Do you NEED to know Danish to live in Denmark?

[@Donnah1979]

It's important to note, that learning Danish is MANDATORY if you want to stay in Denmark for the long run. In order to get permanent residency one of several requirements is that you pass a specific language test! So start learning right away - in case you might want to stay!

[@RobeTrotting]

Great point, and one we kicked ourselves for not making in the video - it’s so smart to learn it for that reason!

[@flemmingrostock5340]

You are absolutely right, knowing a language is to understand the culture. And even if Danes are very proficient in English, doesn't mean their humour is understandable by English speakers.

[@AxelQC]

Even if you know another language, humor doesn't always translate well.

[@ErininCopenhagen]

It's incredibly hard learning a new language and - especially with a country like Denmark and their high English proficiency - I can totally see why some might be a bit lazy about it. BUT definitely agree that you should always try your best to learn the language of the country that "took you in", as you say! If nothing else, it really does help you feel more connected to everything going on around you 🙂🇩🇰

[@muhest]

I follow your channel, and have heard and watched you in danish. Although you have a somewhat thick english accent, you also have a very good feeling for danish. Especially among all those numerous “silent” letters the danish vocabulary is full of. 😉

[@ErininCopenhagen]

@@muhest Aw thanks so much! It's always great to have some feedback 😁 I'm definitely always trying to work on improving

[@Louie-ww]

Kan du læse dette?

[@ullew2684]

You're attitude towards this is so wonderful. I've seen so many videos about foreigners moving here and complaining that they can't get any friends or something but they flat out refuse to learn the language or culture, even after living here for years. Love that you're encouraging people to learn the language! ❤️

[@LadyDoomsinger]

As a Dane, I'm fine with people not learning Danish; it is a hard language and takes a lot of effort to learn, especially for an adult. But that is also why I respect people more, just for making the attempt - even if they never become fluent, just making an effort to learn Danish shows that you care. Culture is a bit more important; I believe that everyone has the right to be who they are, live how they want, and believe what they want - but when coming to a new country, one should at least make an attempt to understand the people that live in that country. It's just good manners.

[@Sigart]

Also remember that if you want to work with anything even smelling of customer service, speaking Danish is a requirement. I work at a vet clinic at Frederiksberg and we have a lot of international clients as well as a veterinarian from Italy, so actually a requirement to work with us is speaking proficient English on top of Danish. Which, obviously, isn't much of a problem, I just thouhgt it was kinda interesting and unusual.

[@tysej4]

Yees and no... I know plenty of bars that only have English speaking staff, or.. Well senior staff speak Danish but younger staff tends to be foreign students.. Depending on the bar of course.

[@TheMissnola]

I have a neigbour in her early 40's that only came to Denmark 5 years ago, she struggles so much with danish but she doesn't let it hold back. She uses google translate as a last resort if she can't think of a different way to describe what she means. She only speak Turkish outside of the little bit of danish she knows. When we talk I talk a bit slower, anunciate more than I normally would and use less complicated words. She put's in the effort so so can I.

[@mulle3574]

That's so considerate of you, but i guess it helps af lot. I really struggle to understand what non Danes mean when their danish is not that good. But nice that you wanna do the effort.

[@lloovvaallee]

Here in Wisconsin I often don't even know the english word for what I need in a hardware store. Just bring in the broken thing and tell the clerk "I need one of these".

[@RobeTrotting]

Hahaha 🤣 that’s perfect advice! I’m picturing the dishwasher being broken and pulling it into the store by the cord though haha.

[@lloovvaallee]

@@RobeTrotting I know the word "dishwasher" it's "reticulated manifold gasket" that I have problems with ...

[@andersjjensen]

@@lloovvaallee I've watched so many car related youtube channels that I know what basically every part of a car is called in English... but I have to fetch the dictionary when talking about cars in Danish because I didn't grow up with "car culture".

[@TheMikZino]

This is a great video, thanks, guys. I have been here for 15 years and have been to sprogskole when I moved here (back then it was free for two years) but then I made it to DU2 but then found a full-time job so I left school. I am married to a Dane, so I felt it was ok. But it is important to learn it, not just to speak but also to read it. I have a very strong Chicago accent, so my Danish is kind of hard to understand, but I can read and understand almost everything and THAT HELPS! Being able to talk to colleagues is awesome, but most switch to English with me too. Sometimes I will leave a conversation and they still continue in English and I feel bad :( Danes are so sweet and they are willing to make you feel welcome, but as you guys said, this should be reciprocal. If you live here you should try to learn the language, even with a strong accent. (OMG don't even get me started on the letter R) I spent hours in dictation with a trainer on my own time to correct this... my accent is never going to be able to handle the letter R in Danish... but I try :) Thank you both for talking about this, I know it will help people just coming into Denmark, but I just love watching no matter what the video topic is. You guys are great. :)

[@flemmingrostock5340]

@themikzino You have have properly heard the sentence, "Undskyld mig?", as a question to repeat yourself.

[@rdklkje13]

Ah, yes, the Danish “r”, so versatile it even becomes a half-vowel at times. And people out there think a Spanish rolling “r” is difficult 😅

[@mvoetmann1]

Your comments about location names in Copenhagen made me smile. Spoken location names in Copenhagen have often been so garbled over centuries, that even danes from other parts of the country have no chance of finding them on a map. Dorthe they are spelled very doesn't from their pronounciation (like Amager) or they are not on the map at all (like Strøget, Lorterenden pisserenden and Pusher Street).

