Learning to speak a new language is exciting; learning to write a new language is even more exciting! It will open new worlds for you. So, dig into these tips and advice for learning how to master the Danish alphabet easily - at DanishClass101 we make it easy, fun and relevant for you!
Starting anything from scratch can be challenging, especially if you learn how to write in a language completely different from your own. It is really like navigating through a territory that is completely unknown to you.
However, this need not be a big hurdle or a problem! At DanishClass101, we introduce you to Danish writing in simple, easy-to-follow steps, and you can ask for advice or help anywhere along the way. It is important to master the Danish alphabet completely from the start.
Download Your Free Guide to Beginner Danish!
If you want to master the Danish language and become fluent, get this Danish eBook! You need physical worksheets to practice on.
This eBook is a MUST-HAVE for all Danish learning beginners!
Download your Free Danish practice sheets PDF today and learn the Danish language in no time! This is a must-have guide for absolute beginners
Danish is mainly spoken by around 5.6 million people in Denmark, but is also spoken in Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and northern Germany. It is also the official language in the European Union Nordic Council and is spoken in Danish communities in the US, Canada, and Argentina.
The Danish alphabet consists of Latin letters and is similar to the English one with the exceptions of the vowel letters æ, ø, and å at the very end of the alphabet. They have replaced the digraphs ae, oe, and aa, but the latter aa can still be found in some personal or geographical names today without any change in pronunciation. The digraphs can also be used if æ, ø, and å are not available, for example, on computer keyboards.
In Danish, at least seventeen different vowel qualities and twenty-one consonants can be distinguished in distinct pronunciation, representing ten distinctive vowel phonemes and fifteen consonant phonemes. These phonemes differ further in allophones depending on length, conjunction, occurrence, combination and so on. In addition, the prosody of Danish does not have phonetic pitch like Swedish and Norwegian, but does have stress, which is phonetic and distinguishes words. The stød, a suprasegmental feature occasionally realized as a full glottal stop, is also phonetic and distinguishes words. While there are main rules for the position of the stress, only some main rules exist when it comes to predicting whether or not the stød is present. Finally, the Danish pronunciation of the letter r also differs from Swedish and Norwegian, as it is not trilled, making it sound a bit like the German r. We will see the details below.
The Danish alphabet is easy to learn because it uses the same alphabet as English, plus æ, ø, and å.
The Danish alphabet consists of 28 letters (29 when you include w which in general is not used very often), inclusive of 26 letters as in English and three additional vowels.
Æ æ, Ø ø, Å å
These three extra letters are vowels not found in the English alphabet and come at the very end of the alphabet They sometimes occur as digraphs, ae, oe, and aa, in some personal and geographical names. However, this does not affect the alphabetical sorting. The most common digraph still used today is aa, which appears in the names of the larger cities Aarhus and Aalborg in Jutland.
Æ æ is called “æ” and pronounced /ɛ/ or /ɛː/ like the first “e” in “energy” (for example, æsel meaning “donkey”).
Ø ø is called “ø” and pronounced /ø/, /œ/, /øː/ or /œː/ like “eu” in the French word “deux” (”two”), but slightly longer (for example, øl meaning “beer,” ørn meaning “eagle,” and skønhed meaning “beauty”).
Å å is called “å” and is pronounced /ɔ/ or /ɔː/ like “o” in “oh no” (for example, åben meaning “open” and åndedrag meaning “breath”).
A language’s alphabet is its building blocks. Trying to learn how to write in Danish without first learning its alphabet is a bit like trying to build a brick house without touching the individual bricks! It is impossible to do a good job that way. So don’t believe language schools and methods that try to teach you otherwise. You will regret it later.
Also, once you start recognizing symbols and words, you will be encouraged by your own progress and motivated to learn even faster. Even just learning the basics of the alphabet will allow you to start recognizing simple Danish words, and it will feel great!
Furthermore, knowing the alphabet even helps with pronunciation, as learning the individual letters of any language will start uncovering nuances and intricacies that are not always apparent when you’re simply listening to the words.
