Og så sagde vi at du var kongen og at jeg var dronningen og at vi boede langt ude i en skov på et slot.
( And then we said that you were the king, and that I was the queen, and that we lived far away in a forest in a castle.)

And just like that, the stage was set for a role play, and in a moment the child can jump into it and unfold themselves.

But why does this take place in the past tense: sagde, var, boede – and is it still actually in the past?

Is this about something that happened long ago, maybe hundreds or even thousands of years ago, which we are now bringing back to life? No, this is not about time, but about mood. Mood means the manner or mode of expressing something.

In Danish we have three primary moods for our verbs:

• Indicative – Here we commit ourselves to the truth value of what we say.
• Imperative – Here we try to get people to do something.
• Irrealis – Here we imagine something, we set up hypotheses, or we wish for things.

In the child’s role play, irrealis is at play. The child immerses itself in another world through imagination. The child plays “as if” and through this explores what it encounters in actual reality: roles, situations, values, power relations, and so on. Through role play, the child develops its creative sense and processes reality.

Subjunctive

In earlier times, the Danish language had a form called the subjunctive. This was used when we imagined something, formulated hypotheses, wished for something, and also when we were being polite. We no longer have this form directly in Danish, even though many other languages make particular use of it. So what do we do instead? Well, we make use of what we already have – in Danish, that means we borrow from the past tense, and we also frequently use modal verbs.

A very large part of what makes up a conversation involves being able to listen. To listen to what people are actually saying to you. If you don´t listen, you can´t answer, you can´t respond. The art of listening is an integral part of all communication.

It’s not, however, only in the normal kind of two-way communication that one needs to be a good listener. Being able to listen is also an important element in learning to speak a language.

This is especially so for the Danish language, since what characterises Danish is the difference between its written and spoken form. Danes write differently compared to how they speak and the language is full of vocal nuances. The way to learn the language involves communication and listening.

If you’re struggling with the language, and no doubt also in its pronunciation, then you are making things difficult for yourself by:

You just need to start listening to the language, to how it sounds. How do you pronounce a vowel if you can’t hear it?

How do you master a melody of speech if you can’t hear it?

It´s like when you´re listening to a song you really like. It´s not because of the text, is it?

Or like when you dance – what get´s you moving is the rhythm and melody.

It´s more fun to learn Danish than you think. It´s also a lot faster to learn than you think.

There are two words for this one in Danish. We will take a closer look at this in the following blogpost.

KENDER

You say “kender” when you have met the object or the person in question in the real world and through that have obtained knowledge of he/she or it.

It may be that you have got to know someone.

“Kender du Per?” = Do you know Per?

“Ja, han er sød” = Yes, he is nice

It could also be an author that you have got to know through his or her books.

“Kender du H.C. Andersen?” = Do you know Hans Christian Andersen?

“Ja, selvfølgelig gør jeg det” = Yes, of course I do

VED

“Ved” is related to the brain. It is a knowledge you acquire, for instance, by studying and learning and thus become wiser. It may also be that you are just informed about it; “Ved du godt at vi får solskinsvejr i morgen?” = Did you know that it will be sunny tomorrow?

To know is tied to factual knowledge that can be proven.

“Du skal ikke tro, du skal vide” = You must not believe, you must know

It sounds the same and looks the same and they have a strong formation of meaning in common.

So is it not understandable that people mix them up?

The English verb “to go” is used to express the act of moving from place to place. It is not about how we do it. It is the essence of movement:

“I will be going to America this Christmas”

“I will go home now”

The Danish verb “at gå”, on the other hand, is what we express when we talk about walking:

“Vil du med ud at gå en tur?” = Would you like to come for a walk?

“Jeg går altid på arbejde” = I always walk to work

“Jeg går til USA til sommer” = I walk to America this summer;-)

Your find them in abundance in the Danish language: Compound words. The reason is that the Danish language is flexible towards new formations which means that there is a lot more compound words than the dictionary can hold.

If you would like your Danish writing to be clear and concise and also to avoid misunderstandings, you need to know about these compound words.

