The word ALTSÅ in Danish

"Altså" is not an easy word to understand, as it has several meanings.
When used as a modal particle, it is even more difficult to pin point its meaning.
So that's what I will be attempting in this video.
I hope the usage of ALTSÅ gets more or less clear to you after watching the video.
Mic's Languages
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[@user-dd4tf4zk1q]

Just because of your video of soft d, I began to have interest on learning Danish again.

[@riflemanm16a2]

Wow, that's a really diverse word.

[@MicsLanguages]

yeah, it's nice :)

[@markpullano1984]

Dear Mic, I really enjoy your KZbin videos, because you emphasize the nuance of words. It seems to me that in the above video, the last definition of "altsa" seems to me be equivalent to "at all". "That isn't the way you draw a cat at all." At least, that's how it sounds to a native speaker of English. I understand this may not be the only way of interpreting this, but I think this captures at least one of the ways one can "translate" this word. Thanks a million. Mark

[@adri_elsker2188]

Fascinating. Your videos are a huge help, Mic!

[@MicsLanguages]

Mange tak!

[@agito289]

I appreciate that the first time you read a sentence you read it absolutely fast, and the next time a bit slower. Because the first reading of the sentence is exactly how Danish people speak normally with each other, and it just makes it that much harder to get what the person is saying. But on the video when you read it fast and then slower and with the sentence written on the screen, it helps to connect in the head and remember for the future how different word-connections sound, and how in the fast speech some letters are omitted.

[@MicsLanguages]

Perfect, I'm glad it's helpful to you. Thanks for your comment 🙂

[@joshadams8761]

I suspect that altså is related to German also, which also has many meanings.

[@MicsLanguages]

You are totally right. Some of the meanings are identical, but some aren't, though.

[@palavra_viva_pt]

Hey Mic mange tak, jeg vil bede dig om (hvis det er muligt) en video med dialog mellem dig og en anden person på dansk og kun undertekster på engelsk. Måske det er ikke muligt, men skal være meget interessant! Som hverdage situationer 🤔👍😉

[@MicsLanguages]

Hej Ricardo. tak for forslaget, jeg vil tænke over det... :)

[@TheChewycandy]

Wauwww!! Jeg er meget taknemmelig for din forklaring af "Altså" i denne video. Jeg anede ikke, at det faktisk var ret komplicerende emne at lære og forklare. Jo mere jeg ser videoen, jo bedre bliver det at forstå om det. Jeg skal nok se den igen og igen. Tusind tak, Mic! :D

[@MicsLanguages]

Hej May! Jeg er glad for at du kan lide videoen. "Altså" er _et_ forholdsvist _kompliceret_ emne, og det tager nok en del tid virkelig at lære at bruge ordet "altså" ligesom en dansker. Men det er godt at høre at du vil se videoen igen og igen, således at _du_ bliver bedre _til_ _at_ _forstå_ _det_ . Jeg takker også mange gange for din kommentar!

[@alreza7564]

This is really really appreciating.

[@vanya_dimova]

Great lesson, thank you very much!! Looking forward to the next one!

[@o.jaldon]

Mange tak mic, your channel really made my time learning Danish super easy and simple

[@MicsLanguages]

Thank you very much, Omar!

[@averagecornenjoyer6348]

for the italian friends, sometimes you can roughly see it as when you say "ma" or "e": "ma perché sei sempre così negativo?" "ma come sei bello!" "ma... per prima cosa ritengo..." "ma quello coi soldati americani in danimarca?" "ma significa che non viene alla festa?" "ma quindi non pensi che sia un problema il fatto che dipendiamo sempre di più dalla tecnologia?" "e vieni qua!" "e non te ne venire ad accusarmi di cose che non ho fatto!" "ma quindi vieni alla vesta?" "e vieni alla festa!" "ma non è così che si disegna un gatto" "ma io non riesco proprio a capire perché la gente lo accetti così a vista" "domani piove. e quindi non possiamo andare al mare" not everything fits perfectly and i kept some sentences out where it completely did not fit but otherwise it's helpful enough imo.

[@vackrakristaller]

Super interesting video, you're the best

[@katy6880]

Mange tak Mic!!!! Jeg venter på JO videoen!

[@MicsLanguages]

Du mener vel modalpartikel-videoen? :) En jo-video eksisterer jo allerede.

[@dimitramageraki7920]

Mange tak Mic, you make learning danish such an interesting procedure. Your videos are always so helpful and to the point. :)

[@MicsLanguages]

Mange tak for din søde kommentar, Dimitra! 🙂

[@rasmusseinding7723]

Hej, Mic, great video! Keep up the good work!

