For the Expat Feedback of the month, I am glad to feature Ben, who is originally from England. He completed Prøve i Dansk 3 exam with Lærdansk Århus, last year in June 2018.

Ben shares in this interview many insights about his personal experience of learning Danish in Denmark, but also the school process and some useful links to check out.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading it!

Thank you Ben !

About you

Danish classes

Which school(s) did you attend?
I’ve followed lessons at Lærdansk in Århus.

How did you find the registering process at the school when you enrolled?
Once I had all the necessary paperwork it was very straightforward and the staff were helpful.

Did you take breaks?
No.

Day classes vs evening classes?
Always evening classes as I was working in the day. Sometimes it was hard to motivate myself to cycle up to the classes in the evening – but it was worth it in the long run. (people in Århus who cycled up Paludan-Müllers Vej will know what I mean!)

How did you find the various modules at school?
I started in module 4 so don’t have any experience with the others. I think the teacher you have makes a huge difference to your overall learning. I was lucky to have some great teachers for my module 4 and 5 exams, who supported us and made sure we were prepared for the exams.

Prøve i Dansk 3 Exam
How was the Prøve i Dansk 3 examination?
It was nothing to worry about. I always get nervous before any exam but this was fine once you get started. Like any exam just make sure you read the question thoroughly first!

Any suggestions in terms of the preparation to PD3?
Do all the homework, contribute to discussions in class and practice the previous PD3 exams.

Any comments, recommendations you would like to share with others
Danish news, radio, audiobooks – anything you can listen/read every single day that is going to make it a regular part of your life.

Did you think the exam was difficult?
It was challenging at times but not too difficult. If you are fully prepared there shouldn’t be anything too hard which you haven’t seen before.

Any comments regarding written exam and oral exam?
It was challenging at times but not too difficult. If you are fully prepared there shouldn’t be anything too hard which you haven’t seen before. If I were to go back and give myself any advice, I would tell myself to relax! All the subjects in the written are ones you will know from class and in the oral exam they are not trying to catch you out – it was more like an informal chat than an exam.

Which study books have you used at school for the various modules?
Module 4: At Skrive, Pæredansk, Parat Start 1-2-3 and Grammatikken.
Module 5: Danske Stemmer, At Skrive, Grammatikken

What do you think about the books? Would you recommend them?
I thought the books were good. It’s hard for textbooks to engage students while explaining (sometimes dull!) grammar rules etc, but I think they did a good job.

Danish Practice
Do you think it is easy to apply your Danish (that you learned at school) in the everyday life?
I think it depends on your job and lifestyle. Luckily my job sometimes involves translation to and from Danish so those grammar rules come in useful!

What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?
My girlfriend is Danish so I talk with her and her family, as well as our friends here in Århus. I also read Danish books and listen to podcasts/radio to keep up the practice.

Have you read Danish books that you think are worth reading for other students?
When I started at Lærdansk I read some of the Harry Potter books as I knew the storyline already – so it didn’t matter if I didn’t understand all the Danish words! Since then I’ve tried to explore the works of Danish authors like Blixen, Adler-Olsen, Ejersbo and Turèll.

Have you watched Danish tv/movies that you think are worth seeing for other students?
It’s probably been recommended loads before but shows like Broen, Borgen, 1864 and Forbrydelsen were all ones I enjoyed. I’m also a fan of a show on DR called Nak & Æd!

Have you listened to Danish podcasts that you think are worth listening to for other students?
As a history nerd I really enjoyed listening to the podcast ‘Kongerækken’ and their subsequent series ‘Kongerækken og Politiken’. They started off with an episode on each of the Danish royal family from Gorm the Old to Margrethe II. Since then they’ve done mini-series on The Reformation, Important Women through history and Roman emperors.

Do you have any tips about how to improve your Danish while studying and being in Denmark?
My advice would be to make speaking, listening and reading Danish a regular thing so it becomes a habit you are used to. Once it becomes a daily occurrence you will notice fast improvements.

My other advice would be to keep persevering even if it seems you aren’t making progress. Everyone feels like that sometimes when learning a new language.