[@Gwenx]

Im part of a organization for young people between 16 and 35 where we meet once a week, eat and talk and play boardgames together, we had a volunteer from England, he had family in denmark and spoke only a little danish, but understood most. We normally would not take in people who dont speak danish because everyone else speaks danish by default, we allowed him in and it was super nice to have him! He learned danish words and some culture from us and we also learned from him! I love meeting people from other places but it does help a lot if they learn some danish if they live here, because some danes never learned english or refused to.. English is also not the only langueage we learn, so most learn 3 langueages but some up to 5, my mom personally went though 7 as she is originally Norwegan, traveled the world and became a nurse 🥴👌

[@klausolekristiansen2960]

We have two versions of "When in Rome" in Danish: Skik følge eller land fly (Custom follow or country flee) Man må hyle med de ulve man er iblandt (One must howl with the wolves one is among)

[@johnvaller1403]

Bare trist vore politikere ikke ser sådanne på det. Vi har en del "gæster", som kan gøre, hvad de vil uden konsekvenser, de kan forstå, så de får lov til at fortsætte med deres asociale opførsel.

[@GarmrsBarking]

@@johnvaller1403 og der er flere dansker der gør som de vil uden konserkvenser... Og fortætter med deres asociale opførsel._

[@RobeTrotting]

Oh those are cool expressions - we need to work them into the rotation.

[@flemmingrostock5340]

"Danes gonna Danish". A very good description.

[@SamuelHauptmannvanDam]

@@RobeTrotting "Når i Rom" works as well. :) Also: "Alle veje fører til Rom"/All roads leads to Rome is also an expression.

[@benjackson7872]

I’ve read if you plan on staying there for a year, learn Danish. And like the guys said, don’t be afraid to ask to speak it. The more you use it the better.

[@RobeTrotting]

I think that’s a good rule, but even so you’d probably use english more until you really nail the pronunciation. And definitely insist on using it when you can 😊

[@benjackson7872]

@@RobeTrotting Exactly, I forget to mention emphasizing that. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, how much has your Danish improved?

[@pernielsen79]

I have a volunteer job - I speak Danish with a American woman, twice a week. That I have don for 5 years.

[@RobeTrotting]

Wow Per, that is so great and very kind of you! Language exchange and someone to practice with is so important. It’s hard for us sometimes because we can’t correct one another if we try to speak Danish at home.

[@dot6200]

I think you guys have a great attitude towards the language thing. You are very respectful. I see some people being 'if you're here you should learn' and that's it. I don't necessarily see it that way. The thing is that we all learn these things in different ways and some need time. Some might not ever really get the hang of it and that doesn't always mean they didn't try. Just take your time and do your best. Then that's great. And don't be afraid to ask for help, I'm sure most Danes would be happy to help with the training. Thank you for your great videos.

[@marcuskrogsgaard4555]

Well... I've lived in three countries and have learned the language each time. In my opinion, learning the language shows that you are genuinely interested in assimilating. It's important and can make the difference between feeling at home and being a glorified tourist. Is it hard? Yes. Learning a foreign language is probably one of the toughest things you can do, especially if you're not very interested in it. But it's not really a choice. When you live somewhere for more than maybe a couple of years, you learn the language. End of story.

[@kasperraskjensen1081]

Hello from Albertslund^^ I gotta say I enjoy watching your videos since as a dane I often hear about how it was for people to move to for example the US or Great Britain, but it is interesting to see which cultural roadblocks people encounter when moving to Denmark. In regards to turns of phrase jokes, there is a quite old and dumb one. At the beach yell "HEJ!!" really loudly to a friend or something, "hej" is a greeting pronounced as "hi" and sounds like "haj" which is the danish word for shark:), of course most people would think it is more of a dumb joke than funny like I said, since we don't really have a shark problem here in Denmark. But the point is, that would make no sense if translated:P.

[@RobeTrotting]

Thanks so much for watching and the inspiration - that is so funny and precisely the kinds of things we don’t want to keep missing out on. We love wordplay jokes and knowing that side of the humor is a major incentive to fully learn the language 😃🇩🇰

[@Gert-DK]

Learning Danish is a good way to earn some respect. All Danes know it's a hard language to learn, so they are easy to impress with your new language skills. Start learning ASAP, no reason to delay. The courses are usual free.

[@henriknielsen6110]

Just a little tip about learning a language whatever that language might be. Try to think in that language excursively for a week or two it will preset your mind on that language and make it easier to pick up a lot of words and phrases.

[@RobeTrotting]

When we first took classes, they ended at 10pm and we both used to dream in Danish haha.

[@eidodk]

I recall coming home from 6 months in the US, calling a cab to get home, the first sentence i spoke to the cabbie was in english.. That was kinda embarrassing..

[@145Nudel]

Another great video 👏👏👏 and really adore and appreciate your attitude towards this topic. Have met a couple of people that said they couldn't be bothered with learning Danish. Mainly because it's too difficult (how dare we?!) and also because there are so few Danes 😬 Needless to say I didn't feel like being remotely friendly towards them. I don't expect people to be fluent but a small effort goes a long way. Have a great week. See you next Thursday 🌺

[@micca9559]

Great video!! Hope people living here makes the effort to learn the language. It's super important, I feel, to at least show that you care enough about the country, to learn its language. My boyfriend is also a non-dane, he is going to language school. I know how hard it is, especially if you do not have a natual interest in languages. My friends and family will often switch to danish when speaking to us, and my boyfriend will be kinda left out of most conversations, even if I try switching back to english to include him. Him showing them more and more words he understands in danish, makes them impressed and also wants to include him more - so thats the "hidden secret" to make danish friends I guess. Just trying at least :D

[@RobeTrotting]

For sure! This is great advice. Good luck to your boyfriend. It’s definitely not easy but he’s lucky to have you for support and to practice with - thats our big challenge, needing someone to practice with and correct our pronunciation 😃🇩🇰

[@micca9559]

@@RobeTrotting I could imagine it not being easy, when you dont have anyone to practise with.

