If you are learning Danish, you certainly have some must-have books that help you study and improve.

I wanted to share a post about (some of the) books that I have been using since I started to study Danish. My review is non-biased and is entirely based on my own appreciation of the below books.

There are many resources to be found in book stores, and I am not going to list all of them in this post! However, if you are using other books that you think are great and worth sharing with others, please do not hesitate to contact me! I will gladly add them to this list.

Must-have books to study Danish

Dansk er ikke så svært / Dansk er lidt svært / Dansk er svært

This is a series of 3 books, each including 50 grammar exercises.
They are so helpful from module 1, all the way until module 5. What I like about them is that you can practice at home and have all the corrections at the end of the book. I have to admit that it is a bit of an investment (as they cost each over 200kr) but you will not regret it.

You can purchase the books here:
Dansk er ikke så svært  Dansk er lidt svært  Dansk er svært

Den Lille

This is a very useful grammar book that is well suited if you are learning Danish. It has a classy design, a really nice book to have on your shelf. I would recommend to have it, if you are looking to go hard on grammar
They also have free online resources to practice your Danish (bottom of the page on this link)

You can purchase it here

Politikens Retskrivnings og betydnings ordbog

This is a Danish dictionary which is very helpful when you have to write essays and need to double check words and expressions.
I really like it because it is well structured and easy to read. It also includes synonyms which is a perfect way to learn new words and expressions. If you like Scrabble, then this book will become your best friend. It is a bit of an investment, but worth it.

You can purchase it here

Politikens synonymordbog

Book about Danish synonyms as the title suggests! A great additional book to have as it will enhance your vocabulary. I really started to use it more from module 4.

You can purchase it here

Danish Dictionary

This is a very obvious one, but it makes sense to have it on the top of this list. I personally chose a pocket dictionary instead of a bigger size dictionary, for the simple reason that I can carry it with me everywhere. In my opinion, a dictionary needs to be practical and easy to use. I can have it with me when I travel, when I go to language school or when I am at home.

You can choose from various dictionaries, but I would recommend this one (English/Danish):
Gyldendals Røde Ordbøger

Danish books to read for beginners

Make sure to check out this post about books to read. This way you can make good use of the above study books to improve your skills in Danish!

The post My top 5 must-have books to study Danish appeared first on Learn Danish.

If you are (like many of us), in the process of learning Danish and you desire to become good at it, as soon as possible, then here are a few tips that can definitely help you.

Attending Danish classes is obviously the foundation of your learning curve, but you also need to focus on integrating as much Danish as possible, into your everyday life.

This post will be split into 4 categories:

1. Read
2. Listen
3. Watch
4. Talk

Learning Danish every day

Read

Reading will be one of the best tools you can have to improve your Danish level quickly.

• Study Books

Try to aim at reading at least one Danish book a week (you can usually get these for free at your school, and they are specially written with a comprehensive grammar and structure. In the early modules 1-3, the stories are not necessarily that interesting, but as you progress further, books are actually becoming very interesting as you can read biographies, actual stories, drama, etc.).

• General books

If you want to push it, make sure to register at your local library (free and you only need your CPR card). There are many books to read from. I would definitely encourage you to have a look. If you live in Copenhagen, here is a link with all the libraries addresses.

• BT Newspaper
  

Reading newspapers is a great way to stay up-to-date with Danish news as you can relate to it easily. I personally take B.T from Monday to Friday, it is a free newspaper and it is a great reading tool. Spend 30 min everyday reading the newspaper, this will become easier as you advance. You can find the newspaper (red stand) all over the city center. For info, they are less active during weeks 29-31 in the summer (everyone needs a bit of holidays!).

• DR Ligetil

The Danish Radio Television also has news in a simpler format, if you want to read. I personally used it a lot in the beginning. This is a good option to use, when you are starting to study Danish (module 1 and 2): http://www.dr.dk/ligetil

• Phone

Switch your mobile phone to Danish. This may not be super easy at first, but you will find your way around and get to learn a lot of new words without even noticing it.

Listen

Listening to the radio or Danish music will help you understand better, but also develop your vocabulary.
Here is a link of all the Danish radios, that you can then stream and listen live.

I try as much as possible to listen to Danish music and translate it. It has definitely helped me improve my Danish understanding.

• If you want to dive into Danish music, you can check out the “Lyrics Translate” website, select artists you like and then translate their songs.

Here is my personal approach in 5-steps, to use songs as a learning tool:

1. Listen to the song for the first time without any lyrics. Try to understand as best as you can
2. Take the lyrics, read them and try to understand them as best as you can, without translating with a dictionary
3. Translate the lyrics (actually on the link provided, most of the songs are translated in English, so that will save you some time and headaches!).
4. Listen to the song again, this time with the lyrics
5. Learn the songs, repeat, sing and have fun

Watch

Watching TV and going to the cinema will be quite a challenge, but take it step-by-step, you will definitely improve your understanding as you progress.

• Youtube: Needless to say, that watching videos on youtube is a good starting point.
• DR (Danish Radio): One of the Danish channels, they upload videos on their website. The great part about this website, is that you can have subtitles. They have a very large collection of documentaries, series etc: https://www.dr.dk/tv/programmer

You can find the “Undertekster” link on the right hand side, when playing the video:

Talk

Talking will be the ultimate challenge in your learning curve. Don’t be afraid and start as soon as you can to talk Danish in your everyday life. It starts with talking Danish when ordering food, paying your groceries, etc.
If you feel like it is getting a bit technical and you are afraid to sound like a fool (I have been there personally, so you are not alone in this!), prepare what you want to say ahead of the conversation.

For example, you need to buy groceries, translate what you want to say and practice it. You will feel more relaxed when initiating the conversation in Danish.

If they reply to fast for you, gently ask them (in Danish), to repeat slowly.
There is a chance they will reply in English if they feel you are really struggling, but stick to Danish.

I am not going to cover the social aspects of your life (getting out, meeting people etc.), as this is already covered by many other blogs and websites.

I hope all these tips and resources will help you progress in learning Danish. It definitely helped me, so I can recommend it from my own personal experience.

If you have more tips that you think would definitely be worth sharing, please feel free to contact me (or comment below), and I will gladly add them to this blog post.

Have a great day!

The post Danish all day, everyday for learners appeared first on Learn Danish.

Chances are that you definitely used Google Translate on your phone since you arrived in Denmark.
If you already started the Danish modules, I am quite certain that your teacher will have suggested you to be careful with Google Translate, as it is good but not so accurate all the time.

Your teacher is right! I had a good few instances where I said the translated word from Google and Danes looked at me with the face of “what the hell are you trying to tell me”. This has not happened to me a lot, but still, you do feel like a fool when it occurs.

Throughout the modules I attended, pretty much every student I met, always had their phone with Google Translate during the classes.

This will save you a lot of time if you quickly want to get a translation during the class and not lose track, of what the teacher is talking about.
It can also help you during your everyday life. I tend to use it when I am on the go and need an instant translation.

I also have a pocket dictionary in Danish-English, which I definitely think is a must have for every expat learning Danish. It will give you accuracy in what you are trying to translate, but also push you to be more curious as you can read over words from it.

Finally, I use also an online app called “English Danish Dictionary” by Gyldendal. One of my teachers suggested to the class, and I have been using it since Module 1. It is definitely worth investing in (paying app).
It is currently only on the Apple Store (sorry for the Samsung users).

Please note, this post is not focused on giving you a lot of new insights, just to be careful with Google Translate and knowing when to use it.

Happy translating!

The post Google Translate – Danish appeared first on Learn Danish.