A few minutes from now Danish learner, you will be ready to handle a simple but rewarding conversation with any Dane.
This guide to common Danish phrases will gently take you from the initial greetings, through the typical situations during your day, to the final long goodbye.
Whether you’re planning a trip to Denmark, or want to exchange pleasantries with the drummer of Metallica, these common Danish phrases will come in handy!
As you’ll see, I have added a pronunciation guide. This may not make you sound exactly like a native, but it should do the trick.
Danes will be delighted, even flattered, by the slightest effort a foreigner makes to speak their language. By all means try it. All you risk is a warm smile!
Pro Tip
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Greetings In Danish
This is where all the magic begins. A greeting in Danish will make a good, lasting first impression. They will quickly become almost automatic, as you’ll use them each time you meet someone.
- #1 Hej: Hi/Hello
- (Hi) Just like the English greeting, informal but suitable for most occasions.
- #2 Goddag: Good day
- (Goh-dai) Slightly more formal.
- #3 Godmorgen: Good morning
- (Goh-mourn) Used when you meet people in the morning.
- #4 Godaften: Good evening
- (Goh-afdun) Used when you meet people in the evening.
- #5 Godnat: Good night
- (goh-nat) When you or the person you’re talking to goes to bed.
- #6 Velkommen: Welcome
- (vel-common) Used when your guest sarrive
- #7 Tak fordi vi måtte komme: Thanks for having us
- (tack four-dee vee maudde commuh) Used when your hosts have welcomed you.
Danish Small Talk And Pleasantries
After the first greeting, this will allow you to briefly introduce yourself, as well as show an interest in your new friend.
It's nice to have established a common ground and a positive connection, don’t you find? With these Danish phrases, you’ll be there in no time.
- #8 Hvordan går det?: How are you?
- (vor-dan gaurh-de) Asking someone how they feel is always a polite way of showing interest.
- #9 Det går godt, tak: I’m fine, thank you
- (de gauhr got, tack) The standard reply to the above. Like in English, it's not really an invitation to pour your heart out.
- #10 Jeg hedder _____: My name is _____
- (yai hether) To properly introduce yourself
- #11 Hvad hedder du?: What is your name?
- (vath hether doo)
- #12 Hvor kommer du fra? Where do you come from?
- (vor commuh doo fra) This works whether you are asking about a country or a town.
- #13 Jeg kommer fra ____: I come from ____
- (yai commuh fra) So here you can answer with a country or a town, depending on what seems most appropriate.
- #14 Dejligt vejr i dag: Nice weather today
- (dai-lit ver i-dai) Yes the Danes like to talk about the weather too. Superficial perhaps, but it sends an honest signal that you would like to talk. It works even if there is a storm – you’re just being ironic, and Danes love that!
Being Polite In Danish
Danish, like most other languages, has a pretty fixed set of phrases that mark the standard of politeness.
If you know the most important of these, you're well protected from those awkward situations when you don’t know what to say. Consider this your bulletproof politeness armour!
- #15 Tak: Thank you
- (tack). This can be extended to mange tak (mungeh tack), if you want to say ”thanks a lot”.
- #16 Det var så lidt: Don’t mention it.
- (de vahr suh lit) A polite way to respond when somebody thanks you.
- #17 Tak for mad: Thank you for food
- (tack for maath) You should say this immediately after you have finished eating, not at the end of the evening.
- #18 Værsgo: Here you are
- (vers-co) Used when handing someone something, including food and drink.
- #19 Velbekomme: Bon appétit
- (vel-beh-commuh) Use this when you serve food for someone.
- #20 Undskyld: Pardon
- (unn-skyll) Actually this word covers both ”pardon” and ”I’m sorry”, as well as ”excuse me”. Like the latter, it can also function as a polite way of getting someone’s attention.
- #21 Det gør ikke noget: It’s okay
- (de geur ickuh know it) For example when someone apologises for stepping on your toes.
- #22 Øjeblik: (just a) moment
- (Oye-blick) Can be used to indicate that someone has your attention, you have heard them, but need a moment to take some action – like finding an expression on this list!
- #23 Tillykke: Congratulations
- (Te-leukkeh) Used for anything from a passed exam to a birthday or a wedding.
- #24 Det var pænt af dig: How kind of you
- (de vahr paint a dai) Used to express appreciation.
- #25 Venligst…: Kindly…
- (vehnlist) Danish does not really have a word like ”please”. But if you can't shake your nice English manners, starting a sentence with this is like saying ”please”. Note though, it's not used often in spoken language.
Danish Question Words
Knowing these simple question words will help you gather information about the new world around you. I promise, they are not hard to say, yet incredibly useful.
- #26 Hvorfor: Why
- (voffuh)
- #27 Hvad: What
- (vath)
- #28 Hvem: Who
- (vem)
- #29 Hvor: Where
- (voar)
- #30 Hvordan: How
- (voar-dan)
- #31 Hvornår: When
- (voar-naugh)
- #32 Hvilken/Hvilket: Which
- (vilkuhn/vilkuht) Depending on the gender of the noun.
And here are some examples of questions that you are likely to hear in casual conversations, and might want to use:
- #33 Hvad koster den her?: How much is this (price)?
- (vad coster den he-er)
- #34 Hvornår kører toget?: When does the train leave?
- (voar-naugh keurah towet)
- #35 Hvor er toilettet?: Where is the bathroom?
- (voar ere to-i let it)
- #36 Må jeg bede om en til?: Can I have another one?
- (moh yai be uhm ehn til) Very useful in the bar!
- #37 Hvordan skal jeg gøre?: How should I do (this)
- (voar-dan skal yai geuhre)
- #38 Hvad er klokken?: What time is it?