The post Expat feedback – Ben from England appeared first on Learn Danish.

For the Expat Feedback of the month, I am glad to feature Vimke, who is originally from The Netherlands. She completed Prøve i Dansk 3 exam with Lærdansk Herning and is now studying for Studieprøven.

Vimke shares in this interview many insights about her personal experience of learning Danish in Denmark, but also the school process.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading it!

Thank you Vimke and best of luck with your studies & Studieprøven

About you

Danish classes

Which school(s) did you attend?
I’ve followed lessons at Lærdansk in Herning.

How did you find the registering process at the school when you enrolled?
This was very easy, by registering at the Kommune, I got an invitation for Laerdansk as well. I could start here quickly after a phone call. First they placed me in a group so see the level.  What I really liked about Lærdansk is that they are looking at how you are doing the lessons. When they think it is time for you to move to another class, there is the possibility to do this.

Did you take breaks?
No.

Day classes vs evening classes?
I started the first year in the day course, this meant lessons 3 days a week. When I started to study again, I switched to evening classes. It was very easy and not a problem at all.

Prøve i Dansk 3 Exam

How was the Prøve i Dansk 3 examination?
This was fine, we were well prepared for the exam, so we knew for example what kind of topics we could expect. Everything was  organized and went smoothly.

Any suggestions in terms of the preparation to PD3?
Go to every lesson, it’s good to practice your Danish regularly. This was particularly useful for me, because the school was one of the only places where I could practice Danish. This will also be a recommendation for when you learn Danish, really try to use it, this will only help you to improve.

Any comments, recommendations you would like to share with others
I think the exam was fine, but it also helped to practice some previous exams before. So you kind of know what to expect from the exam.

Which study books have you used at school for the various modules?
At Skrive, Det Rykker!, Det kommer!

What do you think about the books? Would you recommend them?
At Skrive was good for preparation of the exam, but it depends as well on the group and the teacher. This combination makes the whole education.

Danish Practice

Do you think it is easy to apply your Danish (that you learned at school) in the everyday life?
For me it is still hard to really use my Danish, because I need to get over a ‘embarrassment-point’ that I can makes mistakes. It is amazing how many people in Denmark speak very good English, but it isn’t helpful to learn Danish ?

What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?
After my Prøve i Dansk 3, I started with Studieprøven. There is a chance I will need this for my future study. Apart from that, it is really good to keep up with learning Danish. I notice that I try to follow more Danish news now and try to read more books and articles in Danish.

Have you read Danish books that you think are worth reading for other students?
I would totally recommend to go to the library in your town, sign up for free and make use of this amazing opportunity. Start with reading the easy books in Danish, there are even special books for people to start learning Danish. And try to keep up doing this.

In preparation for the Studieprøven exam I read through Dansk basisgrammatik for udlændinge (Anne Hilt, Eva Jensen, Lise Rifbjerg), for me this was very helpful to have a good overview of the grammar.

Do you have any tips about how to improve your Danish while studying and being in Denmark?
What I have been trying lately is to use my Danish in daily life, even though it is so easy to switch to English. It’s really something I need to be aware of, keeping my Danish alive. In addition, I try to attend lectures and talks in Danish. It’s really good for keeping up with your language, but also a great opportunity to meet other people!

Follow Vimke and share some love!

You can follow Vimke on Instagram: @vkester

The post Expat feedback – Vimke from The Netherlands appeared first on Learn Danish.

In this month’s feedback, I am very happy to feature Dan, who is originally from England. He completed Prøve i Dansk 3 exam in June 2018 in Århus, with Lærdansk.

Dan shares in this interview many insights about his personal experience of learning Danish in Denmark.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading it!

Thank you Dan

About you

Danish classes

Which school(s) did you attend?

I attended classes at Lærdansk in Aarhus.

How did you find the registering process at the school when you enrolled?
Once I had my CPR number, I found it is was straightforward.

Did you take breaks?
No.

Day classes vs evening classes?
I started with classes in the evenings but moved to afternoon classes, as I found they suited my schedule better and I could go three times a week, instead of only twice.

