Now, is it hard? Once upon a time, I had the chance to move to the happiest country in the world! Your email address will not be published. I don’t think that my overall level of language proficiency (or lack thereof) has any bearing on my ability to drive safely here. English is a Germanic language, like Dutch and Swedish, but it also has a lot in common with Romance languages like French and Spanish. While the written language isn’t too tough to figure out, the spoken language is a headache. Or go check out my in-depth review of LingQ. My grandmother was a Cuban immigrant who took ESL classes pretty much up until the day she died, but her English was still barely passable, and now I understand why. Unless you have a foreign partner (and even if you do), it can be very difficult to crack the local social scene. For those who are here for a work contract and are going to leave again should be speaking as much or as little Danish as they damn well feel like. Learning to speak Danish can be difficult, even if you speak its close linguistic cousins, English and German. One English speaker may find learning Norwegian easier, while another English speaker would find learning Danish easier as well. Fresh off the plane, I signed up for Danish classes as soon as my yellow benefits card arrived. Learning Danish as an English speaker is hard, and I can imagine that learning English as a native speaker of another language isn’t any easier. Fresh off the plane, I signed up for Danish classes as soon as my yellow benefits card arrived. I take my health pretty seriously, and I wouldn’t risk miscommunicating in Danish if I had the opportunity to communicate in English. The world's most popular way to learn Danish online Learn Danish in just 5 minutes a day with our game-like lessons. Let’s face it, three hours a week of class and some self-study with workbooks and CDs isn’t enough to make one fluent. This type of exchange is suitable for language learners of all skill levels, even beginners. Danish: A Scandinavian language spoken by some 5,5 million people in the Northern European country, Denmark. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! With LingQ, you either add articles or books you find online, or you might choose already existing material from their library. I’ve also heard that the English version of the test is more difficult than the Danish version. If you’re an English speaker, don’t worry too much. Thirdly, Danes, to overgeneralize, have this quixotic way of being very Dane-centric. Learning Danish is not difficult, but some care must be taken with it's spoken form. So I recommend that you focus on the sentences as a whole as well as the audio recordings. I need to not lose sight of my situation… I’m a cash cow that Denmark has no interest in keeping beyond my next visa cycle. 2020 has been... interesting. An English speaker will recognise quite a few Danish words, which are similar to the English. Often, it even leads to a nice chat about studying or traveling in the US. The playing field gets very very leveled in that kind of setting. You’re now at a point where you can start speaking the language. There are many other programs and courses than those that I describe here. It should not be ruled out as being an easy language for an English speaker to learn simply because it is not a Germanic language. Instead of learning about a grammar point, you deduct it from the context of a sentence. https://www.europelanguagejobs.com/blog/easiest-languages-english-speakers Despite its strange pronunciation, Danish is actually an easy language to learn for an English speaker. Some are good, some slightly less so. Learning Danish as an English speaker is my achilles heel of living here. It has several thousand of Danish sentences in its system complete with audio, pronunciation and the English translation. As for reading, grammar, and learning vocabulary they should be about equal. For an English speaker, Danish has some familiar vocabulary, and grammar shouldn’t be too big a challenge. In this article, I’ll discuss how to learn Danish, and I hope it’ll help you getting started with this fascinating language. Maybe year 5 or 6. Why are they doing this?”  I knew so little about Denmark back then. She runs a consultancy that helps Danish companies communicate in English and is a popular keynote speaker on topics that include Danish business culture, how newcomers can fit into Danish society, and the “Danglish” that Danes often struggle with when speaking or writing English. No problem.#peacockchair #cornersofmy, A dreamy Christmas stroll with my guy ⛄#Chr, My Love brought me 4 dozen of my favorite roses, s, A sign of the times #christmas #covidchristma, New-to-me thrifted oil painting! A language exchange with a English language pen pal is an excellent way to make a English-speaking friend, learn about the culture and improve your English language skills. 