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.

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

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

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

Thank you Wing and best of luck with your business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

Thank you Cécilia!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome to the first expat feedback of 2018! If you are new to this blog, make sure to check out the Expat Feedback interviews from last year!

This week, I am very happy to feature a feedback from Ioana who studied Danish in Århus with LærDansk and completed her PD3 in 2016. Make sure to follow her on Instagram (@basedindk) to follow her latest news

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

Thank you Ioana!

About you
My name is Ioana. I am from Romania and have been here for 3,5 years. My first 2 years here I spent on taking my Master’s degree at Aarhus BSS in Corporate Communication, and for the past 1,5 years I’ve been working for BESTSELLER, which is a Danish fashion company. I live in Aarhus, and I have pretty common hobbies, such as spending time with my friends, my boyfriend, going to the gym and eating tons of good food. I am a huge foodie and a party girl at heart. Three exciting things going on in my life right now: I will start going to CrossFit from February, next Wednesday I start taking Danish classes again (this time at FOF Aarhus) and I am now trying to be a pro at InDesign.

Danish classes
As for my Danish learning background, I’ve been pretty dedicated to learning the language from the start, and I still am. I am quite committed to living in Denmark and I my goal is to get a job where I can fully work in Danish in the next 3-4 years. Coming here as a student, you get all the support you need to sign up for Danish classes. I took my Danish classes at Lærdansk in Aarhus, and from what I remember it was just a matter of getting a paper from the job center in order to sign up for the classes.

Day classes vs evening classes?
Because I had university courses during the day, and later on became employed, I took classes in the evening twice a week. I must admit it’s pretty tough to go to class in the evening when you’ve already had a long day, but it helps if you have a cool teacher, some coffee and some snacks. And of course, if you are motivated to stick with it. But if you have a choice and can go in the morning or during the day, I’d really recommend you do so. I also had a 5 months period where I only attended one of the classes as I was going to university full time, had an internship and worked a part time job on the side.
I really appreciated that I had the flexibility in that sense and that I could be able to at least go once a week and be on track with my study. I think a learning from me here and maybe an advice to others is – don’t make excuses for yourself of why you can’t go, but suck it up, find a middle ground solution and keep going. I’ve seen so many who decided to pause their education because they had so many other things to do and never came back. Or came back too late and regretted missing valuable time. The faster you learn Danish, the easier it is to live in Denmark.

How did you find the various modules at school?
I think the modules themselves and what they entail are totally fine. What really makes or breaks a class (at least personally) is the teacher’s way of holding the class and the colleagues in the class – how dedicated they are and how much better or worse they are compared to you. I guess what I am trying to say is that if it really feels wrong, in the sense that the class is way too advanced or on the contrary, try and see if you can change. I’ve also had teachers I could really not connect with and teachers that were so into it, so funny, so energetic, that going to class was instantly a good experience. The good thing about the classes is that if you’re stuck with a teacher you can’t relate to, most likely you’ll get another one for your next module.

How was the Prøve i Dansk 3 examination?
I went to class for 2,5 years and “graduated” from PD3 a year ago, so some of my memories faded away. What I remember clearly is that the talks pre-exam made it sound like such a huge thing, such an important exam. And I’m not saying it’s not, more like take it easy – it’s more difficult than all the other tests you’ve had so far, but you are supposedly better prepared as well. My exam was held in this big hall with tens of tables and people. For those who don’t do good with tests it can be pretty intimidating. You leave your phone in a box at the entrance, you’re given a number – very much like any other official exam. My advice here is: up to the exam try and go to all classes and make an effort to do your homework – because most of the time the homework in the module before the exam is made out of assignments similar to the ones at PD3.

Any comments regarding the exam?
The first part of the exam (the written one if you wish) has a listening, reading and writing part. For the writing part you are allowed to bring a dictionary and if I remember right, a list with verbs. That helps a lot. Also, don’t try to write better than you normally do. Stick with expressions and phrases you know. Don’t try any sophisticated language. It won’t work if you haven’t used it before. For the listening part, if you can’t hear one thing, don’t get stuck, don’t panic, just let it be and focus on the next thing coming. Same for the reading. If you can’t find one answer, move to the next question. Try and get as many answers as possible, and when you’re done, go back and try and figure out what you skipped. The worst mistake you can do is block at one question you can’t answer.