How did you find the various modules at school?
I felt like modules 1-3 went by very quickly and I got a lot of enjoyment out of going to the classes, as I could see a lot of progress. Modules 4 and 5 were more of a struggle, but no less rewarding. As you get to the higher modules, progress is more about using the correct tense for verbs and structuring sentences, rather than learning lots of new words.

Prøve i Dansk 3 Exam

How was the Prøve i Dansk 3 examination?
Nothing to fear. Nobody likes sitting doing exams for hours, unless they are weird. However, the PD3 exam is straightforward and classes will prepare you for all the questions that can come up.

Any suggestions in terms of the preparation to PD3?
Do as much homework and other things outside of classes as you can. Practice with exams from previous years. I found it very helpful to time myself with previous exams, so you know how much time you will have on the day.

Would you recommend any resources to help others?
Watching the news and reading articles really helped me. You may not understand everything that is going on, but over time you will pick up keywords and get used to words and phrases that are used when it comes to topics like immigration or the environment.

Did you think the exam was difficult?
Not really. Practicing previous exams helps to accustom yourself with working out how the questions are phrased and how to answer them.

Any comments regarding written exam and oral exam?
Written: Read the question and then read it again before starting to answer.

Oral: The examiners are not out to trick you. Focus on all the words and phrases that you know and use them when you can and when it is appropriate.

Any comments, recommendations you would like to share with others
Stressing on the day will not help. Take it easy and use what you have been learning for the past couple of years. Don’t focus on the things you don’t know. It seems like obvious advice but amazing how many people focus on that.

Books at school
Books provided by the school:

Module 1-3: Puls1, Puls2 and Puls3.

Module 4: At Skrive, Pæredansk, Parat Start 1-2-3 and Grammatikken.

© Dan Woolbarn

Module 5: Danske Stemmer, At Skrive, Grammatikken and 3.5’eren.

Additions I bought:
Danish: An Essential Grammar by Tom Lundskær-Nielsen and Philip Holmes

© Dan Woolbarn

Den Lille by Mika Sun Black

Danish Practice

Do you think it is easy to apply your Danish (that you learned at school) in the everyday life?
I think that a mixture of pushing yourself in the classes and getting out into the world speaking to real Danes is the best way to apply what you learn in class. I found that in the classes we would learn The Queen’s Danish. However, that’s not how most Danes will speak, as they will use slang or phrase their sentences slightly different.

What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?
Anything that involves reading, listening, writing or speaking Danish. You need to be smart about what you spent your time doing and be interested in the subject matter and not just be reading / watching something because it is in Danish. There is no point in reading everything there is to know about Jørgen Gammelgaard, if you really don’t care about Danish furniture designs.

Have you read Danish books that you think are worth reading for other students?
Books are a hard thing to recommend when they are in the language that you are trying to learn. I started by reading children’s books and built up my reading level from there. Children’s books are generally light-hearted, funny and deal with a massive range of stories, where you will pick up new words that you wouldn’t from newspapers

© Dan Woolbarn

Have you watched Danish movies / TV series that you think are worth seeing for other students?
I really liked ‘Borgen’ and ‘Broen’. Both are very well-known shows and it is highly likely that you have already watched them. If not, there you go. I have just started watching ‘The Rain’ on Netflix, so we shall see how that goes.

Have you listened to Danish music that you think is worth listening to for other students?
In no particular order or genre:
Nordpå, Benal, Per Vers, Den Fjerde Væg, Blak, Ulige Numre, Tårn, Panamah, Wafande and of course Kim Larsen!

Do you have any tips about how to improve your Danish while studying and being in Denmark?
Try to do a little bit of something Danish every day. Whether it is watching a TV show, reading a bit, playing a board game in Danish, complete a few lessons on Duolingo or just going to the shop and speaking in Danish. Just that little bit every day will help your progress and the confidence that you have in your ability.

© Dan Woolbarn

Set yourself a big long term goal but also small ones along the way, like you are climbing up a language ladder. For me, when I started learning the language, I set myself the goal that I would one day read Kierkegaard’s Either/Or (Enten/Eller) in Danish.

