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
Ordering Drinks at the Bar - S1 Ep7
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In this episode, we're heading to the bar! You'll learn how to order drinks in Danish, understand some of the questions you might hear from the person behind the counter, and ask for everything from a draft beer to a glass of wine or water. By the end of the episode, you'll be better prepared to order confidently at a busy bar, café, or other counter.
We'll also continue working on Danish pronunciation by focusing on the letter Ø and the difference between the Danish L and soft d sounds, using two very important Danish words: øl and rød.
Words of the Day
Kan jeg hjælpe den næste? - Can I help who's next?
Hvad kunne du tænke dig? - What would you like?
Øl - Beer
Fadøl - Draft beer
Vin - Wine
Vand - Water
Rødvin - Red wine
Hvidvin - White wine
Drikkekort - Drink menu
Desværre - Unfortunately
Var det alt? - Was that all?
Main Dialogue
Victoria: Kan jeg hjælpe den næste?
Andrew: Ja, det er mig.
Victoria: Hvad kunne du tænke dig?
Andrew: Uh, må jeg bede om to fadøl, tak.
Victoria: Ellers andet?
Andrew: Ja, jeg vil også gerne have et glas vin. Må jeg se jeres drikkekort?
Victoria: Det har vi ikke, desværre. Vi har rødvin og hvidvin.
Andrew: Hmmm. Jeg vil gerne have et glas rødvin, tak.
Victoria: Værsgo. To fadøl og et glas rødvin. Var det alt?
Andrew: Hov, og tre glas vand, tak.
Victoria: Okay, det bliver 304 kr.
Words and Phrase Variations
Beer and drinks
En pils - A pilsner / beer
Bajer - Beer (slang)
Øllebølle - Beer (playful slang)
Fadbamse - Draft beer (slang)
En flaske vin - A bottle of wine
At the bar or counter
Hvad skulle det være? - What will it be?
Er I klar til at bestille? - Are you ready to order?
Så skal jeg bede om 304 kroner - That will be 304 kroner
Going to the pub
Værtshus - Pub / tavern
Bodega - A small, informal Danish pub
Pronunciation Focus
This episode focuses on the Danish letter Ø.
You'll practice the slightly different Ø sounds in:
Øl - Beer
Rød - Red
We'll also use these two words to practice the difference between an L and the Danish soft d.
In øl, the tip of your tongue moves behind your upper front teeth to make the L.
In rød, the tip of your tongue stays behind your lower front teeth to make the soft d.
And a little bonus: ø isn't just a letter. The word ø also means "island" in Danish!
Coming Next Time
Join us next time as we make the classic late-night journey from the bar to get a kebab. You'll learn more useful Danish for ordering food and navigating another very important part of Danish nightlife.
Vi ses!
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Hi, allesammen.
Speaker 2Hey everyone. Welcome to Daily Danish Pod, a language learning podcast for beginners focusing on everyday scenarios.
Speaker 4My name is Victoria and I will be the teacher.
Speaker 2My name is Andrew and I will be the learner.
Intro to the Episode
Speaker 4Hi Andrew. Hvad så?
Speaker 2Yeah, Hvad så.
Speaker 4Ikke så meget .
Speaker 2Got a se dig.
Speaker 4I lige måde.
Speaker 2So Victoria, where is today's scenario taking place?
Speaker 4In this episode, we're heading to the bar to learn how to order something to drink.
Speaker 2Ooh, sounds exciting. spændende.
Speaker 4Er du klar Andrew.
Speaker 2Jeg er klar
Speaker 4Lad os gå i gang.
Words of the Day
Speaker 4We will start this episode by introducing you to two questions that you will often hear when ordering something at a busy counter. Whether that be at the coffee shop, bakery, ice cream shop, or at the bar where today's scenario takes place. The first one is 'kan jeg hjælpe den næste?' meaning can I help the next one? 'Kan jeg hjælpe den næste?' 'Kan jeg hjælpe den næste?'
