First of all, I wish you a very successful 2020 and plenty of Danish speaking! It has been a very long time since my last publications and expat interviews.

For the first Expat Feedback of 2020, I am glad to feature Julian, who is originally from France. He completed Prøve i Dansk 3 exam with Studieskolen Copenhagen, in June 2019.

Julian shares in this interview many insights about his personal experience of learning Danish in Denmark, but also the school process and some tips.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading it!

Thank you Julian !

Learning Danish in Denmark

About you
My name is Julian and I am from France. It is my 3rd time in Denmark. I arrived in November 2017. So it has been 25 months now. My 2nd time was during summer 2016 when I did a laboratory internship at DTU. Unfortunately, all Danish classes were off so I was frustrated not to learn Danish. My first time was during my childhood. I came to Denmark for almost ten years every summer and I developed an attraction to the country.

© Thomas Mougeolle

I used to introduce myself as a Parisian whose origins are mixed. My blood is 3/4 viet and the fourth is Dane. My grandmother was born in Nakskov and she taught me a lot about the Danish culture when I was a child. Thank to her, I celebrated the Danish Christmas and other traditions. But I was really stupid when I was a kid and I did not learn Danish with my grandmother. So when I was around 20, I felt I needed to retrieve my origins. So I decided first to get an Erasmus exchange. But I was refused because my marks were not good enough. So I did an internship in 2016 but that was too short to learn. So I came back in November 2017 as a VIE (special French contract). And I could start Danish in January 2018 at Studieskolen. I now live in Copenhagen near the little Mermaid !

Danish classes

Which school(s) did you attend?

I’ve followed lessons at Studieskolen in Copenhagen

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

Easy but slow because first you need a CPR.

Did you take breaks?

No. I think when you take a break, you won’t feel motivated to start again. I have a lot of friends who did that and because of that they don’t speak Danish. But of course, I feel sometimes unmotivated. So I was like, if I failed an exam, I would stop paying Danish classes. And I was lucky not to fail it.

Day classes vs evening classes?

I did not have any choice because I had a job.

How did you find the various modules at school?

It was really interesting during the 3 first modules. But then since module 4, you start to prepare PD3 so it is less fun.

Prøve i Dansk 3 Exam

How was the Prøve i Dansk 3 examination?

It was hard.

Any suggestions in terms of the preparation to PD3?

It is better to study Danish for 2 years instead of 1,5 year as I did. Why I did not study 2 years instead of 1,5? It is just because at one time I was without a job and I was running out of money so I could not know if I could stay 6 more months in Copenhagen.

Also, it is nice to be explained all the rules before doing the exam.
For example, I did not know we could bring a dictionary for the written exam.

Any comments regarding written exam and oral exam?

Written exam, check your time. I thought I was okay with the time but in fact I did not finish my conclusion.
Oral exam, take your time before answering. I was afraid to stay silent so I preferred to answer even if it made no sense. That’s not a good move.

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

Danish to Go

What do you think about the books? Would you recommend them?

Yes, it was okay but it is better to have a teacher and classmates with you.
It is almost impossible to learn by yourself. You won’t feel motivated.

Danish Practice

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

It is not easy because in Copenhagen, Danes notice that you are a foreigner and switch to English. But it is possible.

What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?

I go to the library and I borrow some comics as Garfield and children books. I organize French Danish Language cafe and English is forbidden. I go to other language cafe as SMK on Wednesday.

I watch Danish series as The Rain which is awful by the way. I went once to the cinema and once to the theater to see Lars Mikkelsen, an actor I really admire. I did not understand everything but it is still a little step.

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

Yes, comics. It is the child method. There are pictures, it is easy. You learn new words and you get fun!

Have you watched Danish tv/movies that you think are worth seeing for other students?

En kongelig affære

Do you have any tips about how to improve your Danish while studying and being in Denmark?

Making Danish friends is the most difficult challenge. But once you get one, you will discover more the country. I was so pleased when my Danish friend introduced me to his other friends at his birthday or when he introduced me to the Culture Night in October 2018.

Make sure to follow Julian on Instagram.

He is also organizing French-Danish Language Cafe in Copenhagen. He doesn’t know yet if the French Danish Language cafe will hold in 2020 as he got a new job and needs to travel quite often out of Copenhagen so if you know other French/Danish people motivated, feel free to contact him!

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

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.

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.

Welcome to the “Prøve I Dansk 3” feedback series!
Last year, I published my personal reviews about the module 1, module 2, module 3 and module 4.

I am nearly finished with module 5, as I am in the final process of preparing Prøve i Dansk 3 exam!
Very pleased to be able to share with you my (very long) review of the Module 5, which has lasted 7 months in a row for me and my fellow students (since end of September 2017)! Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Please note that below feedback is based on my personal experience at Studieskolen in Copenhagen. The content of the modules that I describe is obviously subject to change with time (as per the national guidelines) and can vary slightly based on the teacher and the school.

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!

In order to have consistency throughout theses module reviews, I will use the same analytical structure:

• Module expectations
• Module structure
• Resources
• Personal feedback

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

Welcome to Module 5 feedback!

