Danish survival kit

About this kit

Danish is spoken by around 6 million people in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. From Copenhagen to Aarhus, from Odense to Aalborg: with this kit, you have the bare minimum to get by in Denmark and to recognize the Scandinavian language with the most distinctive pronunciation.

Danish (dansk) is spoken by around 6 million people in Denmark, and as a minority language in southern Schleswig (Germany), the Faroe Islands and Greenland (special statuses). Linguistically, Danish is part of the North Germanic languages, alongside Swedish and Norwegian, to which it is very close in writing. A Dane and a Norwegian can often read each other without much difficulty; orally, however, Danish pronunciation remains a challenge even for other Scandinavians. Danish is known for its swallowed vowels, softened consonants, and famous "stod" (glottal stop) that can change a word's meaning. In writing, Danish uses the Latin alphabet with three additional letters after z (ae, o, a). Grammar is simple: no person conjugations, two genders (common and neuter), and a fairly fixed word order. Common vocabulary is largely transparent for those who know English or German. Culturally, Denmark is known for hygge (warm cocooning), an egalitarian and very direct society, cities designed for biking, world-renowned functional design, and a strong attachment to nature and family. This kit gathers the bare essentials to handle an airport arrival, a taxi ride, a restaurant order, a medical emergency and a smooth departure. You will find indispensable greetings, survival phrases for orientation, key words for eating and sleeping, as well as cultural tips to avoid faux pas. Memorize these expressions before leaving and you will gain confidence from the very first hours on site.