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Archive for January, 2012

Days of Handball Euphoria Posted by on Jan 30, 2012

Yeeeeeees! This happy interjection – taken from English, but given a slight Danish twist (making it rhyme with gæs ’geese’) – must have sounded from thousands of Danish stue|r (living room|s) and værtshus|e (pub|s) yesterday, as the Danish male handball team became European Champions, beating the hosts 21–19 in a nervepirrende (thrilling, literally ’nerve-exciting’) match…

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Telling Stories Anew Posted by on Jan 25, 2012

2012 may not be the age of H.C. Andersen or Karen Blixen, but storytelling is a as vibrant as ever in Denmark. This concludes yesterday’s interview with the modern storyteller Helle. ❞ There was a time when people had no pleasures. The whole life was only work, food, digestion, sleep. They fell asleep after great…

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Telling Stories Posted by on Jan 24, 2012

When rain is pouring down your window and Denmark seems a little dull and desolate, the time has come to rediscover your inner qualities. I met the storyteller Helle for an interview… Helle, you’re a storyteller? Yes, I’ve been that for 13 or 14 years. For many years I taught drama at a højskole (folk…

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Danish for Saturnians Posted by on Jan 22, 2012

In this post, we’ll continue helping our alien friend survive in Denmark…  Insecurities – Undskyld…     Excuse me/Sorry… – Jeg forstår ikke.     I don’t understand. – Kan du gentage det?     Can you repeat that (please)?(We don’t really say please in Denmark, preferring to be polite in other ways!) – Du taler for hurtigt!     You speak…

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Danish for Martians Posted by on Jan 20, 2012

Suppose you came from another planet, and you crashed in Denmark with absolute no knowledge of the language… (Or English, for that matter!) What phrases would you need to get along on a very basic level? A friend recently asked me for such a list, so here you are. (Sorry, sci-fi dudes, I have to keep…

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40 Years on the Throne of Denmark Posted by on Jan 15, 2012

 January 15th, 1972, Christiansborg Slotsplads (Christiansborg Palace Square), central Copenhagen. A multitude of people – young and old, men and women – have gathered in front of the palace section used by the Royal family. (Another part of Christiansborg Slot [Palace] houses the Danish Parliament.) Surprisingly many carry small Dannebrog (the name of the Danish…

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Months of the Year Posted by on Jan 12, 2012

Like the days of the week, months are easy in Danish – provided your language is English or one of the other (European) tongues that have taken over the names from the Romans! Don’t worry, there are no Latin endings left in the Danish version…  In fact, the month names can’t be inflected at all…

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