© Dan Woolbarn

This is the goal when I eventually reach the top, but starting with children’s books to young adult books and on to novels are all rungs on the ladder.

Follow Dan and share some love!

You can follow Dan and on Instagram: @Danwoolbarn

The post Expat feedback – Dan from England appeared first on Learn Danish.

This week, I am featuring Walai who is from Thailand. She completed her Prøve i Dansk 3 exam in June 2018 in Århus, with Lærdansk.

Walai is also a very talented freelance graphic designer, make sure to check out her work on walaito.wordpress.com! If you know anyone in your network that needs her skills, make sure to contact her.

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

Thank you Walai

About you

Danish classes

I went to Lærdansk Aarhus. After I got my CPR I contacted Job Center to send my document to the school, and a week later I started the school. I attended morning class from 8.30-11.15.

© Photo by Michael Svenningsen

Each modules are just like I am walking up the stairs, at the beginning it would be fun and fine, in the middle of the way it would be tiring and hard, but when I almost saw the end I just wanted to put all of my effort to finish it.

Prøve i Dansk 3 Exam

Prøve i Dansk 3 was not easy to me so I tried attending the class as much as I could, because the teachers helped students a lot to the preparation to PD3. They gave us very useful materials and guided us with what we should further prepare, besides what we learned in the class. For example watching Danish programs from DR or reading articles/news in Danish.

I would recommend to read something about “Danske Samfund”, e.g. Sundhed og livsstil, ligestilling i Danmark. Regarding both written exam and oral exam which tend to be about what happened in Danish society and culture.

Books at school

I used Puls1 in module 1, Puls2 in module 2, and Puls3 in module 3.

In modules 4, there were Det Rykker, At Skrive, Parat Start 1-2-3 and Pæredansk.

In module 5 I used At Skrive, Danske Stemmer, Grammatikken and 3.5’eren Opgaver til Prøve i Dansk 3. I would say that there are some chapters in some books are a bit old fashion, but that does not mean they are not good, they could give an idea and lead us to find something more interesting at the present.

© Photo by Walai

Personally I like Parat Start 1-2-3 because it is very useful to practice my grammar. However there are many online resources and materials, you can start from the school’s website, I believe there are many good stuff on it.

Tips & Practice

As I am married to a Dane, I have a better chance to use my Danish to speak with my husband or my family in law, but some of my classmates do not. So it is not easy for them to apply their Danish in everyday life. In the class we have also talked about getting a chance to speak Danish outside the class. For example, starting from ordering food at the restaurant, talking to a shop assistant when we go shopping or at the school’s library (multi center) with the volunteers who are there to help students with conversations. All we need to do is to be brave.

There are many ways to improve Danish, one of those that I like is watching programs from DR. Some of them have subtitles in Danish even though they speaks Danish so I can hear the pronunciation and the way Danes use the expression.

I also bought a Danish book called “Den lille bog om Hygge” by Meik Wiking. It is a lovely book with pictures and it is not too difficult to read, moreover it helps me with learning and understanding more about Danish Culture.

© Photo by Walai

I hope this would be helpful to everyone who learning Danish and going to take PD3. Pøj Pøj!

Follow Walai and share some love

Follow her blog walaito.wordpress.com and on Instagram: @cartoon_etc

The post Expat feedback – Walai from Thailand appeared first on Learn Danish.

Over the past couple of month, I mainly featured Expat feedback from fellow students in my language school in Copenhagen.
Recently, I decided to review the format of the interviews with new questions, so that we can all dive a bit more into the process of learning Danish.

I sincerely appreciate the time spent by all the expats to write down their thoughts and share their feedback. In the coming months, my plan is to push on featuring more feedback from students coming from all over Denmark and different schools. We have so much to learn from all our individual experiences, and I really hope you enjoy all these inspiring interviews.

This week, Sade who is from the Philippines and lives in Esbjerg (Jylland), accepted to share her experience of learning Danish!

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where she shares a very insightful feedback.

Thank you Sade!

