('Han er sød, din bror'). However, the comma is optional for clausal dislocation (at-clauses). In speech, there is a slight pause and a drop in pitch.
  • Register: While most frequent in spoken language, it is also common in informal writing and in literature to mimic natural speech.

It is the functional opposite of Left Dislocation, where the noun appears first to set the topic.

Examples (6)

  1. Han er altså ret irriterende, ham der Peter.

    He is actually quite annoying, that Peter guy.

    Word by Word: He is actually quite annoying, him there Peter.

    Here, 'han' is the cataphoric pronoun, and 'ham der Peter' is the right-dislocated noun phrase providing clarification.

  2. Den smager fantastisk, den kage!

    It tastes fantastic, that cake!

    Word by Word: It tastes fantastic, that cake!

    The pronoun 'den' agrees with the common gender noun 'kage'.

  3. Det er alt for dyrt, det ur.

    It is way too expensive, that watch.

    Word by Word: It is all for expensive, that watch.

    The pronoun 'det' agrees with the neuter gender noun 'ur'.

  4. Det er utroligt, at han vandt.

    It is unbelievable that he won.

    Word by Word: It is unbelievable, that he won.

    This shows right dislocation of an entire clause ('at han vandt'), which is very common in both speech and writing.

  5. Jeg har aldrig kunnet lide ham, din nabo.

    I have never been able to like him, your neighbor.

    Word by Word: I have never could like him, your neighbor.

    This shows right dislocation of an object ('ham').

  6. De er meget venlige, de folk fra Aarhus.

    They are very friendly, those people from Aarhus.

    Word by Word: They are very friendly, those people from Aarhus.

    This uses a plural pronoun 'de' to refer to a plural noun phrase.

Common Mistakes

  • Gender mismatch between the pronoun and the noun.

    Den er flot, det ur.
    Det er flot, det ur.

    Since 'ur' is neuter (et ur), you must use the pronoun 'det', not 'den'.

  • Omitting the cataphoric pronoun.

    Er sød, din bror.
    Han er sød, din bror.

    Danish requires a subject pronoun in the main clause; you cannot simply move the subject to the end and leave the first position empty.

  • Using the nominative case for a dislocated pronoun.

    Han er sød, han.
    Han er sød, ham.

    When a personal pronoun is dislocated to the end of the sentence for emphasis, it must take the oblique (object) form, even if it refers to the subject.

How It Connects

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

Right DislocationLevel 4

Learn This First

To understand right dislocation, you need to be comfortable with subject pronouns and the definite form of nouns. This pattern involves starting a sentence with a pronoun and then 'tagging' the specific noun it refers to at the very end for clarity or emphasis.