Archive for February, 2012
Swearing in Danish Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 23, 2012
Once upon a time there were three travellers: a Swede, a Norwegian and a Dane. Having walked for days, they arrived at a magical swimming pool. There was no water in it, but the owner of the pool told them to state a wish when they jumped from the springboard. They would then splash right…
Now Give That Cat a Blow! Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 19, 2012
”Fastelavn er mit navn, boller vil jeg have, hvis jeg ingen boller får, så laver jeg ballade.” Shrovetide is my name, buns I want to have, if I don’t get any buns, I’ll kick up a row. So goes the first verse of a song sung by children all over Denmark today. (Or a…
Danish in the World Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 16, 2012
If people had been blogging in the year 900 AD, you might very well have been reading this on gennemsigtig.kom/dansk (gennemsigtig is the Danish word for ’transparent’, from gennem ’through’ + sigt ’view’ + –ig ’-y’). The Vikings ruled the waves, and most of eastern England was a Danish colony. Admitted, the Danish spoken in…
Snowman Frost + Miss Thaw Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 14, 2012
In my experience, one of the best ways to appropriate the basics of a foreign language, is to read a lot of poetry and children’s literature. The two blend nicely in ”Snemand Frost” (Snowman Frost), a poem by beloved poet Halfdan Rasmussen (1915-2002). With this simple – albeit tragic! – love story I would like…
Getting the Jigsaw Right Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 11, 2012
This is by no means our first trip into the jungle of Danish nouns, articles and adjectives, and I can’t guarantee it will be the last! 😉 The rules are simple, and no one bites you if you make a mistake. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the time to get your Danish grammar…
Things to do in the Snow Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 8, 2012
At last real vinter has come to Denmark – as well as the rest of Europe. Some days ago the night temperature even hit minus 22 degrees of Celsius (almost minus 8 degrees of Fahrenheit) somewhere in Jutland – you’d have to go back 26 years to find an equally cold February moment here in…
Danish for Mercurians Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 2, 2012
By popular request, the aliens are back! This time our little friends have come all the way from Mercury to experience some Danish night-life. – Hej Hi – Hvad hedder du? What’s your name? (Literally: What are you called?) – Jeg hedder Xenia, og du? I’m called Xenia, and you? – Hvor kommer…