Speaker 2A little side note from a learner. So this first word can be a little tricky for Danish learners and has been especially for me, because the word in English is 'can' and in Danish it's also spelled 'KAN'. But in spoken Danish you don't articulate this N sound. It becomes silent here. So 'Kan' becomes 'ka' in spoken Danish.
Speaker 4Li ge præcis exactly. This happens naturally in many languages when speaking and very common in Danish, where the last part of the word is either cut off, fades off, or there's no strong emphasis. We'll mention these as we go along and try to see if you notice any as you listen. Maybe even leave a comment if you hear one we miss. So the question again is 'Kan jeg hjælpe den næste?'.
Speaker 4When you're at the counter, they could start by asking 'Hvad kunne du tænke dig?' meaning what would you like? 'Hvad kunne du tænke dig?' Well, what do you usually like to drink at the bar, Andrew?
Speaker 2So I'm definitely a wine guy, but I do not mind a nice cold beer. Unfortunately, I'm still terrified of saying beer in Danish, so when I order, I normally just say the type of beer in Pilsner or en Classic, which is basically a lager here.
Speaker 4We all have our weak points, Andrew. The Danish name for beer is 'øl'. It starts with the Danish vowel Ø, which we'll talk more about in our pronunciation point. So the word for beer is 'Øl'. Make sure to really round your lips when you say it. Try to round your lips a little bit more, Andrew, and relax the tongue, as if you've already had a few beers. Oh, that was so much better. Okay, and sometimes I like to pretend that I'm a sea lion. To really kind of loosen everything up. Can I hear you?
SpeakerYeah.
Speaker 4Perfect. Is that right? If you want to say one beer, it would be 'en øl'. In today's dialogue you'll be ordering two draft beers. A draft beer is called a 'fad øl'. So tip of the tongue behind the bottom front teeth.
Speaker 2I think I'm gonna need an 'øl' after this in order to be able to say it properly. But maybe a glass of wine. And I definitely need your help because I have went at a bar, asked for a glass of wine before, and in turn received a glass of water.
Speaker 4Oh no, Andrew. Sorry, I am not Jesus, but so I can't help you turn water into wine, but I can try to help you with the pronunciation of the two. So wine is 'vin'. 'Vin' See if you can notice anything about the word 'vin'.
Speaker 2So it definitely sounds like I'm making that abrupt stop. So there must be a 'stød' in this word.
Speaker 4Perfect. So you have the 'stød' after the e sound. So it's 'vin'. And notice how there's a little pause and a push or still against the end sound after. So 'vin'.
Speaker 1'Vin'. Yeah.
Speaker 4And you're right, water is similar to 'vin'. It is 'vand'. It also has a stød at the end. So 'vand' And if you would like to order a glass of wine, you could say 'et glas vin'. 'Et glas vin' 'et glas vin'. And if you wanted to say a glass of water?
Speaker 2'Et glas vand'.
Speaker 4Yeah 'et glas vand' So to recap, 'vin' 'vand' and both have that beautiful glowal stop at the end.
Speaker 2Vin vand. So one way that I could help the waiter understand if I want wine instead of water could be to say red or white wine.
Speaker 4Indeed. So red wine is 'rødvin'. 'Rødvin'. So Andrew, there's actually a little bit of a soft D in Rød. So remember to keep the tip of the tongue stuck to the back side of the bottom front teeth. 'Rød'
Speaker'rød'.
Speaker 4'rød.
Speaker'Rødvin'.
Speaker 4Much better. So in the word for red, 'rød' we encounter that classic Danish backthroat R sound that we talked about in the last episode, episode six, when we learn to say the word for brother. 'Bror' Imagine you're gargling on let's say 'rødvin'. It's pretty much that part of the throat that you want to activate. 'Rødvin', rødvin' 'rødvin'. Yes. The word for white is 'hvid'.
Speaker 2Am I right, to notice there's a soft D at the end of this word too?
