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

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

Thank you Yao

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

Danish classes
Which school did you attend?
IA Sprog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Did you think the exam was difficult?
No

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listening to Danish podcasts

Hr Müller

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

Mads og Monopolet

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

Cocktailtimen

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

Med kloden i kurven

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

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

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

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

Thank you Eugenio

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

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

Danish classes
Which school did you attend?
Lærdansk Aarhus

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

Did you take breaks?
No

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you Wing and best of luck with your business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you Alexandra and congratulations again on successfully completing PD3!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you have any tips to improve in Danish?

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

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

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

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.

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.

We have just entered the month of December, which means great food, snow (let’s hope we get lucky this year), family time (yay!) and plenty of hygge.

Over the past months, I have been playing a lot of board games with my Danish friends and family. I love board games because it gives me an opportunity to disconnect from all the technology! But mainly, I get to spend time with people I appreciate and practice my Danish.

I want to share with you a list of the board games that I personally tested and definitely enjoyed! These games are only in Danish, which makes it challenging for us learners, however fun and rewarding as you will get to play in Danish and speak the language. Board games are definitely suitable from the early modules, I would recommend them without a doubt.
If your relatives are asking you for gift ideas, you may (seriously) consider to ask for one of those board games.

Below list is of games entirely based on my own appreciation (and the one of my fellow Danes who play with me regularly).

Have fun and play in Danish

Great board games to practice Danish

Matador

Game rules

Based from the actual “The Landlord’s Game” created in 1903 and same rules as the Monopoly. Your aim is to buy as much properties as possible and collecting plenty of money from the other players!
From 2-6 players, takes approx 60 minutes for a full round.

Why I like this game

Really fun as all the places you can buy are based in the Copenhagen region. For example, you can get lucky and buy Frederiksberg Allé or even Rådhus Pladsen!

Partners

Game rules

Partners is a super fun board game for four people (two on each team). You really need to be four to play it, so not very practical if you are only two! Equivalents would be “Dog” (from Germany) or “Sorry!” (from England).
The aim of the game is to move your men as fast as possible. They are moved in a clockwise direction along the course according to the value of the cards. The winning team is the one who has first placed all its 8 men in the target area.
A full round can last up to one hour.

Why I like this game

The game is strategical and really fun to play as you are in a team.

Right or Wrong

Game rules

Really great game to practice your Danish reading and listening. “Right or Wrong” includes cards with one question and one correct answer among three choices.
From 2 to 4 players, a full round can take up to 40 min.

Why I like this game

It is simple to play, all is in Danish and the questions are very general. It is not just about Denmark, but can include any topics on an international level. The price is also a lot more friendly than the other games.

Rundt om Danmark

Game rules

This is a quiz game in Danish (latest edition from 2016). There are 6 different categories to answer: history, culture, nature & science, geography, sports & Leisure, random. Each question has 4 answers.
Here are some examples of the questions:
Where is the city of Vissenbjerg?
Which jackets has Queen Margrethe 2 designed?
What year did the Constitution abolish the censorship in Denmark?
From 2 to 6 players, a round can take up to 45 min.

Why I like this game 

Requires more knowledge about Denmark and you get to learn a lot from all the questions. It can be challenging, nonetheless you will have fun!

Bezzerwizzer

Game rules

Bezzerwizzer is a quiz game that is one of the most popular board games in Denmark. It will definitely test your trivia knowledge. This is the Danish equivalent of Trivial Pursuit. There are 5000 questions in the box divided into 20 different topics.
There are various Bezzerwizzer themed games to choose from: Original, Danish History, Danish music hits, Danish language, Discoveries, Films, Cooking, Sport, Cities, TV series…

Why I like this game

Challenging and fun. You will definitely need some knowledge and expect to learn many new Danish words.

Do you have any favourite games you would recommend?
If you play with Danish board games, does it help you improve your level of Danish and/or knowledge about Danish society?

The post My top 5 Danish board games to practice appeared first on Learn Danish.