[@neskire]

It helped that my Danish parents spoke Danish with their Danish friends when I was growing up. They never spoke it with me because they were trying hard to learn English and only used it around me as a secret language. When we visited Denmark in 1970 ( I was 14 ) I started to pick up some of the phrases. They just popped into my head because I had heard them in context as a young child. (The MASH actor, Loretta Swit, had a similar situation with Polish. She heard it as a child but started to pick it up when visiting Poland for the first time.) When I lived in Denmark in the 1980s, I was told my pronunciation was good. I worked with computer graphics and all the equipment at the time was in English. It meant we spoke English most of the time. One of the company directors was American. But the other was Danish and he chided me in front of a client that I knew Danish but didn't bother. I found that insulting since we mostly spoke English in the office. It may have been "Danish humor". It is frustrating when you are trying to learn Danish and everyone else is trying to practice their English with you.

[@charleyanthonsen874]

have a niece who lives with a Portuguese, He has always been very welcome in the family. But after 4 years, without interest in learning Danish, I must admit that I was very irritated at him, especially during family dinners, where the old, due to their little English knowledge, have a very hard time having a community and conversion . Due to the elderly danlish

[@ahmedatout2012]

danish language is gibberish

[@dgh25]

As a dane working in an international company with lots of foreign colleagues, I often still speak english with my danish colleagues at eg lunch, just to make the conversation, jokes and chatter more accesable to everyone around the table. Didnt know it would mean this much.

[@RobeTrotting]

I think we foreigners take it for granted, but it is really appreciated and as we learn to be conversational in Danish it’s also super helpful to try speaking even a little bit (even though it’s a struggle while we are still learning the pronunciations) 😃🇩🇰

[@flemmingsondergaard223]

Yes, If there are people around which does not speak Dansish I think it is good and polite matter to speak Endlish, but are we only Danish it should feel rediculous to speak English. As a Dane I think we should not forget to respect our on language. I dislike our tendency in Denmark to use English words or expressions when we have the same words in Danish.

[@poffo954]

Ok not to be putting you guys under pressure, but :) When will you put vid. out in danish..?

[@RobeTrotting]

We do have that as a goal… we are a bit nervous and self conscious about our Danish but after the next module we should be ready (at least for a short and very basic one) 🤞😬

[@bryde1968]

Buying, renting a place to live, it's not just knowing danish, but knowing law :-) I just signed papers and hoped for the best

[@RobeTrotting]

😂 so true! We laugh when we think of the huge financial transaction we undertook without knowing exactly what we were doing or what things meant - but there’s some comfort in knowing that even when it’s in your own language many people are doing the same thing haha

[@fluorescentfuture2937]

You guys are fantastic. I'm getting married to a Danish woman and moving to Copenhagen. Your basic run downs really make it seem less daunting. Keep it up.

[@CsCharlese]

Used to be member of a local club for foreigners and danes sharing cultures and for us danes helping with learning danish. We had fredagsbar (friday drink) and cooking classes. I really loved it and miss it.

[@RobeTrotting]

Hej Charlotte, that sounds super cosy and fun. I’m sure the foreigners really appreciated the community and the connections with locals willing to share Danish culture. That’s really a special thing you did 😃

[@Zandain]

You know all of this, guys!! 😋 We are happy that anyone actually attempts to speak our language...bc we know how difficult it is to learn. A lot of foreign companies work in DK, inveriably there are bound to be `foreigners´ working here, but if you choose to live here, as well, then it would be optimal to learn some Danish...if for nothing else, but to know what is going on & how to interact with the people (even though we do speak English) 😉 hello from Hundested 🌸🌱

[@kimberry2010]

YES!! It's a tough language and I am in awe of American expatriates who speak it fluently!

[@RobeTrotting]

It’s the pronunciation that kills us both. Reading has been okay but we cannot be understood at all haha.

[@spyro257]

remember that u get 3 years of free Danish lessons when u move here, at the publicly funded language schools, so take full advantage of that! many dont and that's a shame coz it will help u a lot!

[@RobeTrotting]

Yes, for sure. Even with the deposits now, it’s worth investment. We finished module 1 and are eager to go back to finish.

[@MaximusMeridiusDK]

@@RobeTrotting - You should be eager to go back and danish... 😂😂😂 (I'll let myself out)

[@IGoDoubleHat]

@@MaximusMeridiusDK Du godeste... Ka' du komme ud! xd

[@malkn1754]

That's really cool that they do that. I never knew that was a thing

[@christiancanty2036]

I moved from the UK 3 years ago with no Danish skills at all. Now been in the Danish army for 8 months and would call myself fluent after around the 2 year mark. You could survive without Danish in a big city, but it helps to speak Danish, and Danes really appreciate it

[@4455thor]

If you look at some of the songs written in Danish during WWII like: "Man binder os på hånd og mund" it is SO loaded and still if translated very harmless. The meanings were harmless and still rebelling against being occupied by the Germans.

