The following transcript was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Carlie: Hey there it’s Carlie. I’ve been hosting the Expat Focus Podcast for eight years now, and I want to keep on making it interesting and relevant for you. If you’re a regular listener and want to provide your feedback on the show, drop us an email at contact@expatfocus.com And if you love what we do, we’d love to see your review on Apple podcasts, or however you like to listen.
We know Denmark regularly tops the list of the happiest countries on earth but, how patient are the Danes with language learners, and why are you more likely to pick up Danish faster, if you speak German? Sigga Hansen joins me to answer these questions and more. She’s a Danish teacher, and the founder of Lingua Danica.
You’re at the helm of one of the largest online communities for Danish language learners. Can you tell me what motivated you to start teaching Danish and make it your career?
Sigga: It was actually quite a coincidence that I ended up teaching Danish. I studied French and Spanish at university, and then I was offered a Danish teaching job. I needed a job for just a year and said, “Okay, why not?” Then I ended up totally loving it. I just loved meeting all these wonderful people from so many cultures and countries with such different backgrounds, and being able to help make a difference for them in Denmark.
I’ve also lived abroad myself – in France after high school when I was very young, and also in Istanbul, Turkey. So I know from both experiences what it feels like to struggle with speaking the language and understanding what’s going on around you. I know what it’s like to participate actively in the local language. Helping people get a smoother transition into Denmark and Danish society is what I really love doing in my work.
Carlie: I find it really interesting that you studied these other foreign languages and then ended up teaching your native language. Having lived abroad yourself, what sort of qualities and considerations do you think that brought to the way you approach teaching Danish?
Sigga: I think I can really put myself in my students’ shoes. Through years and years of teaching now, I also have a good understanding of the struggles they have when learning Danish – the pitfalls and the challenging areas. I think I have a good feeling for what I need to pay attention to when I’m teaching a specific grammar topic, vocabulary, or whatever it is.
Carlie: And who are your typical students? Who’s choosing to learn Danish and why are they learning it?
Sigga: There are so many different types of students, but if I were to pick one type, it would be someone who moved to Denmark for work – someone who got offered a job and now they need to learn Danish. It could also be someone who met someone from Denmark, someone who moved to the country for love. I think those are the two most typical types of students.
Carlie: I know Denmark is up there with countries like Sweden and the Netherlands as one of those countries with really high English proficiency. Does that pose a challenge for people when they choose to move to Denmark and then try to learn Danish, when all around them people are really good at English?
Sigga: Yes, I think initially when people arrive, they find it really nice that they’re able to communicate straight away in English. But especially in Copenhagen, the Copenhageners are notorious for switching to English immediately. If you leave the big cities and go to smaller towns where people don’t have as much interaction with foreigners and internationals as Copenhageners do, then I think it will be a lot easier to stick to Danish and actually get to practice.
Carlie: Now, I was doing my research on the Danish language, and I read that it’s a sister language to Swedish and Norwegian, if I’m remembering correctly. So do certain nationalities have an upper hand when it comes to learning Danish? Are Swedes and Norwegians going to pick it up faster than Australians, French, or Italians?
Sigga: Yes, for sure. Danish and the other Scandinavian languages – Swedish and Norwegian, as you mentioned – are very similar. However, that can also be tricky because then people find it easy to speak maybe part Danish, part Swedish, or part Norwegian because the languages are so similar. They mix them up, and then it can be hard to know which language they’re speaking. I actually realized that the ones who learn the language best and fastest are the Germans.
Carlie: Really? That’s interesting. Well, Danish is a Germanic language.
Sigga: It is, so there are similarities, exactly. But the languages are not that similar, so I think that’s the trick. The languages have similarities, but they’re not so close that people get confused. That’s what I’ve seen – I’ve seen some Germans learn the language quite fast and very well.
Carlie: Speaking of learning the language quite fast and very well, the most famous reference for me, especially being Australian, is Princess – now Queen Mary of Denmark. I recall living back in Australia and watching news reports about how she just smashed it with her Danish and became really fluent really quickly. I can imagine at the palace she’s having private lessons with the very best tutors to get her to that point. What do you think of Queen Mary’s Danish?