[@MicsLanguages]

Thank you very much, "Rasmus". I hope you're doing well :)

[@aneesmughal2949]

Thanks a lot for the video,it is very informative and I love the background.please make more videos 🙏

[@MicsLanguages]

Great, thanks a lot! Especially for the kind and useful comment on the background :)

[@katulister3445]

ih ELSA, it's going to be FROZEN 😆

[@ColonelHathi]

Fantastic video! Thank you.

[@MicsLanguages]

Thanks a lot!

[@ksjushmann]

Super sejt!!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@PhilbertNYC]

Jeg er helt glade for, at jeg fandte dine videoer. De hjaelper mig meget med at forestå begreb som "altså." (For resten, jeg synes altsaa har meget til faeld med "donc" paa fransk.) Jeg var udvekslingstuderende ved Aarhus U i '90'erne og laerte dansk da. Men du hjaelper mig at fortsaette med at forebedre mit dansksprog mange tiår senere. Tak!

[@MicsLanguages]

Det er dejligt at høre. Mange tak fordi du skriver til mig at videoerne hjælper dig med at blive bedre til dansk. God fornøjelse med det danske sprog!

[@sansanaye3945]

Tusind tak … Super good video ...

[@MicsLanguages]

Mange tak for beskeden!

[@sansanaye3945]

@@MicsLanguages How can contact you for private teaching or coaching ?

[@MicsLanguages]

@@sansanaye3945 You can write me through my website micslanguages.com I look forward to hearing from you!

[@sansanaye3945]

@@MicsLanguages I have sent the message ...

[@Juarqua]

Mange tak for din forklaring. Det ser ud til "altså" kan sammenlignes med "also" i tysk i de meste af de situationer men ikke i alle.

[@MicsLanguages]

Lige præcis, altså og also har meget til fælles og betyder i de FLESTE tilfælde det samme. Men ikke i alle 🙂

[@moonishoou]

hvor er en dejlig video! tusind tak! jeg kan meget værdsætte antalet af eksempels og hvor mangeartet er de

[@eliseusodre1495]

Super god. Selv Tak.

[@dylann9719]

I’m English and in last few months I’ve been learnings danish of friends, I actually use this term a lot, I use it as “come on omg” (annoyed or somethings nots going right) just what I’ve assumed it means from my friends saying it in situations

[@fernandopimentel2940]

Mange Tak!!! ✨👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼✨

[@GlauberSilva333]

Congrats on the channel. I found it on Elvis's channel. I liked it. Stay in the way.

[@MicsLanguages]

Thank you, Glauber!

[@badangelrosario]

In Spanish we use (ahora) in the same way. Example: ¡ahora! Tu te tienes que tomar el agua. / me gusta bailar, ahora, si es con marcos ¡no! / But ahora, ahora means (Nu) in Danish

[@pullibo]

Tak,

[@TigranAbgarjan]

Mange tak for videoen, Mic! Den var meget nyttig som altid! Må jeg bede om en video om forskellen mellem *"til (at gøre)"* og *"for (at gøre)"* ?

[@MicsLanguages]

Tak Tigran! Og tak for forslaget til en video om til at vs for at... For det første kan man sige at "for at" betyder "in order to" eller "um zu" på tysk. Eks.: Jeg tager min jakke på for ikke at fryse. Derudover afhænger til vs. for af verbet. Tager verbet præposition en for eller til? Eksempler: Jeg er god til at lave mad. Jeg har brug for at øve mig lidt mere. Jeg har ikke tid til at se TV. Jeg er bange for at gøre hende ked af det. Hjælper det med at forstå forskellen mellem dem?

[@TigranAbgarjan]

@@MicsLanguages Ja, det har virkelig hjulpet mig til at forstå det mere! Tusind tak for det! Hvad angår dette emne, har jeg fundet den følgende eksempelsætning: "Nej jeg har brugt den (vase) *til at* stille grydeskeerne i *for at* få mere plads i skuffen." I denne sætning betyder begge præpositioner _"um zu"_ på tysk, har jeg forstået det rigtigt?

