Dealing With Danish

In case you didn’t know, they speak Danish in Denmark. Not Dutch. Not Deutsch. Danish. I can say with some confidence that 99% of you who have never been to Denmark have never heard Danish spoken. For practical purposes, it sounds something like this:

Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly, what Danish sounds like, but if you don’t know any Danish, then it’s pretty indistinguishable. When I first came to Copenhagen, I was SO immensely intimidated by this funny sounding language with three weird, extra letters. I was going to take Danish, but would that help me at all? Would I leave Copenhagen knowing how to say anything more than “Hello,” and “Where is the train station?” Was this an impossible task?

Short answer: no. Danish is not impossible. It’s not easy by any means. But it isn’t impossible if you want to learn it.

I’ve really enjoyed discovering and learning Danish over the past four months. Languages are like a puzzle to me – bits and pieces you have to learn to decode, learn, and recognize so you can put them all together and make one coherent picture. It’s fun for me. It’s so fun that I practice Danish in my spare time (yeah, I know). But I also know that not everybody is interested in learning languages, and for some people, it’s more challenge and less fun. So, here are some tips based off my own experiences this semester that I hope will help!

Tali’s Tips for Learning Danish:

1. Take a Danish Language and Culture Class

This seems fairly obvious, for sure, but my Danish class is my number one resource for learning the language. Habitual exposure and practice is the only way you’ll get to know a language better. It’s not magic. Twice a week you know you’ll get the practice you need, with a teacher to help you in any way. In class, we spend a lot of time speaking, the one area in which myself and most other DIS students are the least confident. And not only do you get to learn Danish, but you’ll get insight into Danish history and culture, which will definitely enrich your experience in Copenhagen. I cannot recommend this class enough.

2. Translate everything you buy at the grocery store.

Your first trip to the grocery store is going to be terrifying. Everything will be in Danish, things will be in places you don’t expect them to be, and you will definitely end up buying yogurt instead of milk on your first go. Instead of being frustrated, though, use this as a learning experience for extra Danish practice! Translating directions, ingredients, literally anything on your food products will introduce you to a ton of new words that have practical use (because you should really know what you’re eating).

3. Use outside learning resources

After my Danish class, my secondary resource for learning practicing is Duolingo, a 100% free language learning website that just recently added a course in Danish. Duolingo makes learning any of the 8 languages they offer incredibly easy, accessible, and fun. Whether you use it as a supplement to class, or use it to learn independently, you’ll gain a lot with continuous use. Besides, the entire course is filled with sentences like these. Only in Denmark, man.

4. Don’t forget the Danes.

Who better to ask for help with Danish than the Danes themselves? Ask your host family for help with your Danish homework. Practice with them, your visiting family, your buddy network, your SRAs, literally anyone you have accessible. I know you might be nervous or intimidated – I didn’t let any Dane hear my Danish until the past week or two – but they’re the perfect people to give you feedback before you try out your newly learned skills in an Emmerys or a 7/11. And who knows – you might be a lot better than you think!

5. Don’t be afraid to sound weird.

The first time you try to say something in Danish, you’re going to hate it. You’re not gonna like how you sound. You’ll feel like you have potatoes in your mouth, or that you’re swallowing your tongue. But that’s the point. Danish and English may have similar roots, but they differ significantly in how they sound. So you shouldn’t sound like yourself! Lean into the discomfort that is speaking a foreign language, allow yourself to make noises you weren’t sure existed. You might make mistakes, but those mistakes can only help you learn in the long run.

With that said… jeg håber du kan lide at lære dansk ligeså meget som mig!