{"id":1320,"date":"2015-11-30T22:00:10","date_gmt":"2015-11-30T22:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=1320"},"modified":"2015-12-01T00:58:43","modified_gmt":"2015-12-01T00:58:43","slug":"feeling-the-way-of-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2015\/11\/30\/feeling-the-way-of-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling the Way of Words"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"123-800px\"<\/a>

(Free illustration\u00a0from OpenClipart.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Hello all you people who are brave and patient enough to delve into the mysteries of dansk<\/b>! Some time ago I asked you for feedback on your learning difficulties, and a couple of great suggestions<\/a> popped up (keep \u2019em coming!) One of you wrote: \u201dDo you have an idea how to obtain that feeling of the language, so that the words could be placed in the proper order without too much thinking about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The thing is: If you really want to understand Danish word order, there is no way around grammar. And thinking about grammar most often means blocking the flow of the language. I\u2019ll do my best to explain a bit of \u201dgrammar without grammar\u201d, then:<\/p>\n

1. Feel the verb<\/b>
\nCan you pick the verb in any phrase, without even blinking an eye? Good, then you\u2019re on your way to perfect Danish. The verb is the \u201daction word\u201d that is moved up front when making questions (or orders). Get a feel of it by turning every phrase you read into a question (or an order):
\nHun planter et \u00e6bletr\u00e6.<\/b> (She\u2019s planting an apple tree.) > Planter<\/i> hun et \u00e6bletr\u00e6? \u2022 Plant <\/i>et \u00e6bletr\u00e6!<\/b>
\nDe k\u00f8rer b\u00f8rnene i b\u00f8rnehave. <\/b>(They\u2019re driving the kids to the kindergarten.) > K\u00f8rer<\/i> de b\u00f8rnene i b\u00f8rnehave? \u2022 K\u00f8r <\/i>b\u00f8rnene i b\u00f8rnehave!<\/b>
\nDet sner. <\/b>(It\u2019s snowing.) > Sner<\/i> det? \u2022 Sne <\/i>s\u00e5, dit dumme vejr! <\/b>(Then snow, you stupid weather!)<\/p>\n

2. Balance the elements of the phrase<\/b>
\nWhen you\u2019ve spent some time tuning your verb radar, add other words to form phrases. For now, there\u2019s 1 rule<\/i><\/b> <\/i>to remember: Only 1 unit of meaning <\/i>should go in front of the verb, the rest goes behind it:
\nJeg <\/i>k\u00f8ber <\/b>en julegave<\/b>.<\/b> (I\u2019<\/i>m buying a Christmas present.)
\nRudk\u00f8bing<\/i> ligger <\/b>p\u00e5 Langeland<\/b>.<\/b> (Rudk\u00f8bing<\/i> is on Langeland.)
\nDen gamle hund<\/i> ligger og sover <\/b>i solen<\/b>.<\/b> (The old dog<\/i> lies sleeping in the sun.)
\nMie og Lotte<\/i><\/b> <\/i>spiller <\/b>bold<\/b>. <\/b>(Mie and Lotte<\/i> are playing [with a] ball. \u2013 Yes, it\u2019s still 1 unit of meaning; instead of Mie and Lotte<\/i> we could\u2019ve said the girls.<\/i>)<\/p>\n

Non-natives tend to cram in extra units of meaning in front of the verb, like this:
\nI dag jeg<\/i> k\u00f8ber en julegave.<\/b><\/del>
\n Her den gamle hund<\/i> ligger og sover i solen.<\/b><\/del>
\n Rudk\u00f8bing ikke<\/i> ligger p\u00e5 Fyn.<\/b><\/del><\/p>\n

No, no, no. Remember, only 1 unit of meaning in front. Other elements are \u201dsqueezed\u201d away and land after the (first) verb:
\nI dag k\u00f8ber jeg<\/i> en julegave.<\/b> (Today\u2026)
\nHer ligger den gamle hund<\/i> og sover i solen.<\/b> (Here\u2026)
\nRudk\u00f8bing ligger ikke<\/i> p\u00e5 Fyn.<\/b><\/p>\n

Write some short phrases and make sure there\u2019s always just one \u201delement\u201d (phrase part) in front of the verb. Then read the phrases aloud and transition to speaking.<\/p>\n

Next week, we\u2019ll be looking at some phrases that might be a bit more complicated\u2026 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Hello all you people who are brave and patient enough to delve into the mysteries of dansk! Some time ago I asked you for feedback on your learning difficulties, and a couple of great suggestions popped up (keep \u2019em coming!) One of you wrote: \u201dDo you have an idea how to obtain that feeling of…<\/p>\n

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