Danish Language

The Danish language is Danish, or Dansk. You should learn the Danish language (at least a little) if you plan to live here. If you can speak a little Danish, it is appreciated; however, English is widely spoken. Learning common phrases can go a long way: Thank you, hello, HELP!. Speaking Danish is a challenge, but it can be done.

Danish is a Germanic language, so many of the words and phrases have much in common with German, French and English. Speaking Danish will often be a tongue twisting exercise for many.

The Danish language is not an easy language to master, but don't be discouraged. Many English speaking people master it quite quickly once they are immersed in the Danish culture. Especially if partake in many of the free courses offered to expats.

You will find that, when you try speaking Danish to the Danes and they realize you are English-speaking, they will start conversing in English. This is especially so with the younger generation.

English is a mandatory subject in school and the Danes really enjoy showing off their language skills. It is still important to try to learn and speak a bit of the Danish language, if for no other reason than as a sign of respect.

Take a look at the tongue-in-cheek video above to understand a bit more about the Danish language – prepare to laugh!

Pronunciation: Well, this is going to be fun. As I mentioned before, the Danish language isn't easy, but maybe some of these examples will help before we get into some common words and phrases.

The Danish alphabet has 3 vowels not found in the English language. They are: å/æ/ø. They can also be written this way (this is especially helpful if you don't have a Danish keyboard on your computer and need to type Danish words): aa for å, ae for æ and oe for ø.

For example: Århus or Aarhus; træ or trae (tree); København or Koebenhavn

A few things to remember – Danish is very gutteral, with many sounds made in the back of the throat. Vowels are sometimes not pronounced at all in some words. Try listening to audiotapes or just listen to the Danes and learn as you go. If you are only visiting, don’t worry too much about it. If you are planning on living here, I highly recommend classes. (See the reference section.)

Here are some more helpful tips on the Dansk alphabet:

A is pronounced as the "a" in “father”.

Æ is pronounced as the "a" in “fact” or the "e" in “met” depending on the word!

Å is pronounced as the "a" in “talk” – a little bit harder.

E is pronounced as the "e" in “eye”.

I is pronounced as the "ee" in “bee”.

J is pronounced as the "y" in "year".

Ø is pronounced as the "e" in “fern” (but not really). It is probably the hardest letter for an Anglo to learn. It is difficult to clarify the sound; you just have to practice. You can also think of it as sounding like the "u" in “burn” or the "i" in "bird" -– just try to make the sound come from your throat.

Y is pronounced more like the letter "u".

Ch is like a hard "ch" in "check".

SJ is pronounced like "sh" in “ship”.

NG is pronounced like the "ng" in “fling”.

Common Words and Phrases

Good day - Goddag

Hello - Hej (informal greeting, which is very common; it's pronounced just like "Hi" - so that is easy)

Yes - Ja

No - Nej

Please - Være så venlig

Goodbye - Farvel

Here you go - Værsgo (this often used as an invitation to do something like sitting down, join us, please take this, etc.)

Thank you/Thank you very much - Tak/Mange tak

You're welcome - Selv tak (when someone says "tak" to you, you can respond with "selv tak")

Excuse Me - Undskyld (unfortunately, this is not used as much as it should be)

Do you speak English? - Taler du engelsk?

I don't understand - Jeg forstår ikke

I don't understand Danish. - Jeg forstår ikke dansk

(These last 3 phrases will probably be the most important ones you will be using when visiting Denmark, because after saying them, the Danes will proudly show you their grasp of the English language. And most speak it better than some natives.)

What is your name? - Hvad hedder du?

My name is Charlie - Mit navn er Charlie

Where is the main train station? - Hvor er hovedbanegården?

...a post office? - et posthus?

...the police? - politiet?

...tourist office? - turist informationen?

...the bus? - bussen?

...the train? - toget?

Listen to a little spoken Danish by clicking on the video.

More Language Help

They are broken into various categories, so you can quickly find what words you need. For example, if you are reading an article on homes and don't know what the term "tag" means, just go to the Home term page and there you will find that "tag" is the word for "roof".

Many of these terms are words we had to look up when we first arrived and wondered, "What the heck does that mean?"

It is also nice to browze the lists and find other terms which you might need in certain situations. If you find words are missing which you think should be included, email us your suggestions and we will try to update regularly.

You should check out the page on Numbers, which includes some important information that can save you a lot of embarassment and confusion regarding Numbers

You may also wish to check out www.speakdanish.dk. This is a paid course, but they have several pages with free audios to help you get an idea of the language. Another site which is helpful is www.multidansk.horsens.dk, which is designed to help children learn Danish. But it works just as well for adults!