[@MicsLanguages]

Okay, god sætning dér! Det er korrekt at det i begge tilfælde betyder um zu på tysk. Men i det første tilfælde bruges ordet "til" udelukkende på grund af ordet "bruge" (jeg har *brugt* ... til...). Man bruger noget *til* (at +infinitiv) Man anvender noget *til* (at +infinitiv) I det andet tilfælde bruges "for at" som um zu, og det er ikke afhængigt af et andet verbum forinden. Håber det giver 100 procent mening nu 🙂

[@TigranAbgarjan]

@@MicsLanguages Ah!! Ja, det giver mening! Nu har jeg forstået alt! Mange, mange tak, Mic! 🙏🙂

[@roxanneaspogard1327]

Altså is interesting, and needs to be mastered...Tak!

[@MicsLanguages]

Yeah, not so easy. But it can be learned!

[@1skaldur]

Ih altså, hvor er du dejlig ! (literally)

[@MicsLanguages]

Tak 🙂 I forgot to mention in the video that the most normal use of the sentence "ih, hvor er du dejlig" is between two lovers, "dejlig" it normally has kind of amorous undertones. Just in case you didn't know :)

[@1skaldur]

@@MicsLanguages I didn't know but that doesn't change anything. Keep it up. Danish sound so beautiful when you teach! Tak.

[@MicsLanguages]

Mange tak ☺️

[@kdub1242]

Hope you don't mind, I have more questions, one about pronunciation and one about culture rather than language (I don't know any Danes, so I'm taking full advantage!). 1. The traditional Scandinavian names ending in "rs", eg: Lars and Anders, are pronounced similarly in Norwegian and Swedish, ending with a "hard s" sound that is reminiscent of German, and in English would be pronounced "sh". Is it true that the Danish pronunciation is softer, more like a regular "s" in English? 2. The Norwegian/Swedish concept of janteloven/jantelagen seems to date back long before being explicitly named after the fictional Danish town of Jante. Nonetheless, I would assume Denmark has a similar social custom, and likely originated it, is that right? And if so, what is the Danish word for that (perhaps close to the Norwegian word)? Thanks for indulging my linguistic and cultural curiosity!

[@MicsLanguages]

Alright, let me see... 1. Correct, in SE and NO the s in these names is more like a sch in German. In Danish it is like in English, no sch sound. In fact, Danish doesn't have that sound at all, and when having to say it, trying to speak German for example, Danes mostly say it as a type of normal s or sj. SJ is a sound we have a lot, as in words like sjov, chokolade, jaloux. Feel free to look them up in "den danske ordbog" or in forvo.com to hear the words pronounced. 2. Janteloven is also a thing in DK. Every Dane knows about it. Probably just as much as in the other two countries.

[@kdub1242]

@@MicsLanguages Wow, that website is great! Thanks.

[@TatianaRacheva]

Ah, I know the Russian equivalent of this word (well, maybe not the first use case - that one would be nu/ну, which is mostly a particle used for emphasis). It is "to est'"/то есть, which means "that is", but it is also used as a filler as well as in those other contexts. "Znachit"/значит is also a common filler word that means "it means", and it is used in many similar situations to altså.

[@kaischoneweiss]

i think it make be similar to how we use the word "like" in California

[@saalllmmmmaaaa]

would you say the danish "altså" can be compared to the german "also?"

[@theholyquranlover]

Please suggest me online source or book for beginner danish vocabulary for daily basis vocabulary ?

[@kdub1242]

I saw some footage from a Norwegian talk show on which Mads Mikkelsen and Stellan Skarsgård were guests. The host and guests were merrily chatting away, not in English, and I was wondering whether they were speaking in their respective native languages, perhaps modulating them for common understanding, or what was going on. Of course I cannot ask you unless you see it, but how mutually intelligible are the Scandinavian languages generally? And the "bonus" question: If we take a further step away, and consider Faroe Islands and Iceland, is there anything in these languages that a Dane, Swede, or Norwegian might understand, or are they simply too distant? I'm mainly interested in the speech, although I've read that from the complex relationships in history, some written forms of the Nordic languages can be mutually understood on the page.

[@MicsLanguages]

Great questions. Nowadays, people don't understand each other, unless they have had some contact to the languages. Young people from DK and SE/NO would normally speak in English. I've seen that millions of times when I was still going out regularly at night in CPH. Some decades ago they would understand each other fairly well because there weren't many TV channels, so Danes for example "had to" watch SE and NO TV. The writing is easy to understand for most people, especially after learning the relatively few words that are totally different between these languages. The languages of Iceland and Faroe Islands are almost impossible to understand. Very different. People from those countries speak Danish often, though, as many of them have Danish in school. I hope this answer helps you :)

[@mikaelrundqvist2338]

@@MicsLanguages In Sweden we used to have scandinavian language classes included in the curriculum and as an older guy I wouldn't be surprised if this has been dropped. If one has had contact with danish and norwegian one comes around pretty fast if the other person slows down a bit but I have had a personal experience where a couple of danes from sønderjylland "snakkede sammen" and than I was lost but to my relief even my friend who is a native danish speaker had trouble. If the usage of such a small word as alltså / altså is some implication then I would call Swedish and Danish dialects. I only found one example where I would say it slightly different in swedish. Great video is real fun to watch your videos as a swede who wants to go to CPH for a beer and stroll at Strøget.

