(Illustration from Pixabay; no copyright.)

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 at lightning speed. Or even worse: Your udtale (pronunciation) reveals you’re not a native, and people switch to English – which isn’t exactly a great way to learn Danish. Good news: Most people are more than happy to give language learners a chance – if you just give them the right clues! 🙂 Here are a few phrases to help you out…

Undskyld? (Pardon?)

Beklager, jeg forstår ikke? (Sorry, I don’t understand?)

Hvad mener du? (What do you mean?)

Hvad betyder galimatias? (What does galimatias mean?)

Hvad hedder armadillo på dansk? (What’s armadillo called in Danish?)

Jeg taler kun en smule dansk. (I only speak a little bit Danish.)

Jeg er nybegynder. (I’m a beginner.)

Jeg ved det ikke./Det ved jeg ikke. (I don’t know.)

Jeg forstår ikke./Det forstår jeg ikke. (I don’t understand [it].)

Kan du gentage det? (Could you repeat it, please?)

Jeg er lidt forvirret. (I’m a little bit confused.)

Vil du være så venlig at sige det én gang til? (Could you please say it one more time?)

Jeg hører lidt dårligt. Kan du tale højere? (My hearing is a bit bad. Could you speak louder, please?)

Kan du stave det for mig? (Could you spell it for me?)

Kan du skrive det på et stykke papir? (Could you write it on a piece of paper?)

Dansk er svært, men jeg vil gerne lære mere. (Danish is difficult, but I’d like to learn more.)

Kan vi ikke snakke dansk sammen? (Can’t we speak Danish together?)