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.

Welcome to my first post of 2018! This time, I will cover something we all love to do, which is watching movies and TV series

The environment to practice your Danish understanding is perfect as you can be at home, feeling the hygge vibe with your dictionary and hot chocolate. Alternatively, you can also be commuting and watching it on your phone.

In this post, I will share with you some of the resources I use to watch movies and series. I will also recommend some movies which I personally watched at home or at school, but also movies recommended by Danes. Please note some movies may not be amazing, but because they are available in Danish, this helps practice your Danish.

I will not include so many links without subtitles, as it can be very challenging not to have subtitles. However, by Module 5 you should be able to understand a lot more without subtitles, especially if it is Danish TV news and documentaries.

This post is actually aimed at anyone currently learning Danish, so I would suggest the following:

Module 1 : Use English subtitles and watch in Danish.
Module 2 : Use English subtitles and watch in Danish
Module 3 : Use English subtitles and watch in Danish. If you feel like pushing yourself, switch to Danish subtitles
Module 4: Use Danish subtitles and watch in Danish
Module 5: Use Danish subtitles and watch in Danish. If you feel like pushing yourself, remove all subtitles.

You will be amazed how much you can improve your listening and understanding by simply watching movies, series and documentaries in Danish!
Have fun and challenge yourself

Resources for Danish films, TV series and documentaries

Filmstriben

www.filmstriben.dk

Great website with thousands of films and many series to watch in Danish, but also in other languages. A great alternative to Netflix, that is free of charge. You need to register first at your local library, which will give you a pin code to login.
Based on which library you are assigned to, you may be able to watch a different amount of films on a monthly basis.

I really like this website as the quality is excellent and you can use subtitles in Danish. Please note this may note be so suitable if you have trouble to read Danish, i.e: early modules.

DR website

www.dr.dk/tv/programmer/alle

DR has a huge database to choose from if you want to watch in Danish. Have a look at their website and choose what you like. Their content is not available for an unlimited period, so make sure to double check when it will be removed. I use DR.dk quite a lot, as it is excellent quality, subtitled and easy to find what I am searching for.

DR Bonanza

www.dr.dk/bonanza

DR Bonanza has many old films, documentaries and series available online. They are not so recent programs, therefore the quality is not always the best. However, it is a great way to practice. There are many programs to choose from, the best is for you to just browse the website and search based on your personal interests.

Netflix

www.netflix.com

Even if this one is kind of super obvious, I still need to mention it in this post. Unlike the previous websites, Netflix has a limited amount of Danish material available, however they have Danish and English subtitles all the time, which is a great help for the early modules, all the way up to module 5.

The downside is that you need to pay a subscription, unless you know someone who is super nice and can borrow their account for you to practice Danish!

Dansk Filmskat

https://www.danskfilmskat.dk/

Dansk Filmskat has a nice collection of not so recent Danish movies. It is a subscription based website, but worth a shot if you really want to dive into Danish movies. You can search movies according to various filters in case you want to narrow down a title.

Films, TV series and documentaries to watch

Here is a list that I would recommend, if you want to improve your Danish level and dive deeper into the culture. Some may not be available in the above platforms, so I will let you decide the best way to find them online or offline

This is a work in progress list, which I will update continuously.

The post Watching Danish Movies and TV series appeared first on Learn Danish.

It has been a while since I wanted to share this post, finally managed to write it This time, I will cover one of the learning tools that many of us are using: Flashcards.

I personally did not start using them until recently. My vocabulary keeps on expanding, therefore I needed to use a new tool to practice. I investigated and tested various apps, to see which ones would best suit my needs, as a learner of the Danish language.

Below is a selection of flashcard apps that I would personally recommend to practice your Danish. They work fine because you can save your vocabulary into flashcards and practice straight after.

Please note this is an unbiased review and absolutely based on my own appreciated of these apps.
Do not hesitate to share your feedback on @learndanishblog and/or Facebook, if you are using these or other flashcard apps.
I would be very interested to hear about your own experience.

Have fun with learning Danish!

Flashcards apps to learn Danish

Anki

About the App
Their mobile app is very easy to use, it is really straight to the point. You set up your lists with themes and edit your words.
The interface allows you to edit the font, add photos, create bullet points with the flashcard, etc (Rich content creation). It also includes cloud access, so you can create flashcards on one device, and then study on another.
When practicing Danish with the flashcards, you can rate how satisfied you are about the word you just practiced (Fail, Hard, Good, Easy). You then can view your daily stats and track your improvement. I think this functionality is nice to have to follow up and improve. Overall a very user friendly app to use flashcards.

Free/Paying
Free version: This is entirely a free version (as of November 2017) and also ad-free.

Download
More info on: https://www.ankiapp.com
Download the app on your smartphone: iOS | Android

Quizlet

About the App
Quizlet is a very easy app to use both on your smartphone and computer. You can create study sets with different themes and add as many words as needed. It also includes some games and tests to help you practice and improve.
A nice feature from this app is that you can import your data from word, excel, Google Docs, etc.