Completely mastering the Danish alphabet, no matter how long it takes, will give you an excellent head start in learning how to write and read the language. It will offer you a solid foundation on which to build the other language skills, so set a goal to learn the alphabet so well that you’re able to recite it in your sleep!
Read on for helpful tips and secrets to learning the Danish alphabet quickly and effectively.
How to Download Your Free Guide to Beginner Danish
If you want to master the Danish language and become fluent, get this Danish eBook! You need physical worksheets to practice on.
This eBook is a MUST-HAVE for all Danish learning beginners!
Download your Free Danish practice sheets PDF today and learn the Danish language in no time! This is a must-have guide for absolute beginners
Log in with Your Free Lifetime Account and we’ll give you a bundle of PDF cheat sheet including Survival Phrases, Romantic Lines, Learning Tips… — absolutely Free!
3 Reasons to Learn Danish Through PDF Lessons
Let’s now take a closer look at how studying Danish lessons in PDF format can help you reach your dream in up to half the time of normal video or audio lessons!
① Saves Minutes on Your Data Plan
Learning Danish through PDF lessons can dramatically reduce your data use. Once a lesson or tool is downloaded, you can then access it offline via your computer or smartphone any time or place regardless of Internet access. And once you’ve download the Danish lessons in PDF format, you can actually access them faster than logging in and trying to do so via a live site. So not only will learning Danish using PDF lessons save minutes on your data plan—it will save you some significant time as well as the lessons add up!
② Print and Take All Danish Lessons and PDF Tools With You Anywhere
Sometimes, a tiny smartphone screen just isn’t adequate, especially when you are trying to learn something new. The great thing about PDF lessons, tools or files is that they can be quickly printed and taken anywhere after you download them. In fact, printing out Danish lessons in PDF format can actually save you time when compared to going through the material on a smartphone with a small screen—even with the extra printing time!
③ Great Study Tool to Boost Retention and Mastery
Studying video or audio lessons online is a great way to learn a language because students can play and rewind sections as many times as needed until the lesson is mastered. But when you review the same Danish lessons again in PDF format, an incredible thing happens: your retention dramatically improves! Thanks to Time Spaced Repetition, seeing the information again in written format helps reinforce the information in your mind and improves both retention and recall. The benefits of learning Danish using PDF lessons quickly add up to significant time savings for you, your data plan, and your dream of learning a new language!
Why are we giving it away?
Learning to read and write is a must for all beginners. Although you get video lessons on how to write in Danish at DanishClass101, you’ll still need physical worksheets to practice on. That’s why you’re getting this printable tutorial PDFs as a gift.
With a language, like with anything you have to learn from scratch, having a few mnemonic devices handy are key to learning it fast. A mnemonic device is basically any method or technique that helps you to retain or commit something to memory more easily.
Here are a few mnemonic devices to memorize the Danish alphabet so you can speed up learning how to write in Danish.
① Find and Learn an Alphabet Song or Poem in Danish
Can you still remember your childhood alphabet song in your own language? The best way to commit it to memory so you can recite it is still your mom or first teacher’s way - with music, a song and/or a poem! Find a recording and learn to sing the song, or recite the poem along as best as you can. Ask your DanishClass101 teacher to help you understand exactly what you are singing or saying, and soon you’ll have reciting the alphabet under your belt! Repeat it out loud as often as possible.
However, you still need to learn how to write it.
② Study a Few Letters At a Time
Remember when you were young and learning to write for the first time? You didn’t start with words or sentences; you started with letters, one at a time!
Decide on tackling only a few letters each week, and then don’t move on from these till you are completely familiar with them. Don’t take on too many at once, or you may become discouraged. Also, remember to ask your teacher at DanishClass101 if you have questions!
Learn to incidentally spot the letters in books, road signs (If you’re living in the country), magazines, on TV, anywhere you encounter written Danish. Remember to write them out!