Speaker 4Yeah, Lige præcis. Exactly. There is. Hvid. So together with wine, it's 'hvidvin', with the stress being on 'hvid' ' Hvidvin', 'Hvidvin' Yeah, so then.
Speaker 2Funnily enough, these two colours are maybe the most important ones in Denmark because of the Dannebrog, the Danish flag.
Speaker 4Yeah. If you want to know what drinks a place has to offer, you can ask for a 'Drikkekort'. A drink menu. 'Drikkekort' 'drikkekort'. And remember we'll go over different names and nicknames for drinks in word and phrase variations in today's episode. If a place doesn't have what you're looking for, they might say 'desværre', meaning unfortunately or sadly. The word is 'desværre' the person behind the counter might say 'var det alt?' meaning was that all 'Var det alt?' 'var det alt?' So Victoria 'var det alt?' for words of the day? Yeah, Andrew, 'det var alt' that was all.
Test Your Listening
Speaker 2So now Victoria has prepared a little dialogue where I'll be ordering some drinks for myself and two friends at the bar, and she will be playing the bartender. You can imagine I'm at a busy bar and I'm the next to order. Try to listen and see if you can recognize any of the new words we have just learned. Afterwards we will talk about the conversation and clarify any points we haven't covered. If you're new to the podcast, we try to include words and phrases from previous episodes in every scenario and build out our conversation bit by bit. If you feel like there's a lot you're not getting, you can try catching up by going over previous episodes, reading the episode notes, or breaking it down more by listening to the full English translation later on in this episode.
Speaker 4Kan jeg hjælpe den næste?
Speaker 2ja, det er mig
Speaker 4Hvad kunne du tænke dig?
Speaker 2uh, må jeg bede om to fadøl, tak
Speaker 4ellers andet?
Speaker 2ja, jeg vil også gerne have et glas vin. Må jeg se jeres drikke kort.
Speaker 4Det har vi ikke. Desværre. Vi har rødvin og hvid vin.
Speaker 2Jeg vil gerne have et glas rød vin. Tak.
Speaker 4Vær sgo. To fadøl og et glas rødvin. Var det alt?
Speaker 2Hov ja tre glas vand.
Speaker 2Okay. Det bliver 304 (trehundredefire) kroner. So I noticed we got another pronoun here. 'Det er mig' Meaning that's me when saying it is your turn. And last time we talked a little bit about the pronunciation of the word you and discussing when we pronounce it as 'dig' [dai/die] and when we pronounce it as 'da'. Yet this time we have the pronoun me, and I use the emphasized pronunciation of 'mig' [my/mai].
Speaker 4Exactly. Because the emphasis is 'me'. You're saying 'it's me who's next'. So it's 'det er mig'. While in the expression 'hvad kunne du tænke dig?', where's the emphasis?
Speaker 2That would be in the thinking, so we no longer have the emphasis on the 'dig' , so it's just [da].
Speaker 4Exactly. And if the emphasis is not on 'mig', in spoken Danish just sound like [ma]
English Translation
Speaker 4ma.
Speaker 2Now you can listen to the dialogue with breaks and an English translation. Victoria will read out the script, line for line in Danish, and then I will translate into English.
Speaker 4Kan jeg hjælpe den næste?
Speaker 2Can I help who's next?
Speaker 4Ja, det er mig. yeah, that's me
Speaker 2Hvad kunne du tænke dig?
Speaker 4What would you like?
Speaker 2Uh, må jeg bede om to fadøl, tak?
Speaker 4Ellers andet?
Speaker 2Anything else?
Speaker 4Ja, jeg vil også gerne have et glas vin.
Speaker 2yeah, I would also like a glass of wine.
Speaker 4Må jeg se jeres drikkekort?
Speaker 2Can I see your drink menu?
Speaker 4Det har vi ikke, desværre.
Speaker 2We don't have that unfortunately
Speaker 4Vi har en rød vin og en hvid vin.
Speaker 2We have a red wine and a white wine.
Speaker 4hmm, jeg vil gerne have et glas rødvin tak.
