This week, I am very happy to feature yet another expat feedback. Say hi to Yao who is from China!
She completed her Prøve i Dansk 3 exam in June 2018 in Copenhagen, with IA Sprog.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where she shares a lot about her personal experience.

Thank you Yao

About you
Hi, I am Yao from China. I have been in Denmark for nearly 3 years.
I hold a Master’s Degree (English Studies, focus on linguistics).

Danish classes
Which school did you attend?
IA Sprog

How did you find the registering process at the school when you enrolled?
The registering process was easy and effortless. The counselor at IA was helpful and professional in evaluating my ability in terms of language learning. Actually I found another language school in the beginning (cannot remember which one it was) but they were reluctant to offer me online courses and suggested several other schools to me. I contacted IA then. I have been happy at IA and never changed school.

Did you take breaks?
No. Straight from March 2016 to June 2018.

Day classes vs evening classes?
I did online class (1 hour/week) for the first 4 modules and day class (2 4-hour classes/week) for a small repetition of Module 4 and the entire Module 5.

How did you find the various modules at school?
Generally I find them all good, in regard to teachers, teaching materials, teaching arrangements (homework etc.) and teaching styles. The process is well designed.
For example, we get teaching materials that respond to the desired difficulty of different modules. And the teachers are also well-trained and well-arranged (more experienced teachers to more advanced modules)

Prøve i Dansk 3 exam
How was the Prøve i Dansk 3 examination?
I took the May/June 2018 PD3. The written part is easy for me (easier than those in the past years). The oral part is average (neither easy or difficult).

Any suggestions in terms of the preparation to PD3?
It’s always good to have a structure, either for essay, oral presentation, or answers to specific questions.Try writing based on preset structures for several times to estimate the length and the time.

Would you recommend any resources to help others?
Listen to debates on P1 (DR). Even if you don’t understand, you get to develop the familiarity to the Danish language. If you understand it mostly, think about their opinions (whether you agree with them or not) and learn how they organize their thoughts, points and arguments – imagine that you are on the broadcast in air and try to organize some responses to the topic by yourself.

Did you think the exam was difficult?
No

Any comments regarding written exam and oral exam?
The written part is easy for me (easier than those in the past years). The oral part is average (neither easy or difficult).

Any comments, recommendations you would like to share with others?
Try think in the Danish way. The exam is not just about the language – language takes up only a small part actually. It’s more about culture and society, and skills such as logical thinking and discussing.

Study Books
Which study books have you used at school for the various modules?
Skolegade, Puls, I gang, Danske stemmer, Rødebutikken, At skrive

Would you recommend these books?
I recommend Skolegade, I gang, Rødebutikken, At skrive.

Skolegade (Used in Module 1-3, mainly Module 1&2): A very full, thorough textbook that covers most if not all aspects of the Danish language: vocabulary (especially conjugation), example sentences, grammar, exercise, scenarios of everyday life. It’s a bit old but good for starters, especially the vocabulary.

I gang (Used in Module 2-3): Scenarios of everyday life. It introduces many expressions of spoken Danish and the videos are fun to watch.

Rødebutikken (Used in Module 5): Very practical reference for the difficult but subtle words in Danish. Highly recommended for writing practice.

At skrive (Used in Module 4&5, mainly Module 5): Very good summary of writing skills and difficult words (conjunctions and adverbs). For more advanced Danish learners. Among all the books I would recommend this one the most.

Danish practice
Do you think it is easy to apply your Danish (that you learned at school) in the everyday life?
Yes

What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?
I have a language partner and I listen to broadcast in Danish.

Have you listened to Danish podcasts that you think are worth listening to for other students?
Debates on P1 (DR) and Mads & Monopolet.

Have you listened to Danish music that you think is worth listening to for other students?
I listen to Rasmus Seebach sometimes. I would recommend him.

Tips/Suggestions
Do you have any tips about how to improve your Danish while studying and being in Denmark?
Make the best of the opportunities offered at the language schools, such as practicing oral Danish and help for homework.
Your schoolmates can also be very helpful and resourceful in terms of learning Danish.