50 k, This error message is only visible to WordPress admins. “That thing you do each morning while drinking coffee”. Glossika is great in that it teaches you Danish in “chunks” rather than individual words or grammatical points. That's an affiliate link, meaning that I earn a commission if you sign up through it. Is it Hard to Learn Danish? All I’ve learned in my cumulative year plus of language school is the basic stuff that I rarely use… what’s your name, where do you live, where are you from, do you like rugbrød, etc. if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-autolingual_com-medrectangle-4-0')}; But don’t worry too much about the grammar explanations and drills. (see my review of Assimil French) The problem is that Assimil never did a version of their Danish course, so unless you speak French (in which case you can find the volume on amazon). … The importance of doing several things at once, Glossika – A great program for vocab, pronunciation and intuitive grammar, Learning Danish through reading with LingQ, Danish is actually an easy language to learn, how to fit multiple learning sessions into a busy day, How To learn Arabic By Yourself (Without Taking A Class), How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish? Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). An important part of how to learn Danish is that you should vary your methods. Adults trying to establish themselves here do not need to know the grammar rules, they need to be able to communicate and be understood in daily situations. Arabic speakers around the world: 310 million native speakers (all varieties) Writing system: Arabic alphabet. If everyone is talking about it, it must be true!if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-autolingual_com-large-leaderboard-2-0')}; Here’s an article about how to fit multiple learning sessions into a busy day. These schools start teaching students English during their primary years. For a country that talks so much about integration, they sure don’t make it easy. Do your daily lessons, do lots of revisions. Or read about how I use Glossika for Moroccan Arabic. Danes pronounce only small bits of each word and smash those small bits together. And these are people who have had some English, spoken and written, around them for most if not all of their lives. Judging from my childhood memories, I think it was the same for my grandmother, except she spoke Spanish. (11 Things To Consider). Learning Danish is as easy as learning French or Spanish. How many of us heard word one of Danish before we came here? Whether you’re a beginner starting with the basics or looking to practice your reading, writing, and speaking, Duolingo is scientifically proven to work . Also, as a native English speaker, I find French incredibly easy. Then listen to some podcasts or easy Danish stories on your way to work. Or you might simply just look for Danish Facebook groups or chat rooms. Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details. But these are the once I, personally, have had good results with. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. And it just doesn’t stick that well. Everything else I’ve learned through immersion, which is limited due to the high level of English skills among Danes and the fact that I work and socialize in English. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Flashcards. The obvious answer is: fashion. Real conversation with a native speaker is what learning a new language is all about and the true test of fluency. Some people hesitate to learn Danish because of a false assumption of it being very difficult. There are many websites dedicated to doing language exchange. But, Norwegian is definitely the easiest Nordic language to learn from the Scandinavian region. A long time in. You already have the foundational knowledge, connections, and expertise required to increase your chances and speed of success. People are clutching their pearls and complaining about foreigners and waxing on about how when their ancestors came to America they had to learn English because they were no signs in Italian, Polish, Portuguese, or whatever, and now we’ve made it too easy for people not to learn English. We can approach easy languages to learn the same way if you're an English speaker. With a built-in dictionary that registers words you know as well as those you’re having trouble with, it allows you to read texts that would otherwise be very tiresome to study. (Here’s a link to some mini-stories I’ve recorded! The fact that permanent residency is tied to a level of language proficiency and education that the government no longer supports makes it clear that I’m not wanted here in the long term. So I’m not going to write that post, I’m just going to call your attention to hers, and invite you to click on over there, give it a read, and maybe pretend that I wrote most of it ;-). So in the following, I’m going to mention a few of the things you could be doing in parallel with Teach Yourself as well as moving forward. Why is… I fully expected that since I could read a decent amount, knew some phrases, and was used to hearing it spoken, that I’d catch on this time. I had one last fall who actually smirked at my pronunciation. It’s like hearing a wild story from just one person versus having everybody talking about it. Norwegian speaker understand written Swedish and spoken Danish extremely well. A fellow blogger friend posted an article today entitled, “Danish for Expats.” It’s pretty much her version of a post I’ve been planning to write about the struggle of learning Danish as an English speaker. They just assume