Free/Paying
Free version: available, expect some ads interfering from time to time.
Paying version: Extra features such as adding images to your study sets to make them more engaging, recording your own voice to remember what you are learning, ad-free studying keeps distractions out of your work, and more.

Download
More info on: https://quizlet.com
Download the app on your smartphone: iOS | Android

Brainscape

About the App
Phone and computer versions are both available for users.
After each word that you practiced, you can rate it from 1 to 5 and the app will remember it for next time. The app has an adaptive learning algorithm which works by varying the interval of time between each flashcard’s repetition and how much you rated them.
The app also includes extra features such as finding flashcards already existing in their database (quite nice if you want to start with a good load of words to practice).

Free/Paying
Free version: The free version is very suitable for basic flashcard study.
Paying version: Some of the extra features include copying other users’ flashcards, studying unlimited flashcards, adding images and sounds, copying other users flashcards, etc.

Download
More info on: https://www.brainscape.com
Download the app on your smartphone: iOS | Android

Studyblue

About the App
StudyBlue offers various features, one of them being flashcards. You can make unlimited cards and upload notes for free on the app. They include quizzes and flipping cards to practice what you edited. User friendly app to practice, you can select which flashcards you want to practice based on what you rated.

Free/Paying
Free version: Free version is really fine I think if you need a basic app to have your flashcards.
Paying version: Ad-free and also extra features for studying.

Download
More info on: https://www.studyblue.com
Download the app on your smartphone: iOS | Android

The post My top Flashcard apps to learn Danish appeared first on Learn Danish.

Over the past couple of months, I have been listening to Danish podcasts and I really wanted to share my feedback about podcasts. I was introduced to listening to Danish podcasts during module 4.

From what I have experienced, it has proven to be a great learning tool in addition to reading, listening to Danish music and watching Danish movies. It is great for the simple fact, that you have to really focus on what is being said.
In my opinion, here are 3 topics that are really crucial to make the most of listening to Danish podcasts:

Podcast Host
I think that it is real challenge to find the right podcast, because some podcasts hosts talk way too fast, mumble a lot, or use vocabulary that is too technical for my level in Danish.

Duration
I have been able to keep full focus on podcasts that are no longer than 30min. After that time, I really start to get tired and lose track with what is being said.

Topic
This one is kind of obvious, but you want to make sure that you enjoy what you are listening too. No point to torture your ears and brain with listening to podcasts that are just not that appealing to you.

My Danish podcast selection

Because there are so many podcasts online, I thought to share some of the ones that I enjoyed listening too and that are not too hard to listen to. Make sure to follow me on @learndanishblog and/or Facebook, where I will share my new podcasts in the future.

If you know and enjoy other podcasts, please feel free to contact me. I will be very happy to share them on the blog and update this post!

Så længe det kan spises

Type: Food podcast
Duration: Episodes can last up to 30min max. Started in July 2018.
Host: Kris & Chris
Difficulty: Episodes are not so long, easy enough to keep up with.
Story: I like this podcast because they invite each other in a restaurant once a month and talk about food. Always nice to build up your food vocabulary, and can help you with an everyday conversation
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to itMake sure to follow them on Instagram to get their latest updates: @detkanspises

All inclusive

Type: Documentary
Duration: This is a podcast series of 7 episodes, average 25 min per episode. Added in August 2017.
Host: The host is Simon Jul (Danish actor and comedian).
Difficulty: I liked this podcast because it wasn’t too difficult to understand and I could learn many new words and expressions.
Story: The story is quite fun as he goes for the first time on an All-Inclusive holiday in Crete and shares his daily feedback.
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to it: http://www.radio24syv.dk/programmer/all-inclusive/

Ha’ Det Godt På Job

Type: Documentary
Duration: This is a podcast series including 5 episodes (average 23 min per episode). Started in March 2017.
Host: Mads Elk
Difficulty: Very clear pronunciation from Mads Elk, great to listen to. I personally really liked this podcast as it covers the workplace in Denmark with its specific vocabulary.
Story: The workplace in Denmark, managing people, competition with other countries.
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to it: https://radioplay.dk/podcast/ha-det-godt-paa-job/

C:NTACT

Type: Documentary
Duration: Episodes can last from 5min up to 20 min. Started in April 2017.
Host: Danes telling a story about themselves. C:NTACT is an independent theatre and media organisation dedicated to social and cultural integration and education. They are based at the Edison stage in Copenhagen.
Difficulty: Can be challenging for certain episodes. I like this podcast because there are many people talking so you get to hear different pronunciations. Also, it helps you dive a bit more into Danish society.
Story: Everyday stories, some are personal, other more society oriented. They do mini series also as part of the podcast.
Link: Here is the link if you want to listen to it: http://www.radio24syv.dk/programmer/contact

Podcast resources

I encourage you to check these websites, as they have many great podcasts to choose from. These are the three that I personally use a lot. If you use other resources, please feel free to share them with me and I will add them to the blog!

DR

They have a very large choice of podcasts to choose from. A great website to check out.
You can download their app on your phone as well. Iphone or Android.Web link: http://www.dr.dk/allepodcast

Have you checked out my Summer 2018 Podcasts article?