The second part (the oral exam) is held another day. I can’t remember the exercises precisely, but I remember before the exam we had a chance to prepare for all the topics that we could get. Do that, prepare a little speech for all topics beforehand and try and memorize key words and phrases related to each topic. Don’t learn by heart the whole speech though. Again, what worked for me was sticking to the way I expressed in my regular conversations in Danish. In the end, the feedback from my examiner was that my grammar is not 100% perfect but that my natural way of speaking will make it easy for me to figure it out in the world. Which is basically why I took that education so yay me.

Study Books
I studied from Puls and then we always got extra material in class from the teachers for grammar exercises. I really don’t think there’s an issue with the material. I always had some and more to learn from.

Danish practice
Do you think it is easy to apply your Danish (that you learned at school) in the everyday life?
As for applying my Danish in everyday life, I use it from time to time but for sure not every day. At work I have a colleague who knows I understand and speak Danish so she writes and talks to me in Danish most of the time. I also sometime attend meetings in Danish and in general listen to a lot of Danish at work. The most I’ve used Danish is with my boyfriend’s family, and then I also speak Danish when I shop, when I go partying downtown, and when I write emails to authorities, the caretaker, the gym and so on. On top of that, I do listen to music and news in Danish every morning on my way to work, and have Danish subtitles to all movies and series I watch.

Movies, series and Books suggestions
Movies to watch: Underverden – by far the best Danish movie I saw, and it’s from this year. More here.

Series to watch: Forbrydelsen – has 4 seasons but the 1st is by far the best and you can watch it for free on dr.dk here & Broen – I am now watching season 4, also running on dr.dk for free.

Books to read: I barely get myself to read something in English, let alone in Danish, but this Christmas I read a Christmas calendar and I really recommend you start doing that next Christmas. It takes 15 minutes a day and it keeps you motivated to finish it by Christmas. I read Nissebanded i Grønland.

You can read another article on my relationship with Danish here. I wrote it almost 2 years ago and maybe things have changed a bit but I still think it’s relevant.

What do you do outside of school to practice your Danish?
When I was going to Lærdansk, as a student I got a Danish online language partner through one of the school’s programs called Taldansk. We talked once a week through Skype, as she lived in Copenhagen and I lived in Aarhus. That was by far the most helpful thing I did to have the courage to talk Danish with Danes. I strongly recommend it.

I also volunteered at the school and was an advocate for the program, seeing how much it brought me. Lærdansk also has a language cafe down in the basement of the school, if you want face to face conversation, and they always have volunteers happy to talk to you. More about Lærdansk opportunities here.

While I was studying for PD3, to stay motivated with doing my homework in the weekends, I formed a group called Danish and Fun. The International Community in Aarhus jumped in and helped us get a room at Dokk1 in Aarhus to hold our weekly meetings, and soon after when I couldn’t be responsible for the group anymore due to work, they took over and made it part of their programme. If anyone is from Aarhus, do go over. It’s every Sunday from 13:30 to 15:30, there’s language games, Danish volunteers, and internationals to socialize with.

You can find out more info about it here.

One cool thing I did at Lærdansk was being part of a promotional campaign for the school. Here is the picture of me appearing in an ad at a bus stop!

I also took part in a video with Lærdansk, which was after my first year learning Danish

Follow Ioana on Instagram @basedindk

The post Expat feedback – Ioana from Romania appeared first on Learn Danish.

Welcome back to the Expat Feedback interviews, which will be the last one for 2017.

This week, Carlos who goes to the same school as me, accepted to share his experience of learning Danish!
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where he shares his personal experience.

Thank you Carlos!

