When planning your trip to Denmark, it is important to understand that although many of its citizens speak English, Danish is the official language of the country. As a result, it will greatly enhance your journey to learn some Danish words and phrases to help you get around this foreign land.
Many Danish letters are similar to the English language, but here are some exceptions. For example, the “a” sounds are pronounced like the letter “e” in “egg”, the “i” sounds are pronounced as a combination of “e” in egg and “i” in “sick” and the sounds “o »Are pronounced as« e »in« see ». Similarly, “æ” is pronounced as a short version of “a” in “pain”, “w” is pronounced as “v” in “van”, and “y” sounds like “ew” in “few” but with the most rounded lips
When “r” is used at the beginning of a word or after a consonant, it sounds like a strong guttural “h” like the Spanish “j” in “José.” Elsewhere, between vowels or before a consonant, it often becomes part of the vowel sound or is lost entirely.
Also, don’t forget to go back to the Scandinavian languages overview, where you can find more language suggestions and useful phrases for travelers.
Danish greetings and basic expressions
When you meet a resident of Denmark, the first thing you’ll want to say is “goddag” which is a polite way of saying “hello” or “Hej” which is the informal way of saying the same thing. Then you might ask “what’s your name?” saying ” Hvad hedder du ?” before introducing yourself as ” Jeg hedder [your name].”
To deepen the conversation, you can ask » Hvorfra kommer du ?» (“Where are you from?”) And answer in kind ” Jeg kommer fre de Forenede Stater ” (“I’m from the United States”). When asking how old someone is, just ask ” Hvor gammel er du ?” and answer “Jeg gammel [your age].”
If you want to find something in particular, you can tell your new Danish friend ” Jeg leder efter [item or place]” (“I’m looking for …”), and if you want to pay for the service on the subway, you could ask ” Hvor meget koster ? » for “How much is it?”
Agreeing with the statement requires a simple ‘ ja ‘ (‘yes’), while disagreeing is a simple ‘ nej ‘ (‘no’), but be sure to say ‘ tak ‘ (‘thank you’) when someone perform a task or do something nice for yourself and » undskyld » (» excuse me «) if you accidentally bump into someone. At the end of a conversation, don’t forget to say a friendly ‘ farvel ‘ for ‘goodbye’.
Danish signs and names of establishments
When in public, you may need to identify these common words and phrases to get directions about the city. From identifying entrances and exits to knowing the name of the police station, these words can become extremely important on your travels.
The entrance of a building is generally labeled » indgang «, while the exit is labeled » udgang », and you can tell when a place is open or closed by signs that say » å ¢ en » or » lukket «.
If you get lost, be sure to look for the » Information » signs or signs pointing to » politicization » («police station»), and if you are looking for a bathroom, you will want to look for a » toilet «. « Para » herrer «(» men «) or» damer «(» women «).
Other popular establishments and attractions include:
- A bank: en bank
- City center: centrum
- My hotel: m it hote
- United States Embassy: den Forenede State Ambassade
- The market: markedet
- The museum: museet
- The police: politiet
- The post office: postkontoret
- A public toilet: hygienic et offentligt
- Telephone center: telefoncentralen
- Tourist office: turist – information
- Cathedral: domkirke
- Church: kirke
- Main square: torvet
- Bookseller: boghandel
- Camera store: fotohandel
- Delicatessen: delikatesse
- Laundry service: vaskeri
- News agency: aviskiosk
- Stationery: papirhandel
Words for time and numbers in Danish
Although you may feel like a vacation is the perfect time to forget about time, chances are you have a dinner or game reservation to catch and you may need to ask someone to tell you what time it is.
In Danish, all you need to do is ask “Hvad er klokken” (“What time is it?”) To get his answer, but understanding the answer (“Klokken [time] er” / “It is [time] o’clock? «) Can be a bit tricky if you don’t know Danish numbers. From zero to ten, Danish residents use these numbers: nul , en , to , tre , fire , fem , seks , syv , otte , ni, and ti .
When talking about today, I would say “i dag”, and “i morgen” is used to refer to tomorrow, while “tidlig” means “early.” As for the days of the week, these are the words from Monday to Sunday in Danish: mandag , tirsdag , onsdag , torsdag , fredag , lördag and Sondag .