[@0210rokvist]

Well done for pushing to learn the language

[@masselfur]

As a Dane, i have to admit when doing the "big stuff" and especially Legal and financial jargon. Even I need help with the translation into terms i understand ;)

[@RobeTrotting]

That’s true. It’s funny to think about how we signed a lot of papers with only marginal knowledge of what was in them and 100% trust in the loan officer.

[@LiLBitsDK]

@@RobeTrotting well when going with "bigger known" companies, they are NOT going to screw you over like they do in other countries, you might get less favorable terms etc. but generally not, but the major screwing over you won't see here.

[@mulle3574]

Oh absolutely that's so tricky sometimes....

[@HenningJohansen]

We moved to Canada when I was 10 years old (I'm 74 now). On arrival, my parents made it a rule that we speak English as much as possible at home, and it worked. The kids picked up English very quickly, and our parents did as well, mostly from the kids. I'm always amazed at the level of English proficiency amongst our visiting Danish relatives.

[@dianeclarkrobinson]

Your videos are great! Thanks for the awesome perspective!

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much Diane 😃🇩🇰 happy you enjoy them and liked this one

[@ivannuzhyn4668]

Your channel is super useful, thanks a lot for your work guys

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you for watching and the kind words Ivan - so glad it's useful for you :)

[@knus1959]

Hi :) Everyone says that the most of the Danish people do understand and speak English, especial the younger ones...... but i'm 62, and a lot of people who was born after ww2 have had English lessons in primary school, so we are able to speak english too. I think it's only the danish people over 80 of age who have some difficulty with English if they did not have a job that required them to know the English language. :) I have a few examples of danish words and the small different it is for some of them.... In English i have found 2 easy words to make the change into danish. In english is "a car " and "the car" and "a house" and "the house"... In Danish it's en bil and bilen and et hus og huset..... you can see the different between EN and ET :) But we have a lot of words which sound the same, but it is different things. Bor = living but it's also a drill..... and if you put a "d" into the end of that word, it's a table... but it's not easy to hear the difference. And we have the same funny words like in English with different grammar like one goose and several geese = en gås og flere gæs. :) Even though i don't need to use my English anymore, 'cause i'm on early retirement, i do try to keep my English on going, by watching and listen to youtube videos, and try to keep me updated about the spelling of the language too. :) PS. I do know that i'm not 100 perfect, but i try my best to do so. :) Some times i mix British English and American English.... hihi :)

[@karenschafer2827]

My grandmother was born in the 1860s in Denmark and she learned English in school from a very young age. Remember that the English Crown Princess was a Danish Princess at that time and she went on to be the Queen if England. My father was born in 1905 and he also learned English from a young age. When he moved to the US when he was 25, he had trouble because his British English was not a match for the American south where he lived. But he could certainly read and write English in a pinch.

[@karenschafer2827]

My father did not teach me any Danish because he said I could not pronounce things correctly! His cousin said I did fine, but since Uncle Kaj mostly worked in Sweden and Finland when I was in jr high and high school and did not learn very much. I have since read that Danes are very picky about pronunciation. I guess having grown up just outside NYC in New Jersey, there were so many foreign people and accents in the English we heard that everyone adapted!

[@knus1959]

@@karenschafer2827 :) I know, but it was not everyone who did go to school after 5. or 6 grade, 'cause they should have a job to support the family. :)

[@karenschafer2827]

You are right! I feel foolish now because my grandparents weren’t really rich, but they were well off.

[@kenster8270]

Short answer for both Denmark and the Netherlands is: No! You can have a very fulfilling rewarding life using English in pretty much any context, including career, socializing, and dealings with authorities at any level. 🤩🤩🤩 However, if you're raising your kids there, you'll get constant exposure to Danish/Dutch through their homework, parent-teacher conferences, playdates, sleepovers, tv shows, games, sports and other extracurricular activities. So through your kids and their friends, you'll automatically pick up lots of everyday expressions. And of course, if you plan on joining local political/interest groups such as a neighborhood home-owners' association, all meetings and newsletters will likely be in Danish/Dutch. Movies for kids are dubbed into the local languages, and foreign movies are subtitled, but most of those movies will be in English anyway. :) Yay!

[@harry.4635]

I've been learning danish now for nearly 2 months on duolingo, and i've honestly really enjoyed learning it. I plan on being somewhat proficient by the time I hopefully move there :) hvornår i Danmark...

[@flemmingsondergaard223]

When you can say: "rødgrød med fløde" fluently you have passed the test-because thatś difficult to say. :)

[@Plysdyret1]

I have worked as a maid at a few hotels, and we sometimes had foreigners to work with me. It ws very difficult to communicate with them and make them understand their tasks.

[@Norseraider84]

As we say in my company: “Hire for attitude, train for skill” ISS aka. 100+ year old Danish company

[@RobeTrotting]

There’s something really great to be said about that kind of work culture!

[@Noblemand]

As a none Dane, just attempting to learn Danish may indicate that you are not afraid of taking up some new skills, rather than staying in your comfort zone and not interested in evolve

[@andersjjensen]

Strictly speaking: Showing you're willing to learn Danish is showing that you're not afraid of pain and frustration :P

[@brittabrandtoft110]

I would love to hear you have a little conversation in Danish. Just a few min would be great 🇩🇰

[@michaelbilstrupjensen521]

now I myself am Danish and thinned good way in explaining it in deep respect from here🙂

[@Vakaria-plays]

nope, as sad as it is to say, we got tens of thousands possibly over one hundred of thousands, of second and third generations of immigrants who can barely say more than yes, no, and thank you despite having lived here all their life or have been living here for over thirty years, so no you dont need to know danish to live there, but of course you should learn the language if you are gonna live here as it will make life easier and make you more socially active since communication is critical to being able to be social. Im quite impressed by how serious you guys are taking living here but also how you always try to improve your language skills but also how interested you seem to be learning our culture, you guys are really awesome keep up the good work! :D

[@RobeTrotting]

Well stated. And thank you so much. We really love living here and immersing ourselves in the culture and we know that the language skills are where we need to focus now to really click 😃🇩🇰

[@waywrd1]

By all means, if You have non-Danish-speaking friends - have them get in touch ... love Your content ..

