Are you traveling to Denmark anytime soon for vacation or a work-related trip? Then great! Denmark is a beautiful city with warm people and stunning landscapes. Don’t forget to try their traditional dishes and explore the Tivoli Gardens. But, apart from all these activities, one thing you have to learn before traveling is the basic danish phrases for travelers. Getting accustomed to the basic Danish phrases such as common greetings, how to introduce yourself, and other phrases will make your stay more enjoyable, allow you to navigate through the cities easily, and form deeper connections with the locals.
Therefore, we will be checking out the basic Danish words for travelers that you must keep close. Trust me, they are simple and easy to understand. So, let’s get started!
10+ Basic Danish Phrases For Travelers
Let’s take a look at the common danish phrases that you should know when traveling to Denmark.
Hej – Hello
The first thing to learn when traveling to danish is the greeting words because that is what you will use most of the time to start a conversation. In Danish, Hello means Hej, and it is a word you can use in any situation.
If you are in a formal setting, you can decide to say Goddag which means Good day. However, there are more greeting words in Danish that can substitute for Hej. You can either decide to greet according to the time of the day (we will look at that shortly) or use other danish phrases for greeting. So, let’s take a look at greetings according to the time of the day.
Greetings: Time of the Day
| English | Danish | Sound |
| Good morning | God morgen | |
| Good afternoon | God eftermiddag | |
| Good evening | God aften | |
| Good night | God nat |
Hvordan har du det? – How are you?
The next phrase you need to know when traveling to Denmark is Hvordan har du det? which means how are you. It is important that a native can decide to ask how you are doing, and it won’t be nice if you can’t reply, or on the other end of the spectrum, you may be interested in finding out how a danish friend is doing. Hvordan har du det is great for both formal and informal situations, but here are other variations for asking how someone is.
Other Phrases To Ask Someone How Are You In Danish
| English | Danish | Sound |
| What’s up? | Hvad så? | |
| Are you well? | Er du ok? | |
| How are you today? | Hvordan har du det i dag? | |
| How is it going? | Hvordan går det? |
Hvad hedder du? – What is your name?
If you are new to a place, one of the questions you will be asked often is what is your name, and the Danish phrase for what is your name is Hvad hedder du? To reply to this question, you say Jeg hedder…, which means My name is… So, if your name is Simon, you will say Jeg hedder Simon.
Introductory Questions
Jeg taler ikke dansk – I don’t speak Danish
If someone suddenly start speaking Danish to you because they believe you are Dansk, you can politely say Jeg taler ikke dansk which means I don’t speak Danish.
If you want to let the person know that you speak English, then you should say Jeg taler Engelsk, which means ‘I speak English.’ Here are some related questions you may be asked about your language.
| English | Danish | Sound |
| Do you speak Danish? | Taler du dansk? | |
| I don’t speak Danish | Jeg taler ikke dansk | |
| Do you speak English? | Taler du engelsk | |
| I speak English | Jeg taler engelsk |
Hvor kan jeg finde… – Where Can I find a …..?
Another Danish phrase you will find useful is direction-related phrases. Let’s assume you are searching for the nearest bus stop, all you need to say is hvor kan jeg finde busstoppet. If you don’t know the danish word for where you are looking for, you can easily say the English word, and most Danes will understand. So, whenever you need to find your hotel or the nearest restaurant. Just say Hvor kan jeg finde.. and add the name of the place you are looking for.
Direction-related Danish Phrases
| English | Danish | Sound |
| Where is the bus stop? | Hvor er busstoppestedet? | |
| Bus stop | busstoppestedet | |
| Airport | lufthavn | |
| Restaurant | restaurant | |
| Hotel | hotel | |
| Toilet | toilette | |
| Supermarket | supermarked | |
| Market | marked | |
| ATM | ATM |
Hvor meget er dette – How much is this?
Want to buy something? Then you need to know the Danish phrase for how much is this. Hvor meget er dette is the danish phrase for inquiring about the price of a thing. Here are some other Danish phrases related to shopping.
Shopping-related Danish Phrases
| English | Danish | Sound |
| Do you accept cash? | Tager du imod kontanter? | |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Accepterer du kreditkort? | |
| It is too expensive | Det er for dyrt | |
| I don’t want it | Jeg vil ikke have det |
Sorry /Please / Thank You
Don’t forget your please, sorry and thank you! There will always be occasions when you have to say one of these three words. So, knowing them will be a lifesaver in those situations. Sorry in Danish is Undskyld, while Please is Vær venlig, and thank you is Tak.
| English | Danish | Sound |
| You are welcome | Det var så lidt | |
| It is my fault | Det er min skyld | |
| Excuse me | Undskyld mig | |
| Yes | Ja | |
| No | Nej |
Ring til politiet – Call the police
If you find yourself in an emergency situation, the first thing you can ask for is help. The Danish word for help is Hjælp.
Emergency Phrases
| English | Danish | Sound |
| Help | Hjælp | |
| Call the police | Ring til politiet | |
| I am lost | Jeg er faret vild | |
| Call an ambulance | Ring til en ambulance | |
| I’ve locked myself out | Jeg har smækket mig ude |
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of phrases that you must know when traveling to Denmark, but we’ve covered the most Useful Danish phrases you will need. However, there are a lot of words and phrases that you can learn in the Danish language. You can check out the Danish blog to keep learning.
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