Learn about how to speak politely in Danish
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Intro |
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| Michael: How do you say "please" in Danish? |
| Anna Juul: And how do you speak politely in Danish? |
| Michael: At DanishClass101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following situation: While studying Danish, Ben Lee hears a rumor about the Danish language. He asks his friend, Nanna Nielsen, "Is it true that Danish has no word for "please?"" |
| Ben: Er det sandt at Dansk ikke har et ord for "please"? |
| Dialogue |
| Ben: Er det sandt, at Dansk ikke har et ord for "please"? |
| Nanna: Nej, det er kun et rygte. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben: Er det sandt, at Dansk ikke har et ord for "please"? |
| Michael: "Is it true that Danish has no word for "please?"" |
| Nanna: Nej, det er kun et rygte. |
| Michael: "No, it's only a rumor." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: The word "please" is one of the most important words in any language. It goes beyond allowing you to convey politeness and respect. It may be a simple word, but it's powerful enough to calm tempers and settle misunderstandings. In Danish, one of the most common words used to express the word "please" is |
| Anna Juul: Be' om. |
| Michael: This expression is composed of two words. The first word is derived from the verb |
| Anna Juul: bede |
| Michael: which means "to ask" or "to pray." The second word is |
| Anna Juul: om |
| Michael: This word means "about" in Danish, so every time you say, |
| Anna Juul: Be' om, |
| Michael: you're basically saying, "Ask about" or "Pray about." This shouldn't be a surprise considering that one of the old-fashioned ways of saying "please" in English is "pray tell." |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Ben says "Is it true that Danish has no word for "please?"" |
| Anna Juulas Ben Lee: Er det sandt, at Dansk ikke har et ord for "please"? |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Nanna says "No, it's only a rumor?" |
| Anna Juulas Nanna Nielsen: Nej, det er kun et rygte. |
| Michael: Ben was asking Nanna whether it's true that Danish has no word for "please." While browsing the internet, you may come across articles stating that Danish does not have an equivalent of "please." While it's true that Danish doesn't have a word that directly translates to "please," as we have learned , Danish uses an expression for "please," which is |
| Anna Juul: Be' om. |
| Michael: In most cases, this expression is used when you're asking for something, such as when you say |
| Anna Juul: Andrew, må jeg be' om tallerkenen. |
| Michael: "Andrew, I'd like to ask for the plate." However, it's also used in the same way that you would use "please" in English, such as when you say |
| Anna Juul: Må jeg be om regningen! |
| Michael: "Excuse me, check please!" or when you say, |
| Anna Juul: Be om, nej! |
| Michael: "Please, no!" or even when you want to say, |
| Anna Juul: Oh, be om, be om, be om! |
| Michael: "Oh, please, please, please!" |
| Michael: In this lesson, you've learned that, while there's no direct translation of the English word "please" in Danish, the Danish language has expressions that are used in the same way you would say "please" in English. |
| Expansion |
| Michael: So far, we've learned one Danish expression that's used to mean "please," and it's the expression, |
| Anna Juul: Be' om. |
| Michael: We've mentioned that this is only one of the common ways used to say "please" in Danish. That's because there are other ways to do so, such as |
| Anna Juul: Vær så venlig |
| Michael: Think of it as "Would you be so kind" in English. A variant would be the expression, |
| Anna Juul: Vil du være så sød |
| Michael: which basically means the same thing. This is the expression you would use when asking for a favor from another person. You can also use it when apologizing or when you feel that a simple "please" would not be enough. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: In Danish, saying "Thanks," or |
| Anna Juul: tak |
| Michael: can also be a way of saying "Please." It's usually placed at the end of a sentence, particularly when you're making a request. When you're eating at your favorite restaurant in Denmark, for instance, and you want to see the menu, you can say, |
| Anna Juul: Kan jeg se menuen, tak? |
| Michael: "Could I see the menu, please?" It's also useful when you're giving a command: |
| Anna Juul: Alexa, køb denne vare, tak. |
| Michael: "Alexa, buy this item, please." |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Anna: Farvel! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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