About you

My name is Sade (shar-day). I’m a 26-year-old Filipina living in Esbjerg, Denmark with my husband. Although I first visited the land of Vikings in 2015, I officially moved here in 2016.
I graduated with a degree in journalism, but somehow ended up as a poet and creative writer. Currently, I volunteer for Mentornetværket. My hobbies include eating, surfing, complaining about the weather, and petting other people’s dogs or cats.

Your school

I began attending sprogskolen mid-April 2017. Last September, I passed the test to be in module 3.4. The school is currently managed by AOF.

How did you find the registration process at the school when you enrolled? 

The registration process was a bit cumbersome, but okay enough. Since I’m married to a Dane, we had to wait for my “opholdstilladelse” (Residence Permit) to be approved before I could enroll. We were told that I would be contacted immediately by the municipality once everything was in order. I guess they forgot, because weeks passed by without any news.
In the end, a student from the school advised me to call the job center and gave me the number of the employee in charge of the language school. I talked to some friends who were already attending it, and most of them said they also encountered problems or miscommunication or misinformation during the registration process.

Have you taken breaks?

Only the standard 1-2 week vacation during summer.

How did you find the various modules at school?

Introduction Class
You start in an introductory class where they teach you the basics such as pronouns, basic sentence structure, and simple greeting/conversational phrases. You also get more information about the language school system and a quick overview of Danish society (for example what a CPR number actually is, how to navigate the municipality website, etc.).
Your stay there normally lasts a month, however I stayed only for a week. I was alone in the class, as there weren’t any people who enrolled at the same time as I did.
I remember being annoyed during one particular day in class, because in the middle of it, one of the other teachers suddenly went in our classroom with the janitor. They seemed to talk about the layout of the room, then the janitor proceeded to begin drilling or hammering. All this in the middle of a student having her lessons? Yikes.
Things further continued on the wrong foot when they had to transfer me to the first class for module 3.1.
The teacher informed me they would send me my new schedule via e-mail over the weekend, which they never did.
So I came to school on Monday, which was my old schedule with them. They then informed me that my class was actually on Tuesday.
I came back the next day, only to be informed that since I am in module 3, my class was located at a different school. When I arrived (2 hours late) at that different school, the classroom printed on my schedule was also the incorrect location.
This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding my…quite exciting beginning at the language school.
Let’s just say it tested my patience!

Module 3.1
This was the most challenging for me, since most of the people in my class were already far ahead and they were already in the middle of the book we were using.
One has to double-time if they want to catch up on the same level everyone else is already in. I’m pretty sure I spent 2 weeks cramming all the lessons in the book the class had already covered.
One is expected to master the basic phrases such as: Hi, Goodbye, How are you?, Where do you come from?, My name is, etc.

Module 3.2
Here, one begins to develop their listening skills and reading comprehension skills. One is expected to know the prepositions, and expand their vocabulary.
We also did a lot of writing exercises. We practiced writing short personal e-mails and letters, and learned the proper way to write them (proper intro and outro, proper format, etc). We were also trained to skim-read.

Module 3.3
By now, one should be already ”independent” – in that the student should be able to read/write/listen/talk without much guidance or supervision. The topics we talk about get more serious here.
Before, we normally talked about personal stuff such as hobbies, vacations, family, cooking recipes, etc. The topics in this module are now about traffic, school system and the environment.
E-mails are longer, and one is expected to use slightly more advanced words. One learns how to write their CV and respond to job offers, and one develops their reading comprehension skills. Proper pronunciation of words is stressed.

Module 3.4
Focus on topics concerning Danish culture, history, and society. More advanced words used. One’s vocabulary is expanded exponentially.
The class regularly does refresher exercises, wherein the teacher tests whether one still remembers how to use prepositions, inversion, etc. We also learn about when and how to use the passive form for verbs.
Much focus is spent on argumentative style of communication.
For example, one is asked to discuss the pros and cons of social welfare with the class. Additionally, we write different essays and are being trained to spot and correct grammatical and typographical mistakes.
The listening aspect is as difficult as it’s ever been.
In the previous modules, the recordings being played where spoken with moderate volume and speed.
Now, the speaker is the everyday Dane who maybe mumbles, talks too fast, or uses slang. Students develop their ”talesprog”.