[@Prestonesfpv]

No matter where one choose to live in the world it is an obligation to learn the language of the host country, its a matter of respect

[@RobeTrotting]

We don’t disagree with you there 👍

[@koiyujo1543]

One of the thing is as an American I know that the language can be easy to learn if you do it correctly and can learn it fluidly after about 600 to 700 hours

[@gepardmic6003]

Thy speak Danish and you got fans, I know I am. Wow you know one word'ish on Danish, good work. 😀

[@Maridun50]

As a Dane, I'm very glad you answer the question with "Yes.". I often stay in hotels in Copenhagen when visiting my grandchildren there. And more and more often I find that several of the staff - even at the reception don't speak Danish. Also at restaurants. I consequently speak to them in Danish - so sometimes they go find a colleague, who do, If they ask me to speak English - I answer:" I am in a hotel/restaurant in Denmark, so I expect to be served in Danish." If no other possibility - of course I can communicate in English - but I make sure they know, it's not OK not to be able to at least speak a little of the tongue of the natives .....

[@Wreenz]

To understand what is going on around you, danish is needed in long term. So if you are here for longer time go to class to enjoy the country a bit more. So this video really hits the nail on the topic.

[@RobeTrotting]

Thanks Thomas 🇩🇰😃

[@theicebear]

About translating : In the late 80's Kim Schumacher (radio/tv host ....(1949-1990) ) translated English-language films, with texts that almost always got the whole context. AND it was funny subtitles.

[@XpiRai]

Well what can I say :D You kinda covered it all and totally agree as a "pureblood" :P Dane. And yeah if you don´t learn it you miss out on a lot in so many places but even more important imo is that by learning the language you show us you do respect us and our culture. And that way you´ll just be in a way better light with the Danes for sure :D BTW full respect for stopping people from switching to English to ease on the "pain" because that´s just yet another awesome way of showing you wanna learn and might just need a single word here and there to finish the sentence for now but working on it :D

[@petermiddleton]

Hi guy's........ How are your danish actually coming along?.... it could be fun if you did a video in danish. keep up the good work, It's nice to see danes from a different point of view.

[@amorawitchempath]

I klare det super fint, det er dejligt at se at i virkelig ser us dansker med so skønne øjne. ( you do super fine, and it is lovely to see that you realy se us danes with so awesome eyes. )

[@stagger5863]

Danish guy here, definitely didn’t understand anything Derik said at the beginning of this video, but still love the overall content here ❤️🇩🇰❤️🇩🇰 *EDID* Definitely did understand the end part of the video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@RobeTrotting]

Yeah 😂 he was making fun of how his english GPS pronounces Danish street names. A bit confusing with no context though haha

[@stagger5863]

@@RobeTrotting but overall you guys are doing great, Danish are not a easy language to master, even some full blood Danish people have not learned it yet 😉

[@ulie1960]

@@RobeTrotting Oh well, GPS and pronounciation... As a German who also speaks Danish I really have a hard time when using my GPS in Denmark. One of the less confusing was when it said "Mun-kebo-vej" meaning Munkebovej (Munke-bo-vej). So I mostly change the language setting to Danish.

[@birgitteknudtzon1998]

Speaking of pop culture: the movie 'Festen' by Thomas Vinterberg, one of the 'Dogmefilm', has a line that was picked up on afterwards: du kan vælge mellem den grønne tale og den gule tale, when the son are going to give a speech at the dinner, and all Hell breaks out after the speech. The line was sometimed used in situations where the choice was between to bad things (kind of like the Danish saying: at vælge mellem pest eller kolera i.e. choosing between the plague or cholera) or just used jokingly. I guess it's not used as much anymore, but it shows that some pop culture drives from the Danish spoken movies, so there is a lot to pick up from them as well 😊

[@KDaverGraphics]

Great video.. I have found there is a big difference from knowing Danish and speaking Danish. I have been here a while. and I understand alot. but because I do not get to use it.. I do not speak it as well as I understand it. this can be a double edged sword. as there are some that think I do not understand it at all. and have said things about me to others while I can still hear them. I learn who is my true friends and who is not. I also have had an agreement with my wife since she moved to the US many years ago. that to the kids I speak English and she speaks Danish. Even here now in Denmark. This gives the kids a big help in their education but hurt me while I was going to Spog skole.

[@lisbetsoda4874]

If you came over by yourself or with a Danish spouse, you would have been forced to learn faster. It is nice to come together, and then it is so easy to speak English with each other. I would have done the same but that is why the two of you haven't felt "pushed" to learn Danish. If you plan to stay for the long haul, you are probably going to have to buckle down. But I do get your frustrations. Try to watch Danish shows with subtitles in Danish. That is a very useful Learning tool.

