Danish Language Blog

Påske [pawskeh] (Easter) in Denmark is usually a lot more laid-back than jul (Xmas). For many Danes, this welcome break from work is associated with nice little things like the coming of forår (Spring), påskeliljer (”Easter” daffodils), påskebryg (Easter beer) and the uniquely Danish tradition of scissor-cut gækkebrev letters (which I already wrote about). Still,…

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Jeg lærer dansk. Kan du tale lidt langsommere? (I’m learning Danish. Could you speak a little bit slower, please?) As a language learner, you’ve probably sometimes found yourself in situations of awkward communication. Maybe you’ve learnt a few sætninger (phrases) by heart, and all of a sudden every Dane starts telling you their life story…

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A while ago a British guy in Denmark, Barnaby, kindly sent me his thoughts about learning Danish as a foreigner. Although I didn’t actually interview him, I’ve tweaked his most important points into an interview’ish text in order to make it more readable. What’s tricky about learning Danish? Phrasal verbs are tricky. Why does ”Jeg…

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At læse aviser er en god måde at lære sprog. (Reading newspapers is a good way to learn languages.) Hvadenten du er til korte eller lange artikler, finder du helt sikkert den rigtige udfordring. (Whether you’re into short or long articles, you’ll surely find the right challenge.) 🙂 You can very easily find danske aviser…

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Sønderjylland – the southernmost part of Jutland – is known for its sønderjysk kaffebord (Southern Jutish ”coffee table”), a cake extravaganza made in heaven. I met two women with Sønderjylland roots, Ditte and Marie, for a talk about the unique tradition. M: Back in the day when the Prussians took over Sønderjylland, the Danes used…

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