Conversation 1
Pronunciation
Note about phonetic descriptions
Pronunciation of certain sounds | |||
The hard d | |||
en dansker | dan-skə | a Dane | |
Danmark | dan-mahk | Denmark | |
at arbejde | aah-by-də | to work | |
The silent d | |||
at kende | kɛn-ə | to know | |
spændende | spɛn-n-ə | exciting | |
almindelig | ʌl-meen-lee | ordinary | |
The soft d | |||
at hedde | heeð | to be called something | |
en måned | mawn-əð | a month | |
hvad | vaeð | what | |
Here are a few more examples of the soft d | |||
en kode | koo-ð | a code | |
fed | feeð | fat | |
en side | see-ð | a side, a page | |
en periode | pɛ-yoo-ð | a period | |
glad | glaeð | glad, happy | |
The soft d is the most difficult Danish sound. The closest it comes to English is the th, but with your tongue extended a bit farther. It doesn't come naturally for English speakers, and requires quite a bit of practice.
To most people it sounds like an l, and it might help to think that it lies somewhere between a d and an l. |
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See d |