You don't need a grammar book to start speaking Danish. You need about 30 phrases — the ones that come up at the bakery, in a hotel lobby, on a train, or when someone stops you on the street in Copenhagen. This lesson gives you exactly that: basic Danish phrases for everyday situations, plus the greetings Danes actually use, not the textbook versions nobody says out loud.
Danish is spoken by around six million people in Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Almost all of them speak excellent English — so learning a few Danish phrases isn't about survival. It's about the reaction you get. Say tak instead of "thanks" and the temperature of the conversation changes immediately. Danes notice the effort, and they're generous about it.
Here's what to expect: two sets of phrases, each with a pronunciation so you can say them today. Danish pronunciation has a reputation for being difficult, and the reputation is fair — words get swallowed, letters go silent, and what you read is rarely what you hear. Don't chase perfection. Aim for close enough to be understood, and let your ear catch up over time.
Basic Everyday Phrases
Yes
Ja
No
Nej
Please
Vær så venlig
Thank you
Tak
You are welcome
Selv tak / Det var så lidt
Excuse me
Undskyld mig
Sorry
Beklager
I don’t understand
Jeg forstår ikke
Do you speak English?
Taler du engelsk?
Can you help me?
Kan du hjælpe mig?
How old are you?
Hvor gammel er du?
I am 20.
Jeg er 20 år.
What is your name?
Hvad hedder du?
My name is Maria.
Jeg hedder Maria.
Where are you from?
Hvor kommer du fra?
I am from England.
Jeg kommer fra England.
Nice to meet you.
Hyggeligt at møde dig.
Is everything okay?
Er alt i orden?
Help!
Hjælp!
Call the police!
Ring til politiet!
Practice these words
Ja
Quick notes:
- Vær så venlig is the dictionary answer for "please" — but Danes rarely say it. More on that below.
- Undskyld covers both "excuse me" and "sorry." Use beklager for a more serious apology.
- Hvor and hvad start with a silent h. Say "vor" and "va."
Basic Greetings
Good morning
Godmorgen
Good afternoon
God eftermiddag
Good evening
Godaften
Hello
Hej / Goddag
Goodbye
Farvel / Hej hej
How are you?
Hvordan går det?
I’m good, thank you. And you?
Det går godt, tak. Og dig?
Have a nice day!
Ha' en god dag!
Practice these words
Godmorgen
Quick notes:
- Hej is your default. It works morning to night, with strangers and friends, in shops and offices.
- Goddag is more formal and sounds slightly old-fashioned from a young speaker.
- God eftermiddag exists but is almost never used in speech. Say hej.
- Hej hej means goodbye, not hello. Doubling it flips the meaning.
What Makes These Phrases Different in Danish
The first thing to notice is what's missing: Danish has no everyday word for "please." Vær så venlig is grammatically correct but sounds stiff and pleading in normal conversation. Danes build politeness in other ways — with tak ("thanks"), with gerne ("gladly"), or simply with tone. Ordering coffee, you'd say "Jeg vil gerne have en kaffe, tak" — literally "I would gladly have a coffee, thanks." Tak does the heavy lifting that "please" does in English, and it appears far more often than English speakers expect: it thanks, it requests, it accepts, and it ends conversations. When in doubt, say tak.
The second thing is formality — or the near-total lack of it. Danish has a polite pronoun, De, equivalent to French vous. You can safely ignore it. Outside the royal family and a few formal letters, it's gone. Use du with everyone: your waiter, your boss, a police officer, a stranger three times your age. Using De at a café would sound sarcastic rather than respectful. This flat, first-name culture is why hej works in situations where other languages would demand something more elaborate.