How to Say “You” in Danish

Ways to say it

In Danish, the pronoun used to address someone can change based on the level of familiarity. The most common way to address people in modern daily life is using the informal du.

Which one should you use?

The form du is the singular, informal pronoun. In contrast, De is used to show respect or distance, typically when addressing strangers, elders or in very formal professional settings. While du is used for friends, family, children and people you are on equal footing with, De serves a more polite function.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

du is the informal form used in most social situations. De is the polite, formal form. Because du is overwhelmingly common in modern Danish, using De can feel quite stiff or old-fashioned in many contexts.

Related words

The individual or group spoken/written to (det): I.

Used before epithets for emphasis (det): din c/dit n/I.

How does it change in a sentence?

When writing, the formal De is always capitalized to distinguish it from the third-person plural pronoun de (they).

When do people say it?

Modern Danish culture favors the use of du for almost everyone in daily life, which makes the formal De feel somewhat outdated in many regular social interactions.