I go to class once a week. Socially, I hang out with ex-pats, and our common language is English. I have a couple of Norwegian friends who can speak Danish when necessary, but even they mostly speak English here. I have no one to practice with, I speak English at work.
I’m due to test out of Module 1 on April 11. It’s a verbal exam where I have to talk about myself and one of 3 Danish books I’ve read. I thought I was doing pretty well. My instructor read my book report and the paragraph about my personal details and had very little to correct, then he asked me to read it aloud and my word came crashing down.
The thing is, it’s relatively easy for me to read and write this language, but when I’m learning mostly by reading and writing, and words like “morgenmad” are actually pronounced something along the lines of “mooremal,” it’s not hard to see that there’s little chance in hell of me passing this test.
Today, my instructor asked me why I was learning Danish. I honestly don’t need it to get by. My life would be a bit less stressful if I could speak and understand Danish, but I’m many lessons away from reaching a useful level of proficiency.
My answer to his question is that I’m living in Denmark and as a guest in this country I feel I should learn Danish. Yes, the majority of people speak fluent English, and I’m beyond grateful for that, but I don’t think I should expect it.
I used to be annoyed in the US when it seemed like everything was in English and Spanish. Of course Spanish isn’t the “universal” language, but somehow I feel like living in Denmark and not speaking Danish makes me a hypocrite.
On the other hand, my Danish will most likely reach the neighborhood of par right around the time I’m planning to leave the country. So, does it make sense to struggle with a language that I’ll probably never use?
The instructor himself said that some people have a knack for languages and some people don’t. I, unfortunately don’t. He said if we look at my proportion of effort to progress, it might make sense for me to put my effort into something else.
But am I willing to live here as a guest who doesn’t speak the local language and has given up on trying? Can I accept that I’m one of those monolingual Americans? Should I try a different language? Maybe I’d do better with French, Italian or Spanish. But is there any point in learning a language just to be bilingual?
The thought of giving up feels like an anchor disappearing from around my neck, with a side of failure in the pit of my stomach. Which makes me wonder, which is worse, an anchor or failure?
adventuresandjapes says
First up, you’re not a guest, you’re the staff.
Secondly, there are a series of walls in learning new things. You’ve hit one. You’ll climb it and go “What was the fuss about??” until you hit the next one.
Learn Danish by all means but perhaps choose to do it in a more relaxed informal way. Your brain is fighting the new language because you don’t use it, it is not “useful”, you only want to learn it for ideological-style reasons. You need an emotional hook to get your brain interested in learning it.
My “in” was science magazine, tv shows I could stand and trashy novels about vampires. Yours might be different.
http://www.copenhagencast.com/ is excellent
http://www.speakdanish.dk/ is very good
http://fof.dk/ do evening classes, maybe pick something like dance or crafts (where you can watch what people are doing and it’s not totally essential you understand all the words).
Your brain is smart, it doesn’t want to put stuff in there you will never use. You have to give it lots of happy, positive associations with Danish and it will accept it as important.
Hang in there!
Lisa says
Is it mainly the spelling differential that’s messing you up? What I’m getting at is – when we’re born, we know nothing about spelling words; we just imitate and learn that way. It’s much less stressful to learn only the speaking, instead of both speaking and spelling. When we can talk fairly well, we go to school and learn to spell and read.
If you could focus on just the speaking part, do you think you could pick it up quicker? A few years back I tried to do some language tapes, but the quizzes and memorizations weighed me down. I stumbled on the Pimsleur technique and really liked it. Unfortunately, other things came up in my life and I couldn’t pursue the languages, but it was learning it the way we learned English as children.
Just a thought, Sage.
Sage says
You’ve both offered great advice and insight, thank you!
I’ve actually had good luck with other Pimsleur courses and I see there is a Danish course available for download from Amazon.
I guess my biggest struggle is that I’m supposed to prepare on my own for a verbal exam using books. Which like you’ve said, Lisa, is not how we learn our first language.
Pimsleur might be exactly what I need! It’s worth a shot anyway.
~ Sage
Stephanie says
I am struggling also! The pronunciation is just so hard to master. I automatically pronounce by English rules. The only thing I have done is amass some vocabulary. I find myself asking friends to write the words out. I am going to check out the Pimsleur technique as well. I wish I hadn’t been discouraged by the mocking when I had the nerve to try speaking in the beginning :)
Stranger says
The old Danish TV series MATADOR is very good and the actors speak relatively clearly (for Danes). I recommend getting it on DVD and watching it in Danish with Danish subtitles (for the hearing impaired). I learned a lot of Danish by watching Matador and other tv shows. On some of the Danish channels you can get subtitles in Danish using text tv. Good luck!
mina says
ah, man! it’s so annoying to be the american that only speaks english, or at least it’s annoying when all the non-americans bring it up. that’s another good reason for learning danish i guess… it IS really difficult but i think you’re a trooper for sticking in there. don’t give up! i didn’t have a breakthrough with danish until about a year and a half into the program at studieskolen but i’m glad i learned it even if we move to the states. ^^
Mads and Kelli says
I am extremely disappointed in your teacher for asking you WHY you are learning the language! What an idiot!