Yao also has a blog, make sure to check it out > https://yaozhangblog.wordpress.com

The post Expat feedback – Yao from China appeared first on Learn Danish.

Last year I wrote a post about listening to Danish podcasts to improve your listening and understanding.

At the time of the article, I aimed at sharing a selection that wasn’t too tough to follow and that matched my level. Since then, I improved a lot more in Danish and wanted to share with you a new selection of podcasts to listen to.

Most of them have been recommended by Danish friends and family that listen to them. I hope you will enjoy them!

If you have any podcasts that you think would be good for other Danish learners to use, feel free to contact me so that I can update the post (and give you credits for sharing it!), or else you can add your suggestions in the comments section at the end of this post.

Listening to Danish podcasts

Hr Müller

Type: Comedy
Duration: Series of 5 podcasts, that last max 5 min.
Host: Chriz & Heino, radio hosts on radioplay.dk
Difficulty: This is a podcast series from 2016. I seriously laughed a lot on these, they are very easy to understand.
Story: Basically the two hosts are calling different businesses with the voice of an old man (computer based). Nothing new here in the concept, but just fun to listen to it in Danish.
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to it: https://radioplay.dk/podcast/hr-mueller

Mads og Monopolet

Type: Debate
Duration: This is an ongoing podcasts, with a new episode every week. They last in average 1h45, which can be long, but you can always listen to it in various parts.
Host: The host is Mads Steffensen (radio host on DR P4). He has a calm voice to listen to.
Difficulty: Can be tricky to listen based on your level. If you are at module 4/5, you shouldn’t struggle too much.
Story: Basically, listeners can send a message or call about a question or a dilemma. The podcast panel will then discuss it. It is fun to listen to and raises your own interrogation about what you would do. Cases can be serious, fun, stupid, non sense etc. For example: “Karina is in doubt if her son should have a playstation“. There is a total of 10 situations per podcast.
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to it: https://www.dr.dk/radio/p4kbh/mads-monopolet-podcast

Cocktailtimen

Type: Documentary
Duration: This is a podcast series with many episodes, average 10 min per episode.
Host: The hosts are Karen Nielsen (journalist) and Henrik Steen Petersen (bartender). This is a DR podcast.
Difficulty: I found the level not so complicated but can be challenging at times depending on your level.
Story: This podcast is a nice alternative to listen to and you get to learn about cocktails, their history and so on. Listen to it while enjoying your own cocktail at home
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to it: https://www.dr.dk/radio/p1/cocktailtimen

Med kloden i kurven

Type: Society
Duration: This is a podcast series with 6 episodes (as of June 7th, 2018), average 20 min per episode.
Host: The host is Nadia Gattas, who is a Danish singer
Difficulty: The pace is not too fast. You may not understand all, but she speaks clear enough for you to catch expressions and get an overall understanding.
Story: This podcast focuses on the environment & shopping. Sponsored by Rema 1000 and hosted on radioplay.dk. I think this podcast can give you more topics to talk about with Danes and it is an important matter for us all.
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to it: https://radioplay.dk/podcast/med-kloden-i-kurven/

The post Top 5 Danish podcasts – Summer selection appeared first on Learn Danish.

This week, I am featuring Eugenio who is from Spain. He completed his Prøve i Dansk 3 exam in June 2018 in Århus, with Lærdansk. Well done !

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where he shares his personal experience.

Thank you Eugenio

About you
Hi, I am Eugenio (but everybody calls me Uge). In August it will be three years since I have been living in Denmark
I am a PhD in Hydrology that works as a Postdoc at the Bioscience Department of Aarhus University. My research focuses on hydrological modelling and simulation of future scenarios to assess their impacts on water quantity and quality.
I come from central Spain, from a small village in a province called Guadalajara.

I live in Aarhus C, I am single and I have a lot of hobbies, including sports (particularly tennis), traveling, cooking, reading, nature, music, theater and of course sharing time with family (when possible) and friends.