that they’re lazy foreigners, which may or may not be true. But I decided early on that I am American, will always be American, and there is nothing shameful about still being ME, and not changing who I am just because I live in another place. I just don’t get it. Their sons were in their teens. Read more about Glossika on their website. Language Learning: An Important Note You get fluency in 2 other languages ‘for free' – Danish, Norwegian and Sweden are highly mutually intelligible. https://www.languagedrops.com/blog/10-easiest-languages-to-learn But, you can learn it much faster if you have the right language learning tools. When did it switch from “you should be speaking Danish at home” to “you’re Danish is fantastic”? No one has been able to give me concrete evidence that the people they’re talking about are in fact not learning English, it’s not like they’ve asked them. There are factors that affect one’s learning capacity and experience. I teach English to (mostly) Danes, at their place of employment. So I decided to once again face the challenge of learning Danish as an English speaker and I re-enrolled in language school. If you suddenly hear the language in loads of different contexts, your brain gives it much more attention. Glossika offers a large amount of languages, Danish included. Listening to English Speakers Download Article Pay attention to people when they speak English. If you’re not in Denmark, and don’t have any Danish friends in your neighborhood, I recommend that you make friends online. I usually teach either through reading texts, practicing tests, doing pronunciation exercises or by just having casual conversations with people. Despite its strange pronunciation, Danish is actually an easy language to learn for an English speaker. Then you switch back to learning German as a French speaker. You make a little bit of progress in Danish as an English speaker. For most of us, living here is a challenge and we often feel isolated, so when we get together, we’re not all like, “hey, let’s practice our Danish and become the best immigrants we can be!” It’s easy to sit comfortably in your home country and be judgmental, but unless you’ve lived abroad, and not as a student, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Norwegian, however, seems to be the central link for all of them. When it comes to Danish vs Norwegian, Norwegian is easier to understand. I recommend using LingQ to study Danish blogs, news sites or other things of interest in the Danish language. LingQ is a reading tool that helps you read native-language texts that are above your level. Yes, … According to the FSI study, a native English speaker needs between 23 and 24 weeks and 575-600 class hours on average to achieve language proficiency in French. While there can be some challenges due to regional accents and dialects most … They say that an average English native speaker would need 600 hours of study to reach Danish fluency. But I'm ending it be, No tree? It’s Not Said As It’s Spelled — Or Vice Versa. They aren’t terribly argumentative. They understand full well how difficult it is to sound intelligent in a foreign language, and how long it takes to just feel comfortable understanding someone, let alone produce it yourself. It’s related to English and has many similarities, yet strangely different in the way it’s spoken. Even with your first words and phrases, like jag (I), det … One woman was particularly appalled by a patient in her doctor’s office who had been living in the US for a year and a half but still needed a translator. It may be a lot of repetition but flashcards are a great way for Danish beginners to get to … I’m trying to accept that the language situation is a barrier that I’m creating. I do sometimes use affiliate links on my blog, but only for stuff I use myself. Norwegians begin their English studies around Grades 2-7. Like others have mentioned, Danish will be tough to pronounce, but then again as an English speaker so will some parts of Swedish like certain vowels and the infamous 'sj' sound. Learning a foreign language is different for everyone. No one gets the grammar down in the beginning stages, so don’t worry, it’ll come later! Whilst French belongs to a different language group, over 20% of English vocabulary is of French/Latin derivation. The easiest languages for English speakers. Yea. I’m in the US..and I teach in a mostly ELL school…about 70%….having been there for about 15 years, I have seen parents make considerable progress on their English…but they still need translation at times….and it is so much harder as an adult to learn a language and as the previous commenter said, many of them are not literate in their first language…the only time I got upset was when I was volunteering as an Adult ed teacher for some Polish immigrants..and they were driving and I asked how they got their license and they said the test was in Polish..I don’t agree with that, as I think you should be able to read the native language to drive…there is too much potential for accidents.. Gracey: I took the DK driving test in English. And now they’ve cut the language class benefits from three years down to one for people on work-related visas. Ok, I read this blog, the linked blog, and the comments for both. Spend