The post Listening to Danish Podcasts to improve appeared first on Learn Danish.

If you feel like taking on a personal challenge and watch a Danish series, then I got the perfect exercise for you:

Matador (DR) – Danish challenge

A bit of background about “Matador”

In June 2017, Lise Nørgaard, who is by far one of the most respected Danish journalist and writer known for her humorous portrayals of Danish cultural life, turned 100 years old!
She is also the author behind one of the most classical Danish TV series (“Matador”), that was filmed between 1978 and 1982. More about her here.
Earlier in May 2017, DR has restored some of the first episodes of Matador with the addition of subtitles. This was a 3-year project for DR and they restored and shared the entire series made of 24 episodes. This is obviously a very good news for us, students of the Danish language.

How does Matador come into learning Danish?

Matador takes place between the 1920s and 1940s, which will give you more insights about the Danish society at that time.
The actors also speak in a “clearer” Danish, a bit more articulate than the recent series. I admit that some expressions used may not be so relevant today, nonetheless, it is a great starting point to dive into Danish society.

The Matador Challenge

This was obviously not a straight up challenge as it was part of our study programme at Studieskolen. We were given weekly assignments to watch episodes and analyse them.
Our teacher advised that it was the first time for him using Matador as a learning tool, since it has just been restored and subtitled in Danish.

If you feel like challenging yourself (like we did) and improving your understanding of Danish, then I definitely invite you to follow the next steps.

Good to know:

• Understanding: It has personally been a challenge as I did not understand everything perfectly, but this is part of the learning curve.
• Getting into it: You should be accustomed to the characters after episode 2. It takes a bit of time to get into the series, but it gets addictive from episode 3.
• Subtitles: Unless your oral understanding is excellent already, you will most likely read all the subtitles. I personally read a lot more the subtitles to understand what they are saying. Either way, watching it will improve your skills.
• Translation: Expect to pause (quite) a lot, to translate words that you do not know.
• DR: If you try to watch DR from outside of Denmark, this may not work due to your IP address not being in Denmark. Try with a VPN, you should definitely be able to watch it!

Get started

Based on my personal experience, I would suggest that you try to take on the Matador Challenge with other students. This will motivate you, but you can also discuss it with them after each episode.
Alternatively, you can watch it and discuss with Danes that you may know.

Go for it:

• Watch one episode at a time
• Find 5 new words or expressions that you didn’t know and write them down
• Find 5 questions about the episode that you will ask the other students
• Explain your 5 new words/expressions in Danish to your fellow students or friends
• Ask your 5 questions and give some context for the answers
• Learn about the new words/expressions that others found
• Answer the questions from the others

#thematadorchallenge

If you take this challenge, feel free to hashtag it on social media #thematadorchallenge
Do not hesitate to share your feedback in the comments section below.

What was your favourite character?
Did you feel an improvement with understanding the series?
Did you learn anything about what the Danish society could have been like in the 1930s?
Would you recommend this series?

My feedback on this exercise

I think it was difficult at the beginning, but after the 3^rd episode, I really started to enjoy watching Matador and could understand better all the actors. This means, I had to focus a lot at the beginning (some episodes are over 55min), but it definitely got better.
Finally, I really enjoyed sharing my opinion about Matador with my fellow students.

Watching Matador online

You can watch all Matador episodes in Danish with subtitles in DR’s website.

If you want to watch the episodes in an older quality, I suggest the following website from DR “Bonanza”. You will only find the originals, meaning no subtitles: http://www.dr.dk/bonanza/serie/154/matador

You can also check out below links if you feel like reading more about Matador:
http://www.matadoronline.dk: this page which features recap of each episodes and plenty of other useful information.
https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_(tv-serie): Wikipedia page that gives you a very good overview of Matador

Enjoy the Matador Challenge!

The post Danish TV series “Matador” appeared first on Learn Danish.

I wanted to share some of the links that I and other students from my school use, to improve with the Danish grammar.
These links are also shared internally by Studieskolen (the school I go to), so I trust they are useful!
There are many other online resources that you can find and which are definitely great.
I decided not to share a list with too many links, but rather focus with the ones I personally use.

If you know any resources that you believe should be shared here, I invite you to contact me. I will gladly feature them on the blog.

Great resources to learn Danish online

Grammar

• Basby.dk: I personally like this website as it is explained in English and covers a lot of examples
• Verbeliste (Basby.dk): Many verbs listed here, you can also listen to them. A great resource to have and use

Pronunciation

• Basby.dk: Same as above, I recommend this website
• Den danske ordbog: you can search for a word and click the “loud speaker” icon, this will say it.
• Duolingo: Great tool to have if you want to practice Danish.

Prøve i Dansk 3 practice

• www.minidansk.dk: Check out Ewa’s website where she shares great content to practice for your modules!

Dictionary

• Ordnet.dk: It will be in Danish, so you always have the option to translate later
• Den Danske Ordbog (DDO): There is a free app for the Danish dictionary. I personally use it as it is all explained in Danish and available both for iOS and Android.

The post Online resources to become a pro at Danish appeared first on Learn Danish.