But it is tricky as they are written in two or more words in English, but in one word in Danish (hence, the very long words you occasionally come across in Danish).

In the following, I will give you some advice on how to spot compound words.

1. Emphasis
Where is the emphasis on the word?
Is the emphasis on the first part it is one word:

“en fuldmåne” = A full moon
“en rødkælk” = A robin

This is different from putting emphasis on both words:

“en fuld måne” = a drunk moon
“en rød kælk” = a red sled

2. The define form
How is the definite form created? Can you make it a definite form ending? Then it is one word:

“Fuldmånen” = The full moon
“Rødkælken” = The robin

However, If the definite article is created in the front of the word, then it is two words:

“Den fulde måne” = The drunken moon
“Den røde kælk” = The red sled

We have two verbs for that in Danish: “at spille” or “at lege”.

AT SPILLE
Is when you interact in a game with clear and concise rules, then you “spiller”. Example:

“Han elsker at spille volleyball” = He loves to play volleyball
“Jeg elsker at spille Matador” = I love to play Monopoly

You also use the word for playing an instrument.
“Jeg elsker at spille guitarre” = l love to play the guitarre

AT LEGE
“Lege” is used when children play. It is a word for childrens play – a form of companionship which is fundamental for childrens´ life. Children “leger” with each other. They enter into a parallel univers, space and time. They use their imagination and learn about themselves and the world in process.

“Skal vi ikke lege?” = Do you want to play?

That is a word that Danes tell themselves or say to other people – and maybe they ought to say it more often?

When we say “pyt” we erase what just happened. It is a form of forgiveness. It is fast and immedate and we start over from the moment it is said.

We can tel ourselves “pyt”, and thus be more gentle to ourselves. We can use it when talking to other people as a piece of advice, or it can be used to resolve a conflict and we will forget what the conflict was all about in a second.

This is how easy life can be – just say “pyt”.

”Kan du række mig kaffe?” = Can you hand me coffee?

“Hvordan er kage?” = How is cake?

”Hvordan gik samtale?” = How went job interview?


There is a distance in this situation, do you sense this? The reason is, that the declension of the noun is its indefinite form.

Nouns are people, animals, objects, situations or concepts and we use the definite form when we would like to convey a mutual understanding with whom we have a conversation. The person who speaks would like to convey that his discussion partner knows about the object he is speaking of. Through the definite form, a mutual understanding is created.

If you do not master the definite form of the noun, the opposite will happen; Distance. That is a distance that creates ‘noise’, because the purpose of learning a language is to enter into new communities and groups.


Nouns in their definite form are tricky for my students. A simple reason for this could be how they are used in the definite form; In front of the noun or in the end? In many other languages, the definite form is used in front of the word as an article. In Danish, However, it is used ‘behind’ the word as an ending.


In Spanish, you say:
«La entrevista» = the interview

In French, you say:
«Le entrevue»

In German you say:
«das interview»

In English:
«the interview»

But in Danish we do the opposite. We say: «jobsamtalen». We create the definite form as an ending of the word.

It is a good question, right? In English one says “if”, and in Danish one either says “om” or “hvis”.

These are smaller words, and one might think that they are not so important; that it does not matter whether you say one or the other.


But the wrong use of these words can create whole new expressions with a whole new meaning.

They are the type of words we call “conjunctions”. Conjunctions are a small group of words, which we use to create connections between sentences. We use them when we have become better at Danish and wish to express ourselves deeper and more advanced.

We have about 15 different conjunctions, and now you will get to know two of them:

OM

You use this one when you are asking a question.

“Ved du, om Peter og Anne kommer med til festen?” =
Do you know if Peter and Anne will join the party?

“Ved du, om vi har fri på mandag?” =
Do you know if we have a day off on Monday?

“Jeg ved ikke, om jeg elsker ham” =
I do not know if I love him.


HVIS

You use this when expressing the conditions of an action.

“Du består din prøve, hvis du øver dig” =
You will pass your test if you practice.

“Jeg er glad, hvis du er glad” =
I am happy if you are happy.

“Gider ikke” – This is a new expression for my students. When we sit and go through the verb list, they stop at the verb “gider” and then they ask;  “What does that mean?”.