Module Expectations

Congratulations on making it all the way to Module 5 You should be proud of yourself and all the efforts put in. You are now entering the last phase of Prøve i Dansk 3, hang on tight.

Module 5 brings its challenges, but not as tough as previous modules. Normally you should have reached a comfortable level of talking in Danish with your peers, and should not feel pressure anymore to express yourself. I personally felt such a change with my vocabulary and expressions. It felt a lot more natural and easy to use.  Unlike the modules 3 and 4 where I felt a huge improvement, module 5 has felt like the learning curve was a bit slower. Expect to still add a lot of technical vocabulary which will definitely help you in tough conversations about the Danish society!

I had some very nice personal victories during module 5, which included reading books that are a longer, more complicated and more interesting. The library became a great place to hang out!
I am now able to follow the Danish news on TV without having to check my dictionary every minute. I did let go a bit of my best friend Metro Xpress, which I used a lot in since module 1. Instead, I switched to actual Danish newspapers such as Politiken, Berlingske, etc. I reached a level where I can read and understand complex articles, without having a headache. Module 5 really brings you up to that level.

In terms of grammar, like I mentioned in my review of module 4, expect small amount grammar in module 5. Of course and for obvious reasons the teachers are still going through grammar when needed, but not as intensively. We still reviewed the usual suspects that are causing so much confusion: the prepositions (på, i, for, over, af, med, til). You will naturally start to hear if it sounds right or wrong, based on what you used. About time!

In regards to class attendance, we were a group of approximately 10-15 regular students. It was (pretty much) the same group throughout module 5, and we already knew each other since earlier modules.
Module 5 still included exercises with talks in small groups, which continuously helps improving your talking.

In terms of homework, I felt that the workload got more intense towards PD3, with a lot of pre-assigments to be ready for the exam. We listened to audio files and read newspapers. The vocabulary is more sophisticated than the previous modules.
The topics are a lot more interesting, expect to learn and write a lot more about the Danish society. The exercises prepare you to PD3, with a lot more analysis structure.

Module structure

Module 5 can be split into different levels (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5), based on when you take Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3)
In my case, it went up to 5.5. Normally, one would say that you should be ready for PD3 by module 5.3 or 5.4.

What you can expect to learn/review in this module:

• Advanced to very advanced vocabulary, more expressions, grammar, expressing your opinion in a much more detailed manner
• You will be discussing and arguing topics that are a lot more complex and that relate to the Danish society
• The teachers will only speak Danish, at a faster pace, which actually feels totally normal.
• Preparation to PD3 exam (written and talking) – The teachers are doing a great job to get you prepared

Module 5.1

What we covered

We discussed various topics in this module, such as personality characteristics, cycling and other forms of transport in Denmark, the body, health system in Denmark, Politics in Denmark (actually we discuss this just when the municipal elections where happening in November 2017).
We also discussed topics such as the Danish liberalism in the past and now, child education and schools in Denmark. We also started to practice a bit on some PD3 exercises, but it was very evasive, the actual process to learn more about the methodology comes in the later modules.

This module included a lot of listening to audio files and writing a lot more essays. We also had to research information on selected topics and introduce in the classroom in small groups. I don’t think we talked as much as I would have liked to in this module, but again, by module 5.1 you should be in a position where you can easily practice Danish outside of the classroom.
I was expecting this module to be very tough, and it was very manageable. The vocabulary got more complex compare to all the previous modules, but at this stage you are ready to take it in and use it.

Book used

There are many great books used by the various schools to learn Danish. Our teacher wrote a new book which she tested with us, before the final publishing. The book did not have a name yet, but it was really interesting and covered complex topics. I will update this post as soon as the book is published.

Module 5.2

What we covered

Module 5.2 included various topics such as the Danish language in the society, medias in Denmark (traditional and new forms), Finance (Real estate, saving money, Taxes in Denmark, welfare state), personality characteristics (which had been covered in Module 5.1), Environment (challenges, pollution, urban design, electrical cars, etc.).
Same case as 5.1, this module also included listening to audio files and writing essays. We also seriously started to read newspaper articles coming from Politiken, Jyllands Posten, Berlingske, Søndagavisen, etc. I felt that Metro Express was good, but definitely not enough to satisfy my reading craving. I would really encourage you to read these newspapers if you can, as they will definitely step up your game. If you don’t want to pay to read them, you can find them at your local library

© Sisses Dupont

Throughout the modules, expect to review some topics but you will go a lot deeper into them and be able to discuss and argue with a lot more consistency. I like this module, but also started to look forward to PD3.

Book used

During module 5.2, we used the book “Danske Stemmer” by Birte Langaard, who was are actual teacher! It was really nice to have her insights and comments. The book was written in 2008 and updated in 2016. We agreed with my fellow students that the book was more for module 5.1.

The new book that Birte wrote for Module 5.1  is actually a lot better and more challenging. Nonetheless, Danske Stemmer is still useful and covers interesting topics. I personally liked it. Check out her newest book called “Højt til loftet” (Published in 2018).

