Do you NEED to know Danish to live in Denmark?

DO YOU NEED TO KNOW DANISH TO LIVE IN DENMARK?
#Dansk #Danish #Denmark

In this video, we discuss something all foreigners in Denmark have to grapple with - do you NEED to know Danish to live in Denmark?

We break down all the reasons why you may, or may not want to learn Danish while living in Denmark. If you move to Denmark for a short period of time, it may not be important. If you're moving to Denmark to be with your Danish partner - you have more urgency and importance in learning the language as quickly as possible.

We look at the implication of your choice to learn Danish or not learn Danish based on many factors and situations.

We answer these questions:

Do you need to learn Danish to get a job in Denmark?
Do you have to know Danish to make Danish friends?
Do you need to know Danish to get around Denmark?
Do you need to learn Danish to get by in daily life in Denmark?
Do you need to learn Danish for major events in Denmark?
Do you need to know Danish to be included in Danish culture?

Enjoy the video and let us know your thoughts on if you need to know Danish to live in Denmark in the comments.

CHAPTERS:
Intro - 0:00
Overview - 0:30
Work - 2:58
Friends - 5:26
Getting Around - 7:49
Daily Life - 9:51
Major Events - 11:57
Feeling Danish - 14:25
Final Thoughts - 17:05

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[Donnah]

It's important to note, that learning Danish is MANDATORY if you want to stay in Denmark for the long run.
In order to get permanent residency one of several requirements is that you pass a specific language test!
So start learning right away - in case you might want to stay!

[brittabrandtoft]

I would love to hear you have a little conversation in Danish. Just a few min would be great 🇩🇰

[flemmingrostock]

You are absolutely right, knowing a language is to understand the culture. And even if Danes are very proficient in English, doesn't mean their humour is understandable by English speakers.

[neskire]

It helped that my Danish parents spoke Danish with their Danish friends when I was growing up. They never spoke it with me because they were trying hard to learn English and only used it around me as a secret language. When we visited Denmark in 1970 ( I was 14 ) I started to pick up some of the phrases. They just popped into my head because I had heard them in context as a young child. (The MASH actor, Loretta Swit, had a similar situation with Polish. She heard it as a child but started to pick it up when visiting Poland for the first time.) When I lived in Denmark in the 1980s, I was told my pronunciation was good. I worked with computer graphics and all the equipment at the time was in English. It meant we spoke English most of the time. One of the company directors was American. But the other was Danish and he chided me in front of a client that I knew Danish but didn't bother. I found that insulting since we mostly spoke English in the office. It may have been "Danish humor". It is frustrating when you are trying to learn Danish and everyone else is trying to practice their English with you.

[fluorescentfuture]

You guys are fantastic. I'm getting married to a Danish woman and moving to Copenhagen. Your basic run downs really make it seem less daunting. Keep it up.

[ErininCopenhagen]

It's incredibly hard learning a new language and - especially with a country like Denmark and their high English proficiency - I can totally see why some might be a bit lazy about it. BUT definitely agree that you should always try your best to learn the language of the country that "took you in", as you say! If nothing else, it really does help you feel more connected to everything going on around you 🙂🇩🇰

[kimberry]

YES!! It's a tough language and I am in awe of American expatriates who speak it fluently!

[ullew]

You're attitude towards this is so wonderful. I've seen so many videos about foreigners moving here and complaining that they can't get any friends or something but they flat out refuse to learn the language or culture, even after living here for years. Love that you're encouraging people to learn the language! ❤️

[TheMissnola]

I have a neigbour in her early 40's that only came to Denmark 5 years ago, she struggles so much with danish but she doesn't let it hold back. She uses google translate as a last resort if she can't think of a different way to describe what she means. She only speak Turkish outside of the little bit of danish she knows. When we talk I talk a bit slower, anunciate more than I normally would and use less complicated words. She put's in the effort so so can I.

