Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Danish Icebreakers Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 29, 2018
Ever been to a social gathering where nobody said a word? 🙂 If you travel around Denmark, you’ll certainly meet people who are less talkative than the stereotypical American. This is especially true in the countryside, where people tend to speak slower and use fewer words than, well, the Copenhageners… Sometimes breaking the ice may…
Slow Down and Repeat Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 25, 2018
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…
Danish for a Non-Dane Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 28, 2018
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…
Danish Newspapers Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 25, 2018
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…
Danes and Snow Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 21, 2017
Det sner! (It’s snowing!) Snow in Denmark isn’t so common as people abroad sometimes imagine. Maybe because of klimaforandringer (climate changes), Danes go through weeks and weeks of gray winter rain, and then – bang! The miracle occurs, covering marker (fields), skove (forests), haver (gardens) and tage (roofs) with a beautiful hvidt tæppe (white carpet). Still…
Danish Candy Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Nov 21, 2017
Er du en slikmund? (Do you have a sweet tooth?) In Denmark, the nearest slikbutik (candy shop) is never far away. In supermarkedet, købmanden, kiosken, biografen (the supermarket, the grocer’s shop, the kiosk, the cinema) – everywhere folk (people) happily buy slik (candy, sweets) to bring along or enjoy at the movies. Whether you’re fighting…
How to Survive Denmark’s Dark Days Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Oct 14, 2017
How many årstider (seasons) has Denmark got? Two, says an article I read: the Golden Summer and the Great Murk. On the one hand, you’ve got the nice hot time of the year with plenty of festivaler (festivals), garden parties and family trips to stranden (the beach). On the other hand, you’ve got the long, dark…