[@Hardling]

Thanks for your videos! Unexpectedly, my daughter has been invited to spend two weeks with friends in October on their extended stay in Copenhagen. We are wondering how much personal spending she should budget for her trip? She probably will need to cover one or two (moderately priced) meals a day, commuting around the city and surrounding areas to sight see and do touristy things. Your 'local' perspective would greatly appreciated!

[@RobeTrotting]

That's really exciting, she will love it in Copenhagen and you'll be happy to know it's recently been named the safest city in the world and we are not surprised at all. Hopefully she will have lodging covered - but for getting around she can save money with a transit pass or by renting a bicycle. If you check dsb.dk/en/ you can see the offerings for a transit pass and check options for transit and bike rentals on www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/transportation Meals can be expensive because there aren't a lot of midrange options - you have high end eateries and then pizza/kebab places and fast food. There are some sandwich places and that kind of thing - but budgeting 100 dkk (around $16) per meal is smart. Groceries can be cheaper than US cities, so if cooking is a possibility, definitely take advantage of that. Otherwise, there are student discounts in many places (especially in the center - just look for 'studenter rabat') and many museums have a free day during the weekdays. Feel free to send us a message on social media if you have any other specific questions and let your daughter know that she can do the same as well.

[@omnomnom1]

I think it definitely depends on the situation and who you interact with. If you hang out with some of the younger generations, we (speaking as if I still was one of them being 30 lol) tend to be considerate if we have a foreigner among us to switch to a language like English or so that everyone speak including the foreigner so they don't feel excluded. And if the foreigners want to try and switch over to Danish it will kind of mix with some English, just to help with the understanding. I've noticed it happening a lot for myself and my boyfriend whenever we talk among ourselves, but we have foreign friends around or listening, then we switch so they don't feel excluded. That and the fact that we sometimes randomly switch, because we're weird (and also adding some Japanese, Korean and other foreign words into the mix, so it gets REALLY chaotic lol). But yes it wouldn't be a requirement to learn Danish, but it can definitely be handy - not to mention that it's a nice and simple thing to do when you move to another country. Not to mention you will quickly get people to like you by showing interest in their culture.

[@_sofie]

Petition to let Mike speak 🗣

[@AxelQC]

I experienced a bit of this living in Montréal. Nearly everyone is bilingual, and you can get by in English, but you live in a bubble if you don't know French. On top of that, you have to learn the Québecois accent, which is tough even for the French to grasp. To stay long term and have a career and social life, you really need to learn French there, but I know people who have lived there for years and barely know any. 🇨🇦

[@jadu79]

my opinion about Danes' English is that it is rare that I have heard Danes speak English without it being heard that they are from Denmark and my opinion is that Swedes speak better / closer as it should be but then I am also Swedish and before that was there are more Swedes who knew English than both Danes and Dutch, but after we received 400k refugees, we fell down the list with English understanding. A question for both of you is how often do you talk to Danes in English where you do not hear their accent (thought of%) but have a conversation and make yourself understood is something we all in the Nordics have a large proportion who can. The thing I thought you would also mention is if anyone has medical reasons / allergies so they know what to look for (15 years ago I met someone who came to Sweden from the US and was allergic to nuts and it was not easy for her to buy food and needed help with table of contents what different products contain) then when it comes to the language, I have heard some who have worked in Denmark and did not hear that they needed to be able to speak Danish so well but then it is not a fair comparison then used to hear so Danes and Swedes can speak if you learn some differences and they are closely related languages ​​(almost 500 years since we got rid of tyranny from the Danish king ;-) but it is now a harmless rivalry)

[@MrJanJunker]

Danish people is in general quite good at English. For me (and properly everyone in general, including you two) it is hard work menially to talk a foreign language for a full night. I know that when abroad I need more time to rest (my head). So we (and properly this is general) prefer to talk our nature language, since it is less demanding.

[@Bag_monkey]

I heard Danish is the 9th hardest language to learn. Someone also told me that Danish toddlers are the last ones to start talking. If it's true, I don't know, but it seems plausible to me.

[@petervandyk7173]

Danish toddlers are the last of the nordic toddlers, to start talking. Don't know about the rest of the world. But there is a lot of very weird sounds in danish, "stød" being the most famous one. Aaaand then there's the wovel sounds. Even with æ, ø and å, every wovel seems to have 15 different ways of pronunciation 🤣 Plenty of interesting videos on YT on the matter, though.

[@troelspeterroland6998]

Linguistically, when it comes to which language is the hardest to learn, it actually completely depends on what your mother tongue is, i.e where you are "coming from" linguistically. So the answer to the question "which language is the hardest?" depends on the question "to whom?".

[@Noblemand]

An example on the problem understanding danish sayings for instance, is something my better half experienced at her former job, where a conversation between colleagues, and suddently it was said "She fell between two chairs", and one of the colleagues responded "Auw i hope she didnt hurt herself", and the meaning of the phrase is a person doesnt fit in any box(es), and the colleagues have been in Denmark since the the war in Yougoslavia in the 90s

[@TheBoss8960]

The Kasper Schmeichel when you said wall yeah I liked that

[@RobeTrotting]

So happy you caught that 😂 we weren’t sure if it was going to be lost or not haha

[@MrAIRHEAD555]

love watching your videos, I find it very interesting to hear what the experices have been for you (and others who moves to Denmark, from another country), and hear their perspective on different things. I must also say I actually think you have visted more of the different sites (cultural, artistic etc), in Denmark than I have... I mean just an example, I have lived in Denmark my whole life (43 years), and it was not until resently when a colleague mentioned them, that I got to know about the small green areas around Albertslund, Taastrup (and other towns), where there were these wooden sculptures called >>de glemte kæmper

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you so much! We do love exploring Denmark and we really need to get around more - especially to see the giants. We haven’t done that at all 😃🇩🇰

[@DazzaTheExpat]

Anyone else noticed that the guy that does the English voice on the metro almost sounds like he’s pissed off? 😆

[@RobeTrotting]

😂 they’re not the happiest places

[@michaelnjensen]

I mean it's not such a big issue speaking English, some of us at least don't mind, and just see it as good practice for speaking English :p

[@danishmusings]

Interesting how many Danes including me are watching this for the entertainment/curiosity value rather than something we need 😊 (But Derek, it seems as if you’re looking at a screen to the right (our left) and not directly at us. Just FYI).