Danish classes
Which school did you attend?
Lærdansk Aarhus

How did you find the registering process at the school when you enrolled?
I was told at the University, in the “Introductory Day” they organize for new employees, so it was easy for me.

Did you take breaks?
No

How did you find the various modules at school?
I like the module structure, it keeps you motivated (although that also depends a lot on the teacher).

Prøve i Dansk 3 exam
How was the Prøve i Dansk 3 examination?
It was fine, kind of what I expect for an official language exam.

Any suggestions in terms of the preparation to PD3?
Yes, definitively attend all the lessons and do all the homework, it really helps with the written part. Also, try to push yourself to speak, wherever, at work, with your flatmate…

Would you recommend any resources to help others?
If you are not good at speaking, which is my problem, try to find someone to do an exchange. I started too late with that.

Did you think the exam was difficult?
I think it was as it should be.

Any comments regarding written exam and oral exam?
Try to calm yourself, especially before the oral exam because you will get half of your mark in just 10 minutes.

Books at school
What do you think about the books?
I think all of them were very useful, specially “At skrive“, which we were using in this last module.

Danish practice
Do you think it is easy to apply your Danish (that you learned at school) in the everyday life?
That itself is easy, you just have to push yourself, which is the difficult part (at least in my case).

What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?
I try to speak Danish with my colleagues in the coffee break and in the lunch break. Also in my tennis club and now I am starting speaking Danish with my flat mate too. Eventually, I have done exchange activities, which I like to do more often now.

Have you watched Danish movies that you think are worth seeing for other students?
Not movies, but I watch “Rita” in Netflix, and I can really recommend it. I watch it in Danish with Danish subtitles and I can manage. And I really like it!!

Do you have any tips to improve in Danish?
First and foremost, I think it is very important to be committed with the classes, do not miss any and do always the homework. Then, it is important to expose yourself to the speaking.

The post Expat feedback – Eugenio from Spain appeared first on Learn Danish.

Welcome back to yet another expat feedback. This week, I am featuring Wing who is from Hong Kong. She studied Danish with me and has recently completed her Prøve i Dansk 3 exam. Well done Wing!

Check out her interview, and if you want to decorate your interior, make sure to have a look at her creative designs called “Neet”.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where she shares her personal experience.

Thank you Wing and best of luck with your business

About you
HEJ! I ‘m Wing from Hong Kong. And I’ve been living in Denmark for almost 1½ years.
Currently unemployed, but started my little handcraft business (Instagram: neet.design) not long ago.

Danish classes
I went to Studieskolen from module 1 to 5 day classes until I finished my PD3 exam. I’d say it’s been a pleasant/tiny bit stress experience with Studieskolen. Pleasant is because all of the teachers.

I had in every module, are really good and helpful. The tiny bit stress part was, you have to do all(or most) of the homework to keep up with the class. And for a person like me, who left school quite a while, that could be a challenge.

Prøve i Dansk 3 exam
No need to worry about the preparation to PD3, if you attend Studieskolen. You’ll get a lot of information and training in the class or as homework.
I’d recommend to try to read more newspaper like DR Nyheder. Just find something that you’re interested in. I also find that some of the documentary of DR are helpful, both for written and oral exam.

Do you have any tips to improve in Danish?
If you have a Dane as a partner or friends, try to write them on messenger/emails/whatever in Danish at first.
And Don’t be afraid to start speaking in Danish in the public! I mean for example, just ordering food or asking a simple question in the store. We all know Danes are really good at English, but just speak Danish to them.
I know it could be frustrated (tell me about it, with an Asian face, Danes will immediate think that I’m a tourist) that they probably would answer in English or say “HVAD??”, don’t let it get into you. Keep trying!

And another suggestion is that watch TV.
I particularly found that cartoon (I watched “Gurli gris” aka “Peppa pig” (British version) helps a lot. Because it’s easier to understand and that, would boost your confident and motivation to keep learning.

