Week of Learning Danish

rachelakemiko
Mar 31
3 min read

Hej! This week would've been a good call for a rest week to settle in. But I have a class. One of the things CBS offers is the Danish Crash Course. It is a week of learning the basics of Danish; you also get to go on a canal tour. I paid about $200 for this course. Each class session is 3 hours long (I did the 9 am class to noon class). But don't worry you get two 10-15 minute breaks.

At first, I was a bit bummed that I had this commitment after only being here for 2 days. But I realized it was a blessing in disguise. These courses were more like social events. The breaks were a good time to mingle and talk to new people. In my class, I met people from Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and France. Although it was a short period, I've made many connections.

Anyway, learning Danish is a bit difficult. Beforehand, I was using Duolingo. It helped with word recognition but it was a bit hard to incorporate in a conversational context. One of the tricky parts of Danish is that the word doesn't sound the same as if you read it. For example, 'hedder' isn't like saying 'header', it is pronounced as 'hella'. For me, I would say learning numbers and telling time was the hardest part. What I noticed is, that they usually address time as 'half past...' instead of saying the actual time. I am still trying to understand it.

My favorite lesson so far was when we learned how to order in Danish. Maybe it was because I was hungry most of the time, but this lesson in particular was one of the most interactive classes. My teacher Laura, recommended cafes, bakeries, and brunch spots in Copenhagen and we looked at the menus then she simulated it to where we had to order in Danish as if we were there.

Unfortunately, when we went on the canal tour, the weather was gloomy. It was very cold so we all had to wear warm clothes. The tour was approximately 45 minutes. We passed the Little Mermaid, the Opera House, the King's Castle, etc. It was a very peaceful tour. After the tour, I was in need of food. So I stopped by Gasoline Grill which I did not know was a famous spot. Plus, my Danish Crash Course is right by the place. Let's just say that this was by far one of the best burgers I had in my life. Something about the burger patty was so good. My Danish friend said the best one is that specific location (the one with the Gas Station). I ordered the Original Burger Combo- it was approximately $22. It was worth it though.

On Thursday, it was my birthday. I learned how to sing 'Happy Birthday' in Danish. Then I treated myself to a cinnamon roll from this bakery called Taste. I always pass by when I walk to my Danish Crash Course. I also got myself another Gasoline Grill burger. It hit the spot. In the evening, we went out to celebrate. I invited people from my dorm to join us for pool. In the process of getting a pool table, we ended up playing with these two Danes. They were very kind and it was honestly so much fun.

On Friday, it was officially my last day of the Danish courses. I would recommend taking this course if you have the chance. I enjoyed it and made many new friends. Shortly after I met up with some of my dorm friends and we headed to CBS to pick up our Student IDs and tour the campus. I did not expect to cycle in Copenhagen since I heard it was intense. But I ended up getting a bike from Swapfiets. And I was wrong, it is very convenient and easy once you understand the hand signals and bike etiquette.

So far this week has been very eventful. I made many new friends and learned a lot about the Danish Culture. Stay tuned for the next post!

Let's Learn Some Danish:

Hvad hedder er du? - What is your name?

Jeg hedder _____. - My name is _____.

Hvor komme du fra? - Where are you from?

Jeg komme fra ____. - I am from _____.

Hvad gammel er du? - How old are you?/ What is your age?

This one you need to know the numbers.

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you can find more pictures on instagram @wya_rachel