[@RobeTrotting]

Yeah, the camera's preview screen was there - caught that I was doing it about halfway through haha. Won't let it happen again (hopefully) 😂

[@AbsSolut]

Big respect , from a dane. Btw: take a trip to Middelfart på fyn :p

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you 😊 and we actually want to visit Middlefart, we spent a weekend on the east coast of Fyn in the spring and really want to visit again 🇩🇰

[@AbsSolut]

@@RobeTrotting :) ,, i live in Fredericia, Jylland, wort a visit too. I did mention Middelfart, bc of the funny name :) , have a nice waterfront though.

[@CreatureOfDarknessDK]

Once again a great video, with a great question.... In my opinion, If your first language is English then you DON`T need to know Danish to live in Denmark, because most Danes learn English early in school, but they appreciate when they see people making an effort to learn Danish.

[@RobeTrotting]

Great point! We definitely take for granted both how well Danes speak English and that it's our first language. We get a little self conscious of our Danish so we are determined to improve.

[@finnskrydstrup1850]

Your danish is probably better than mine, as a dane living in Africa for 8+ years, working W/W with english as the spoken and written language, I now dream in English and sadly forget danish words 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@RobeTrotting]

That’s so funny! When we were doing night Danish classes we always dreamt in Danish haha (even with a limited vocabulary).

[@HPcartmuc200]

Do you NEED to? No. Should you? Yes.

[@RobeTrotting]

Precise 🤣

[@BenjaminVestergaard]

I used to work at a company with so much out sourcing, that all formal internal communication had to be in English (emails and documentation)... But at the lunch table, you'd feel left outside if you didn't know a word of Danish. I've also worked for a company providing software for the public sector, in that case you'd have a really difficult time if you don't know Danish at all. Anyway, one of my former colleagues from the first company is now a in a rather high position at Lego. Despite being British and not being particularly good at Danish. So, language is not super important if you have other talents. English is a good start. Wish him the best.

[@hejmuesli]

Can you do a video next on finding a Danish job?

[@RobeTrotting]

We are actually working on something on the topic with some government experts, so stay tuned for sure 😃🤞🇩🇰

[@TheKasperFriis]

seeing that bills mug makes me so happy :))

[@RobeTrotting]

GO BILLS!!!!!🦬🦬🦬

[@liskofod8711]

The danish system is VERY complicated, Even as a dane I have to ask and ask. It changes so often, then the bank get new rules, then the goverment changes 😲 For me it's VERY importen to speak to Your network. Good luck to you 💞

[@RobeTrotting]

Thank you Lis, we definitely leaned on our network a lot when we bought our flat and sometimes for medical, home improvement, and banking things.

[@MrRoyalbeers]

As a dane who increasingly had to know several languages because foreigners who wants to live and work in my country for years and years but can't be arsed to learn the language I can tell you that it is pissing me off royaly more and more.

[@RobeTrotting]

Yeah, it’s a tough thing to deal with. We are really trying to improve our Danish. At the same time, foreign labor makes your economy thrive in a way that purely domestic workers could not, so it’s always tricky to balance. We have similar debates in America too. Thank you for watching 😃

[@JunkerOnDrums]

Thank you - I enjoy watching your videos :D Are you planning to stay in Denmark for the comming time?

[@RobeTrotting]

So glad you enjoy them, thank you for watching 😃 we do plan to make Denmark home now that we have bought a flat and specifically that Mike has moved from an expatriate agreement with work to a full out Danish work contract. Basically he is no longer an American employee working in Denmark, he’s now an employee of the Danish entity of his company (if that makes sense). So when we made that move it was the decision to make Denmark home (and why the language piece is now even more important to us).

[@ninirossau2304]

I just found a big hole in my english understanding. I was reading reddit stories and missed the joke because I didnt understand that particular sexuel ennuendo. I broadened my vocabulary when I worked in a laboratory when I was young because one of my coworkers spoke very little danish so I had to translate. I also think medical terms would be hard to translate.

[@RobeTrotting]

Ah, sure. Great point, slang is always a tough one to completely follow in another language. Sometimes we even feel out of the loop because we’re a road and missing new words and trends.

[@citronautobot]

LOL! Amager is easy to find, just ask for directions to "shit-Island" (Lorteøen).

[@RobeTrotting]

😂 all the best names for Amager 😂

[@RHelenius]

Tip 1: Push back is VERY important.But don't try to practice on the clerk in the grocery store. Danes gets quickly annoyed when spending another 30 seconds in the line :)

[@DavidZennaro]

I learned a lot of English vocabulary from books. And I started reading books in English that I had already read in Danish. That way I knew the content and it wasn't imperative to understand everything.