[lisbetsoda]

If you came over by yourself or with a Danish spouse, you would have been forced to learn faster. It is nice to come together, and then it is so easy to speak English with each other. I would have done the same but that is why the two of you haven't felt "pushed" to learn Danish. If you plan to stay for the long haul, you are probably going to have to buckle down.
But I do get your frustrations.
Try to watch Danish shows with subtitles in Danish. That is a very useful Learning tool.

[petermiddleton]

Hi How are your danish actually coming along?.... it could be fun if you did a video in danish. keep up the good work, It's nice to see danes from a different point of view.

[Sigart]

Also remember that if you want to work with anything even smelling of customer service, speaking Danish is a requirement.

I work at a vet clinic at Frederiksberg and we have a lot of international clients as well as a veterinarian from Italy, so actually a requirement to work with us is speaking proficient English on top of Danish. Which, obviously, isn't much of a problem, I just thouhgt it was kinda interesting and unusual.

[benjackson]

I’ve read if you plan on staying there for a year, learn Danish. And like the guys said, don’t be afraid to ask to speak it. The more you use it the better.

[TheMikZino]

This is a great video, thanks, guys. I have been here for 15 years and have been to sprogskole when I moved here (back then it was free for two years) but then I made it to DU2 but then found a full-time job so I left school. I am married to a Dane, so I felt it was ok. But it is important to learn it, not just to speak but also to read it. I have a very strong Chicago accent, so my Danish is kind of hard to understand, but I can read and understand almost everything and THAT HELPS! Being able to talk to colleagues is awesome, but most switch to English with me too. Sometimes I will leave a conversation and they still continue in English and I feel bad :( Danes are so sweet and they are willing to make you feel welcome, but as you guys said, this should be reciprocal. If you live here you should try to learn the language, even with a strong accent. (OMG don't even get me started on the letter R) I spent hours in dictation with a trainer on my own time to correct this... my accent is never going to be able to handle the letter R in Danish... but I try :) Thank you both for talking about this, I know it will help people just coming into Denmark, but I just love watching no matter what the video topic is. You guys are great. :)

[christiancanty]

I moved from the UK 3 years ago with no Danish skills at all. Now been in the Danish army for 8 months and would call myself fluent after around the 2 year mark. You could survive without Danish in a big city, but it helps to speak Danish, and Danes really appreciate it

[mvoetmann]

Your comments about location names in Copenhagen made me smile. Spoken location names in Copenhagen have often been so garbled over centuries, that even danes from other parts of the country have no chance of finding them on a map. Dorthe they are spelled very doesn't from their pronounciation (like Amager) or they are not on the map at all (like Strøget, Lorterenden pisserenden and Pusher Street).

[klausolekristiansen]

We have two versions of "When in Rome" in Danish:
Skik følge eller land fly (Custom follow or country flee)
Man må hyle med de ulve man er iblandt (One must howl with the wolves one is among)

[Gwenx]

Im part of a organization for young people between 16 and 35 where we meet once a week, eat and talk and play boardgames together, we had a volunteer from England, he had family in denmark and spoke only a little danish, but understood most.
We normally would not take in people who dont speak danish because everyone else speaks danish by default, we allowed him in and it was super nice to have him!
He learned danish words and some culture from us and we also learned from him! I love meeting people from other places but it does help a lot if they learn some danish if they live here, because some danes never learned english or refused to..
English is also not the only langueage we learn, so most learn 3 langueages but some up to 5, my mom personally went though 7 as she is originally Norwegan, traveled the world and became a nurse 🥴👌

[ivannuzhyn]

Your channel is super useful, thanks a lot for your work guys

[kasperraskjensen]

Hello from Albertslund^^
I gotta say I enjoy watching your videos since as a dane I often hear about how it was for people to move to for example the US or Great Britain, but it is interesting to see which cultural roadblocks people encounter when moving to Denmark.

In regards to turns of phrase jokes, there is a quite old and dumb one. At the beach yell "HEJ!!" really loudly to a friend or something, "hej" is a greeting pronounced as "hi" and sounds like "haj" which is the danish word for shark:), of course most people would think it is more of a dumb joke than funny like I said, since we don't really have a shark problem here in Denmark. But the point is, that would make no sense if translated:P.