Learn the top five Danish phrases teachers want to hear
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Anna: Hi, everyone, I’m Anna. |
| Becky: And I’m Becky. Welcome back to DanishClass101.com. This is All About, lesson 15: Top 5 Danish Phrases from the Hosts. In this lesson, we'll go over our top five favorite phrases! We chose phrases that we find useful or interesting and that are used a lot in Denmark. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Anna: That's right. And you will learn the most natural way to say them. |
| Becky: So, what’s the first phrase? |
| Anna: “Hvordan går det?” or “Hvordan har du det?” |
| Becky: What do they mean? |
| Anna: They mean “how’s it going?” or “how are you doing?” The first phrase “Hvordan går det?” literally means “How is it going?” The second phrase “Hvordan har du det?” means “How are you doing?” or “How are you feeling?” |
| Becky: Which one is more common? |
| Anna: I’d say both. The first one “Hvordan går det?” asks about everything in general, while “Hvordan har du det?” refers more to physical or emotional health. |
| Becky: Are these slang? |
| Anna: Not at all. You can use these phrases when talking to a friend, family member, or colleague. |
| Becky: Okay, great! What about the next one? |
| Anna: “Det går godt”/”Jeg har det godt.” |
| Becky: And what do these mean? |
| Anna: These phrases are the answers to the above two questions. “Det går godt” means “It’s going well”, and “Jeg har det godt” means “I’m doing (or) feeling good.” |
| Becky: Let’s combine the question and answer. |
| Anna: The question is “Hvordan går det?” - “How’s it going?” and the answer is “Det går godt” - “It’s going well.” |
| Becky: And the other pair... |
| Anna: The question “Hvordan har du det?” - “How are you doing (or) feeling?” And the answer is “Jeg har det godt” - “I’m doing/feeling good.” |
| Becky: Now, let’s continue with the next phrase. What is it? |
| Anna: "Hvor er...?” which means “where is...?” |
| Becky: It is a useful phrase - short, concise, and easy to use, and you normally use it for things you are having difficulty finding. Note that the order of words in Danish questions is the same order as in English. |
| Anna: Right. “Hvor er” comes BEFORE the item in Danish. For example, “posthuset” means “the post office,” and so “Where is the post office?” in Danish is... “Hvor er posthuset?” |
| Becky: All right. And our next phrase is... |
| Anna: “Åh, gud!” |
| Becky: Which means? |
| Anna: “Oh God”. You’ll say it when something unfavorable happens, and it’s like the start of a complaint, or if you want to express surprise. It’s a very common phrase in daily Danish. |
| Becky: It’s a very fun phrase. Danish people would be totally surprised if they heard you say this. |
| Anna: Yeah. You will probably hear it everyday when you go to Denmark. |
| Becky: So, what is our last phrase? |
| Anna: “Ja, da”. |
| Becky: Ah, I know this. This is another way of saying “yes” to a question and it is used in the same way as “Sure” in English. It shows that you willingly and happily agree. |
| Anna: That’s right. |
| Becky: For example, you can use it when replying to whether or not we should order pizza. The entire question is... |
| Anna: “Skal vi ikke bestille pizza i aften?” |
| Becky: “Shall we order pizza tonight?” Then you reply with... |
| Anna: “Ja, da.” |
| Becky: “Sure, why not?” Great. So, can we wrap up this lesson here? |
| Anna: Yes, we can. |
| Becky: So there you have it! Five phrases that we find really useful that we have now passed on to you! Try using them the next time you have a conversation in Danish! |
Outro |
| Anna: And this is the end of our All About series! We hope you all enjoyed these lessons and found them useful. |
| Becky: Don’t forget to visit DanishClass101.com and check out our other series, including Basic Boot Camp, Absolute Beginner, Pronunciation, and Survival Phrases. Thanks for listening, bye everyone! |
| Anna: Hej hej! |
Comments
Hide