{"id":1208,"date":"2015-04-26T23:01:36","date_gmt":"2015-04-26T23:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=1208"},"modified":"2015-04-26T23:01:36","modified_gmt":"2015-04-26T23:01:36","slug":"being-polite-in-danish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2015\/04\/26\/being-polite-in-danish\/","title":{"rendered":"Being Polite in Danish"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Things<\/a>

Things like wishing someone a good morning or shaking hands at meetings are also considered polite in Denmark. (Photo by Aidan Jones at Flickr<\/a>, CC License.)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201dTwo fries and a cheeseburger!\u201d If you hear someone saying this, they might be a forgetful Dane. Danish, you see, has no proper word for please.<\/i> This has given birth to the idea that Danes are less h\u00f8flig<\/b> (courteous, polite) than other people. Well, actually, Danish has various ways of expressing h\u00f8flighed<\/b> (courteousness):<\/p>\n

\u2022 tak<\/b>, of course, means thank you. <\/i>It\u2019s used literally all<\/i> the time: tak for mad!<\/b> (thank you for the food! \u2013 said to the host or cook when you\u2019re finished eating), tak for sidst!<\/b> (thank you for the last time! \u2013 said when you bump into someone you recently went to a party with), tak for i dag! <\/b>(thank you for today! \u2013 said when you\u2019re leaving an enjoyable company), tak fordi du kunne komme<\/b> (thank you for being able to come), tak fordi jeg m\u00e5tte komme<\/b> (thak you for allowing me to come \u2013 a possible reply to the previous one), en kop the, tak<\/b> (a cup of tea, please \u2013 notice how the idea of please<\/i> can sometimes be expressed using other words), mange tak<\/b> (many thanks), tusind tak<\/b> (thousand thanks), tak skal du have!<\/b> (thanks a lot, literally: thanks you shall have!) selv tak!<\/b> (your\u2019re welcome!)<\/p>\n

\u2022 undskyld<\/b> [ONNskil] (I\u2019m sorry) is often the word to use to get someone\u2019s attention without shouting: Undskyld, men du st\u00e5r p\u00e5 min fod\u2026 <\/b>(Excuse me, but you\u2019re standing on my foot\u2026) Undskyld, ved du hvor baneg\u00e5rden ligger? <\/b>(Excuse me, do you know where the main train station is?)<\/p>\n

\u2022 vil du v\u00e6re s\u00e5 venlig<\/b> (would you be so kind) is a bit formal: Vil du v\u00e6re s\u00e5 venlig at vise mig vejen til Zoologisk Have<\/b> (Would you be so kind as to show me the road to the zoo?)<\/p>\n

\u2022 venligst<\/b> (most kindly) is a snappier variation of the above \u2013 it\u2019s actually the closest Danish gets to please<\/i>: Ryd venligst op efter dig selv!<\/b> (Please tidy up your own stuff!)<\/p>\n

Danes love being equal, so fluff like the courteous pronoun De(m)<\/b>(You) and the formal titles herre<\/b> and frue<\/b> (Mr. and Mrs.) are hardly used anymore.<\/p>\n

What are your experiences in Denmark? Are people generally polite or not so? Drop a comment. Please!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

\u201dTwo fries and a cheeseburger!\u201d If you hear someone saying this, they might be a forgetful Dane. Danish, you see, has no proper word for please. This has given birth to the idea that Danes are less h\u00f8flig (courteous, polite) than other people. Well, actually, Danish has various ways of expressing h\u00f8flighed (courteousness): \u2022 tak…<\/p>\n

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