I think your efforts should be commended…not questioned!
And after 3 years, I can tell you that although I speak it daily, my mouth still does it like a Texan… so I usually provide quite a bit of entertainment for the listeners!
Hang in there!!
And IGNORE your teacher!
Just take it at your own pace!!!! you will make it!
Sage says
Thanks for all of the encouragement.
The Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone courses are on their way to me. Unfortunately, they don’t have as many levels available as the more popular languages, but I’ll worry about how to deal with that when I get there.
In the meantime, my coworkers have started teaching me Danish and I think I’ve learned more in 2 days than in months of classes. The wall near my desk is filling up with post-its that have the Danish word, the pronunciation, and the English translation. It’s working! AND I’m learning useful stuff like the meaning of “slutspurt” and how to say “that’s annoying” :)
~ Sage
Fuzzy says
I have to disagree. Your teacher is being honest, and knows the difficulty that foreigners have here when trying to speak Danish. It’s not at all uncommon for total strangers to mock foreigners’ efforts, from my experience, and it’s all too common that the Dane won’t understand what you’re saying. My best friend is Danish and she can’t understand a single word of my spoken Danish.
With that in mind, why go to the trouble and struggle to speak something spoken only by 5 million people? Norwegian and Swedish is extremely similar in rules and structure to Danish, but how telling is it that most Norwegians and Danes communicate through English? Believe it or not one Norwegian man even DIED because his accent was misunderstood at Rigshospital’s E.R. Admitting desk. Yep, he tried to tell the receptionist that he was a hemophiliac, and was very rightfully worried for his health as a result of being hit over the head with a bottle. The receptionist assumed he was drunk and was telling her he was a homosexual (which sounded close to hemophiliac, apparently), and sent him home. (To die of his injuries, actually, which he did.)
So yeah, keep up with reading it and trying to decipher those Jysk accents, but seriously, why waste valuable time on something which ultimately won’t really be useful?
These days I speak Danish to the retarded customers in my shop who are not billingual, a recovering stroke victim, and to polite elderly Copenhageners who seem to understand my pronunciation better, for some reason. Everyone else gets English, and they treat me more respectfully than when I struggle with Danish.
This Indonesian says
I know it’s easy to say stuff, but hang on there. If you really want it, you can master it.
I use Danish at work, daily. I converse in 3 Scandinavian languages, and that’s after 5 years in Denmark.
Just saying that it can be done
Anonymous says
You tried something. You feel like a weight would be lifted if you stop. It’s not useful to you. You won’t ever use it again.
You could be using all that time and frustration on learning something you would actually like to do.
You’re not a failure, you’re deciding to do something more efficient and worthwhile with your time. If you were going to live your life here you would learn it to the best of your ability.
Also you don’t have to stop you can slow down a bit so it’s not so stressful.
It’s ok to try something and decide you don’t want to do it.
Peach says
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peach says
Hi Sage,
I’m in Denmark for 2 months now… and started doing the Studieskolen course for foreigners a week ago. (3h30 hours a day 4 days a week). In 6 week I will be able to have a basic conversation about different subjects in my life… if not i will not pass the Module 1. Lets see.
The advice that I have for you is: you have to listen do Danish EVERYDAY… even if you don’t understand anything (get familiar with the sounds). Usually I see Danish movies with English subtitles and with Danish subtitles (no so good because the cut a lot of the words ehehe), in my Ipod I always listen to Danish music, in the street I read all that I can… Use the Rosetta Stone and practice the pronunciation… over and over and over again. Do exercises with your tong and throat… they cut the end of the word and letters… you have to work, to practice a lot to have this ability… you will see a big difference after a while.
If you don’t have Danish TV here is a link that you can use… Ramajang is a kids channel is easier to listen.
http://www.sedirekte.dk/tv/live/dr-ramasjang.htm
It’s not easy but your teacher is an ass. You should learn the language… for your personal achievement and because you are living in this country. Your effort should be recognize and not putting you down.
Good luck with everything.
Don’t give up.
Med venlig hilsen,
AP
OR Melling says
Should that be Jeg taler dansk lidt, I’m wondering? So this is a few years later. How are you doing? I tried to learn dansk because I was in love with a Dane, lol. An excellent reason to learn along with your excellent reason, i.e. it is the language of the country you are living in. This is a simple courtesy I would think! And with regards to various comments here, since when did the number of people speaking a language determine whether or not that language is worth learning?! (Asks the Irish person whose language is finally off the endangered list.)Life is about quality, not quantity. Diversity of language is diversity of thought, emotion, experience, human reality … Maith thú for your effort. Godt gaet, min skat!
Sage says
Unless my teachers have been wrong, “jeg taler lidt dansk” is correct :)
I’ve been here for 3 years now and so the government has ended my class funding. I haven’t progressed beyond a very basic level and I’m ok with that.
I get along fine in English and the little bit of Danish I can speak and understand. I have to be pragmatic about this. I’m here temporarily as highly skilled worker, so my main focus is on my work, as it should be.