Essential Danish Vocabulary and Phrases for Complete Beginners

Getting Started with Essential Danish

If you are beginning to learn Danish, a small set of high‑frequency words and phrases will help you communicate quickly. This guide focuses on practical, everyday Danish with clear English translations so you can start speaking from day one.

Pronunciation in Danish can be challenging, but do not worry too much at first. Focus on recognizing and using these words in context. As you hear more Danish, the sounds will become more familiar.

Basic Danish Greetings and Polite Phrases

Start with greetings and polite expressions you can use with anyone.

Common Greetings

• Hej – “Hi / Hello” (informal, used all day)
• Halløj – “Hi there” (very informal, friendly)
• Godmorgen – “Good morning”
• Godeftermiddag – “Good afternoon”
• Godaften – “Good evening”
• Godnat – “Good night” (when leaving or going to bed)

Polite Words

• Tak – “Thanks / Thank you”
• Mange tak – “Many thanks / Thank you very much”
• Tak skal du have – “Thank you (to you)” – a bit warmer
• Værsgo – “Here you are / You’re welcome” (when handing something over)
• Selv tak – “You’re welcome” (answer to “tak”)
• Undskyld – “Sorry / Excuse me”
• Det er i orden – “It’s okay / It’s all right”

Example Mini‑Dialogues

Danish: Hej, godmorgen!
English: Hi, good morning!

Danish: Tak for hjælpen!
English: Thanks for the help!

Danish: Undskyld, jeg kommer for sent.
English: Sorry, I am late.

Introducing Yourself in Danish

These phrases help you say who you are and where you are from.

Key Phrases

• Jeg hedder … – “My name is …”
• Jeg er … – “I am …”
• Jeg kommer fra … – “I come from … / I am from …”
• Jeg bor i … – “I live in …”
• Hvor kommer du fra? – “Where are you from?”
• Hvor bor du? – “Where do you live?”
• Hyggeligt at møde dig – “Nice to meet you” (informal)
• Hyggeligt at møde Dem – “Nice to meet you” (formal, less common today)

Example Sentences

Danish: Jeg hedder Maria.
English: My name is Maria.

Danish: Jeg kommer fra Spanien, men jeg bor i København.
English: I am from Spain, but I live in Copenhagen.

Danish: Hyggeligt at møde dig!
English: Nice to meet you!

Essential Question Words in Danish

Question words are extremely useful. Learn these early and you can start building your own questions.

• Hvad – “What”
• Hvem – “Who”
• Hvor – “Where”
• Hvornår – “When”
• Hvorfor – “Why”
• Hvordan – “How”
• Hvor meget – “How much”
• Hvor mange – “How many”

Example Questions

Danish: Hvad laver du?
English: What are you doing?

Danish: Hvor bor du?
English: Where do you live?

Danish: Hvorfor lærer du dansk?
English: Why are you learning Danish?

Danish: Hvordan går det?
English: How are you?

Talking About How You Are

Here are some common ways to answer “Hvordan går det?” (“How are you?”).

• Det går godt – “It’s going well / I’m fine”
• Jeg har det godt – “I feel good / I’m well”
• Jeg har det fint – “I’m fine”
• Sådan nogenlunde – “So‑so”
• Ikke så godt – “Not so good”
• Jeg er træt – “I am tired”
• Jeg er glad – “I am happy”

Example Exchange

Danish: Hej, hvordan går det?
English: Hi, how are you?

Danish: Det går godt, tak. Hvad med dig?
English: I’m fine, thanks. What about you?

Numbers and Time: Everyday Essentials

Numbers are useful for prices, time, and dates.

Numbers 0–10

• nul – “zero”
• en / ét – “one” (common form: en)
• to – “two”
• tre – “three”
• fire – “four”
• fem – “five”
• seks – “six”
• syv – “seven”
• otte – “eight”
• ni – “nine”
• ti – “ten”

Useful Time Words

• i dag – “today”
• i morgen – “tomorrow”
• i går – “yesterday”
• nu – “now”
• senere – “later”
• tidligt – “early”
• sent – “late”

Example Sentences

Danish: Klokken er to.
English: It is two o’clock.