Speaker 2I'd like to have a glass of red wine, please.
Speaker 4værsgo, to glas fadøl og et glas rød vin. Var det alt?
Speaker 2Here you go. Two draught beers and a glass of red wine. Was that all?
Speaker 4Hov, tre glas vand, tak.
Speaker 2Oops, and three glasses of water please.
Speaker 4Det bliver 304kroner.
Speaker 2That will be three hundred and four crowns
Pronunciation Point
Speaker 4point pronunciation point pronunciation point Okay let's do it In today's dialogue we encountered the letter Ø quite a bit because of the word 'øl' beer Ø again is the O with the line through. The sound doesn't really have an English equivalent, so it's important to get comfortable pronouncing this sound by really rounding your lips with a relaxed tongue. Ø. Much better. In earlier episodes, we've gone over the Danish alphabet and talked about how there are many more sounds in spoken Danish than are represented in the written language. One thing that can make the same vowel change sounds is where it's placed in the word. For instance, in the dialogue we also encountered another word with ø, and that is a word for red, as in red wine: rød. Rød is spelled RØD or in Danish RØD. But listen to how the Ø sounds different in the two words 'øl' 'rød'. 'øl' 'rød' For many people it might just sound like two different cats trying to throw up. But for now we just want you to start noticing the slight differences because they can often carry different meanings. Both words are pronounced with rounded lips, the tongue is resting in the mouth, but 'øl 'is slightly more closed. Good. Practicing the pronunciation of 'øl' and 'rød' is also a good opportunity to feel the difference in your mouth between pronouncing an L and a soft D. For many people the soft D can sound like an L, but with an L sound, the tip of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth just behind the top front teeth. So tongue behind the top of the teeth. But with 'rød' we have a soft D. So the tip of the tongue is stuck to the back side of the bottom front teeth. And together 'øl' 'rød' 'øl' 'rød'. Fun fact about Ø is that it's not only a letter on its own, but Ø also means island
Practice Speaking
Speaker 4island.
Speaker 2In 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 4Kan jeg hjælpe den næste?
Speaker 2Ja, det er mig Hvad kunne du tænke dig? Uh, må jeg bede om to fadøl, tak Ellers andet?
Speaker 2Jeg vil også gerne have et glas vin . Jeg vil også gerne have et glas vin.
Speaker 4Må jeg se jer es drikke kort.
Speaker 2Må jeg se jeres drikke kort?
Speaker 4Det har vi ikke desværre.
Speaker 2Det har vi ikke desværre.
Speaker 4Vi har en rødvin og en hvid vin.
Speaker 2Vi har en rødvin og en hvidvin.
Speaker 4Jeg vil gerne have et glas rødvin, tak.
Speaker 2Jeg vil gerne have et glas rødvin, tak.
Speaker 4Værsgo, to fadøl og et glas rødvin.
Speaker 2Værsgo, to fadøl og et glas rød vin.
Speaker 4Var det alt?
Speaker 2Var det alt.
Speaker 4Hov og tre glas vand, tak
Speaker 2Hov, og tre glas vand tak.
Speaker 4Det bliver tre hundrede fire kroner.
Speaker 1Det bliver tre hundrede fire.
Culture Point
Speaker 2There's often a criticism in Denmark, both inside and outside the country, that Danes drink too much alcohol. So my question to you, Victoria, would be: do Danes drink too much?
Speaker 4Well, there are definitely a lot of events, traditions, and social spaces in Danish society that revolve around drinking, which may create pressure to drink. Alcohol is a big part of many celebrations and even school events like orientation weeks for gymnasium and university students. In fact, Danish students are the heaviest drinkers in Europe and have been for a very long time. And in a culture where we're often reserved, alcohol is sometimes used to help people feel more comfortable in social settings.
