{"id":223,"date":"2011-11-16T13:47:26","date_gmt":"2011-11-16T13:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=223"},"modified":"2014-08-06T18:26:27","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T18:26:27","slug":"greetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2011\/11\/16\/greetings\/","title":{"rendered":"Greetings!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hej<\/strong>
\nPronounced almost like its American equivalent \u2019hi\u2019, hej<\/strong> is the universal greeting in Denmark, used between young and old, men and women. It is quite informal, though, so using it to greet the Queen probably wouldn\u2019t be a good idea! It is often combined with little tail phrases, as in<\/p>\n

Hej, hvordan g\u00e5r det?<\/strong>\u00a0\u2019Hi, how are you?\u2019<\/p>\n

Hej hej<\/strong>
\nThis is a rare example of doubling in Danish. Say hej<\/strong> twice, and all of a sudden it means \u2019good-bye\u2019! Sometimes, a single hej<\/strong> can also be used to take one\u2019s leave of someone \u2013 like at the end of a telephone conversation. Be careful with your hej<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Hallo<\/strong>
\nStressed on the last syllable, hallo<\/strong> is hej<\/strong>\u2019s retro cousin. It\u2019s the thing to say when the phone line gets blurred \u2013 hallo? hallo?<\/strong> \u2013 but on the street you should use it sparingly, unless you want to give the impression you just arrived from the 1950\u2019s. Hallo, De der!<\/strong>, which can be heard in older films, is a bit like \u2019Excuse me, Sir! (What are you doing with my briefcase?)\u2019<\/p>\n

Hey<\/strong>
\nNow we\u2019re getting funky, this is the way to caption the attention of \u2019em kids in da street! While originally a loan from English, this small word has begun a life of its own in Denmark. The now-dead reggae star Natasja used it to make the whole country listen to hear 2007 hit \u201dGi\u2019 mig Danmark tilbage<\/em>\u201d (\u2019Give Denmark back to me\u2019):<\/p>\n

Hey, Danmark! Hvad sker der for dig!<\/strong> \u2019Hey Denmark, what\u2019s happening to you?\u2019<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the whole range of good+\u2019some time of the day\u2019-greetings. Unlike English, they\u2019re mostly written as single words in Danish:<\/p>\n

Godmorgen!<\/strong> \u2019Good morning\u2019
\nWhen you greet someone early in the morning.<\/p>\n

Goddag!<\/strong> \u2019Good day\u2019
\nThis one covers the whole day, and doesn\u2019t really exist in English. My dictionary translates it as both \u2019good morning\u2019 and \u2019good afternoon\u2019.<\/p>\n

Godaften!<\/strong> \u2019Good evening\u2019
\nWhen you greet someone in the evening.<\/p>\n

Godnat! <\/strong>\u2019Good night\u2019
\nIf you encounter a friend during a nightly stroll, you should probably go for a godaften<\/strong> (or keep it at a nod). Like in English,\u00a0godnat<\/strong> carries the implication that you\u2019re on your way to bed\u2026<\/p>\n

Farvel!<\/strong> \u2019Farewell!\u2019
\nWhen hej<\/strong> or hej hej<\/strong>\u00a0feels too informal, this is the one to use. In the modern spoken language, this word for \u2019good-bye\u2019 is strangely pronounced as \u2019forvel\u2019. It is commonly used in combinations like<\/p>\n

Farvel, vi ses!<\/strong> \u2019Bye, see you later!\u2019<\/p>\n