About you

Hi, I am Carlos, both Brazilian and Portuguese.
I moved from Mexico City to Denmark with my wife and two daughters back in May 2016, as she was transferred to the Nordic branch of her company. The first month we lived in Christianshavn and later we moved to the city centre, near Kongens Nytorv. I spent most of my professional life working as an accountant in advertising agencies both in Brazil and in Mexico, with a few years gap when I worked as a private stock trader in the Brazilan Stock Market. But since I arrived in Denmark, I took a break from my professional life, in order to dedicate myself to my daughters. But I intend to go back to my career next year.

Your school

I am attending Danish classes at Studienskolen, which is really close to my home. The registering process was quite easy, just a small test on grammar and it was done. Actually, I am on module 4.2 and apart from the 6 weeks summer break, I never stopped my studies as I want to finish them as soon as I can. As I am a stay-at-home dad, I am taking daily classes, 3 times a week. The modules were not very hard, except for this one. I am not sure if it is the module that is hard or if it is me who is loosing motivation.

Study Books

In this module, we are using the Pæredansk as a book. Lots of texts and conversation exercises in this book, quite different from the previous ones that were more focused on individual exercises and grammar. What I like in this book is that it has a lot of interesting texts about several aspects of the Danish life.

Danish practice

I rarely use what I learned at school to speak, as you know, Danes always turn to English when they notice you can’t speak very well. But the Danish lessons were quite helpful to read the newspapers, like Metro and BT, to watch Danish TV as DRTV have some really good TV shows as “Billet til kærlighed”.

But also series such as Matador (thumbs up for this one) and Denmark’s history. I am also a big fan of a Youtube channel called “WTF er det?” as they talk about curious topics in a Danish level that is not very hard to understand.

I never listen to Danish podcasts, sometimes I listen to Danish radio. I rarely listen to danish music, apart from the very famous Gulddreng.

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

My tip / suggestion to improve your Danish is: read, read, read, listen, listen, listen and talk, talk, talk. As the Danes have this bad habit to switch to English, I am now pretending that I cannot speak English, only Portuguese and a little Danish. I used it in a Café and it worked quite well!

The post Expat feedback – Carlos from Brazil/Portugal appeared first on Learn Danish.

Let’s continue on the Expat Feedback series with one of my fellow student Carina. I am very pleased to be able to share again a new expat feedback on the blog!

I have been studying Danish with Carina since Module 3.2 and like many of us, she is a very determined student to become a pro at Danish!

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

Thank you Carina!

About you

Hi, my name is Carina and I am from Germany. I have been living in Denmark since January 2017.

Your school

I started Danish classes in February at VUF (Voksen Uddannelsescenter Frederiksberg). Since I already learned some basic Danish back home in Germany, I skipped module 1 and started right away with module 2.

In May I decided to change my language school, because I wanted to have more intensive and demanding classes. I started with module 3.2 in Studieskolen.

How did you find the registering process at the schools when you enrolled?
In both schools, VUF and Studieskolen, I had no problems with registering. Since I already knew some Danish, my language skills needed to be tested beforehand.

At VUF one of the secretaries talked a few basic sentences in Danish with me and then decided that I should start in module 2. I think this level was too low.  After the first day in class I asked if it was possible to switch to a more advanced class. Unfortunately, this was not possible. That is also one of the reasons, why I decided to change the language school.

At Studieskolen the Danish test seemed more professional. First, I had to write a short text in Danish and then I talked to a Danish teacher. In my opinion this system works much better to assess someone’s Danish skills and to place him or her in the right class.

Have you taken breaks?
No

If you are still studying, which module are you on now?
I am currently in Module 5.1

Day classes vs evening classes?

I attended both, day and evening classes, at Studieskolen. If you have the time to attend day classes, you should do it. There you get more practice than in the evening classes. In my opinion day classes are also more fun, because you get to know the other students better and thus there is a better group feeling in the class.

Which study books have you used at school and your experience with them?

Puls 2 (in Module 2 at VUF): The book has a lot of different exercise types and is well structured (with a grammar section at the end). But in my opinion, there were too many repetitions (regarding the topics).

Det kommer (in Module 3.2): I liked it, because it covers interesting topics and it comes with its own exercise book, which I found very useful.

Pæredansk (in Module 4): There are some topics, that were already covered in earlier modules (such as food and animals), but in this book, there is a stronger focus on new vocabulary. At the end of the book there is a short grammar section, which makes it easier to look up specific questions.