The post Expat feedback – Wing from Hong Kong appeared first on Learn Danish.

The past months have been very intense for me with preparing the Prøve i Dansk 3 exam, meaning I did not publish many expat feedback. Welcome back to the Danish Expat Feedback series!  This month, I am very happy to feature a feedback from Alexandra, who recently completed Prøve i Dansk 3 with Københavns Sprogcenter.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where she shares her personal experience.

Thank you Alexandra and congratulations again on successfully completing PD3!

About you
Hi! My name is Alexandra, I’m from Russia.
My major is in translation/interpreting, but I’m currently exploring other options since Russian is not the most wide-used language in Denmark Meanwhile I’m enjoying being a stay-at-home mom in one of the most wonderful cities I’ve ever been to.
My husband and I moved to Copenhagen two years ago, and a month later I started learning Danish at Københavns Sprogcenter

Danish classes
I enrolled for online classes as I didn’t have much choice at the time: my classes started in August and my son was born in September, so day/evening classes weren’t really an option.

At first, I was worried they might not be as intensive as the offline classes but they proved to work just great for me, so I stuck with those, modules 1 through 5, no breaks. Each next module builds on top of what you already know from the previous one, and the topics are pretty down-to-earth and useful in everyday life. Listening was probably the hardest part, but hey, it still is, since real Danish people speak nothing like what any book can teach you.

Prøve i Dansk 3 exam
So finally, a couple of weeks ago, I had my Prøve i Dansk 3 examination. What can I say? If you’ve made it this far, you’ll be just fine, so don’t freak out too much
Practicing sure helps, especially with the written part, since the tests are more or less the same every year, you get a chance to see what will be expected from you. So just do every test from previous years you can find. In my case, they were provided by the teacher but I’m sure it won’t be too hard to find those online.
As for the oral exam, it turned out to be less stressful than I expected it to be. Everyone was friendly and the questions were limited to the details of what my monologue was about (my topic was about one of the political parties, so the questions were about their views and ideas). Be confident, don’t go into silence; if you didn’t quite get the question, ask to repeat it – it’s better than answering something completely different or not answering at all.

Study Books
Which study books have you used at school for the various modules?

• Module 1 – På vej til dansk. Trin for trin.
• Module 2 – Videre mod dansk. Trin for trin.
• Module 3 – Det kommer!
• Module 4 – Pæredansk
• Module 5 – Danske stemmer

I was quite happy with the choice of books, they worked great for me. After each chapter you basically get one more topic you can more or less freely discuss with the Danes. After my very first class I could already say what my name is, where I come from and what languages I speak.
Further on, when you get to module 3, you get introduced to the unique Danish sense of humor, texts become more sarcastic and way more interesting to discuss.

Do you have any tips to improve in Danish?

I am afraid I am not the one to ask for tips on practicing Danish in the everyday life, since I’m still struggling myself. I find it so much easier to switch to English every time I have a conversation. But I’m working on it, and my son motivates me a lot: after all, I would really like to understand what he’s saying when he starts going to the all-Danish nursery

Good luck with your studies! It’s totally manageable if that’s what you want.

The post Expat feedback – Alexandra from Russia appeared first on Learn Danish.

This will be my last post about the Prøve i Dansk 3 exam, since all has been covered in previous posts:

Preparation for the Danish written exam, Review of PD3 written exam and recently review of PD3 oral exam.
I will divide the content as follows:

• Written exam structure
• Online resources

Please note that below feedback is based on my personal experience of the exam taken in May 2018. If you feel like sharing your own feedback about your experience in learning Danish in Denmark, you are very welcome to contact me. I will gladly feature you on the blog!

NB: I will be using the abbreviation PD3 for “Prøve i Dansk 3”.

Prøve i Dansk 3 Structure

Same case here as the written exam, the last 2 months before taking the oral exam will be important for you. There will be many presentation assignments about various topics (at least we had at Studieskolen). I already explained the structure in my review of the oral exam, so I will not focus too much on this here. Make sure to check the post if you didn’t read it yet. Below resources are more useful to get prepared.

