Danish
Dansk
Danish is far easier to read than to hear. Its pronunciation has drifted away from its spelling faster than that of its neighbours: consonants soften, syllables contract, and the result puzzles even Swedes and Norwegians, who read Danish easily but struggle to follow it spoken. It is also the language from which most of written Norwegian descends.
- Family
- North Germanic
- Script
- Latin
- Speakers
- ≈ 6 million
- Where
- Denmark
- In the game
- Mid-range language
How to spot it
Very close to Norwegian: æ, ø, å. Danish giveaways: “af”, “og”, and the d between vowels (gade, bedre).
A few sentences
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Vi skal mødes på torvet klokken tolv.
Let’s meet in the square at twelve.
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Jeg skal købe ind til weekenden.
I need to do the shopping for the weekend.
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Jeg står op klokken seks hver morgen.
I get up at six every morning.
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Hun læser avisen hver morgen i toget.
She reads the paper on the train every morning.
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Han har lært at spille klaver som voksen.
He learned the piano as an adult.