3 tips on how to start speaking Danish to Danes
Know the feeling? Now that you’ve mastered a little bit of the language, it can be hard to make the switch from English to speaking Danish with the Danes in your life. Here are some tips and tricks for how to go about it.
It can be difficult as a foreigner in Denmark to make the switch from speaking English in Denmark to speaking Danish. As Danes are so good at English, and so ready to accommodate foreigners, it can be difficult to comfortably convince them to speak Danish with you, especially if you’re still learning. And it’s not unheard of to be met with a response in English when trying to speak your broken, thick-accented Danish.
However, there are a few tips and tricks to make the switch from English to speaking Danish.
Always speak Danish to people who don’t know you
Whether ordering a coffee, asking for a table at a restaurant, or meeting someone new, always speak Danish. Even if they can tell you have an accent and use incorrect grammar, they will usually respond to you in Danish if they can see you’re trying. And when they say something you don’t quite understand, instead of straight away switching to English, ask them “hvad siger du?” so that you can have another chance to get it. Perhaps they’ll rephrase what they said so that it’s simpler. And if they laugh a bit at you, it’s just their way of making you feel welcome.
Ask colleagues and friends to speak Danish to each other when in a group, so that you can practice keeping up with the conversation
Ask your friends and your colleagues to speak Danish unless it’s obvious that you don’t understand. Only then will they know that you really want to give it a shot. If they have until now only spoken English to you, it’s just because they want to make you feel included and welcome. And while you may make some hilarious mistakes, who better to correct you over a laugh than the people you already know?
Put yourself into situations where they don’t speak English
While there are some elderly people who do speak English, many don’t. So starting a conversation with your friend/partner’s grandmother or grandfather, or trying to have a chat with the old woman who sat next to you on the bus, can be a good way to put yourself into a situation where you have to make it work, only in Danish.
Another way of forcing yourself into being understood in Danish is by talking to kids. Perhaps you don’t have contact to any kids, but if you do, don’t avoid talking to them. They tend to speak slowly and without much complicated language, so it can be fun to get them to understand your funny accent, and to try to understand their long, rambling stories about their day at school.