Extract from a former PD3 Oral exam

Online resources to practice

Please note some resources are in Danish and I have not translated them. I got them from my school and other resources online. If you have other links/documents that you think can be useful for others, do not hesitate to get in touch. I will gladly add them to this post and give you credit for it

Overview of all Prøve i Dansk 3 themes since 2004

For info, the table relate to the part 2 of the Danish oral exam
Download the pdf

Tips and recap about the test (in Danish)

I got this very useful documents from my school
Download the pdf

List of topics for the part 1 of the oral exam

Here is a list of the topics we could have and prepare for PD3 part one. This was purely based from what we studied in class and was produced by my teacher.
Download the pdf

Online videos to practice

Check out Alessandra’s website where she shares youtube videos to practice for your oral exam! You can also download questions as mp3-files.
Website link

Next on the blog? Very happy to be featuring some expats feedback in the coming month. Stay tuned

The post Prøve i Dansk 3 – Preparation for the oral exam appeared first on Learn Danish.

Yesterday was the last exam for me with Prøve i Dansk 3. I can say that I am officially done with it (yay!)! I want to share a feedback about the exam while it is fresh in my mind.

Please note that below feedback is based on my personal experience of the exam. If you feel like sharing your own feedback about your experience in learning Danish in Denmark, you are very welcome to contact me. I will gladly feature you on the blog!

NB: I will be using the abbreviation PD3 for “Prøve i Dansk 3”.

Welcome to Prøve i Dansk 3 – Oral Exam Review!

Exam expectations

I feel that module 5 prepared me a lot more for the written exam than the oral one. My case is a bit special since I did not attend the oral preparation module (If you can, do it!). Funny enough, I felt that the written exam was the one that stressed me the most. That was before I passed my oral exam. I usually do not feel tension with oral tests, but this one, for some reason, got my attention and played a bit with my nerves before hand.

My recommendation to you is: train as much as possible the oral part. I am not saying that it is super difficult, but it is a lot more spontaneous thinking and argumentation that you have to deliver in front of the examiners. You have to be very focused, calm and show that you can (somehow) “master” the Danish language! Overall a great experience that went extremely fast.

Remember that the grade counts double for the oral, which means it can really boosts your written grade.

Exam on the day

It is recommended to be there 15 min before exam time. Your school will make sure that you get reminders before the exam, so no stress.

Must-have on the day of the exam:

What you can expect in regards to the layout of the exam:

ID Check: you will enter the room, get your ID checked and then sit down.

Phone: I was not asked to switch off/turn on silent my phone when entering the room, but I guess this is common sense to have it in silent!

Who’s there: There is one examiner facing you and talking to you for the whole duration. The focus here, is to ask you relevant questions. The other one is on the side and takes notes about what you say. This provides more consistency when they have to agree on your grade.

Exam overview

The exam was in 2 parts which were as follows:

Once you sat down, the examiner will explain you what to do, give you guidelines and keep an eye on the clock. He/she will tell you when to start talking.

– Part 1 (5 min): At least 10 days before the oral, you will receive the topic that you will have to introduce. You only have 2 min to talk, so your speech needs to be well timed. Following this, you will be asked 3 questions by the examiner, which you need to answer. This part 1 takes approx 5 min. In my case, I had to talk about “alternative straffe – fordele og ulemper“. I must admit that I was not excited at all about this topic when I got it, but no choice here!

– Part 2 (5 min): You have 3 sheets face down in front of you and will have to select one randomly. When you turn the sheet, you will have 2 pictures. You will be given 10s to look at them. Following that, you will have to quickly describe what is happening on the pictures. The examiner will then be asking a series of 3 questions. In my case, I picked one about frivilligt arbejde. I found this part the toughest, because you have no idea what the examiner will come up with. All in all I managed ok, but could have done better if I had trained (a bit) more at home.