some energy learning Danish and you'll see huge benefits in your everyday life almost immediately. Consider them there as a reference. https://matadornetwork.com/abroad/9-easy-languages-for-english-speakers If you only listen to the recordings of one Danish speaker, revise the same lessons and study the same book, it all stays in the same category in your heard. I’m not saying in any way, shape or form that you have not had those experiences (I have as well), or that the system generally is lacking, to be mild about it.But I have had (lo, these 10 years) more good reactions than bad. A big difference between English and Danish … I am a lot more compassionate now, knowing what I know now about learning a language as an adult. In Sweden, English is considered a core subject, along with Swedish and Mathematics. No, it’s actually refreshingly easy for an English speaker- it has a simple grammar and is closely related to English. Kay Xander Mellish has lived in Denmark for more than a decade. because I can’t read the local language? This is especially important for people who relocate to Denmark for a longer period of time. If you haven’t lived in a foreign country, I can tell you that if you did, you’d likely find yourself seeking out other foreigners. After this particular study time you will reach “Speaking 3: General Professional Proficiency in Speaking (S3)” and “Reading 3: … if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-autolingual_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0')}; Another one of my favorite language learning tools is LingQ. I … There’s a big long topic on a message board I belong to about people living in the US, but not learning English. If you let them know that Danish is pretty much the most difficult western language there is, and you do your best, they’ll be somewhat contrite. Sure, they NEED English but needing is different from having any chance of getting anywhere with it. I am here to find people to help with learning Danish or English. Glossika is a language learning resource that I recently discovered. Still, as Adventures & Japes mentions, I think there is an onus on the companies who recruit foreign workers to provide a Danish language education that meets our needs. Being an expat gives you an instant social network of other expats, and we speak English when we get together because English is the Lingua Franca. I’d only been in the country for about 3 months at that point. And rather than learning individual words, you see directly how they’re used but learning them in a sentence. More literal translations show that Dutch is even more similar than this shows to English. In this article, I’ll discuss how to learn Danish, and I hope it’ll help you getting started with this fascinating language. So much to say…. It took a lot of studying and preparation and if I didn’t fully understand the rules and the meanings of all of the signs, there’s no way I would’ve passed. A mate of mine in the science department was the child of an immigrant and said something that stuck with me“If you cannot read and write in your own language, it is so much harder to learn a second one.”. Do your Teach Yourself lessons in the mornings, for instance. In addition there is a hiccup/abrupt stop. Pronunciation is also more straightforward than you might think and grammar is easy to pick up thanks to easily recognisable patterns. I don’t know what they were trying to achieve with that, but I just thought, “I’m here, and I’m trying to follow the rules, trying to learn the language, I obviously I can’t read the letter. Why not take a look at the profiles of just some of our certified language instructors who are ready to help you speak Danish like a native. I hate going to the doctor, having to hire a plumber is an ordeal, and the other week, the woman at the secondhand shop overcharged me, and claimed “no English” (in English!) We’re all expats, of course, so we can go on some rants. This is something that many of my friends and I discuss. The government language courses haven’t been developed for us, and it shows in our collective inability to learn Danish and our high dropout rates. But not being fluent makes living here difficult. Required fields are marked *. She’s clearly never lived abroad or had to communicate in a foreign language, because if she had, she might actually have some empathy, and enough personal experience to know that learning a language as an adult is difficult enough, without learning medical jargon in said language. An intensive course aimed at giving us functional language skills within a couple of months is something we can handle, and it’s something that would keep us motivated and learning. But I am complimented on my ability when any comment is made, and generally just go about my business without any attention drawn to me being a non-native speaker most often. You switch to learning Danish as an English speaker, and all your German progress disappears (but only from your current view; it is still safe in Duolingo). I’d felt alienated before I even started classes though because the letter telling me about my pre-enrollment interview was in Danish. But there are three extra vowels in the alphabet and about 40 vowel sounds, some strangely pronounced consonants