Daily Danish Pod
A language learning podcast, for beginners, focusing on everyday scenarios.
Join Victoria, your Danish teacher, and Andrew, your fellow learner, as they work through the conversations you'll actually need in everyday life. From ordering a coffee and shopping at the supermarket to introducing yourself, each episode focuses on practical, high-frequency situations you'll encounter in Denmark.
Daily Danish Pod is a language learning podcast for absolute beginners, but learners of all levels can benefit from our focus on pronunciation and word and phrase variations.
Whether you've just moved to Denmark, are planning a visit, or simply want to build confidence speaking Danish, we're here to help.
Our goal isn't to make you fluent overnight. Instead, we want to help you take those important first steps and give you the confidence to start speaking. Many people aren't ready to chat with Danish friends on day one, but you can absolutely learn how to order food, ask simple questions, and navigate daily life.
Each episode builds on the last, introducing new vocabulary while constantly revisiting previous words and phrases through repetition. You can jump into any episode, but listening in order will give you the best learning experience.
So come with us on your Danish language journey. Listen, repeat, rewind, and don't be afraid to speak. The more you hear it, the more natural it becomes.
Get talking!
If you're enjoying the podcast, we'd love to hear from you. Leave a review, share it with another Danish learner, and let us know what everyday situations you'd like us to cover next.
Daily Danish Pod
Catching Up With an Old Friend - S1 Ep6
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In this episode, you'll learn how to catch up with an old friend in Danish. We'll practice informal greetings, ask how someone's family is doing, and learn to talk about brothers, sisters, parents, and other loved ones. By the end of the episode, you'll be able to have a natural conversation when meeting someone you already know.
We'll also continue improving your spoken Danish by exploring two different A sounds found in everyday speech. You'll practice hearing and producing the difference between words like ja and jeg, helping your pronunciation sound more natural.
Words of the Day
Hvad så? - What's up?
Godt at se dig - Good to see you
Bror - Brother
Søster - Sister
Mor - Mother / Mom
Far - Father / Dad
Hun - She
Han - He
De - They
Arbejder - Work / Works
Main Dialogue
Victoria: Hejsa!
Andrew: Hvad så?
Victoria: Ik' så meget. Godt at se dig!
Andrew: I lige måde.
Victoria: Hvordan går det?
Andrew: Det går fint. Hvad med dig?
Victoria: Også fint, tak. Hvordan har din bror det?
Andrew: Han har det godt. Han arbejder i Aarhus nu.
Victoria: Spændende. Og din søster?
Andrew: Hun har det godt. Hun bor i København. Hvad med din mor og far?
Victoria: De har det bedre nu, tak.
Andrew: Åh nej. Jeg er forsinket. Ses vi snart?
Victoria: Ja, meget gerne.
Andrew: Okay, hej hej.
Victoria: Ses!
Words and Phrase Variations
Informal greetings
Hvad så? - What's up?
Ik' så meget. - Not much.
Godt at se dig. - Good to see you.
I lige måde. - Likewise.
Talking about family
Bror - Brother
Søster - Sister
Mor og far - Mom and dad
Forældre - Parents
Bedsteforældre - Grandparents
Older and younger siblings
Lillebror - Younger brother
Lillesøster - Younger sister
Storebror - Older brother
Storesøster - Older sister
Danish grandparents
Mormor - Maternal grandmother
Morfar - Maternal grandfather
Farmor - Paternal grandmother
Farfar - Paternal grandfather
Pronunciation Focus
This episode focuses on two common A sounds in Danish.
You'll practice the difference between:
Ja - Yes
Jeg - I
You'll also continue practicing how everyday spoken Danish reduces words, such as:
Godt at se dig → Gåd uh se da
Listening for these small pronunciation differences will make it easier to understand native speakers and improve your own spoken Danish.
Coming Next Time
Join us next time as we head to the bar and learn how to order drinks, ask for what you'd like, and continue building confidence in everyday Danish conversations.
Vi ses!
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Hi, Alsam.
Speaker 1Hey everyone. Welcome to Daily Danish Pod, a language learning podcast for beginners focusing on everyday scenarios.
Speaker 6My name is Victoria, and I will be the teacher.
Speaker 1My name is Andrew, and I will be the learner.
Speaker 6Hi,
Intro to Episode
Speaker 6Sa Andrew.
Speaker 1Hi Victoria. Gotta see that.
Speaker 6Likewise, Ilimo.
Speaker 1So Victoria, what are we going to be talking about today?