Screenshot from an old PD3 oral test about Freedom of speech

Following that, you are thanked and asked to leave the room for a couple of minutes. They will debate and agree on your grade. You will be asked to enter the room again and will be given your grade. This means that you will be over with this exam in 15 min!

Structure of the exam: Same case as the written exam, the structure followed exactly what we trained for in class, so there was no surprise there. The exam pressure and time can play with your nerves and concentration, so this is where you need to stay focused and not be overwhelmed.

My impression of the oral exam

This was a nice challenge, but absolutely doable. Do not put too much stress over yourself, because the 10 min will fly. No need to have a lot of notes for the 2 min presentation, you will barely have time to look at them. Keeping eye contact as much as possible is great. Again, you do not need to learn it all by heart. Actually, we were advised not to learn it this way, for the simple fact that when you answer questions after, your flow and vocabulary may not match what you just introduced by heart.

Keep it to what you know best, this will make you feel good and in control!

Coming up soon..

Following this review, expect a post with a lot of online material to prepare the oral exam! Stay tuned

Have you taken Prøve i Dansk 3 recently and want to share your feedback? I would be delighted to feature you on the blog, feel free to get in touch!

The post Prøve i Dansk 3 – Review of the oral exam appeared first on Learn Danish.

If you are in the process of taking Prøve i Dansk 3, then this article will be of help! I will divide the content as follows:

• Written exam structure
• Online resources

Please note that below feedback is based on my personal experience of the exam taken in May 2018. If you feel like sharing your own feedback about your experience in learning Danish in Denmark, you are very welcome to contact me. I will gladly feature you on the blog!

NB: I will be using the abbreviation PD3 for “Prøve i Dansk 3”.

Prøve i Dansk 3 – Structure

The last 2 months before taking the written exam will be important for you, as their is a strong focus on the technique. As written in my previous post about Prøve i Dansk 3 Exam review, here is the structure to expect.

The exam is in 3 parts which are as follows:

– Part 1 (25 min): Reading exercise where you have a booklet and need to answer questions relating to sections of the booklet

– Part 2 (65 min): Reading exercises where you are given 2 texts with questions to answers (multiple choice). You are also given a fill in the blank text

– Part 3 (2h30): You have the written assignment where you get an e-mail and have to write a response. The other section is the heaviest one, with a choice between describing statistics or argumentation. Dictionaries are allowed in this part.

Part 1

Throughout all the various tests we have done pre-PD3, I think this part has always been the easiest. You have 25min to do it, but usually, you can have it done without rush in 20 min, giving you an extra 5 min to proofread.

Usually you have a list of 15 questions where you need to provide an answer that can be found in a given booklet. The most important with this exercise is not to read all the booklet, but to scheme it. Personally I like this exercise, even though it doesn’t weigh a lot in the overall grading.

Part 2

For the first part of this exercise, you are given two texts with questions for each. I always thought this part can be a bit tricky because you need to think a bit out of the box to find the right answer. It is not always an obvious choice from the multiple choices given. The allocated time is sufficient for this exercise, so do not stress and give yourself time to read the texts twice.

Moving onto the second part of this exercise, you will have a fill in the blank text with one correct answer out of 4 possibilities. There are usually 8-10 words to fill in. Chances are that you will know all the words (by having trained a lot before ). In case you don’t, see what makes sense. If it still doesn’t make sense and you hesitate, work it by elimination. For this year’s exam, I actually got stuck with two words and wasted a precious 5 min overthinking it. I decided to move on to the next words and got back to it later, which then gave me clarity.

I think 65 min is sufficient for this part 2 and you should be able to finish before the deadline.

Part 3

The last part of PD3 written exam is the most strategic of all. It obviously handles about how good can you write (grammar, variety of words, expressions, overall flow). But it really is also about structure and technique, which you should train a lot at school. We had a very consistent training at Studieskolen, where I studied. The last 12 weeks before the written exam, we had to handover 8 written assignments for part 3.

Part 3 (2h30): You have the written assignment where you get an e-mail and have to write a response.

