Danish is a fun language to learn, but what’s the best way to master it? There are definitely easy tricks you can do that can make your Danish studies more successful. With these tips and hacks, you can reach Danish fluency faster, and remember your lessons longer. Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate Danish learner, this advice will come in handy. Here are 20 tips for learning Danish effectively, and reaching fluency fast.
Can I Teach Myself Danish?
Yes, you can learn Danish on your own. You don’t need a teacher, classroom, or school to reach Danish fluency. You just need a reliable language learning method. Plus following these 20 tips and advice doesn’t hurt either. You can actually learn Danish much faster alone, without anyone holding you back. Discover how you can successfully reach Danish fluency on your own.
Is it Hard to Learn Danish?
The short answer is no. Danish isn’t hard to learn. If your native language in English, Danish is actually one of the easiest languages for you. That’s because Danish and English have the same roots from the Germanic language family. So, Danish grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary will be a breeze to learn.
Tips for Learning Danish on Your Own
The best way to learn Danish is a combination of all these tips and tricks. While the best language learning apps have these already built-in, you can put together a language learning routine for yourself. Make sure you follow the following tips for learning Danish for the best results.
1. Change Your Smartphone’s Language
This is a very simple trick, but many language learners forget to do it. Go to your phone’s settings, and change the language to Danish. You’ll learn useful vocabulary easily. Since we use our phones a lot already, it’s a very natural and constant way to get familiar with Danish.
You can also do this tip for learning Danish for your social media settings. Danish buttons and commands are subtle but useful parts of everyday vocabulary. And besides, real Danish people do the same.
2. Use Your Personal Motivation for Danish
There are plenty of reasons why you should learn Danish. Whether you want to learn it for travel or school, you must have your motivation. Use that desire to fuel your love and enthusiasm for the language. Once you identified your motivation to learn Danish, you can create a goal for your language learning.
Setting SMART goals is the best way to start learning Danish. These are achievable and they continue to fuel your motivation. For example, a good goal for your Danish studies could be to learn 20 common words and phrases every week.
3. Make a Danish Learning Schedule
Having a reliable language learning schedule is the best way to learn Danish. Become well-organized to achieve the best results. Luckily, you don’t even need to change your usual daily routine much. Even 20 minutes/day for your Danish studies can help you achieve your goals.
4. Learn Danish Writing, Reading, Listening and Speaking
These four pillars of language learning are all crucial to master. Knowing them equally is how you can achieve foreign language proficiency in Danish. Make sure you prectice them all, so you can be comfortable with Danish fast.
While polishing all of these is crucial, there’s one that’s especially important. Language is primarily a spoken form of communication. The only way to reach Danish fluency is to practice speaking as much as you can. Don’t wait to start speaking Danish, do it from Day 1.
5. Choose the Best Danish Resources
Out of all the tips for learning Danish, this is the one that actually brings you the best way to learn. Find the kind of learning style that suits you best. If you feel like you’re progressing and you’re having fun, you know you chose the right method to learn Danish.
Here are some popular resources for learning Danish efficiently:
- Buy a Danish textbook: Danish grammar isn’t very complicated because it’s similar to English. But, if you still need a guide to Danish grammar, you can always buy a textbook to help you master it.
- Hire a private tutor: You can learn Danish very fast with private tutors. The personalized help they provide can definitely benefit any learner. But, you have to pay for their time and expertise well.
- Download a language learning app: This is the cheapest and most fun way to learn Danish. Language learning apps can also be very effective. Give an app a try for the best way to learn Danish.
6. Build Danish Vocabulary From What You Know
Studying vocabulary can be very dry. But, luckily, with Danish vocabulary shares a lot of cognates with English. Cognates are words that look and sound similar in English and Danish, and they also have the same meaning.
To enhance your vocabulary easily, here are some common Danish cognates:
- cigaret – cigarette
- hat – hat
- juli – July
- koste – cost
- pen – pen
- pumpe – pump
7. Beware of False Cognates in Danish
While cognates have the same meaning in both languages, there are also false cognates in English. These are words that sound similar, but they actually have much different meanings. Learn these to avoid confusion and embarrassment.
Common Danish false cognates are:
- blanket – form
- kind – cheek
- ugle – owl
- fotograf – photographer
- anger – remorse
8. Put Up Danish Sticky Notes
This is a great trick to learn Danish vocabulary. Get a block of sticky notes and write common Danish vocabulary words on them. Then stick them up to your kitchen cabinets, books, and toothbrush holder. Seeing the vocabulary every day in specific spaces will help you remember them better. It will also cut down on recall time drastically.
9. Tips to Immerse Yourself In Danish
Flying to Denmark to learn Danish directly from locals is a luxury. Luckily, you don’t need to invest in a plane ticket to immerse yourself in Danish. Here are some examples of how you can bring a piece of Denmark to the comfort of your home and develop your Danish fluency.
- Listen to Danish Music: There a fascinating and unique contemporary music scene in Denmark. Check out Danish musicians and sing yourself to fluency with their hit singles.
