Learn to Speak Danish, the Easy and Funny Way.

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T. Pierce

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How to Learn Danish the easy and funny way
If you know somebody who needs to learn how to speak Danish, then try to find Danish versions of Children's movies, they are usually dubbed into Danish, but retain the original language as well.

Some of the most difficult things to learn in regards to the Danish language are the very fast pace of the spoken word and the Danes' tendency to snub off all the word endings.

I have had success with suggesting that the person learning Danish should watch old-fashioned Danish Television movies from the author Morten Korch. In the old movies all the endings are pronounced and it is much easier to understand what the characters are saying and how the language is connected to the subtitles on the screen.

The Morten Korch movies furthermore have the advantage that they do not contain much offending material, as opposed to most modern movies. This is an advantage when you for instance teach Moslem girls.

You of course cannot begin by watching the Morten Korch movies, if you do not know anything at all about the Danish language. I suggest you begin by doing this:


Beginner's level
1. First watch the movie in the original language with subtitles the person understands.
Many countries have dubbed all foreign movies for both adults and children, that means that the viewer isn't used to read a movie in order to understand it. This is why the movie must be seen in a language that the person understands, with subtitles in a language accessible to the person as well. That makes the person used to read a movie.

2. Afterwards watch the same movie in Danish, still with subtitles the person understands.
The result is that the movie just watched and understood will not be too confusing. It introduces the sounds and rhythm in the language. Danish can sound both very hard and flat.

Intermediate Level
3. Watch a movie in Danish, with subtitles the person understands.
After some time you can try to find the words in Danish which are the same as in other languages for instance 'Kiosk'.

4. Watch the same movie again immediately in Danish with Danish subtitles.
Now the person has understood the movie and can easily recall the entire plot, it makes it so much easier to hear what is said on the screen if you can see the subtitles at the same time.

Advanced learners
5. Watch Danish movies with Danish subtitles. The subtitles help both to improve spelling and to understand the spoken word, when the characters are mumbling on the screen.
Subtitles are one of the reasons that Denmark has so few functionally illiterate persons. Most people who have learnt to read will read the subtitles on the screen, even though some of them would never come near the written word otherwise. Besides the subtitles help the Danes hear the nuances in the languages in other countries' television broadcasting.

Professional Danish
6. Watch the Morten Korch movies, or other old Danish Classics with Danish Subtitles.
If you have already achieved a level of proficiency where Danes can understand you, but you still have a few problems then watch these Morten Korch movies and read books in Danish.
The old-fashioned tone of language in the movies has the advantage that the characters pronounce all the endings in all the words. Danes don't do that today, but most of us could if we had to, and knows how it should sound if we spoke Danish on a par with received pronunciation English. It is virtually impossible to find up to date movies and texts in general where the spoken word is 'rigsdansk' i. e. comparable to received pronunciation.