Learning Danish
Danish is a wonderful language to learn, being the official language of Denmark. There are also Danish-speaking populations in several places, like Faroe Islands, Germany and Greenland. It is a North Germanic language that is spoken by about six million people.
Foreign learners must make a commitment to learn Danish by consistent study and practice. Many different publications are easily accessible in an informal setting, including books, CDs, websites, computer software and other devices. Danish can be tricky because it is not always pronounced how it is written, so many of these sources have a heavy emphasis on audio learning.
How to learn to speak Danish
Studying Danish in school or moving to Denmark are great things to do to learn Danish, but not everyone lives a life where they can have these opportunities. Fortunately, in today’s modern age, there are ways to learn Danish at one’s home on a book or computer, or even in transit with an MP3 player or iPhone.
Learning Danish software or DVDs
Computer software is one way to go about learning Danish, and a couple different companies provide this type of program.
Rosetta Stone’s Danish Program – The most popular software company, Rosetta Stone, offers a Level 1 Danish Program that includes vocabulary and basic sentence structure. It will help beginners learn how to speak and write accurately and read without a script. It is based on subjects like the time of day, introductions, greetings and household items.
Transparent Language’s Danish Program – Transparent Language offers the Danish Byki Deluxe 4, which allows users to learn basic Danish words and phrases not only on their computers, but also on their MP3 players, iPhones and iPods.
Books for learning Danish
Beginner’s Danish with 2 Audio CDs – This package comes with a text book and two CDs, and it is put together to help foreign learners get around the common barriers that help them understand the Danish language. The book goes over grammar and vocabulary, and also gives learners an introduction to Danish culture and literature; the CDs are based largely around pronunciation.
Websites that help you learn the Danish language
Speakdanish.dk – This website is based around audio learning, and provides learners with a library of sentences to listen to and then repeat. It is organized in an easy, step-by-step process. It also comes with tests.
101languages.net – This website helps learners understand the alpahbet and different vowels and consanents. It then works them up through phrases in vocabulary, organized into specific themes like money, transportation, time and colors.
digitaldialects.com – This is a simple website that lists basic Danish words, like numbers, colors and phrases, and then tests the learner through games.