Danes enjoy the simple things of life and always have a word or phrase to describe it, which is one of the things that makes the danish language so attractive. Although the English language is flexible and versatile enough to provide direct translations for other languages, there are language barriers it cannot overcome with the right words- one of them is unique untranslatable Danish words. These words hold their own meaning and only make sense when used in context.
In this post, we will look at the unique untranslatable Danish words that make so much sense in the Danish language and will adequately help you express your feelings and make meaningful conversations with the locals. Struggling with the basics? If you are still scratching your head when talking about the essential phrases in Danish, then you don’t have to worry about a thing because the Ling App is ready to help you along the way.
7 Untranslatable Danish Words
Hygge
Translation: A feeling of warmness, coziness, and happiness comes from enjoying time with friends or alone.
We all want to be happy. To be with the ones we love, do what we cherish, and enjoy life. Hygge is a Danish word that describes being happy and relaxed doing what you love. It may be simple as just spending a couple of hours with your friend or doing a self-love skincare routine.
Due to the deep meaning this single word holds, it has been incorporated into the Oxford dictionary, and both English speakers and native speakers use it. So, why don’t you derive hygge from the little things of life?
Example: Sipping hot chocolate while I spend time with my best friend is hygge
At nippe til varm chokolade, mens jeg tilbringer tid med min bedste veninde, er hygge
Morgenfrisk
Translation: Feeling of refreshment and wholeness in the morning
We all want to wake up feeling refreshed every morning, rather than waking up with a banging headache and being almost late from work. Morgenfrisk is an adjective used to describe a well-rested feeling or a fresh morning feeling in the morning. Well, a good sleeping habit can give your morgenfrisk.
Example: I am always morgenfrisk because I have a good sleeping habit
Jeg er altid ‘morgenfrisk’, fordi jeg har en god sovevane
Arbejdsglæde
Translation: Work joy. A happy and fulfilled feeling for your job; deriving job satisfaction.
No one wants to work a job where they are constantly stressed out and in fear of the next negative thing they will hear from their boss. We all want to be doing the job we love and have the deserved job satisfaction. Danes strongly believe that your job should also give you a sense of pride and contribute to overall quality and happiness. They think working a job should be about survival, impact, and enjoyment.
Example: I don’t want any job. I want a job where I can get arbejdsglæde
Jeg vil ikke have noget arbejde. Jeg vil gerne have et job, hvor jeg kan få arbejdsglæde
Træls
Translation: Frustating; Annoying.
Someone or situations can frustrate you. Imagine coming home from work after a stressful day and discovering you’ve lost your keys, your shoes are not in the right shape, and catching a bus back to work is nearly impossible. You will be pretty træls. Træls is used to describe a frustrating feeling caused by annoying incidents. This word is primarily used in Jutland and is a perfect word to describe your frustration.
Example: It was træls when I discovered I lost my keys
Det var træls, da jeg opdagede, at jeg mistede mine nøgler
Bagstiv
Translation: The feeling you have when you wake up after being drunk or hungover
Imagine going clubbing with your friends, and in the excitement, you took more shots than you bargained for. But before you were drunk and enjoying the moment, it did not matter. The next morning, you are feeling bagstiv- not feeling too well or having a hangover.
Example: I was bagstiv when I woke up this morning. It was a wild night!
Jeg var bagstiv, da jeg vågnede i morges. Det var en vild nat!
Tanketorsk
Translation: Error made unconsciously. A mental error
Have you ever called your friend by the wrong name, or you walked into a room to pick something and you ended up picking something entirely different? Well, that is known as tanketorsk or the act of making a mistake unconsciously due to lack of thought. It is a brain mixup or forgetfulness.
Example: It was Tanketorsk. I didn’t know.
Det var Tanketorsk. Jeg vidste det ikke.
Bonus: SYMPATISK
Translation: A good first impression. A good gut feeling about someone.
Have you ever met someone for the first time and instantly had a good gut feeling about them? Well, that is sympatisk or the act of having a good feeling about someone or liking someone’s personality at the first meeting.
Enjoy These Untranslatable Words In Danish
The Danish language is filled with loads of meaning and expressiveness, and we’ve already seen that in these beautiful words we’ve just explored. How many can you remember? Two? Three? You can even have these words equivalent in your language.
Use these words in daily conversations to impress the locals and express your feelings better. If you are interested in learning Danish or you’ve seen some danish foreign words around lately, it doesn’t need to be complicated. The Ling App is available to teach you some new words in Danish and take you from a beginner to a fluent speaker in a short period. Learning Danish doesn’t have to be hard if you have the Ling App. Learn more about this app below!
Learn Danish With The Ling App
Ling App is a language learning platform designed to give you a gamified experience while teaching your target audience. It comes loaded with many intuitive features ranging from grammar lessons, audio recordings, chatbots, flashcards, quizzes, and more. You cannot go wrong with the Ling App. Besides, you have a collection of blog posts to improve your target language skill and give you deeper insight into the culture.
So, what are you waiting for? Download the Ling today on Play Store and App Store.