- Learn About Danish Culture: Danish art, food, and traditions are very interesting. Learn about them to fall in love with the culture even more. That could be an excellent motivation to learn Danish too.
- Watch YouTube Videos: The best thing about YouTube is that it’s free. And, it also has a TON of useful resources for you. Subscribe to a Danish YouTuber, and listen to authentic Danish as an excellent listening exercise.
10. Read Danish News
If you truly want to live as Danish people do, read a Danish newspaper. That way you can keep up with Danish current events, and practice your reading skills at the same time. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a physical paper. You can also read some Danish magazines and blogs if that’s what you prefer.
10. Read Danish Children’s Books
Before you think this is silly, let me explain. Children are constantly learning their native language. While it takes a year to start speaking, it’s actually years until children can speak their mother tongue in full sentences. So, the books written for them are perfect for Danish beginners. The simple language and grammar will be easy to follow, and the pictures can also help you guess the meaning from context.
11. Watch Danish Crime Shows
If you love watching movies and TV shows, these crime dramas can enhance your Danish fluency quickly. Broen, Forbrydelsen or Gidseltagningen are three very popular crime stories in Denmark. Watch them to hear authentic Danish speech, learn about Danish culture, and entertain yourself.
When it comes to subtitles (undertekster), it’s best to watch Danish TV with Danish subtitles. Then, you can also practice your reading skills. But, if you need, watch the show first with English subtitles for the story. Then watch it again fully in Danish. Soon, you won’t even need subtitles at all.
12. Listen to Danish Radio or a Podcasts
Danish podcasts and radio shows offer the best listening practice. Plus, they talk about a variety of topics, from news to culture and politics. Tune in to a Danish radio channel and podcast to learn Danish from real Danes.
14. Find a Danish Study Partner
If you like learning with somebody else, find a friend or another Danish learner to part up with. You can motivate each other, and exchange tips for learning Danish too. Not to mention the speaking practice your can do together. But, be careful, chances are their accents aren’t perfect. Don’t copy the way they speak, just use the time together for valuable Danish practice.
15. Make Danes Correct your Danish
If you have the chance to practice with real Danish people, ask them to help you. They’ll appreciate your efforts to learn their language. They can correct your grammar and pronunciation better than anybody else. So, don’t be shy, speak to real Danish people for the best practice.
Although they might be tempted to speak English to you, this is not a judgment on your Danish knowledge at all. They likely just want to practice their English with you. Or they want to make the conversation as comfortable for you as possible. Politely ask them to stick to Danish. You’re trying to learn first and foremost, not just gossip.
16. Learn High-Frequency Words in Danish
Did you know that you actually don’t need a lot of vocabulary to learn Danish? You only need 20% of all Danish words to express 80% of everyday ideas. This is called the 80/20 rule, and you can use it to propel you to fluency faster. That’s how locals speak Danish too after all. Focus on this list of common Danish vocabulary to learn that 20% in record time. This is one of the most useful tips for learning Danish as quickly as possible.
To access the list of the most common Danish words and phrases, all you have to do is download OptiLingo. This app already contains all of these in a translated format, which makes it easy for you to learn. Reach Danish fluency quickly with the best app!
17. Make Comprehensible Input Part of Your Danish Studies
Babies learn languages really well. But, that’s not because they have a superpower. They just use an innate language learning method adults forget. It’s called comprehensible input. If you make sure you follow this language acquisition theory, you can learn Danish very effectively. There are two key components to comprehensible input:
- Make your Danish lessons hard enough to keep you busy, but easy enough to understand.
- Make sure your Danish material is a combination of different mediums, so you can guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from context.
That’s the secret to language learning. It’s one of the most useful tips for learning Danish, so make sure you use it to succeed.
18. Use Spaced Repetition to Remember Your Lessons
This language learning hack is how your Danish lessons can be as effective as possible. Thank us later. If you use a method called spaced repetition, you can remember every Danish word and grammar rule in your lessons. All you have to do is review your material periodically.
This way you can fight against your brain’s natural desire to forget. By reinforcing the importance of your lessons, you can commit every Danish vocabulary word to your long term memory. Tips for learning Danish effectively don’t get any better than this.
19. Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
Every single language learner makes mistakes. That’s a rule. Without messing up you can’t expect to perfect your Danish pronunciation. So let go of your language learning anxiety early on, because it only limits your success. I promise you, Danish people won’t judge your Danish knowledge. They’ll do everything they can to help you instead.
20. Use the Best Language Learning App
The best way to learn Danish is to have fun. That’s one of the most important tips for learning Danish. And what better way to consistently practice your Danish while also having fun than with a language learning app. If you want an app that combines all of the above tips for learning Danish into one, you need to try OptiLingo.
OptiLingo gives you a list of the most common words and phrases in Danish. So, you can learn exactly how the local speak. With built-in spaced repetition and comprehensible input, you’re also guaranteed to remember your lesson. But, most importantly, OptiLingo makes you speak Danish. Prioritizing pronunciation practice is how you can become comfortable with Dnaish fast. To unlock your full potential to learn Danish, download OptiLingo today!