[@MicsLanguages]

@@mikaelrundqvist2338 Ja, på en måde kan man godt sige at dansk og svensk er dialekter af samme sprog. Hvis man kigger på andre lande, findes der ofte i samme land dialekter som adskiller sig betydeligt fra hinanden, men som officielt hører ind under det samme nationale sprog. Det er alt sammen intet andet end politiske beslutninger, hvad der er et eget sprog og hvad der ikke er. Og jeg giver dig ret i at svensk og norsk er nemme at lære som dansker, hvis man bruger lidt tid på at sætte sig ind i sprogene. Det er dog muligvis lidt sværere for svenskere og nordmænd at lære dansk, da den moderne danske udtale adskiller sig mere fra skriftsproget end det er tilfældet med norsk og svensk. Tak for din kommentar, tak for dine positive ord om mine videoer, og god fornøjelse næste gang du skal en tur på Strøget med en øl i hånden 😉

[@user-dd4tf4zk1q]

I still remember you told me that I just need enjoy learning Danish. I keep talking with Danish several hours every day.

[@peremkamli]

Hi，小玉 , can you share how you learn your Danish, I have learned for a year and I don’t know when can I understand , it seems not easy. Are you Chinese?

[@user-dd4tf4zk1q]

@@peremkamli Yes, I am Chinese. Yes, Danish is soooooo difficult. My key is just keeping talking to Danes every day.

[@peremkamli]

@@user-dd4tf4zk1q Kan I talk to you? On messenger ? Or line?

[@MicsLanguages]

Great, keep doing that and you'll become better and better!

[@o.jaldon]

Does not saying altsa if i just skip it will the sentence change or stay the same?

[@MicsLanguages]

It depends on the sentence, but most often the sentence will change its mood, or let's call it the speakers mood and the "energy" in the interaction with the listener/reader. But the sentence is of course still understandable, just looses something

[@o.jaldon]

@@MicsLanguages yes yes thanks(tak) I understand now😁😅

[@user-dd4tf4zk1q]

New video!

[@claire8202]

Is it a bit like the german "also" ?

[@MicsLanguages]

A few of the meanings are the same, but not all

[@mesopotamiangladiator4281]

Hi Mic. Could you please tell me what's the equivalent of " is or was supposed to" do something" / is not or was not supposed to "do something"? Thanks

[@MicsLanguages]

Hi! Could you please give me some sentences? That would make it easier for me.

[@mesopotamiangladiator4281]

@@MicsLanguages He is supposed to be here. He is not supposed to say anything. She was supposed to participate. She was not supposed to participate. Thanks

[@MicsLanguages]

@@mesopotamiangladiator4281 Alright, thanks! We would often just use a construction with SKULLE. We might also use DET VAR/ER MENINGEN AT. Here are some possible ways of saying your sentences: He is supposed to be here. Han skulle være her. Han skulle ellers være her. He is not supposed to say anything. Han skal ikke sige noget. Han skal lade være med at sige noget. Det er meningen at han ikke siger noget. She was supposed to participate. Hun skulle (ellers) have deltaget. Det var (ellers) meningen at hun skulle deltage. She was not supposed to participate. Hun skulle (ellers) ikke have deltaget. Det var (ellers) meningen at hun ikke skulle deltage. You see the use of ELLERS. which would be used in case something went "wrong", i.e. she participated even though she wasn't supposed to. Hope this helps :)

[@mesopotamiangladiator4281]

Thanks, Mic. Saved the day, as always.

[@user-xj9tb6bo8o]

You could use ergo instead

[@o.jaldon]

I don't know if this is a silly question or not, but what is the difference between (dig and du) on Google Translate they are both "you" so idk?

[@MicsLanguages]

Hi Omar. This is easy to explain. Du is subject and dig is object. Or explained differently: in English you have "he" and "him" & "she" and "her", but you only have "you" and "you". Du would correspond to he/she and dig to him/her 😉

[@viggoerickson7854]

det godt...igen!!!