Day classes vs evening classes?

I only went to the day classes. We used to have around 18 hours/week of education, but the municipality and school recently reduced it to 15 hours/week.
Most of us in our class are unemployed and married to a Dane.
In the beginning, I believe the module 3 classes were exclusively held in Hededammen, which is separate from the main school in Spangsbjerg Møllevej, perhaps due to lack of classrooms in the latter.
Our class was composed of (less than 10) students from module 3.1 to 3.3 – which I think was not so good, in that it was way too difficult for those still beginning, and too easy for those already on their way to 3.4.
I imagine it must be a struggle for the teacher to accommodate different needs and levels of students.
It would be much easier – also for the students – to separate the different modules so no one gets left behind or gets too bored during the lessons.

A lot of the newcomers who were still module 3.0 were complaining that the class was too difficult for them. They spent only a month in the introductory class before they were transferred to ours, and they couldn’t follow the lessons most of the time. I remember a couple of classmates actually went home in the middle of class because they felt helpless and uninspired.
It was also understandably challenging for them, since they got transferred to our class in the summer, and by then we grew from less than 10 in the class into nearly 20 students.
Anyway, since I learned Danish relatively fast when I was still in 3.3, I was transferred to the ”final class” for module 3.4-3.5.
This was personally good for me since it challenged me more, but the lessons still feel very rushed and the class overcrowded (also nearly 20) for such a short schedule.

We meet twice a week for the aforementioned 15 hours – 3 hours of which are spent in the study center where students are expected to work with and study Danish independently (for example, by reading news articles, answering readily-printed grammar exercises, etc.). You basically choose what you want to do, especially if there is something specific you need/want to work on.

I personally think this ”study time” is useless and not optimal. I already study at home. And if we students wanted to read or see Danish news, or read a Danish book, or whatever, we can easily do that at home, and, to be honest, we prefer to do that at home. We come to the language school to learn in a school-setting, not to waste time at the makeshift library, which doesn’t even have enough/good resources or study materials.

To be honest, the days where we have ”study time” are the most dreadful for me and my classmates. We feel lazy and unmotivated, and we are only there for our attendance to be checked. For us who are unemployed and whose sole focus is on language school, we desire to ACTUALLY be educated in by a teacher. We want to get the most out of this experience and opportunity, and doing ”independent, unsupervised exercises” that one normally already does at home in their daily routine is, quite frankly, a waste of time.

I question whether this ”study time” is just some excuse for AOF and the municipality to save money and pass that off as quality education. I guess we will have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I know I am coming off quite towards the negative scale when talking about the school. It’s not that I enjoy nitpicking or am pessimistic or will only see the negative side of things – I am just trying to be honest in sharing my thoughts and experience. I am pretty sure if you ask anyone else who goes to our school, they’ll relay their own experiences with perhaps the same sour or indifferent note.
From poor communication, general disorganization, lack of resources, to certain school employees being outright rude when you interact with them – Esbjerg’s sprogskolen needs a lot of improvement.

Which Danish study books did you use during the various modules?

We used “Videre Mod Dansk: Trin For Trin, Modul 3“ in the beginning.

When we moved to the next and final class, we began using “Danske Stemmer” by Birte Langaard.

They are both pretty helpful, and the first one is especially easy to understand and is quite suitable for beginners. The former has more grammar-related exercises than the latter, which is discussion-based.

Danish practice
What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?
I read and watch the Danish news sometimes. I always study our lessons at home, even if I don’t have any homework. There’s also this language app called Duolingo which is pretty neat.
Besides this, I talk to some Danish friends in Danish, even though they probably don’t understand me half the time! And my volunteer job requires me to write a lot of e-mails in Danish, which has significantly improved my writing skills.

Have you read Danish books that you think are worth reading for other students?

They are mostly English crime/thriller/mystery books translated into Danish. One can easily find them at the bookstore.

Have you watched Danish movies that you think are worth it for other students?