- (vath ere klockehn)
- #39 Ved du hvor jeg kan finde et apotek?: Do you know where I can find a pharmacy?
- (veth doo voar yai cahn finneh et apoteque)
- #40 Hvor gammel er hun?: How old is she?
- (voar gammuhl ere hoon) You might not want to ask people their age before you are fairly acquainted.
- #41 Er biblioteket stadig åbent?: Is the library still open?
- (ere biblio-te-keht sta-thee aubehnt)
Common Danish Phrases: Answers
When you find yourself at the receiving end of questions – and you will – don’t panic, these simple terms will get you through. And impress the natives no end!
- #42 Ja: Yes
- (yah)
- #43 Nej: No
- (nai)
- #44 Måske: Maybe
- (moh-ske)
- #45 Det ved jeg ikke: I don’t know
- (de veth yai icke)
- #46 Aldrig: Never
- (ahl-dri)
- #47 Altid: Always
- (al-tith)
- #48 Nogle gange: Sometimes
- (nouehn gungeh)
Common Danish Phrases To Use When Out And About
Here you’ll find some phrases that are good to be familiar with, especially as a non-native.
You will be ready to order both in the restaurant and at the bar (did you know that food is a reason to learn Danish?), and really show off your Danish skills.
- #49 Jeg kan ikke tale dansk: I don’t speak Danish
- (yai can icke taleh dansk) An honest admission. And people will appreciate the attempt.
- #50 Taler du engelsk?: Do you speak English?
- (tailer doo enguhlsk)
- #51 Jeg forstår: I understand
- (yai fohr-stohr)
- #52 Jeg forstår ikke: I don’t understand
- (yai fohr-stohr icke)
- #53 Jeg kan tale lidt dansk: I speak a little Danish
- (yai can taleh lit dansk) After all, you shouldn’t hide your light under a bushel, right?
- #54 Må jeg bede om en kop kaffe, tak: Can I have a cup of coffee, please
- (mou yai be ahm en cup caffe, tak) Of course you can change en kop kaffe into whatever you feel like.
- #55 Hvor kan jeg finde en kinesisk restaurant?: Where can I find a Chinese restaurant?
- (voar can yai finneh en khi-nehsisque restorang)
- #56 Hvad kan du anbefale?: What do you recommend?
- (vath can doo uhnbefahleh)
- #57 Serverer I fiskeretter? Do you serve sea food?
- (ser-veruh ih fiskuh-raddeh) fiskeretter can be replaced with what you might fancy.
- #58 Lad os få en øl: Let’s have a beer
- (lath us foh en earl)
- #59 Skål!: Cheers!
- (Scorel)
Common Danish Phrases For Emergencies
And in the unlikely case that something goes wrong:
- #60 Jeg har brug for hjælp: I need some help
- (yai haar broo foh yelp)
- #61 Hjælp!: Help!
- (yelp) Say this if you need help with something, and shout it out loud in case of urgent emergency.
- #62 Ring efter en ambulance: Call for an ambulance
- (rengh efteh en arm-bulahnse)
- #63 Ring til politiet: Call the police
- (reng te poh-lee-tee-uht)
- #64 Hvor ligger den britiske ambassade?: Where is the British embassy?
- (voar legguh den breetee-squeh armbassadeh) Of course, you can change ”britiske” to the country that is relevant for you.
Time To Say Goodbye In Danish
It needn’t be all boo-hooh, if you know what I mean?
These phrases for departure are useful both for ending a joyful day or evening, and for the longer goodbye after your trip to a Danish-speaking country.
You just pick the ones that suits your situation best.
- #65 Farvel: Goodbye
- (far-vel) English speakers might recognise a ”farewell” in there, and though this is formal in Danish, it’s not THAT formal.
- #66 Hej: Bye
- (hi) This informal bye is just like the greeting, but usually pronounced shorter, and sometimes said twice, ”hi hi”.
- #67 Vi ses: See you later
- (vii sehs) Informal.
- #68 På gensyn: See you later
- (poh ghensyhn) This is the formal version.
- #69 Tak for i dag: Thank you for this day
- (tack foh ih dai) Used when you leave the person/people you have spent the day with.
- #70 Tak for i aften: Thank you for this evening
- (tack foh ih ufden) Used when you leave the person/people you have spent the evening with.
- #71 Hav det godt: Be well
- (hauv de got) Especially used when you’re not sure you’ll meet again.
- #72 Hils din familie fra mig: Send my regards to your family
- (hils dihn fah-milieh frah mai) Should only be used if you actually know the family in question.
A Few Additional Common Danish Phrases
Here you’ll find a few miscellaneous common Danish phrases that will hopefully serve as an inspiration.
These are a bit beyond your standard phrasebook repertoire, and guaranteed to leave ”your” Danes awestruck.
- #73 Lad os tage i biografen: Let’s go to the movies
- (lath us taye ih bee-o-graph-uhn)
- #74 Det var en fed film: That was a cool movie
- (de vah en feth film)
- #75 Hvad kan du lide at lave?: What do you like to do?
- (vath can doo lee at laveh)
- #76 Det er smukt: That is beautiful
- (de ere smocht)
- #77 Jeg elsker dig: I love you
- (yai ehl-skuh dai)
Common Danish Phrases To Start Speaking Danish Today
So there you have it, 77 common Danish phrases to start chatting to the locals!
At this point, you can start juggling the words you know, add new ones, and play about with your new language. Don’t worry about grammar, no-one expects perfection, just have fun!
And if you're looking for the best way to learn these common Danish phrases, follow the rules of StoryLearning and read short stories in Danish.
As you read, you'll come across the phrases from this post (and more!). And before you know it, they'll roll off your tongue!
What's more, Danish is one of the easier language for English speakers to learn. Check out this post: is Danish hard to learn? to discover more.
