#learndanish

Singular Indefinite - ‘A/an’ in Danish

In Danish there are two versions for ‘a/an’. Namely, ‘en’ and ‘et’. Nouns using ‘en’ are said to have the gender ‘fælleskøn’ (literal translation: common gender) and nouns using ‘et’ to have the gender ‘intetkøn’ (literal translation: non gender). I will refer to nouns using ‘en’ as ‘en-nouns’ and nouns using ‘et’ as et-nouns.

Here are some examples for nouns using ‘en’ (fælleskøn):

En abe = a monkey

En hund = a dog

En bil = a car

En bog = a book

Examples for nouns using ‘et’ (intetkøn):

Et skib = a ship

Et æble = an apple

Et tæppe = a blanket

Et fjernsyn = a television

Unfortunately, there are no rules for when to use ‘en’ or ‘et’. This is something that you will have to memorize. However, about 75% of the nouns are en-nouns. If you mess this up it will sound unnatural but Danes will understand what you are talking about. When you are learning a new noun try your best to memorize whether it uses ‘en’ or ‘et’.

Fun fact: Sometimes even Danes can mess up when to use ‘en’ and ‘et’. Especially with the word ‘hamster’ (meaning hamster). You will hear some Danes say “en hamster” and some say “et hamster”. The correct version is: en hamster.

Singular Definite - ‘The’ in Danish (definite)

In English you put ‘the’ in front of a noun when talking about a specific “something” (e.g. the cat). In Danish it’s a little different. In Danish you add an ending to the noun. The ending is dependent on whether the noun is an en-noun (fælleskøn) or an et-noun (intetkøn).

If it is an en-noun (fælleskøn) you add -en as an ending. Example:

En hund (a dog) becomes hunden (the dog)

En bil (a car) becomes bilen (the car)

If it is an ‘et’-noun (intetkøn) you add -et as an ending.

Et skib (a ship) becomes skibet (the ship)

Et fjernsyn (a television) becomes fjernsynet (the television)

In other words: you just move ‘en’ or ‘et’ behind the noun!

Some exceptions:

If a noun is ending on -e such as in the nouns ‘abe’ (translation: monkey) and ‘tæppe’ (translation: blanket or rug) you just omit the ‘e’ from ‘en’ and ‘et’ and add -n or -t instead (depending on whether it’s an en-noun or et-noun). In other words, you omit the double ‘e’. Example:

En abe   becomes aben (not abeen!)

Et tæppe becomes tæppet (not tæppeet!)

Some nouns gets an extra consonant when conjugated. Let’s look at the noun ‘kat’, which means ‘cat’ in English:

En kat becomes katten

Here is an example of an et-noun ‘glas’ which means ‘glass’ in English:

Et glas becomes glasset

Useful Hotel Phrases in Danish 🔔 

You look really cute

Du ser rigtig sød ud 🇩🇰

Do you wanna meet for a cup of coffee?

Vil du mødes til en kop kaffe? 🇩🇰

Can I fist your ass pussy while choking you and call you Daddy?

In this lesson you are going to learn how to introduce yourself in Danish! You are going to meet a lot of new people throughout your journey of learning Danish, so being able to introduce yourself is essential. As of now, just try to memorize the phrases and don’t worry about the grammar.

First meeting

1. Hej! Hello!

2. Jeg hedder ______. My name is ______.

or

Mit navn er ______. My name is ______.

3. Hyggeligt at møde dig. Nice to meet you.

4. I lige måde. You too.

Taking the conversation a step further

1. Hvor gammel er du? How old are you?

2. Jeg er ___ år gammel. I am ___ years old.

3. Hvor er du fra? Where are you from?

4. Jeg er fra ______. I am from ______.

5. Hvor bor du? Where do you live?

6. Jeg bor i ______. I live in ______.

7. Hvad med dig? How about you?

Example conversation between Marie and Michael

Marie: Hej! Mit navn er Marie. Hyggeligt at møde dig. Michael: Hej Marie. Jeg hedder Michael. I lige måde. Hvor er du fra? Marie: Jeg er fra Danmark. Hvad med dig? Michael: Jeg er fra Amerika. Marie: Hvor gammel er du? Michael: Jeg er 27 (syvogtyve) år gammel. Hvor gammel er du? Marie: Jeg er 25 (femogtyve).

The translation: Marie: Hello. My name is Marie. Nice to meet you. Michael: Hello Marie. I’m called Michael. You too. Where are you from? Marie: I am from Denmark. How about you? Michael: I am from America. Marie: How old are you? Michael: I am 27 years old. How old are you? Marie: I am 25.

Note: This is of course a “perfect example” conversation utilizing only phrases you have learned from above. A first encounter with someone is almost always varying and it all depends on the setting, context and the people you meet. However, with these phrases in mind, you are off to a good start!

The handshake

In Denmark when greeting someone for the first time (in a formal setting) it is common courtesy to shake their hand. Examples of such formal settings are: meetings (e.g. job interviews) formal dining (e.g. dinner parties with your company) celebrations (e.g. weddings)

When greeting someone, make sure to have eye contact, grab their hand firmly and shake.

The hug