Many Danish phrases start with a
det, pronounced [de] or a
der [dα] in place of a real subject. Their meaning can not always be translated into English, but the basic meaning of
der is there - pointing out a place or situation - and
det that/it - a stand in for something known or previously mentioned. The excercises in this page do not cover
der as relative pronoun (which/who) - for the relative pronouns see
these exercises instead
Der introduces an unknown/indefinite subject in a situation/place:
Der står en mand på gaden. (A man is standing in the street)Der er ingen hjemme. (Nobody is home)Der må ikke ryges på toilettet. (Passive voice: One is not allowed to smoke in the toilet.)Det is a reference to something known/definite, or to a piece of text like a phrase or the content of a paragraph.
Er det din mand? - Nej, det er min pool boy. (Is that your husbond? - No, he is the pool boy.)Det er dejligt at løbe. (Running is fun) Det var dejligt, at du kunne komme. (Good to see you)Er din hund blevet langhåret? - Nej, det er en ny pels fra DoggieStyle. (Has your dog grown long hair? - No, it is his new fur from DoggieStyle.) Jeg drikker altid rødvin. Det er sundt. (I always drink red wine: It is good for your health)Hvordan er vejret? - Det er varmt, men det blæser lidt. (It is warm, but a bit windy - empty subject)
Choose
det or
der in the drop down list