Danish Cheatsheet
- Danish is a North Germanic language
- It is spoken in Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands
- The Danish alphabet has 29 letters
Pronunciation
- Danish pronunciation can be challenging for English speakers
- Stress is usually on the first syllable of a word
- The letters “g” and “d” are often silent
- The letter “å” is pronounced like the “o” in “more”
Examples
- “rød” (red) is pronounced like “ruh”
- “godt” (good) is pronounced like “goh”
- “år” (year) is pronounced like “ohr”
Vocabulary
- Danish vocabulary is heavily influenced by Germanic languages
- Nouns have two genders: common and neuter
- Verbs have two tenses: present and past
Examples
- “Bog” (book) is a common gender noun, while “Bord” (table) is a neuter gender noun.
- “Læser” (I read) is in the present tense, while “Læste” (I read) is in the past tense.
Grammar
- Word order is relatively flexible, but the verb usually comes second in a sentence
- Adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify
- Negation is formed by placing “ikke” after the verb
Examples
- “Jeg har en bog.” (I have a book.) and “En bog har jeg.” (A book, I have.) are both correct.
- “Rød bil” (red car) becomes “Røde biler” (red cars) in the nominative plural case.
- “Jeg taler ikke dansk.” (I don’t speak Danish.)
Resources