Currently we are working with a new book written by Birte Langgaard. The book is not yet published. I like it, because we get to talk about some new topics, such as health and politics.

Update from August 2018: The book has been published, it is called “Højt til loftet” (Published in 2018).

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

At the beginning it is very hard. It happened several times to me, that I asked something in Danish and got the answer in English. This is frustrating, but it is important not to give up too quickly.

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

I have language buddies that I meet regularly. These are Danish native speakers that would like to improve their German.
When we meet, we usually talk one hour in German and then one hour in Danish. This way we both get to practice the language we want to learn. I started meeting with them in February/March and I found it very useful to lose the fear of speaking Danish outside of school.

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

I have watched Matador, the documentary series “Historien om Danmark” and some Danish movies. Watching movies in Danish is a great practice, that I strongly recommend to all Danish students.

Historien om Danmark – Documentary on DR

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

It is very important to use Danish outside of class. Therefore, I recommend reading Danish books or newspapers, watching Danish movies and getting some Danish friends or language buddies that are patient enough to speak Danish with you even though your Danish is not perfect yet.

The post Expat feedback – Carina from Germany appeared first on Learn Danish.

Last week, my fellow student Iwona, shared her insights about learning Danish! Make sure to check out the many insightful reviews from the Expat Feedback series.

This week, Sacha whom I study with at school, accepted to share her experience of learning Danish!
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this post, where she shares her personal experience of learning Danish.

Thank you Sacha and I hope you get to find a full time job soon (in Danish of course!).

About you

Hey, I’m Sacha, a Dutch girl who has almost been living for a year in Denmark (time really flies). I moved here in October 2016, as I wanted to be with my Danish boyfriend. I graduated in August 2016 from the Research Master Social and Cultural science in the Netherlands.
I started looking for a job in the field of social science/sociology/criminology, when my Danish boyfriend asked me to move in with him and start looking for a job here, in Copenhagen.
And now here I am, still looking for a job in my field, but very happy to be in Copenhagen.

Your school

When moving to another country, it is important to learn the language. So as soon as I had my CPR, I registered for Danish classes at Studieskolen, where I started with module 1 last January. Since then, I have been going strong with learning Danish, as I have not taken any breaks at all!

What is your feedback on the modules that you attended?

A couple of weeks ago, I started module 5.1.

I’ve done all modules except for module 3.1, as I was lucky to skip that one. I think the modules are very well structured and have a good speed level. As I am from the Netherlands it was sometimes a little bit easier for me than for others.
I especially had that feeling with module 2. Therefore, my teacher enrolled me directly into module 3.2 (and so I skipped module 2.2). This was a great opportunity as it made it more challenging, but also made me more motivated. I appreciate how good the teachers are at Studieskolen, and how well they can assess the level of their students.

In module 3, I had the chance to work with a pilot book, which was really really good, but had a huge overlap with my module 4 book. This made module 4 not so exciting for me. Luckily our teacher made us watch Matador, read books, and let us listen to podcasts. That made it a good module anyway.

Day classes vs evening classes?

Since the beginning, I have been following day classes from 09:00-13:00. I’m very glad that I can study in the morning classes. As long as I don’t have a full-time job, I will continue with this. It is intensive and because you are studying Danish almost every day of the week, you basically stand up with it. I think, in this way you learn it faster. I do not have any experience with the evening classes so I am not in a position to compare it to morning classes, but I think the morning classes are the best!

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

Selvfølgelig! I have some tips to improve your Danish while studying and being in Denmark. In my opinion, what can help you learn a language is to watch series in the language and using Danish subtitles with English series. Furthermore, the key is dare to speak. I must admit, it took me a while to dare to speak Danish.
I would always say: “just speak Danish to me, I will understand, but I will respond in English”.
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, it is better to make them than not speaking Danish at all outside of the classroom. Now I’m speaking Danish at Studieskolen, with Danish friends when I’m working in a bar, with my parents in law, etc. I am even at the point now, that my boyfriend and I speak mostly Danish at home!

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