③ Write Out the Letters of the Alphabet By Hand
Make it a goal to write out your week’s letters at least once a day, and commit to this goal. You can also do it every time you have a free moment. Get yourself a special notebook for this purpose that you can carry with you anywhere you go. Sitting on the train or bus? Waiting for someone somewhere? Whip out your notebook and write the Danish alphabet, or the letters you are learning. Aim for about 20 repetitions, while silently saying the letter in your head as you write it out. This way, you will soon be able to form and write words all by yourself! Exciting, isn’t it?
Writing something down with a pen also seems to engrave it in the brain in a way that nothing else does. As an added benefit, it gives you the satisfaction of seeing a new language in your own writing!
Once you’ve mastered the whole alphabet, commit to writing it out in its entirety at least once a day, for at least one month. More repetitions are obviously better.
④ Involve Your Whole Body
Research has shown that the more senses and actions we use to learn something, the quicker the new information sticks in the memory and becomes habitual. To apply this principle while learning the Danish alphabet, write out huge letters by tracing them in the soil, or with chalk on the floor. Now, while saying the letter out loud, walk on the lines you have just traced. In this way, you ‘write’ the letter by moving your whole body!
Having fun just makes it even easier to learn something, so why not ‘write’ the letters out with dance steps while moving to your favorite Danish music!
This is a simple trick that seems silly, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you will commit intricate letters to memory this way. It really works!
⑤ Use Associations To Memorize Letters
This technique would involve saying the Danish letter out loud, and then thinking of a word in your own language that sounds the same as the letter. That would then create a phonic association that should make it easier for you to remember the letter. Better even if the association is something you can draw or picture.
If the script of the new alphabet is very different from your own, look at it closely, and see if you can find an image that the letter reminds you of
⑥ Now Have Fun Trying To Write Words!
Try to write words from your own language in Danish, and ask your friendly DanishClass101 teachers for feedback! Or post them on the forum and see if anyone can read them. You will be so pleased with yourself when you start writing words that are readable and recognizable by native speakers.
Do you know how to say hello in Danish? It’s the most basic phrase that you’ll need to say and hear in everyday life. If you don’t know yet, learn 15 ways to say hello and greet others in Danish. Why 15? The more variations you know, the more you can speak and the more fluent you become!
Can you introduce yourself in Danish? Don’t worry! Check out the 10 Danish Lines You Need To Introduce Yourself with this free Review Sheet. From “My name is…“ and “I live in…” down to “My hobbies are…” Just review the 10 lines. It will only take you 2 minutes. Then, introduce yourself in the comment section below!
How good is your Danish? Care to put it to the test? Here’s the deal! We’ve come up with this must-know Danish Phrases List. Learn the top 25 Danish phrases, hear the native pronunciation and put your Danish to the test. Did you know them all? If not, review the list and master these easy phrases!
Has anyone thanked you today? We will. Thank you for reading this article and learning with us! In fact, today, you’ll learn the many different ways to say “Thank You” in Danish. It’s one of the most important Danish phrases. Check it out and watch the video too to practice your pronunciation.
It will take a little time and patience to learn the Danish grammar. If you haven't already, I suggest you sign up for a beginners' course and speak with your teacher. They will be able to advise you on the best way to learn the basic Danish grammar rules.
Kind regards,
Metha
Team Danishclass101.com
Jostein
Sunday at 05:45 PM
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
I need to know the basic grammar, PLEASE. This is important for me so I can use the words in the right order or right way as the grammar rules. Thank you
Say Hello in Danish
Introduce Yourself
Top Danish Phrases
Thank You in Danish
A language’s alphabet is its building blocks. Trying to learn how to write in Danish without first learning its alphabet is a bit like trying to build a brick house without touching the individual bricks! It is impossible to do a good job that way. So don’t believe language schools and methods that try to teach you otherwise. You will regret it later.
With a language, like with anything you have to learn from scratch, having a few mnemonic devices handy are key to learning it fast. A mnemonic device is basically any method or technique that helps you to retain or commit something to memory more easily.
Hi Jostein,
Thank you for your comment.
It will take a little time and patience to learn the Danish grammar. If you haven't already, I suggest you sign up for a beginners' course and speak with your teacher. They will be able to advise you on the best way to learn the basic Danish grammar rules.
Kind regards,
Metha
Team Danishclass101.com