Speaker 6Today in our dialogue, we're running into an old friend. We'll learn how to check up on how their family and loved ones are doing, which means we'll be learning the words for family relations and continue working on pronouns.
Speaker 1Sounds both very helpful and interesting.
Speaker 6Malintercent. Very interesting. So educla, Andrew. Yikla Las Koikang. Our
Words of the Day
Speaker 6first phrase for today's episode is the question Vesa Vesa. So together it's Vesa.
Speaker 2Vesa.
Speaker 6Vesa is the Danish equivalent of what's up. It's considered an informal greeting and check-in, but usually not one you would answer in depth, like Vaden Go de, how is it going? Or vaden hadu, how are you doing? You can answer a vesa with ye vesa.
Speaker 1Wait, so you can just answer Vesa by repeating yeah, Vesa?
Speaker 6Yes, totally. Or if you want to be a little 90s hip hop, you can respond with ye vesatya. But the most typical response would be Iksamal. Iksamal, which literally means not so much. So Iksamal.
Speaker 1Iksamal.
Speaker 6Alright, we've previously learnt got a muda. Nice to meet you when meeting someone for the first time. Yet when you run into someone again, we can say god a sita. Literally meaning good to see you. So listeners at home try to repeat each word after me. Got uh si da altogether gora sita.
Speaker 1Got a sita. A little side note, something that was confusing for me when I first started learning Danish was the word die or da means you. But we only pronounce it strongly as in die when it's the emphasis of the sentence. So in this instance, it becomes more of a da because the emphasis is on seeing instead of you. And if this doesn't make any sense to you at all, you can check out the rhythm and stress section, episode five's pronunciation point.
Speaker 6The next words are for family relations. We'll go over how to say sister, brother, mom, and dad. In our last section of the episode, word and phrase variations, we'll go over words for other family relations. So be sure to check that out if you're curious. The word for sister is susta. Susta. It sounds like sister, but with rounded lips and a nice uh sound at the end. Susta.
Speaker 2Susta.
Speaker 6The Danish word for brother is b.
Speaker 1So in this word, we encounter one of the classic Danish R sounds. I learned from a really good language teacher of mine, shout out Steen from KISS, that the R sound is almost a very soft k sound. And this is where the R sound sits in the back of your throat, and you're like pushing air out. It's almost similar to the feeling of when you're gargling water. It's about just letting a little bit of air through, but not clearing your throat. So like a k, but get rid of that k sound. So huh, huh.
Speaker 6I like to pretend I'm a crow to really activate the back part of the tongue and throat. But not fully roll in the actual word. Bah. Bah.
Speaker 2Bah.
Speaker 6Alright, moving on to the word for mom. It's moa. Mwa.
Speaker 1Mwa.
Speaker 6And the word for dad is fa. Fa.
Speaker 1Fah.
Speaker 6Andrew, do you remember what the word for and is?
Speaker 1Is it o?
Speaker 6Well, maybe in a slower written Danish, but really it becomes an uh when we speak.
Speaker 1So it's just uh.
Speaker 6Exactly.
Speaker 1Feels like a pattern in Danish.
Speaker 6Everything just becomes uh Yeah, you're not wrong, uh but yes. So combining them to say mom and dad, we would say mo a fa. Mo a fa. M a fa If we want to refer to people by their preferred pronoun, the word for she is hun it's quite nasal and remembered around your lips. Hun the pronoun for he is hen. Hen. The pronoun for they for both plural and also non-binary person is di Yes Di I will now introduce the verb for work in the present tense. So the word is arbeida. So I could say Ya Arbeida I work it Ya Arbeida Hun Arbeida She works Hun Arbeida Hun Arbeida Hen Arbeida He works hen arbeida hen arbeida they work di arbeida And of course we've already learned the pronouns du a vi meaning you and we and they would be the same Du Arbeida V Arbeida So
Test Your Listening
Speaker 6now Victoria has prepared a little dialogue.
Speaker 1Try to listen and see if you can recognise any of the new words we have just learned. Afterwards we will talk about the conversation and clarify any points Hisa Vesa Ixamal Gorda Sita Illim go Det go fienda hardin boorde? Had godt Han arbejder i Aarhus nu Spin Og din søster? Hun har det godt Hore i Kopenhau din mor De har det bedre nu.
Speaker 6Tak.
Speaker 1Oh nej Ja for single snart?
Speaker 6Yeah mal gerne. Okay.
Speaker 1Hi hi sis So Victoria, I see you added a new pronoun in the dialogue before our family words bo and fa Librasis exactly.