The Afdeling Q detective movies are cool. Anything with Mads Mikkelsen is always a hit – particularly Adams Æbler, Jagten, and De Grønne Slagtere. I also really liked Vagten, which stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
BROEN and Forbrydelsen are also interesting – though those are TV shows.

De Grønne Slagtere – Nikolaj Lie Kaas & Mads Mikkelsen

Have you listened to Danish music that you think is worth listening to for other students?

I’d say MØ, but then again her songs are in English. However there are Gnags, Marvelous Mossell, The Floor Is Made Of Lava, Kellermensch, Agnes Obel, and Mads Bjōrn.

Tips/Suggestions

Speak, write, and read as much as possible, even when you are too lazy to do it. Incorporate Danish in your everyday life – whether when you’re listening to the radio, or reading books, or skimming magazines, or singing in the shower.
When I watch shows on Netflix, I usually use Danish subtitles instead of English. Besides expanding my vocabulary, I feel as though this helps train my reading skills as well.

Find somebody you can practice your Danish with and do not ever be afraid to screw up or make mistakes. Whether it’s a Danish neighbor, your partner, a classmate, or whatnot. If your social circle isn’t that big, then join hobby clubs or volunteer for a job where you’ll be forced to talk and interact with Danish people.
I personally find that re-writing words I already know and writing down new words in a notebook, helps with my memorization. The more you repeat something and the more you are exposed to something, the better you’ll (hopefully! probably!) be at it.

Also, try to be patient with other Danish people, especially with your partner
I can’t count the number of times me and my husband ended up biting each other’s head off during a discussion about Danish grammar!

Follow Sade on Social Media!

Sade Andria Zabala is the Filipina author of poetry book WAR SONGS.
Her poems have appeared in cahoodaloodaling, Words Dance Publishing, and more.

You can follow her on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

The post Expat feedback – Sade from the Philippines appeared first on Learn Danish.

This week I am featuring Cătălina, who is studying Danish in Århus!

This is the first interview from an expat studying in Jylland , which is a great addition to the “Expat Feedback” series.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where she shares her personal experience of learning Danish.

Thank you Catalina and best of luck with the module 4 test, which is coming soon!

About you

My name is Cătălina, I am Romanian and I have been living in Denmark for 3 years. I have a Master’s Degree in Cognitive Semiotics and I am currently getting familiar with the Danish labour market.

Your school

I am attending classes at Lærdansk Aarhus, three times per week, 2 hours and 45 minutes every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 12 until 14.45.
I took a break this year, from April until August, because I had to write my thesis.

Your experience about the modules

I am now in the Module 4 and expect to have the test to go to Module 5 soon. I believe each module is harder than the previous. The module 4 is very difficult, the demand is very high and there are so many new words. I do like the fact that even if each module is harder, as it is supposed to be, in each module we repeat what we have learned in the previous one. This way, the knowledge we gain actually stays.

Your experience and feedback on the modules

Overall, my experience learning Danish is a good one, mostly because I have very nice teachers and nice colleagues. The language itself is very difficult, mostly for a person who speaks a Latin language. However I think that if you dedicate a big part of your time to learning it, in the end you will be successful.
I must admit that I haven’t put that much effort into learning the language, because I was very busy with the university classes, but since August, I have been focusing a lot more on Danish classes. Right now, I believe that I am good at reading and writing, I do also understand Danish when spoken, but I am not so comfortable at repeating the words. I have a hard time when I am speaking with Danes, because it is very difficult for me to follow them, mostly because of the accent.

Tips/Suggestions
Do you have any tips on how to improve your Danish while studying and being in Denmark?

I would say that a very good way to learn Danish is by reading books and watching cartoons.

In my school there is a café which is called “Tal Dansk Café“, where you can go and practice your Danish with native Danish speakers which are volunteering there while having a coffee. This initiative is for free! I believe this is the best way to actually learn the language, by speaking it, no matter how many mistakes you make while trying.

I try to speak Danish all the time, when I am going to the supermarket or to different shops or restaurants, but unfortunately when I don’t understand anymore, I am switching to English.

Connect on Instagram with Cătălina and also with Tal Dansk Café

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