de her/de der
These / Those
In spoken Danish, de her means 'these' and de der means 'those'. They are used for plural nouns and typically appear around or before the noun.
How It Works
While formal writing uses disse, native speakers almost exclusively use de her and de der in conversation. These are the plural versions of den her and den der.
1. Usage and Word Order:
- De her: Used for things close to you (these).
- De der: Used for things further away (those).
- Word Order: You can say de her sko (before the noun) or de sko her (sandwiching the noun). Both are very common.
2. The 'No Double Definiteness' Rule:
Since de her/der already makes the phrase specific, the noun itself must stay in the indefinite plural form. You say de her bøger, NOT de her bøgerne. Any adjective used must take the definite -e ending, such as de her nye biler.
3. Standalone Pronouns:
When used without a noun (e.g., 'I want those'), you use the object form dem, resulting in dem her or dem der. In casual speech, many Danes also use dem her as a subject, though de her is the standard form for subjects.
4. Pronunciation Tip:
To sound natural, place the primary stress on the words her or der. This emphasizes the 'pointing' nature of the expression.
Examples (5)
- Hvem ejer de her cykler?
Who owns these bikes?
Word by Word: Who owns the here bikes?
Notice that 'cykler' is in the indefinite plural form, even though we are pointing to specific bikes.
- Prøv at se de der skyer.
Try to look at those clouds.
Word by Word: Try to see the there clouds.
'De der' indicates the clouds are at a distance from the speaker.
- Jeg kan ikke lide de her røde æbler.
I don't like these red apples.
Word by Word: I can not like the here red apples.
When using an adjective like 'røde', it must take the definite -e ending.
- Jeg vil gerne have dem der.
I would like those (ones).
Word by Word: I will gladly have them there.
When used as a standalone pronoun without a noun, 'de' changes to the object form 'dem'.
- Hvad koster de sko her?
How much do these shoes cost?
Word by Word: What cost the shoes here?
In spoken Danish, it is very common to place the noun between 'de' and 'her/der'.
Common Mistakes
Using the definite plural form of the noun after the demonstrative.
de her bøgernede her bøgerThis is called 'double definiteness.' In Danish, the demonstrative 'de her' already makes the noun definite, so you must use the basic plural form of the noun.
Using 'disse' in casual conversation.
Different MeaningJeg kan lide disse sko.Jeg kan lide de her sko.While 'disse' is grammatically correct, it sounds very formal or stiff in a casual setting. 'De her' is the natural choice for spoken Danish.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'de her' and 'de der', you need to be familiar with the plural pronoun 'de' and the singular demonstrative constructions using 'her' (here) and 'der' (there) to indicate proximity.
- vi/I/deSubject Pronouns Plural
The pattern uses 'de' as the plural demonstrative base, so understanding 'de' as the plural third-person pronoun is essential.
Level 1 - den der/det derThat (Den Der/det Der)
This pattern is the plural equivalent of the singular 'that' construction, following the same logic of combining a pronoun with 'der'.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- den her/det herThis (Den Her/det Her)
These are the singular versions ('this') which must match the noun's gender.
Level 1 - No Double Definiteness
This rule explains why we use the indefinite noun form after demonstratives.
Level 2 - denne/dette/disseThis / These (Formal)
The formal written equivalents of 'this/these'.
Level 3 - her/derHere / There
The basic adverbs for 'here' and 'there' used to build the demonstratives.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice de her/de der in Bubblegum
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