Learn some common Danish phrases you may hear every day while traveling in Denmark
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 |
| Becky: Welcome back to DanishClass101.com. This is All About, Lesson 5 - Top 5 Must-Know Phrases for Learning Danish. |
| Anna: Yes. In this lesson, we'll introduce you to five phrases that will help you every day! |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: Yes, these are phrases that you will be really glad you learned. We'll not only teach you the phrases, but also when and where to use them. In this lesson, we are going to give you the phrase, pause for you to repeat it, explain it and give some examples, then jump to the next phrase. Anna, what’s the first one? |
| Anna: First up is "Hej." (Pause) The most practical phrase in Danish is "Hej." |
| Becky: Yes. It is used like the English “hello,” or “hi.” And you can use this greeting in any situation at any time of day. |
| Anna: When someone greets you with this word, you simply respond with…"Hej." In case you want to use a more fitting greeting for the time of day, you can say “godmorgen” which is “good morning”, and “godaften” meaning “good evening”, instead of “hej.” |
| Becky: Ok, now the next phrase... |
| Anna: "Tak skal du have." (Pause) |
| Becky: It means “thank you.” A well-placed and sincere "Thank you" will always be appreciated when someone has done something nice for you. |
| Anna: However, you will most likely hear Danish people only saying "Tak" (pause). “Tak” is the shorter version of saying “thank you” and simply means “thanks.” |
| Becky: So, what would you say if you really wanted to express your gratitude, Anna? |
| Anna: You could add “mange” which means “many” or “a lot” before “tak,” which gives us “mange tak” (pause). |
| Becky: This literally means “many thanks” and is equivalent to “thanks a lot” in English. |
| Anna: If you want to say “no, thanks,” simply add “nej” in front of “tak.” “Nej, tak” (pause). “No, thanks.” The opposite of this is “Ja, tak” where “tak” has become “please” and is to accept something someone has offered you. “Ja, tak” means “Yes, thanks”. All we did was add “ja” which means “yes” in front of “tak.” “Ja, tak” (pause). |
| Becky: The next phrase is “Excuse me”. If you want to draw somebody’s attention in Danish, when you want to ask about something or when you want to squeeze past somebody in a crowded place, use... |
| Anna: “Undskyld mig” (pause). |
| Becky: In most cases, though, when you want to ask the store clerk about a product, your waiter about the menu, or simply a random person on the street about the time or directions, to get someone’s attention you can simply say… |
| Anna: “Undskyld” (pause). |
| Becky: This actually means “Sorry” in English and is also the next and final phrase. |
| Anna: When you want to apologize for something you did, though, you say “Undskyld” (pause). “Jeg er ked af det” is also a way of saying “I’m sorry” in Danish. |
| Becky: It actually means "I am sad," so this phrase is mainly used when you want to express sympathy for someone else. This includes situations of which you are not a part, or a cause. |
| Anna: In these situations, you can say “Jeg er ked af det” (pause). |
Outro |
| Anna: And that’s all for this lesson! |
| Becky: We’ve covered the 5 most practical phrases in Danish. Knowing these phrases will take you a long way. |
| Anna: You'll probably use them every day! |
| Becky: So keep these phrases in mind and we'll see you next time! Bye! |
| Anna: Farvel, vi ses! |
Comments
Hide