Module 5.3

What we covered

We started module 5.3 with a new teacher and covered one last topic from the book used in Module 5.2. We talked about the Danish Film industry and also the industry from an international prospective. But we also covered films genres, film festivals, best danish films, Dogme 95 movement for Danish films and the justice system in Denmark.

This module also came at a point in time where it was the right moment to start rehearsing and preparing the Prøve i Dansk 3 exam. This included breaking down the written parts of the exam with an emphasis on statistical analysis and comparison. We also got more articles to read and recap in class, with the aim to synthesize better.

Book used

During module 5.3, we finished the last chapter of the book “Danske Stemmer” by Birte Langaard. We used a lot of material handed by the teacher, such as newspaper articles and grammar exercises.

We also had a copy of a new booklet about the Danish welfare state (“Den Danske Velfærdsstat”), written by Mette Bang Pedersen. The book is not finalized and published yet, but I can say that it was really good and suitable for module 5.

Module 5.4

What we covered

To be honest, from this module I started to get a bit tired of going to school, my motivation wasn’t at its highest point. It was the same for most of my fellow students who had been learning continuously without break since last year. It takes a toll on you, but there are periods throughout the learning curve, so don’t give up. The end result will pay off and is rewarding! During this module, we had to hand 4 written PD3 assignments, and also did a PD3 test in class (written one).

This module focused entirely on preparing Prøve i Dansk 3.

Book used

We had a copy of a new booklet about the Danish workplace (“Det danske arbejdsmarked”), written by Mette Bang Pedersen. The book is not finalized and published yet, but I can say that it was really good and suitable for module 5.

Module 5.5

What we covered

This module has been dedicated to PD3 in its all. We trained a lot, had many written assignments as well as oral presentations to do in front of the class in max 2 min (same time that you have for PD3). I found that we got a lot more homework than in the early modules of module 5. I personally found it tough to keep up because of my motivation not being at its highest! But all in all, the aim is to get us ready for Prøve i Dansk 3. After PD3, you also can continue with an oral training class (“Mundtlig forberedelse”), until you have the final oral exam.

Extract given in class from PD3 exam (2012)

Book used

We continued using “Det danske arbejdsmarked” that we had in module 5.4. But we also got an extract from a book called “Din Dansker“, written by Mads Kirkebæk. We studied the chapter “Jagten på det perfekte liv – farvel til fællesskaberne”. Really nice book with interesting text.

Prøve i Dansk 3 Preparation and Exam
I will post my reviews after the PD3 exam in June 2018 . Stay tuned!

Resources

I used some of the same material as the previous modules, such as these ones . At this stage I had all the material needed to feel comfortable. Again, this was thanks to all the previous modules.

Books

The library at Studieskolen didn’t have as many books for module 5, simply because you are able to read more “normal” books when you reach module 5. It was a lot based on your personal initiative. I pushed myself to borrow as many books as possible from my local library. I will emphasis on this again, but it is SO IMPORTANT to read books if you want to improve in Danish. Go for it! A good alternative if you are not a big fan of reading Danish books, you can read newspapers.

Films/Documentaries

We only watched one movie during module 5, which is fine, since you can watch them home. We watched Olsens Banden which was the overall theme of crime and justice. It was really nice because many of the actors where also lead actors in the Matador Danish TV series!

Extract from the Film “Olsen Banden ser rødt”

This was the introduction to the chapter “Justice in Denmark”. If you want to watch movies, make sure to check out my list of recommendations from a previous post about movies to learn Danish.

Podcasts

I continued to listen to podcasts, but put more emphasis on reading. Check out a past post I wrote about listening to Danish podcasts, in case you want to challenge yourself in Danish

Personal feedback

Module 5 has been a very long journey for me, but seriously rewarding. I must admit that my motivation and energy dropped (quite a bit) towards the last 2 months of Module 5, as it has been very focused on Prøve i Dansk 3 and the technique to succeed at the exam. Most of my fellow students felt the same, but no one gave up!

– Danish family: Danish is not a problem anymore with my Danish family. We converse all the time in Danish, but have fun talking English from time to time. It is the same with all my Danish friends, I talk Danish to them. I am very happy to see the change since last year. What a difference to integrate and not feel lonely during a dinner where everyone talks Danish!

– Danes: I definitely feel a lot more integrated than a year ago, for the “simple” fact that I can now interact in Danish with Danes.

– Work: Since last year, I have been working in a bar, which has been challenging at first (to communicate in Danish), but I finally feel very comfortable using the language at my work place. This makes a major difference when you can talk to your guests and colleagues in Danish! Of course, I still speak some English with them if needed. Being perfectly fluent will take some time

Hang in there, you are nearly finished with module 5 and PD3!

Stay tuned for my upcoming reviews of Prøve i Dansk 3. Coming soon…

What did you think about module 5? Did it meet your expectations?
Would you recommend it?
What books did you use?
Feel free to share your thoughts and best practices on the comment section below, Facebook or @learndanishblog!

The post Module 5 Feedback – (Prøve i Dansk 3) appeared first on Learn Danish.