Danish learning resources: the free and the worth paying for

The best Danish learning resources are not one app. You need five kinds: a course that gives you an order, a dictionary with sound, flashcards for words, Danish you can listen to every day, and someone to talk to. Below is my list as a Danish teacher, sorted by what each resource is for and which level it suits, with the free ones first.

Which Danish learning resources do you actually need?

Most people collect apps and then use none of them. Pick one from each group below, not five from the same group. A good week looks like this: the course most days, the dictionary when you meet a new word, ten minutes of flashcards, something Danish in your ears on the way to work, and one real conversation.

Free Danish courses

Language school. If you live in Denmark, your municipality can offer you Danish education for adults. It is built in modules with a test after each one, and the teaching itself is free; some students pay a deposit, which they get back when they pass in time. This is the most complete resource there is, because you get a teacher and a class. The module tests explain how the modules work.

The free course on this site. I built it for the ten minutes a day between lessons, and for people outside Denmark. It starts with the alphabet and the sounds, then you talk about yourself, numbers and the time, small talk, the café, shopping and the past. Every Danish sentence can be heard, and the conversations use what you write about yourself, so you practise saying your own job and your own city. It also has the language school modules, with lessons for modules 1 to 4.

Apps. Duolingo and Babbel both have Danish for English speakers. They are good for a daily habit and for reading, weaker for listening and speaking. Use one as a warm-up, not as your whole plan.

Dictionaries and pronunciation

Den Danske Ordbog at ordnet.dk is the big free dictionary of modern Danish. It is Danish to Danish, so it is for when you have a few words already, and it shows how a word is bent: past tense, plural, the definite form. Many words have a sound file. That matters more than you think, because Danish is not said the way it is written.

sproget.dk is run by the Danish Language Council. It answers the questions Danes ask themselves: commas, spelling, which form is right. Good from the middle level.

For the sounds themselves, start with the pronunciation guide. Learn these three sentences early, because you will use them with every Dane who helps you:

• Hvad betyder det?What does that mean?
• Hvordan siger man det på dansk?How do you say that in Danish?
• Kan du tale lidt langsommere?Can you speak a little more slowly?

Danish flashcards

Flashcards work for words, if you do them a little every day. Anki is the classic: free on computers and Android, and it shows you a card again just before you would forget it. Make your own cards rather than downloading a deck of 5,000 words. A card you made from a sentence you met is worth ten from a list.

Three rules for good Danish cards:

1. Always learn en or et with the noun. Not hus, but et hus. Not bil, but en bil.
2. Put a short sentence on the card. Jeg har købt en ny cykel. (I have bought a new bike.) The sentence remembers the grammar for you.
3. Add sound. A card you can only read teaches you a Danish that does not exist.

The free course has word lists for every topic that work as flashcards, with sound, and a practice list where you save the words and sentences you find hard.

Danish exercises and worksheets

Worksheets you print are fine for grammar, but for Danish you need exercises that talk back, because the problem is usually the ear. The exercises in the free course check what you write and tell you where the mistake is, without giving you the answer. Try again, and the answer is there if you ask for it.

If you go to language school, look at the public example tests on danskogproever.dk, the official site for the Danish tests. They show the format of the tests, so nothing surprises you on the day.

Listening: TV, radio and podcasts

DR, the Danish public broadcaster, has news, radio, podcasts and TV online. Many programmes can be shown with Danish subtitles, which is the best way to watch: you hear and read the same words. Some programmes may not play outside Denmark. For beginners, children’s TV is slow and clear, and nobody is watching you watch it.

Series on Netflix are the fun part. My guide to Danish Netflix series says how hard the Danish is in each one, and how to learn from a series instead of just watching it.

For podcasts, choose something you would listen to in your own language anyway: news, football, crime. Interest keeps you listening when you only understand half.

Speaking: the resource most people skip

Every resource above is about input. You also have to talk. Many libraries and language schools in Denmark have a language café, where volunteers talk Danish with learners. Online, you can find a tandem partner: you help with their English, they help with your Danish. Say this at the start, so the Dane does not switch to English:

• Jeg lærer dansk. Må vi tale dansk?I am learning Danish. Can we speak Danish?

What is worth paying for?

Most of what you need is free. What is worth money is what a free resource cannot give you: a person who listens to you and corrects you. That is a teacher, a private lesson or a good class. Apps with a subscription are worth it only if you use them every day. A textbook is worth it if your language school uses it.

Questions people ask

What is the best free resource to learn Danish?

If you live in Denmark: the language school, because you get a teacher. Next to it, or if you live abroad: a course you can do alone with sound on every sentence, plus Den Danske Ordbog for new words.

Can I learn Danish with Duolingo alone?

You can learn many words and simple sentences. You will not learn to understand spoken Danish or to speak it. Add listening and real conversations.

Are there Danish flashcards with audio?

Yes. Make your own in Anki with sound, or use the word lists in the free course, where every word can be heard.

Where can I find Danish exercises for beginners?

The free course has exercises for every topic, from the alphabet up. Language school students can also see the example tests on danskogproever.dk.