Danish guides
Free guides to the parts of Danish that trip learners up. Every Danish word and sentence on these pages can be played aloud: tap it, and you hear it. I am Lui, a Danish teacher, and these are the explanations I give my students, written down. When you want to practise, the free course has the dialogues and exercises.
Start here
If you are new to Danish, read the guides in this order: first what is actually hard about Danish (so you spend your energy in the right place), then the pronunciation guide, and then the numbers, which you will need at the bakery before you need anything else.
How to use the audio
Words like hyggeligt are buttons. Tap one to hear it read by your device’s Danish voice. On a Mac or iPhone, Safari has a Danish voice built in; on Windows, Edge has the most natural one. Nothing plays until you tap.
The guides
- Danish pronunciation: the complete guide (with audio)How to pronounce Danish: the soft d, stød, the vowels, æ, ø and å, silent letters and simple rules. Tap any example to hear it.
- Danish numbers 1–100 explained (with audio and a number machine)How Danish numbers work: 0-20, the tens, why 50 is halvtreds and 70 halvfjerds, and the ones-first rule. Type any number and hear it.
- Is Danish hard to learn? An honest answer from a Danish teacherDanish grammar is easy, the pronunciation is not, and Danes switch to English. What makes Danish hard for English speakers, and what to do about it.
- How to learn Danish: a teacher’s step-by-step planHow to learn Danish from zero: what to learn first, how long it takes, which resources help, and a free course built by a Danish teacher.
- Danish words: vocabulary by topicDanish words sorted by topic: family, food, colours, love and more. Every word with audio and pronunciation, and a free course to make them stick.
- The Danish language: a quick guideWhat kind of language is Danish? Who speaks it, where it comes from, why it sounds the way it does, and how it compares with its neighbours.
- Moving to Denmark: first steps and the Danish you needMoving to Denmark? The first steps (CPR, yellow card, work, language school) and the Danish words you will meet first, with audio.
- Common Danish phrases: the ones you will actually useThe Danish phrases you need first, from hej and tak to ordering a coffee. Tap any phrase to hear it, with Lui's pronunciation tips.
- The Danish alphabet: 29 letters with audioThe Danish alphabet has 29 letters, from A to Å. Tap each letter to hear its Danish name, learn æ, ø and å, and test yourself for free.
- Danish culture, explained through its wordsHygge, pyt, Janteloven, julefrokost: Danish culture explained through the words Danes use, with audio and the phrases you need to join in.
- Sprogskole: how Danish language school worksHow Danish language school (sprogskole) works: who can join, the three Danskuddannelser, modules and tests, and how to practise between classes.
- Danish grammar: a friendly overviewDanish grammar without the jargon: en and et, verbs, word order and tenses, with examples you can hear. Then practise each rule in the free course.
Updated 13 September 2026