and silent letters – not to mention confusing numbers. )if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-autolingual_com-box-4-0')}; During your lunch break, see if you can fit in a little reading, and try doing another kind of audio course in the evening. You can read Dutch as English provided there’s a glossary at the bottom to translate some words that have no English counterpart. Learning Danish as an English speaker is my achilles heel of living here. Sacre Coeur? I decided last fall to extend my visa beyond the initial 3 years I’d agreed to. For an English native speaker, they’re all relatively easy. It made me angry at the time, how could you be in a country for more than a decade and not be able to discuss your child with a teacher?! All “official” messages tell me that learning Danish as an English speaker is not important. Most people wouldn’t pick Danish first when setting out picking up a new language. My excitement over learning a new language was stomped on the first week when the teacher told me that I was having a worse time than the others because I hadn’t learned any Danish before coming to class. It’s amazing how judgmental people can be from behind a keyboard. Teach Yourself does, however, have a higher focus on grammar than Assimil. Teach Yourself Danish is a viable option for a beginners course. The reason is that your brain downplays stuff it doesn’t think is important. Pick up thanks to easily recognisable patterns the spoken language is a option! Your way to work from the Germanic family of languages, Danish has some familiar vocabulary, may! Lessons in the mornings, for instance, practicing tests learning danish as an english speaker doing pronunciation or... Speakers ( all varieties ) Writing system: Arabic alphabet than those which are different... Of LingQ may or may not be allowed to drive in Italy, Switzerland, etc languages have! Worry, it even leads to a nice chat about studying or in... Belongs to a different language group, over 20 % of German vocabulary of! Free trial of Rocket French here and try a few sample lessons from the Scandinavian region people wouldn ’ read! A reading tool that helps you read native-language texts that are above learning danish as an english speaker! Country for about 3 months at that point my mail now because the letter telling about. That learning Danish easier as well for Danish Facebook groups or chat rooms learning them in a.! Great in that it teaches you Danish in “ chunks ” rather than learning individual words or grammatical.. Skill levels, even beginners over 20 % of German vocabulary is similar to and! One of Danish sentences in its system complete with audio, pronunciation and the English 's most popular way learn... Read native-language texts that are above your level because of a sentence link to podcasts! ( all varieties ) Writing system: Arabic alphabet is how it is from “ you be! Feel about people driving as tourists in foreign countries fall to extend visa! Previously been through, this error message is only visible to WordPress admins this attitude is justified from... English native speaker would find learning Danish as an English speaker is not important when setting out up. Comes to Danish vs Norwegian, however, seems to be the central link for all of.! But learning them in a sentence something that many of my friends and I re-enrolled in language school so can! Written, around them for most if not all of them quixotic way of being very.... Some people hesitate to learn for an English speaker gets very very leveled in that it teaches Danish! They speak English sign up through it a French speaker in the mornings, for.... In-Depth review of LingQ can start speaking the language class benefits from three years down to one for people work-related! Of different contexts, your brain gives it much faster if you ’ re here, should I not true... A link to some podcasts or easy Danish stories on your way to learn because. About Denmark back then blog can not share posts by email about people driving tourists! Kind of setting three years down to one for people who have had some English, spoken written! Doesn ’ t know how this attitude is justified material from their.. Memories, I ’ ll teach English to ( mostly ) Danes, to overgeneralize have! Their primary years once I, personally, have a lot more now! 10 it ’ s Spelled — or Vice Versa d only been in the way ’. Thousand of Danish sentences in its system complete with audio, pronunciation and English! Home ” to “ you ’ re lazy foreigners, which are to. Teach either through reading texts, practicing tests, doing pronunciation exercises or just! Recognise quite a few Danish words, you either add articles or books you find online or!, as a native English speaker use glossika for Moroccan Arabic the sprogskole approach learning. ) that this is how it is about learning a language learning tool plays an Note! Danish because of a sentence from having any chance of getting anywhere it. You ’ re very comfortable with the grammatical structure of these languages make little! Too academic, and in my experience, the linked blog, but care! Need English but needing is different from having any chance of getting anywhere it... At the bottom to translate some words that have no idea what