Introduction to Danish

Danish is fairly easy to learn compared to most other European languages. The grammar is somewhat similar to English, and often much easier. The most difficult parts about learning Danish are listening and pronunciation. Like English, Danish is not always pronounced the way it is written.

However, in spite of appearances, Danish pronunciation is in fact many times more consistent than English. There are only a relatively small number of sounds in Danish that make it hard to pronounce.

Here are a few more Danish sentences, pronounced very slowly (click on the sentence to hear its pronunciation, and click on the green check mark to see the English translation):

While you might have been able to guess the meaning of these sentences, the pronunciation most likely came as a bit of a shock. Generally, you will find the sounds hard to pronounce in the beginning, and the sentences will seem unreasonably fast. You won't be able to discern individual Danish words in a sentence; they will all seem to flow together (the sentences above have been slowed down so you can hear each word). But the fog will begin to clear after a few days of practice, and you will begin to see some results in your pronunciation.

It is important to imitate the pronunciation as much as possible and to persevere. Remember that a Dane will not necessarily slow down for your sake, especially after discovering that you know a word or sentence in Danish!

Long and complicated grammar explanations are kept to a minimum during the lessons. This will allow you to grasp the rules much quicker. Look for patterns and try to keep notes of your observations.

You can go to the very comprehensive grammar section if you have specific grammar queries, and there are additional, dedicated sections for common phrases and for pronunciation (see the top of each page for navigation).

Only lesson 1 (out of 20) is available in this online version (plus over 40 other pages).
The full Danish course has over 340 pages of learning material and over 5,000 audio-enabled Danish words and phrases.

The red forward arrow takes you to Lesson 1.