 I explain that this verb is typically used with the adverb “ikke”;  “gider ikke” and that it is a whole new expression for them.


The closest translation of this term is; “Don’t want to”, “don’t feel like”, “can’t be bottered”, “isn’t keen on”, but these are not comprehensive translations.

The Danes say it when they feel a clear demotivation towards a given task. Something expected of them, something that would be the right thing to do. A clear lack of physical or mental energy is revealed here.

It is an expression that Danes use a lot in their daily lives, and now we have to take a closer look at when.

When do the Danes say “gider ikke”?

It is in close relationships that it is used; among children, in families, friendships, with couples, etc.

You may hear children say;

“Jeg gider ikke i skole” = I don’t want to go to school

“Jeg gider ikke lave lektier” = I don’t want to do my homework

Or with couples;

 “Jeg gider ikke tage opvasken i aften, skat!” = I don’t want to do the dishes tonight babe!’

“Jeg gider bare ikke på arbejde i morgen” = I just don’t want to go to work tomorrow

A bit about Danish culture.

The use of this term says something about the Danish culture.  The Danes can be direct and trusting and they can allow expressions like these.

It is different from e.g. an English and American culture marked by far more courtesy.

What are the 5 most used verbs in the Danish language? The verbs we say over and over and over again, and which are important for you to learn to master the Danish language?

The 5 most used verbs of the Danish language are:

ER – HAR – KAN – SKAL – VIL

ER
means “am”, “is”, “are”:

“Jeg er glad”: I am happy
“Jeg er træt”: I am tired

HAR
means “have”, “has”

“Jeg har to børn”: I have two children
“Jeg har også en skøn lejlighed”: I also have a lovely apartment

KAN
is used to express a capability or a possibility. I means “can”.

“Kan jeg hjælpe dig?”: Can I help you?
“Kan du cykle?”: Can you ride a bike?

VIL
you use to express a personal decision. It means “want”.

“Jeg vil lære dansk”: I want to learn Danish.
“Jeg vil bo i Danmark i mange mange år”: I want to live in Denmark for many many years.

Please notice that “vil” does not mean “will”. The words look alike and they sound alike, but they mean two very different things.

Will is translated to…..


SKAL
We use “skal” to express a future intention. It can be something that we are about to do or it can be something far out in the future. It is translated with words as “will”, “go-to”, “plans for”, “should”.

“Jeg skal have en kop kaffe “: I will have a cup of coffee
“Hvad skal du lave i sommerferien?”: What are your plans for the summer break?


Also “skal” can be used to place an order. Then it is translated with words like “have to” or “must”.

“Du skal i seng nu”: You have to go to bed now
“Du skal lytte efter”: You must listen up

Pronunciation

In this last bit, I would like to teach you a little bit of pronunciation. It is important to note that the Danes do not pronounce the last letter of the words “kan”, “skal” and “vil”.

They do not say “skaL” but “ska”, not “kaN” but “ka”, not “viL” but “ve”. And note that the vowel in “vil” changes from “i” to “e”.

An adjective is a word we use when we want to describe something, for example how we are feeling or a good movie or book. We use adjectives to describe things, people or ideas.

In English it is easy to use adjectives. They do not change og transform, or have certain rules to work after. Here a word is just a word.

In Danish, however, it is a bit different. In Danish the adjectives change according to what they are describing.

Is the adjective describing a common gendered noun (an en noun) like “en mand” (a man) or “en kvinde” (a woman), then nothing happens to the adjective. It stays the same:

“Det er en god dag idag”: It is a lovely day today
“Himmelen er blå idag”: The sky is blue today

Is the adjective describing a neuter gender noun (an et noun) like “et fjernsyn” (a television), “et barn” (a child) then you add a “t” to the end of it:

“Sommerhuset er rart“: The summerhouse is nice
“Græsset er grønt“: The grass is green


Is the adjective describing two or more of something for examble “nabours” or “flowers” or “children”, then you add a “e” to the end of it:

“Kartoflerne er danske“: The potatoes are Danish
“Øllene er kolde“: The beers are cold