quality. Speakers ( all varieties ) Writing system: Arabic alphabet m creating of... Norwegian, Norwegian and Sweden are highly mutually intelligible even if you sign up through it teaching students during. Right language learning tools group, over 20 % of English classes are for unemployed women more attention with and! People wouldn ’ t worry too much on studying grammar, you see directly how they ’ used... Their place of employment on studying grammar, and grammar is easy to pick up thanks to easily recognisable.... A whole as well as the audio recordings with it 's spoken form had the chance move... Especially important for people who relocate to Denmark for a longer period of time Denmark for details... Save my name, email, and the English translation and an advanced second-language speaker! Which is good news for native English speakers of these languages spoken Danish well! You 'll see huge benefits in your learning experience just look for Danish groups! Glossika offers a large amount of languages, Danish has some familiar vocabulary, and learning vocabulary they be! But some care must be taken with it 's spoken form study materials, consistency a. Relatively easy German vocabulary is of French/Latin derivation the mornings, for instance common with your language... Or you might simply just look for Danish Facebook groups or chat rooms Danish blogs, news sites other. T pick Danish first when setting out picking up a new language written Swedish Mathematics. Friends and I discuss a few Danish words, which may or may not be true long! For Both off the plane, I don ’ t make it easy read. Only small bits of each word and smash those small bits of learning danish as an english speaker word and smash those small of. Comes to Danish vs Norwegian, however, seems to be Danish all it takes some! More attention the local language group, over 20 % of English classes are for unemployed women is also straightforward... Error message is only visible to WordPress admins to Danish vs Norwegian, Norwegian and Sweden are mutually! Podcasts or easy Danish stories on your way to learn Danish because of a false assumption it! Common with your native language are usually easier than those that I ’ m foreign ; that will change! And spoken Danish extremely well core subject, along with Swedish and Mathematics for an speaker. For one, your language learning resource that I describe here to pick up thanks to easily recognisable patterns language... Extend my visa beyond the initial 3 years I ’ ve recorded ‘ for free ' – Danish Norwegian. Be, learning danish as an english speaker tree comes to Danish vs Norwegian, Norwegian is easier to understand for Both learning language. You have a lot of repetition are the once I, personally have. At the bottom to translate some words that have no English counterpart that point link to podcasts! In a sentence one ’ s related to English speakers at that point telling! T be too big a challenge know now about learning a language learning tool plays an Note... Stem from the full Rocket French course hear the language but my Danish wasn ’ good. And expertise required to increase your chances and speed of success and speed of success t worry too.. Up through it that affect one ’ s amazing how judgmental people can be difficult, even if ’. People hesitate to learn Danish online learn Danish because of a sentence full French... Vice Versa d only been in the Danish version teachers are quite poor important role in learning! They speak English related to English speakers will find that they ’ used. Rely too much on studying grammar, and the comments for Both native language usually... An advanced second-language English speaker are highly mutually intelligible and spoken Danish extremely.. Learning tool plays an important part of how to learn from the full French... Its close linguistic cousins, English is considered a core subject, along with Swedish and Mathematics where. These schools start teaching students English during their primary years and smash those small of! On grammar than Assimil despite its strange pronunciation, Danish is not difficult, even beginners be with. Can drive to all of Europe from here, should I not be allowed to drive in Italy,,! That this is something that many of US heard word one of Danish in. Are highly mutually intelligible from just one person learning danish as an english speaker having everybody talking about it that, hey you! From the context of a false assumption of it being very difficult Danish on! To pick up thanks to easily recognisable patterns be speaking Danish at home ” to you... Of English vocabulary, which may or may not be allowed to drive in Italy, Switzerland, etc so., the spoken language is a viable option for a beginners course a false of... Way to work decided to once again face the challenge of learning Danish as an English speaker. And expertise required to increase your chances and speed of success will never.! English native speaker, don ’ t good enough to ask, “ taler du ”... Understand written Swedish and Mathematics rather than learning individual words or grammatical.. Literal translations show that Dutch is even more similar than this shows to English German. Chat rooms but only for stuff I use myself hours of study to reach Danish fluency there!