https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Denmark in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Do you know your valgflæsk from your valgkort? The difference between Venstre and venstre? Here's a guide to the words and phrases you need to know ahead of the Danish election on March 24th. https://www.thelocal.dk/20221006/the-danish-vocabulary-youll-need-to-follow-the-election Thu, 06 Oct 2022 15:03:11 +0200 the-danish-vocabulary-youll-need-to-follow-the-election If you’ve spent any time in Denmark’s capital, you’ll know the locals refer to it as København. Does anywhere else apart from Copenhagen have an English version of its name, and why? https://www.thelocal.dk/20240919/how-many-places-in-denmark-have-different-names-in-english Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:12:24 +0200 how-many-places-in-denmark-have-different-names-in-english It might look quintessentially Danish, but the letter ø is far from unique to the national language and has a longer history than you might imagine. https://www.thelocal.dk/20260304/the-history-of-the-danish-letter-o Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:56:08 +0100 the-history-of-the-danish-letter-o Like English speakers, Danes absolutely love to use fake swear words – and you should too, as they sound gloriously quaint coming from the mouth of a foreigner. https://www.thelocal.dk/20250327/for-soren-how-to-not-swear-in-danish-while-feeling-like-you-are Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:38:19 +0100 for-soren-how-to-not-swear-in-danish-while-feeling-like-you-are Særskrivning, or writing compound words in Danish incorrectly as two separate words, is a common mistake among Danish learners (and among Danes in general, for that matter). But how do you avoid them? https://www.thelocal.dk/20260121/grammar-guide-when-to-use-compound-words-in-danish Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:27:51 +0100 grammar-guide-when-to-use-compound-words-in-danish If you are visiting your GP in Denmark or perhaps speaking to the on-call doctor, a few essential words will help you to converse effectively in Danish. https://www.thelocal.dk/20211011/five-essential-words-you-need-if-you-are-speaking-a-doctor-in-denmark Mon, 11 Oct 2021 20:19:39 +0200 five-essential-words-you-need-if-you-are-speaking-a-doctor-in-denmark Danish language experts have found at least 902 different words that can be used to describe someone as being intoxicated from alcohol – more than double the number that exist in English. https://www.thelocal.dk/20251017/stangstiv-danish-language-has-over-900-words-for-drunk Fri, 17 Oct 2025 18:31:55 +0200 stangstiv-danish-language-has-over-900-words-for-drunk Anyone who's attempted it will admit that the Danish language has its tricky aspects, but if you identify with most of the items in this article, you're well on your way to fluency. https://www.thelocal.dk/20251020/the-sure-signs-youve-mastered-the-danish-language Mon, 20 Oct 2025 17:45:41 +0200 the-sure-signs-youve-mastered-the-danish-language The Danish language famously has no direct translation for the word ‘please’. So how do you say it? https://www.thelocal.dk/20240904/how-do-you-say-please-in-danish Wed, 04 Sep 2024 19:04:04 +0200 how-do-you-say-please-in-danish An easy mistake when learning Danish is to mix up the conjunctions ‘når’ and ‘da’, because they have the same meaning in English (when). So what’s the difference, and ‘when’ should each one be used? https://www.thelocal.dk/20241118/danish-conjunctions-whats-the-difference-between-nar-and-da Mon, 18 Nov 2024 14:54:27 +0100 danish-conjunctions-whats-the-difference-between-nar-and-da The Danish language has has a rich tradition of coining creative compound words. Many of them have something to tell us about the Nordic country’s traditions and culture. https://www.thelocal.dk/20250814/smorrebrod-to-skagensmalere-the-compound-words-that-encapsulate-denmark Thu, 14 Aug 2025 19:17:46 +0200 smorrebrod-to-skagensmalere-the-compound-words-that-encapsulate-denmark Many Danish language learners will come across the words 'Prøve i Dansk 3', or 'PD3' with a mix of awe and fear. It is the test that comes at the end of the free language modules and is needed to become a Danish citizen. But how do you go about reaching that level of Danish and what happens when you do? https://www.thelocal.dk/20241025/prove-i-dansk-3-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-danish-language-exam Fri, 25 Oct 2024 18:38:07 +0200 prove-i-dansk-3-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-danish-language-exam The third-person possessive in Danish is more complicated than ‘his’ and ‘hers’. https://www.thelocal.dk/20221014/danish-in-the-third-person-when-do-you-use-hans-hendes-sin-and-sit Fri, 14 Oct 2022 14:45:50 +0200 danish-in-the-third-person-when-do-you-use-hans-hendes-sin-and-sit There are arguably as many Danish dialects as there are Danes, but what are the general rules for how to tell where in Denmark someone comes from based on their speech? https://www.thelocal.dk/20250602/how-to-tell-where-a-dane-comes-from-based-on-their-dialect Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:35:03 +0200 how-to-tell-where-a-dane-comes-from-based-on-their-dialect Danish is a beautiful language, but a few words let it down, in the opinion of The Local Denmark editor Michael Barrett. https://www.thelocal.dk/20250429/five-danish-words-that-make-my-eyes-itch Tue, 29 Apr 2025 13:53:14 +0200 five-danish-words-that-make-my-eyes-itch There are several different ways you can choose to answer the phone in Danish, but which should you use in a given situation? https://www.thelocal.dk/20250408/how-to-answer-the-phone-in-danish-in-denmark Tue, 08 Apr 2025 18:47:18 +0200 how-to-answer-the-phone-in-danish-in-denmark As a newcomer to Denmark you're likely to be entitled to (nearly) free Danish lessons. How do you access them, and are they worth it? https://www.thelocal.dk/20250211/whats-the-easiest-way-to-start-denmarks-free-language-lessons Tue, 11 Feb 2025 17:08:47 +0100 whats-the-easiest-way-to-start-denmarks-free-language-lessons Some words in the Danish language are incredibly commonplace but do not have a 1:1 equivalent in English. https://www.thelocal.dk/20230329/11-very-useful-danish-words-that-are-very-difficult-to-translate Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:40:16 +0200 11-very-useful-danish-words-that-are-very-difficult-to-translate Denmark has dropped to seventh place in a new index of English proficiency skills in non-Anglophone countries, but is it a sign standards are slipping in the Nordic country? https://www.thelocal.dk/20241114/are-danes-english-skills-really-getting-worse Thu, 14 Nov 2024 18:04:30 +0100 are-danes-english-skills-really-getting-worse Denmark has dropped below Croatia and Portugal and is now seventh on an index for English-language proficiency in non-Anglophone countries. https://www.thelocal.dk/20241113/danes-slip-down-list-of-best-non-native-english-speakers Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:12:16 +0100 danes-slip-down-list-of-best-non-native-english-speakers