The other section is the heaviest one, with a choice between describing statistics or argumentation. Dictionaries are allowed in this part.

Delprøve test (Prøve i Dansk 3 exam)

Below are some pdfs that you can download to rehearse. There is no answers to those, just the test itself. Some are dating back to 2013, but it gives you something to prepare yourself (in addition to what your school will of course provide). My suggestion is that you put yourself in condition and respect the time to write it down.

Prøve i Dansk 3 (2013)

Prøve i Dansk 3 (2014)

Prøve i Dansk 3 (2015)

Prøve i Dansk 3 (2016)

Prøve i Dansk 3 Analytics

Prøve i Dansk 3 (no date)

Overview of all Prøve i Dansk 3 themes since 2004

For info, the first table of the document relates to part 1 & 2 of the exam structure.  The second table relates to part 3.
Download the pdf

Online resources to practice

Please note some resources are in Danish and I have not translated them. I got them from my school and other resources online. If you have other links/documents that you think can be useful for others, do not hesitate to get in touch. I will gladly add them to this post and give you credit for it

Statistics – Expressions

Great document to help you prepare better the statistics part (in case you decide to write about it) – This is for part 3
Download the pdf

Writting e-mails

I can recommend this link from Bab.la, as it helped me to get more vocabulary/structured expressions when writting e-mails (for the part 3).

The official website from the Minister

Very useful as they post the official exam dates, some material as well. All the legal documentation is there and in Danish for us all to practice
Check out the website.

The post Prøve i Dansk 3 – Preparation for the written exam appeared first on Learn Danish.

Today was the first part of the National Danish Exam called Prøve i Dansk 3. In other words, the final stretch for many of us with Prøve i Dansk 3. While my mind is still fresh, I wanted to share my review of it, so that you know what may be ahead of you in future PD3 exams.

Please note that below feedback is based on my personal experience of the exam. If you feel like sharing your own feedback about your experience in learning Danish in Denmark, you are very welcome to contact me. I will gladly feature you on the blog!

NB: I will be using the abbreviation PD3 for “Prøve i Dansk 3”.

Welcome to Prøve i Dansk 3 – Written Exam Review!

Exam expectations

We trained a lot in module 5, so I was ready for this final exam. I did my very best to use the given time in the best way possible. Proof reading is very important, so you need to allow yourself a fair amount of time to make sure you triple checked all your inversions, modal verbs, singular/plural, expressions, tenses, etc.

I think the topics and exercises this spring 2018 were interesting and not so difficult compared to previous PD3 exams we trained on. Funny enough I felt after the exam that this was by far my best written performance of PD3. Some students in my group felt the same. We did not have the same difficulties along the exam, I felt part 2 was tougher, where others struggled more in part 1.

But before getting too excited, let’s see what my grade will be when I get the results

Exam on the day

You need to be there 15 min before exam time. Your school will make sure that you get reminders before the exam, so no stress.

Must-have on the day of the exam:

What you can expect in regards to the layout of the exam:

ID Check: you will enter the room, get your ID checked and then find your table. I passed the exam at Studieskolen and we shared a table with another student. It was separated by a large piece of carton, which gives you privacy and really helps to focus.

Phone: our phones had to be switched off and put in an enveloppe where you write your name on it. They are kept safely and given back at the end of the exam.

Managing your time: the examiners gave us the beginning time and said when it was over, after each exercise. They will not tell you how much is left, it is up to you to check the remaining time. They did write on a board what was the starting time, so we could check it at anytime.

Toilet break: you can obviously go to the toilets, but an examiner will come with you.

Finishing early: for those who finished the written assignment early, it was possible to get out. However it was not possible to get out from 15 min until the final time. This was done to keep the room quiet and allow everyone to finish their assignment in silence.

Exam overview

The exam was in 3 parts which were as follows:

– Part 1 (25 min): Reading exercise where you have a booklet and need to answer questions relating to sections of the booklet

– Part 2 (65 min): Reading exercises where you are given 2 texts with questions to answers (multiple choice). You are also given a fill in the blank text

– Part 3 (2h30): You have the written assignment where you get an e-mail and have to write a response. The other section is the heaviest one, with a choice between describing statistics or argumentation. Dictionaries are allowed in this part.