Speaker 2So yeah, this pressure to drink also came up in the movie DRUK. And only after living here for a few years could I really understand what it was maybe trying to say about Danish society. So I'm not sure if you know the plot line, but the movie follows four teachers who decided to test a theory that the human bodily naturally has slightly too little alcohol in it, a deficiency. So then they try to maintain a certain blood alcohol level and record the effects it has on their lives. Drinking becomes so normal in the film that, spoiler alert, one teacher even suggests that a student take a shot before an exam to help them relax and perform better. So this movie won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. And beyond being a great film, it can also be seen as kind of a wider criticism of Danish drinking culture.
Speaker 4I think this kind of criticism has started to come up more and more in recent years, actually. And fun fact about me is that I don't drink and never have. And growing up, other students were sometimes suspicious of me because I didn't drink when in reality all I could think about was just how to get to the dance floor or 'Floor', as they say in Danish. And they thought I was judging them, but now I feel like people are more curious than anything. There are also more and more conversations about alcohol use and inclusion in Danish society that are coming up. I'm not sure how much is actually changing, but people are definitely talking about it more.
Practice Listening - Real Speed
Speaker 4V: Kan jeg hjælpe den næste? A: ja, det er mig. V: Hvad kunne du tænke dig? A: Uh, må jeg bede om to fadøl, tak. V: Ellers andet? A: ja, jeg vil også gerne have et glas vin. Må jeg se jeres drikkekort. V: Det har vi ikke, desværre. Vi har rødvin og hvidvin. A: Hmmm. Jeg vil gerne have et glas rødvin, tak. V: Værsgo. To fadøl og et glas rødvin. var det alt? A: hov, ja 3 glas vand, tak V: okay, det bliver 304 kr
Speaker 4
Word & Phrase Variations
Speaker 2Word and phrase variations.
Speaker 4In Danish, we have an expression, 'Kært barn har mange navne', meaning a dear child has many names. This can also be said about beer, mostly of all the nicknames and slang terms people have for it. Some of them are directly related to different types of beers, like a pilsner just becomes 'pils' or 'en pils'.
Speaker 1'en pils'.
Speaker 4Another popular slang term for a beer is 'bajer', because in the 1800s many beers came from Bayern in Germany, so the word is 'bajer'. Then for the more silly ones we have 'Øllebølle'. And a slang term for a draft beer or 'fadøl' is 'fadbamse' meaning a draft teddy bear. The word is fadbamse.
Speaker 2Fadbamse.
Speaker 4A little bit more soft D, fadbamse.
Speaker 2Fadbamse.
Speaker 4We've learned to say a glass of wine, but if you want to say a bottle of wine, it's ' en flaske vin'. 'Flaske' meaning bottle. En. Flaske. Vin. 'En flaske vin' 'en flaske vin' Yes, 'en flaske vin'. So for today's episode, the person behind the counter asked 'hvad kunne du tænke dig?' but they might also say at any type of counter, whether it be a bakery or a coffee shop, 'hvad skulle det være?' with a meaning closer to 'what will it be?' At a restaurant they might say the same or they might ask, are you ready to order? 'Er I klar til at bestille?' 'Er. I. Klar. Til. At. Bestille?' For today's episode we went to the bar, but we could easily have been at the pub, which we have some different names for in Danish. They historically have been different, but today they are almost used synonymously. The first one for pub is 'Værtshus'. 'Værtshus' , literally meaning hosting house, which traditionally was also a place you could eat. So the word is 'Værtshus'. But a word that is maybe used a bit more now is 'bodega'. The word is actually Spanish and has different meanings all over the world, but in Denmark it's typically used to describe a smaller informal pub where you may even smoke inside and play slot machines. That's all for this episode.
Teaser for Next Episode
Speaker 2Join us next time as we take the common walk over from the bar to get a late night kebab. We 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 DanishPod to get updates on our work.
Speaker 4This podcast was created and recorded at Union, a culture house in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, with funding from Fonden Københavns Sprogcenter. The pod would not be possible without both of their help. A big thank you to Chenni, Esben, and Gustavo for your ongoing support. A shout out to Omar for a logo design and Andrew Rennison for creating our jingle. Hej hej.
Speaker 2See you next time.