How to learn Danish: a teacher’s step-by-step plan

The best way to learn Danish is to start with the sounds and with talking about yourself, then numbers and small talk, and only then the tenses. Ten minutes every day beats two hours on Sunday. I am Lui, a Danish teacher, and this is the order I teach in, step by step, with the reasons.

Step 1: the sounds and the alphabet

Danish is not said the way it is written. If you learn words from paper first, you will not recognise them when a Dane says them. So start with the 29 letters, including æ, ø and å, and a few rules: the g in pige (girl) is silent, and the d in mad (food) is soft. The pronunciation guide has the rest.

Step 2: talk about yourself

The first conversation you will have is about you: your name, where you come from, where you live, what you do. Learn those sentences until they are automatic.

• Hej, jeg hedder Anna.Hi, my name is Anna.
• Jeg kommer fra Spanien.I come from Spain.
• Jeg bor i Aarhus.I live in Aarhus.
• Jeg lærer dansk.I am learning Danish.

Step 3: numbers and the time

Prices, phone numbers, ages, dates and “what time is it” come up every day, and Danish numbers are strange from 50 and up. Learn them early, and listen to prices in every shop. The numbers guide explains halvtreds and the clock.

Step 4: small talk and everyday situations

Now the short conversations: how are you, the weather, ordering a coffee, shopping, asking the way. Learn them as whole sentences, not word by word.

• Hvordan har du det?How are you?
• Jeg vil gerne have en kaffe.I would like a coffee.
• Hvad koster det?How much is it?
• Kan du tale lidt langsommere? Jeg lærer dansk.Can you speak a little slower? I am learning Danish.

That last one is the most useful sentence on this page. Danes are happy to slow down, but you have to ask.

Step 5: the past, and then the rest

Only when you can talk about today do you need yesterday: Hvad lavede du i weekenden? (What did you do at the weekend?) Then come the tenses, the word order, fixed expressions and longer texts. Grammar matters, but it should be about a quarter of your time. The rest is listening and speaking.

Is Danish a difficult language?

For an English speaker, the grammar is easy and the pronunciation is hard. Verbs do not change with the person (jeg er, du er, hun er), and many words look like English. The hard part is hearing what people say. I wrote more about that in is Danish hard to learn?

Where to learn Danish

• Language school. If you live in Denmark, your municipality can offer you Danish education for adults, in modules with a test after each one. The module tests explain how it works.
• A course you can do alone. Good for the ten minutes a day between lessons. The free course on this site follows the order above.
• Real life. Danish radio, TV with Danish subtitles, and every shop and bus you are in. Listen first, then say it yourself.

How to practise Danish every day

1. Ten minutes, every day. Short and often is better than long and rarely.
2. Out loud. Read the sentence, hear it, say it. Your mouth has to learn Danish too.
3. Ask in Danish first. Start in Danish, even if the answer comes in English: Undskyld, hvad sagde du? (Sorry, what did you say?)
4. Write down the words you need. The ones you looked for today are the ones you will need tomorrow.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to learn Danish?

It depends on your time and your languages. The Danish education for adults is planned so that you can reach Prøve i Dansk 3, the level for citizenship, in about three years. You can have simple conversations long before that.

Do Danes say I love you?

Yes, but not often, and they mean it. Jeg elsker dig is for your partner and your family. For a good film or a new song, Danes say Jeg er vild med den or Jeg kan godt lide den.

How do you say hi in Denmark?

Hej, to everybody, all day. When you leave: Hej hej.

Can I learn Danish without living in Denmark?

Yes. You need sound and someone to talk to, and you can find both online. You will learn faster in Denmark, because you hear it all day.

The guides to learning Danish

Below are the longer guides on how to learn Danish: how long it takes, apps, podcasts and TV. All the other guides are on the guides page.