Simple Danish Newsletter #27

Hi friends,

In last week’s newsletter, we talked about who we are, what we’re trying to do and why we’ve started Denmark&Me. We also briefly asked you – Why are you learning Danish?

We think it is an important question to ask yourself, and the earlier the better. Learning a new language is a practically never-ending process, so without a solid why you are learning the language, it can be very easy to give up when your progress slows down (and it will).

When you are learning Danish, your progress will be fast in the beginning as you are learning the alphabet, grammatical rules, and steadily growing your vocabulary. At this point, it is easy to stay motivated.

However, as you continue learning that progress seems to slow down. Your practice needs to be much more deliberate and targeted in order to continue learning. You are maybe struggling with correcting some mistakes that you got stuck with in your early days (we talked a bit about this here), or you are trying to add-on very specific and technical vocabulary in your field of work or study.

This is exactly when it can be hard to stay motivated, and where many will struggle or even quit.

But this is where you need a good why, a solid reason for doing this in the first place.

It is when the going gets tough that you remember why you started learning Danish in the first place, and it is also here you will discover whether that was a good reason in the first place.

What is a good reason to learn Danish?

I have asked people in our subreddit (r/LearnDanish) why they are learning Danish, and it is interesting to see some of the reasons that they are learning Danish:

• They are moving to Denmark for work soon and want to hit the ground running
• They are learning Danish to bond with someone significant in their life
• They are picking up a bit of Danish, because they are going to travel to Denmark
• They want to find a job in Denmark
• Mads Mikkelsen
• They got bored of learning another language and switched to Danish

Reading the answers above, I think we can all make a qualified guess about who will get through the difficult parts of learning Danish and who will not.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with just learning a bit of the language. If you just want to swear at your friends in Danish when playing CS:GO, or if you want to be able to order an ice cream when you’re here on holiday, then that is completely fine – but if you have put your mind to learning Danish you owe it to yourself to ask yourself why.

We can’t say anything general about what makes a good reason for you to learn Danish – but we can give you a simple way to test how solid your reason is.

5 times Why

Ask yourself why – five times. Be like the kid that throws back another why every time you have answered their question. Really question yourself and your motivation.

You might discover that your motivation is not entirely your own – perhaps it was instilled there by someone in your life, like your parents. Probably they had good intentions, but you might decide that you actually want something else. You might discover that your motivation comes from something you decided, maybe almost at random, when you were much younger, or you might find out that you have your reasons entirely in order. It might go something like this:

Example of a Good Reason:

Why do I want to learn Danish?

I want to learn Danish because I’m going to move to Denmark.

1. Why do I want to move to Denmark?

I want to move to Denmark because I’ve received a job offer there.

2. Why did I accept the job offer in Denmark?

I accepted the job offer because it’s a great opportunity to advance my career in a field I’m passionate about.

3. Why do I want to advance my career?

I want to advance my career to achieve my long-term goals of professional growth and personal satisfaction.

4. Why do I want to achieve professional growth and personal satisfaction?

I believe that growing professionally and feeling fulfilled in my work will lead to a balanced and meaningful life, especially as I take on new challenges in Denmark.

5. Why do I want to live a balanced and meaningful life, especially in Denmark?

I want to live a balanced and meaningful life because I value happiness and well-being, and I believe that embracing new experiences, like moving to Denmark, will help me grow as a person and enrich my life overall.

To us that seems like a pretty good reason to learn the language, and certainly linking the act of learning Danish, to professional growth, life balance, deep personal beliefs and a meaningful life is a strong motivating factor you can draw on in difficult situations.

Example of a Bad Reason:

Why do I want to learn Danish?

I want to learn Danish because it sounds cool.

1. Why do I think Danish sounds cool?

I heard it in a TV show, and I thought it would be fun to speak.

2. Why do I think it would be fun to speak Danish?

I like the idea of being able to say I can speak a language that not many people know.

3. Why do I like the idea of speaking a less-known language?

It makes me feel unique and interesting when I mention it to others.

4. Why do I want to feel unique and interesting?

I want to impress people and stand out in social situations.

5. Why do I want to impress people and stand out in social situations?

I seek validation from others because it makes me feel more confident and accepted.

This is a bad reason because it is rooted in extrinsic factors (that are ultimately outside of your control), and may not sustain the effort needed to achieve fluency.

Now it’s your turn. Why are you learning Danish? Please share your findings, and let us know if it was helpful or not 😊

Our Favourite Things ❤️

Idiom of the Week: Et heldigt asen

Literally; a lucky donkey

Danes have quite a few expressions involving donkeys – although they use the older word “asen” rather than “æsel”. You can also say someone is a lazy donkey – er dovent asen, or that they are a stubborn donkey – et stædigt asen. The phrases all have no hidden meaning, so if someone is a lucky donkey, they are just lucky, although the comparison to a donkey is slightly demeaning in all cases.

For Example:

A) Jeg kan sove længe hver fredag fra nu af. Mit arbejde har indført en fire dages arbejdsuge, så jeg har fri hver fredag.

B) Dit heldige asen!

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Word of the Week: Knofedt

Literally; Knuckle-fat

When you really need to put in some hard, manual work, you say you need to use some knuckle-fat in Danish. The word is very similar to the English “elbow grease”.

For Example:

A) Den her gryde har stået i blød siden i går, men jeg kan stadig ikke få den ren.

B) Du skal bare give den noget knofedt

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We hope you liked this week’s newsletter. Feel free to share your why with us, if you’d like – We’d love to hear it 😊

Kram fra,

Antonina & Rasmus

Denmark&Me