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Beards and buns Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on May 16, 2014
Pray! It’s Store bededag [stoah BETHehdaay] (Great Prayer Day). Each year, on the fourth Friday after påsken (Easter), people in Denmark have a nice day off. Although this holiday is a Danish speciality (it only exists here), I know no people who take the praying part seriously and actually do spend the day sending wishes…
Danish Noun Phrases for Dummies Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 30, 2014
Fuglen synger. Bussen kører. (The bird is singing. The bus is driving.) An awful lot of phrases consist of a noun phrase + a verbal phrase. Danish verbal phrases are a piece of cake: Er, for example, means both am, is and are; snakker can be translated as talk, talks and am/is/are talking. Noun phrases…
Words for Well-Wishers Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 17, 2014
Sometimes we use sproget (the language) as a trylleformular (magical formula). Når nogen nyser (when someone’s sneezing), most Danes will automatically react by saying prosit! [PROSS-it]. In some strange way the little word changes the air, making the sneezer feel better. Below are a handful of other expressions used in order to wish somebody well…
The Thousand Joys of Spring Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 31, 2014
Spring has come to Denmark, and even indoor fanatics can’t help noticing that leaves are sprouting and flowers opening… The boring winter country has been magically transformed into a wonderful garden. Knowing the names of some of the most typical blomster (flowers) and træer (trees) will never be as relevant as right now: Vintergækker (snowdrops…
Everyday Danish Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 30, 2014
How much is a Carlsberg? How do I get to Den Lille Havfrue? Language courses are often geared towards tourists and travelling. However, if you really want to speak like a native, you also need words for all the little things you do every day: Du står tidligt/sent op. (You get up early/late.) Most probably…
The little words you always need Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 27, 2014
Are you listening? No matter how much grammar you studied, no matter how perfect your pronunciation is… If you don’t know how to say uh-huh in the right way, you’re lost. Why should the one who’s entertaining you keep on talking, if you don’t provide any feedback? Here are some words to help make your…
Danes and Dead Animals Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 22, 2014
This February a somewhat macabre topic has been haunting Danish media – and foreign web sites writing about Denmark: døde dyr (dead animals). I starten af måneden (at the beginning of the month), København Zoo announced that they were going to kill Marius, a fit and healthy two-year-old giraf [gheeRAFF]. (What? How could anyone be…