Man 1 - the pronoun for the general person, subjekt, object and reflexive form


Use and meaning

  • The Danish pronoun man has no real equivalent in English. It carries the meaning of one, the general person, but would usually translate into you (singular). Man is the pronoun for ethical rules and general descriptions, permissions, prohibitions and instructions:

  • Man bør ikke servere alkohol for børn. (You/one should not serve alcohol to kids)
  • Man må ikke køre bil uden kørekort. (You're not allowed to drive without a license.)
  • I Danmark må man gerne gifte sig med sin kusine. (In Denmark it's legal to marry your cousin.)
  • Man tænder kaffemaskinen på den røde knap. (You switch on the coffee machine by pressing the red button.)

    • But beside from this general use of man, the word is also used as a cover up for I - especially in spoken language :

  • Hun glemte min fødselsdag, og så bliver man jo ked af det. (She forgot my birthday and then one gets kind of sad.)

    • Grammatical function

    1 subject2 object/indirect object3 reflexive 4 possesive5 reflexive possesive
    man én sig éns sin

  • 1) Man må ikke spise sushi i bussen! (You're not allowed to eat sushi on the bus!)
  • 2) I danske forretninger behandler de én som et problem. (In danish shops they treat you like a problem)
  • 3) Man bør rejse sig op for de ældre i bussen. (You should stand up for the elderly on the bus)
  • 4) Éns næse klør altid, når man har håndjern på. (Your nose always icthes, when you're in hand cuffs).
  • 5)Man bør ikke læse sin kones post. (You should not read your wifes mail).

    • Choose the subject, object or reflexive form of man in the drop down list.
    - Kan slikke selv på næsen?
    - Det ved jeg ikke, men jeg tror, folk vil kigge på , hvis prøver!

    - Hvad siger , når der er nogen, der inviterer til middag, og bare ikke har lyst?
    - Man undskylder med, at har diabetes 3 og er på en helt speciel diæt.