Danish Language Blog

Køkkenet (the kitchen, also spelt køknet) is the heart of a Danish home. When rain is falling from a grey sky – and eating out feels a bit too complex and pricey – it’s great for familien (the family) or vennerne (friends) to gather around spisebordet (the dining table). Traditionally, husmødre (housewives, singular husmoder) were…

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Ding dang! Døren går op. (The door opens.) Velkommen til et meget gennemsnitligt dansk hus! (Welcome to a very average Danish house!) Because of klimaet (the climate), a lot of family & social life in Denmark happens indoors. Let’s go for a walk in the different værelser (rooms). Entréen (the hallway) is where you –…

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Writing a postkort (postcard) can be a great way to practice your language skills. It’s also a nice way to show people you think about them. While firing off a digital message is quicker, receiving a postcard is funnier, and most people will appreciate the extra effort… Postkort (postcards) are sold in many different places…

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Sometimes *everything* seems chaotic, and *nothing* makes sense. Fortunately, the language we speak provides us with words to communicate these extremes. Let’s look at the Danish all-inclusive menu of nothingness… In order to ”remove” things when speaking Danish, ingen (no one) and ikke (not) are your best tools. Combine ikke with noget (anything) or nogen…

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Ever thought about all the letters we don’t say out loud – like the h in ’hour’? Just like English, Danish is notorious for its strange relationship between pronunciation and spelling, including a bunch of stumme bogstaver (silent letters, literally ”mute letters”). Hvem, hvad, hvor og hvornår? (Who, what, where and when?) The H of…

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