[@etierik]

It is surprising in how many of these cases we use 'dus' in Dutch.

[@MicsLanguages]

Oh, that's interesting. I know very little Dutch, I wasn't aware of that word dus. But I'm sure Dutch is full of modal particles, just like the other germanic languages

[@MicsLanguages]

Jeg er i gang med at lære hollandsk. Og det er selvfølgelig nemmere for mig end for folk der ikke taler dansk og tysk, men det er altså ikke så nemt alligevel. Der er utroligt mange ord som er anderledes, og grammatikken er lidt sværere end på dansk, men tysk er nok endnu mere kompliceret. Men jo, det er ikke alt for svært 🙂

[@orionverduijn5539]

@@MicsLanguages mic! When you say det er altså ikke så nemt. Does it mean it is really not easier in this context?

[@SuperGiffer]

​@@orionverduijn5539 No not really, here it refers to what he said earlier "det er selvfølgelig nemmere for mig, end folk der ikke taler dansk og tysk/ it is of course easier to me, than people who don't speak Danish ang German" and tells you even though it is easier for me because of this, it is still hard. If that makes sense😅

[@lndnz2274]

❤️

[@LittleImpaler]

It like the word "denn" when you are curious and want to know more about something. Or verbs "können, hätten, würden" are used in hypercritical sense. You wished you did something or had something.

[@Chris_Liam]

You hace Amy video explaining why many times the pronoun is placed at the end? Or why or when do so?

[@MicsLanguages]

What do you mean with the pronoun placed at the end? Could you give me an example?

[@annepamelamanning]

Wow!! And I always thought Altsa was a non word! 🙃

[@MicsLanguages]

It's full of meanings. In some cases it's difficult to translate it into one word in English, which might be why some people don't consider it an important word. But you will rarely see a conversation where this word isn't used at all.

[@Danishmastery]

Glad you covered this one, so I don’t have to 😉

[@MicsLanguages]

Haha, I'm glad I saved you some work :)

[@barshagurung2164]

hvad om 'sådan' ?

[@MicsLanguages]

Altså en video om sådan?

[@M0nsterZero]

It’s a bit like the “like” that some American teens were injecting into every sentence in the 2000s - “I’m like-sooo over him”

[@MicsLanguages]

A bit, yes. But while altså adds some meaning to the sentence, the word "like" adds...like... nothing. Or maybe it does make the sentence more informal, more as if the speaker doesn't give a xxxx about life in general. I actually thought about the word like recently in the usage that you are referring to, and I was like "where has it... like... gone. It seems like it has... like... never existed." Another good one was "... and stuff" in the end of the sentence 😁

[@jeremycline9542]

The ALTSÅ at 06:10 reminds me of English: "Am I right THEN to infer...?"

[@MicsLanguages]

Yeah kind of. Altså being all of those words together "Am I right then to infer". With your "then" we probably hit the nail even better on its head 😎

[@user-dd4tf4zk1q]

Jeg kan tale flydende dansk nu.

[@Ingo64]

Det synes at det danske (også det norske?) ordet "altså" motsvarer det tyske "also", i det minste i visse henseende.

[@MicsLanguages]

Korrekt, i mange henseender har ordene samme betydning. Men ikke i alle

[@persimonsen8792]

Øv altså, endnu en video.

[@MicsLanguages]

Der kan du altså ikke være bekendt, at sige sådan noget.

[@gorgioarmanioso151]

Alltså på svenska.... Jag tror det är samma sak på svenska...

[@MicsLanguages]

Det er muligt. Jeg forstår svensk og kan også tale det nogenlunde korrekt, men jeg kan ikke sige på stående fod om altså bruges på samme måde 🤔

[@LittleImpaler]

I think it's sad that a lot Danish teachers don't teach about it. To me that is a sign of bad language teacher. If you can't explain it you REALLY don't understand the ins and out of a language. A good language teacher knows the ins and out of a language and can explain why. Just because someone is native speaker doesn't mean they know their language. I know the ins and out of the German language, because I learn it in college from the bottom up. I tell my Filipino nieces that want me to teach them English. I tell them, "I can't". Because I cannot explain to them why something that has to be in English. I can only correct them on their pronunciation, if they say something wrong. Even though I am native English speaker.

[@MicsLanguages]

Yeah exactly, when teaching a language you learn loads of things that you never thought about before, even though it might be your native language. Teaching forces you to get super familiar with the language, and it's super interesting to become more aware of things