[@nexzus1000]

As a Dane ... I would say you can get by I Denmark with English, Dane learn English in the first grade in school. But ofc. If you what to interact with people past 50ish years old, it gets harder to only get by on English

[@ulie1960]

Yes, it is right, you can get by with only Englisch, or German for that matter. But it will get you a lot further when you at least try to learn and speak Danish. I'm German, and we have friends in Denmark since 1974 (in two weeks we will meet again in Odense). In the beginning we encountered some resistance from the older generation (who would now be 90+), but as soon as we meet those grandparents for the first time, we also became friends with them. Now we can see back to a long friendship and I view them as part of my family. And I enjoyed being with them in a long row of family events. Every kind of event from "barndåb" til (uheldigvis) "begravelse" and everything in between as birthdays, a wedding and different wedding anniversarys (25, 50, 60 years). Another part is being a German tourist in Denmark. Especially from younger people I've heard this: "When we are in Germany they want us to speak German because we are there to visit... but when the Germans come to Denmark we should speak German because they are the guests...." I can understand the sentiment here. That is sometimes the moment in Denmark when I don't understand German anymore. Especially when meeting other Germans.

[@andersjjensen]

I heard a language professor say "If you want to learn fluent Danish the easiest route is to learn fluent German first, then transition to Danish". This was targeted at anyone coming from a Roman or Roman-Germanic descendant language... So yes, we know our language is hard. The spelling is archaic at the best of times and outright confusing (even to us) sometimes. The local spoken dialects have virtually nothing do with the written language. Pretty much only the Queen speaks like she's reading from a book. Oh... and we don't pronounce half the syllables when we speak fast. Also in Northern Jutland we have mastered the art of speaking purely in vowels for some extra confusing fun :P

[@RobeTrotting]

We had a lot of Germans in our original Danish class and they definitely had a bit of an advantage - or at least it seemed like they progressed a bit faster and they often said “oh, we have a similar word for this word and that word in German”

[@LeftMouseButton961]

1👏🏻2👏🏻3👏🏻Schmeichel er en mur!

[@RobeTrotting]

FINALLY! We were wondering if anyone would notice that haha 😂

[@pianomanhere]

I salute any non-native Dane who can distinguish among the sounds and pronunciations of the Danish language's vowels. Finnish is an almost obscenely difficult language with many vowels and blends of vowels, and yet I can still hear the differences among them. Oh... And if one is even going to visit another country (and certainly if one is going to live there) please make at least a LITTLE effort to speak, read and write some of the language. If you're visiting a multilingual country such as Switzerland, learn some of whichever language is basically the lingua franca of the region you're visiting. If you're traversing the entire country, then you're either in a pickle or you're going to need to make extra effort.

[@Madsen-by1hy]

You should try and do a complete video in "your" Danish, and then maybe subtitle it in English, that would be fun..😄👍

[@RobeTrotting]

We are close to a point where we could do that, or maybe some of our Danish homework haha.

[@Madsen-by1hy]

That would honestly be very fun, I watch all your videos and you guys have good humor, I've noticed that as I think everyone has..😄 Keep it up boys...🙏❤

[@LadyDoomsinger]

You don't have to -be crazy- speak Danish to live here, but it helps.

[@RobeTrotting]

Hahaha, well done! 😀🇩🇰😂

[@kinuuni]

Omg, was that a Schmeichel er en mur reference? I just snorted out lout there and I have a cold it was not pretty.

[@RobeTrotting]

Sorry for the discomfort, but we are super happy you found the joke. That was the goal (okay… we’ll stop now) 😃🇩🇰🥅

[@byg3675]

i am moving to denmark for one year due to a a college internship and not gonna lie i am kinda nervous for not knowing any danish!!

[@RobeTrotting]

It depends where you’re going to be living, in Copenhagen you should be able to get by easily and similar in the other smaller cities.

[@Gert-DK]

During WWII the Germans listened in on the phone lines. It was quite easy for the Danes to fool the Germans by "speaking between the lines". To the not so important stuff, you didn't really need prepared codes, just made it up on the fly.

[@KHValby]

"Danes Gonna Danish" Robe proverb 2021 ! Love it ❤️👍😁👍

[@RobeTrotting]

Hahaha glad you liked that bit - it’s how we write it in our outline and we kept laughing about it so we threw it in 😂

[@KHValby]

Keep up the good research and funny stuff 😀 ! I Totally love your History lessons 👍❤️👍 ! You need to check out "Absalons Castle" from the 12th century. It's underneath Christiansborg (Parliament). You can see the Absalons statue at Gammel Strand. Take care 👍 !

[@nilyontheinternet]

I have an English fiancé and we're having trouble making the switch for him to move over (aka. get a job) -- you have any advice e.g. companies that employ people who don't yet speak Danish, tips for connecting with other expats in Denmark for support and guidance etc. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

[@irok75]

Have yo guys ever tried eating øllebrød?

[@RobeTrotting]

Not yet, but we would really like it, it’s with Hvidovre I think?

[@peterhansen8594]

It puzzles me that people who speak english often struggle to pronounce danish words even when they are pronounced very similar to english words, or similar sounds exist in english...for instance the name søren can be pronounced quite easily by adding the english "sir" to the first part of "rent" but english people for some reason choose to say sorrrrennnn (kierrrkkkkegaaarttt) more like the sound in "sorry" ...

[@treefrog1018]

The reason this happens is because the cadence of American English is different than Danish.

[@PLF...]

This should be a 2 second video

[@SeattleSoulFan]

I've heard that Danes have great difficulty understanding you if you make the smallest mistake in grammar or pronunciation. Has that been your experience?