This structure followed exactly what we trained for in class, so there was no surprise there. The exam pressure and time can play with your nerves and concentration, so this is where you need to stay focused and not be overwhelmed.

My impression of the written exam

Personally, the written exam was the one I feared the most, because of grammar which has been my weakness throughout all the modules. I come out stronger of this exam and regained a lot of confidence. If you studied consistently, read and wrote your assignments pre-PD3 exam, then fear not. You are well armed and you can do it!

Coming up this summer..

I will share my review of the oral exam in June, once I am done with it.
Following this review, expect more posts with a lot of online material to prepare the written and oral exams! Stay tuned

Have you taken Prøve i Dansk 3 recently and want to share your feedback? I would be delighted to feature you on the blog, feel free to get in touch!

The post Prøve i Dansk 3 – Review of the written exam appeared first on Learn Danish.

This month, I am very happy to feature a feedback from a fellow French expat, Cécilia, who is studying Danish in Copenhagen (Studieskolen).

If you are new to this blog, make sure to check out all the very inspiring Expat Feedback interviews.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where he shares her personal experience.

Thank you Cécilia!

About you
I’m Cécilia, 28 years old, from France. I have been living in Denmark for a year and a month, but the first 3 months I was here on and off. My girlfriend is Danish, we’ve been living in France for a bit and decided to move to Copenhagen. I’m educated as nurse and have 3 years of experience. I will be able to work in a few months when my Danish get at a good level, for now I just started a job as a handicap helper in Copenhagen.

School – Registering process
I am learning Danish in Studieskolen in Copenhagen. The registering process at the school is really simple, I got invited for an interview, after I applied for the school online. During the interview, they checked my background and my basic understanding of grammar, but nothing complicated. I had 2 breaks in 14 months, each time I just had to notify the school by mail.

How did you find the various modules at school?
I really liked module 1 and module 2, it was really fun. The focus was on learning everyday vocabulary, making simple sentences, reading and pronunciation.
The modules 3 to 4.1, were the most frustrating for me. Danish has a lot of missing grammar rules, so sometimes I didn’t understand why the sentences were done a certain way. Also during those modules my understanding of Danish became good enough, but I had a hard time making sentence complete, because of my lack of vocabulary. But from module 4.2, I have been feeling more comfortable. I still have a lot of vocabulary to learn and some grammar rule to clarify, but I can feel I progress every day.
The exams for each module were relatively easy. I think we are well prepared at school.
I’ve only been to morning classes 9h00-13h00, 3 times a week. And I really like the rhythm. It’s a bit intense, but at the same time it’s a good way to keep on learning.

Study Books
I think the books are really adapted to the level. Sometimes the topics get a bit boring and repetitive but I guess that is what we need to learn. The grammar exercises are really good and the listening exercises help to understand more and more. I would definitely recommend them as there is a focus (with all of them) on what important to learn regarding to the level you are at.

Danish practice
Do you think it is easy to apply your Danish (that you learned at school) in the everyday life?
I think the Danish we learn at school completely correspond to the Danish that it’s talked outside as our teacher uses everyday vocabulary with us. I think with time it becomes easier and easier to use it. To keep practicing my Danish, I tried to talk it as much as I can with my girlfriend, friends, family and outside. I’m read mostly newspaper, and watch DR TV. They have really good documentary-society program and it helps to build vocabulary.

Do you have any tips to improve in Danish?
If you have someone to speak Danish with, do it as much as you can, even if you get tired of it.
Watch some Danish T.V-shows, it helps for the understanding.
I sometimes try to listen to people conversations, it helps me to get familiar with the words sounds.
And in all occasion, you’re able to practice your Danish, you can try, and if it doesn’t work change to English.

The post Expat feedback – Cécilia from France appeared first on Learn Danish.