Speaker 6This dialogue introduces the possessive pronoun din. Din means your or yours. You might be thinking, well, I already learnt the word your.
Speaker 1Yeah, as in the d noun.
Speaker 6Yep. That's because in Danish we have two grammatical genders. So some words are neuter words. We know them as et words or it, like it noun, a name, or it abide, a job. When we use a possessive, for example the word your, it becomes dit. So instead of it noun, it would be dit noun, your name or ditabide, your job. But moa, fa, susta, and po are common gender like the vast majority of nouns. So they are en words or ain't words. So one brother is in po, one mother is in mo, and so on and so forth. So when we have the possessive with en words, the in becomes din. So to say your mother, it would be dien mo, and your father would be dien va.
Speaker 1And if you're not sure whether a noun is common gender, so it starts with en or neuter, starts with it, don't worry about it. This comes with memorization, and that takes time. So for now you can always try for the common gender, as 75% of these Danish nouns use the en first.
Speaker 6So for the listener at home to say I am late, we would say ya fasinkel, with fasinkle meaning late. And hey Andrew, I noticed you did a really great job in the dialogue when saying I am late by saying ya fasinkel instead of yai fasinkle. In the dialogue we find the phrase mal gan. Mal means very or much, and gan is sort of a tricky word. It's one we use to reinforce politeness. But here we will take two words together as a phrase to mean something like yes please, gladly, or I'm down. It affirms interest in wanting to do something. Malgan Mal Gan.
Speaker 1Malgan.
Speaker 6Now
English Translation
Speaker 6you can listen to the dialogue with breaks and an English translation. I will read out the script line for line in Danish, and then Andrew will repeat in English. Hi, sir. Heya Bessa. What's up? Iksamal.
Speaker 1Not much.
Speaker 6Gotta see that.
Speaker 1Nice to see you.
Speaker 6Elimo.
Speaker 1You two.
Speaker 6But then go to How's it going?
Speaker 1It's going well, thanks. How's your brother doing? He's doing well.
Speaker 6Han arhus.
Speaker 1No. He's now working in Aarhus.
Speaker 6Spin?
Speaker 1Exciting. And your sister? She's doing well. She's living in Copenhagen. What about your mom and dad? They're doing better now, thanks.
Speaker 6Oh na yeah for single.
Speaker 1Oh no, I'm late. See you soon.
Speaker 6Yeah.
Speaker 1Malgan Yeah, gladly.
Speaker 6Okay.
Speaker 5Hi hi.
Speaker 1Okay, bye.
Speaker 5Cease.
Speaker 1See ya.
Speaker 5Pronunciation point. Pronunciation point.
Speaker 1Pronunciation point.
Speaker 6Okay, let's do it.
Pronunciation Point
Speaker 6For today's episode, we will dive deeper into the difference between two important variations of the a sound in the Danish language. The easiest way to show and hear the difference is if we take the words for yes, yeah, and I, yah.
Speaker 1But Victoria, isn't the word for I yi?
Speaker 6Well, two things can be true at once. In isolation, the pronoun is yai, but in spoken everyday Danish, we say yah. Similar to die and da, as we talked about in Words of the Day. Okay, Andrew, let's have you and the listener at home say yes first. Yeah. It has a bit of a breathy quality to it. Yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 6Yeah. Now the other type of a we find in the word for I, as in Yah for single. I am late. Ya. Ya.
Speaker 3Ya.
Speaker 6And both together Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4Ya.
Speaker 3Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4Yeah. Yeah.
Practice Speaking
Speaker 1In this next section we'll go over the dialogue we've been working on up until now. Yet this time, Victoria will say the lines for both of us, and after each line, she will leave a space for you to repeat afterwards, and then I will repeat as well.
Speaker 3Hvordan går det?
Speaker 6Det går fint.
Speaker 3Det går fint.
Speaker 6Hvad med dig.
Speaker 1Hør med dig.
Speaker 6Hvordan har din børde.
Speaker 1Hvordan har din børde?
Speaker 6Han har det godt. Han arbejder i Aarhus nu.
Speaker 1Han arbejder i Ahus nu. Hun har det godt.
Speaker 6Hun bor i København.
Speaker 1Hun bor i København.
Speaker 6Hvad med din mor og far.
Speaker 1Hvad med din mor og far?
Speaker 6De har det bære nu tak. Oh nej, jeg er forsinkel. Okay.
Speaker 7Hi hi.
Speaker 1Okay. Hi hi.
Culture Point
Speaker 6So Andrew, speaking of family, you have a family visit coming up, right?