Danish: Vi ses i morgen.
English: See you tomorrow.

Survival Phrases for Everyday Situations

These phrases are especially useful when you travel or live in Denmark.

In Shops and Cafés

• Jeg vil gerne have … – “I would like …”
• Hvad koster det? – “How much does it cost?”
• Kan jeg betale med kort? – “Can I pay by card?”
• En kop kaffe, tak – “A cup of coffee, please”
• En øl, tak – “A beer, please”
• Regningen, tak – “The bill, please”

Asking for Help

• Kan du hjælpe mig? – “Can you help me?” (informal you)
• Kan De hjælpe mig? – “Can you help me?” (formal you)
• Jeg forstår ikke – “I don’t understand”
• Jeg taler kun lidt dansk – “I speak only a little Danish”
• Kan du gentage? – “Can you repeat?”
• Kan du tale langsommere? – “Can you speak more slowly?”

Direction and Location

• Hvor er toilettet? – “Where is the toilet?”
• Hvor er stationen? – “Where is the station?”
• Til højre – “To the right”
• Til venstre – “To the left”
• Lige ud – “Straight ahead”
• Tæt på – “Close / nearby”
• Langt væk – “Far away”

Example Dialogues

Danish: Jeg vil gerne have en kop te, tak.
English: I would like a cup of tea, please.

Danish: Undskyld, hvor er toilettet?
English: Excuse me, where is the toilet?

Danish: Kan du tale langsommere? Jeg taler kun lidt dansk.
English: Can you speak more slowly? I speak only a little Danish.

Core Verbs and Everyday Actions

Learning a few very common verbs lets you say a lot with simple sentences.

Important Beginner Verbs

• at være – “to be”
  Jeg er – “I am”
  Du er – “You are”
• at have – “to have”
  Jeg har – “I have”
• at bo – “to live (reside)”
  Jeg bor i Aarhus – “I live in Aarhus”
• at tale – “to speak”
  Jeg taler dansk – “I speak Danish”
• at forstå – “to understand”
  Jeg forstår engelsk – “I understand English”
• at kunne – “can / to be able to”
  Jeg kan tale lidt dansk – “I can speak a little Danish”

Simple Sentence Examples

Danish: Jeg er studerende.
English: I am a student.

Danish: Jeg har to børn.
English: I have two children.

Danish: Jeg kan forstå lidt dansk, men jeg taler langsomt.
English: I can understand a little Danish, but I speak slowly.

Useful Adjectives and Everyday Descriptions

Adjectives help you describe people, places, and experiences.

• stor – “big”
• lille – “small / little”
• god – “good”
• dårlig – “bad”
• dyr – “expensive”
• billig – “cheap”
• svær – “difficult”
• nem – “easy”
• interessant – “interesting”
• kedelig – “boring”

Example Sentences

Danish: Dansk er svært, men interessant.
English: Danish is difficult, but interesting.

Danish: Det er meget dyrt!
English: It is very expensive!

Danish: Det er en lille by, men den er hyggelig.
English: It is a small town, but it is cozy.

Everyday Social Phrases

These expressions help you sound more natural in daily conversation.

• Vi ses – “See you”
• Farvel – “Goodbye”
• Hav en god dag – “Have a good day”
• God weekend – “Have a good weekend”
• Skål! – “Cheers!” (when drinking)
• Held og lykke! – “Good luck!”

Example Closings

Danish: Tak for i dag. Vi ses i morgen!
English: Thanks for today. See you tomorrow!

Danish: Farvel, hav en god weekend!
English: Goodbye, have a good weekend!

How to Practice These Danish Words and Phrases

To make this vocabulary active, not passive, try these simple strategies:

1. Make mini‑dialogues with greetings, introductions, and goodbye phrases.
2. Shadow native speakers: listen to short clips and repeat the Danish out loud.
3. Use a daily theme: one day focus only on shop phrases, another day on directions.
4. Label your environment in Danish (for example, dør – door, vindue – window).

With these essential Danish words and phrases, you can already greet people, introduce yourself, ask basic questions, and manage everyday situations. Use them often, and they will quickly become natural for you.