A Brief Introduction to the Danish Language

Danish (dansk) is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language. Danish is a mandatory subject in school in the Danish crown territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, as well as the former crown holding of Iceland. There are also Danish language communities in Argentina, the U.S. and Canada. Danish is mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Swedish.


A few Danish phrases to get you started:

English Dansk (Danish)
Welcome Velkommen
Hello Hej / Hallo (on phone)
How are you? Hvordan har du det? (inf) Hvordan har De det? (frm)
I'm fine, thanks. And you? Fint, tak. Hvad med dig?
What's your name? Hvad hedder du?
My name is ... Jeg hedder ...
Where are you from? Hvor er du fra? Hvor kommer du fra?
I'm from ... Jeg er fra ... / Jeg kommer fra ...
Pleased to meet you Rart at møde dig
Good morning God morgen
Good afternoon God aftermiddag
Good evening God aften
Good night God nat
Goodbye Farvel
Good luck Held og lykke!
Cheers/Good health! Skål!
Have a nice day Fortsat god dag
Do you speak Danish? Taler du dansk? (inf)

 

Want to learn Danish?

Online Dictionaries and Translation Tools


Freedict.com is a free online Danish to English and English to Danish dictionary. Enter the word in one language and get the corresponding translation.

Freelang offers free bilingual dictionaries. Install the program once, then download as many languages as you need. You can browse the word lists, add your own words or create your own dictionary! An online version is also available if you just want to look up some words.

WorldLingo is one of the Internet's leading translation services, performing thousands of translations every day. It was founded in 1998 with the specific purpose to help people communicate and do business in foreign markets.

SPROGTEK ApS is owned by two young translators - Jeanette and Thomas Myllerup. The company was formed in June 1999. Their clients are both Danish and international companies and they have a network of liaisons in Denmark and the rest of Europe.

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