Speaker 1I do. This coming week, my brother, or Mimpo, my sister-in-law, uh, I'm not sure how to say that in Danish.
Speaker 6Sviain?
Speaker 1Yes, my Sviain. That's a word I'll have to work on. Uh she'll be coming, and then my niece and nephew, too.
Speaker 6Will you be picking them up from the airport?
Speaker 1I will be. I'll be waiting at the arrivals at Copenhagen's Lufthan with the rest of the families and friends waving my Danish paper flags in anticipation. This is in fact one of my favorite cultural Danish quirks, how the flag is used to greet arriving family members. In fact, how the flag is used so much here in general. For me, coming from the States, the flag is often so related to nationalism and patriotism. Here it's used very differently, especially in regards to celebrations with family and friends. No?
Speaker 6Yo, our flag, which even has a specific name, deniple, is used obviously in similar ways to celebrate national pride, at say, for example, sport matches, to mark national holidays, and to advertise products made in Denmark, to name a few. But we also use the deniople in our celebrations, especially birthdays and anniversaries. I bet you if you show a young Danish child the denipool and ask them what flag it is, they would say, oh, it's the birthday flag, as opposed to the Danish flag, because it's used heavily on birthday cakes, napkins, and in garlands. We definitely love our flag here in Denmark, and you will often hear a Dane being proud of the fact that it's one of, if not, the oldest continuously used state flags in the world. Legend even goes that it fell from the heavens.
Practice Listening - Real Speed
Speaker 6We will now repeat the dialogue at normal conversational speed. Hi, sir. Besa Ixamal Gotasida.
Speaker 1Ilima Butan Gigai.
Speaker 6But then had imported. Okay, hi hi.
Speaker 1Now
Word & Phrase Variations
Speaker 1we're getting into our section words and phrase variations. These are different ways you can express similar ideas from today's dialogue. As promised, we'll focus on various words for different family relations and loved ones.
Speaker 6In the dialogue, we learn to say the word for brother, bo, and the word for sister, susta. So we already have the building blocks to talk about older and younger siblings. In episode three, we learn to say big and small when it comes to drinks. Can you remember what the words were?
Speaker 1I definitely can, but that's probably because I'm always ordering coffee. Sto is large and lila is small.
Speaker 6Yeah, perfect. So to say once older or younger sibling you can put either sto or lila before either sister or brother. So little sister becomes Lila Susta Lila Susta Lila Susta Little Brother Lilo Lilo Lila Boy But with older siblings a little extra sound sneaks in so st becomes stuck older sister stusta Older brother stro Stoa Storbro Fantastic When you want to talk about your parents you can just like in the dialogue say mo or fa but the word for parents is pha Fra Fa Iltra Failtra The word for grandparents is Bist Fa Iltra, essentially meaning the best parents. The word is Bist Failtra.
Speaker 1Bista for Eltra. Victoria, I know there's a neat way that Danes distinguish between grandparents. Can you help to explain it a little further?
Speaker 6Yes. If you know the words from mom and dad, you can combine them in different ways to be able to distinguish between grandparents. So to say maternal grandmother, you just say mo twice, but notice how the sound changes for the first part of mo mo mo mo. The same for paternal grandfather fa. Maternal grandfather then becomes mom dad mo fa.
Speaker 1Morfa. So the parent comes first and the gender of the grandparent comes second. So my mom's dad would be mofa because mom is first and fa is second.
Speaker 6Yes. So who would fa mwa be?
Speaker 1I have to think about that. Fa mo. My father's mother. So my grandmother on my dad's side. Fa mo.
Speaker 6Yes. Perfect, Andrew. Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list and we are missing a bunch of family relations, but we will make sure to cover aunts and uncles and cousins in future episodes. That's
Teaser for Next Episode
Speaker 6all for this episode. Join us next time as you'll learn to order a drink at the bar.
Speaker 1We would love to hear from you, our listeners. Please comment whether you have ideas for how we can improve, scenarios you would like us to cover, or even just to say hi and introduce yourself. We'd love to know where you're from and your motivation for learning Danish. If you'd like to support us further, please like and subscribe. And check out our Instagram at Daily Danish Pod to get updates on our work.
Speaker 6This podcast was created and recorded at Union, the culture house in Napo, Copenhagen, for funding from Funten Krim House. The pod would not be possible without both of their help. A big thank you to Chenny, Esm, and Gustavo for your ongoing support. Shout out to Omar for our logo design and Andrew Renison for creating our jingle. Hi hi.
Speaker 1See you next time.