Sigga: I think it’s brilliant. She speaks really good Danish, and you can hear she has a very vast vocabulary. Her pronunciation is also very good – you can hear her accent, but she speaks very well.
Carlie: I really love those social media videos where language teachers are watching a high-profile person speak in their language and kind of critiquing how they go. So are there any high-profile celebrities or public figures, other than Queen Mary of course, that are known to be Danish speakers, and what do you think of them?
Sigga: She is actually the first one that comes to mind, definitely. There’s another person also in the royal family – now deceased Prince Henrik, the husband of our former Queen Margrethe II. Of course he was French, and he was very much critiqued by the Danes for years and years. They were always talking about how bad he spoke Danish and asking, “Can’t he learn Danish? He’s been there so many years.”
But to be honest, I think people were too hard on him because he actually had a very good level of Danish. He had a French accent, but who cares? I think people were too harsh on him, to be honest. I don’t think it was fair to criticize him that much.
Carlie: I noticed the singer Jessie J is dating a Danish guy, so I keep stalking her socials, wondering when she’s going to start busting out a bit of Danish or spending more time there.
Sigga: Yeah, that could be interesting.
Carlie: And are the Danes pretty forgiving? I know in France sometimes it can be quite intimidating speaking to French people because you do feel a little bit judged if you’re misgendering the table or things like that. How accepting are Danes generally to people attempting their language?
Sigga: Unfortunately, not accepting enough. I think Danish pronunciation is the hardest part of the language – that can really be a challenge. Many Danes, if they don’t understand, they’re like, “Oh, what? I don’t understand.” I’ve heard internationals in Denmark talking about this frustrating experience when people just don’t get it.
But it’s also very important when you speak the language to speak with the correct rhythm and put the stresses in the right places. If you don’t do that, it can be hard to understand. It’s just tricky – it is hard, and I wish people were more patient with people learning Danish. The only way to learn the language is to speak the language, and there’s no way around that difficult, frustrating period when you just don’t speak it fluently. That’s the only way forward, so I wish people were more patient with people learning the language.
Carlie: I always think it’s incredibly impressive when anyone embarks on learning another language in life. So I think just giving it a go is such a commendable thing.
Sigga: Yeah, I think people who criticize a lot haven’t experienced it themselves, so it’s very easy to criticize someone who doesn’t speak your language that you speak really well. They don’t consider how hard it actually is.
Carlie: Sigga, what’s the most enjoyable part for you about teaching Danish?
Sigga: It is, like I mentioned before, meeting so many wonderful people from all over the world, from so many different backgrounds. It’s like having the world brought to you just from your own country. I think that’s fantastic.
Carlie: And what’s your best language hack? Everyone wants to be able to just put a chip in their brain and learn a language that way, right? Without really trying. I know there are methods like revising flashcards and listening to podcasts. Obviously you need to be out there speaking it, but have you found one particular method for Danish that’s optimal for your students?
Sigga: Of course I’m a bit biased, but I would say, at least if you’re a beginner, I would recommend that you actually get help learning the language. Join a course or maybe study with guidance rather than completely on your own.
Carlie: Do you mean going further than just downloading an app?
Sigga: Yes, because building that foundation – understanding the basics of the language, understanding how to form the verbs, what about the nouns, singular, plural, all these things – is very important. I have met people who just got a Danish partner and learned by listening over the years. They started speaking, but I’ve also met people who were frustrated and always felt insecure because they never properly learned the language structure. Of course you learn it, but they were always insecure about how to express themselves and whether what they said was grammatically correct. So I think it’s a good thing to at least start out by following some kind of systematic approach for beginners.
Carlie: So maybe that’s key – get on the dating apps and find a Danish partner!
Sigga: Yeah, for sure. You learn a lot that way!
Carlie: We spoke earlier about how Danish society has a lot of English. I’ve spoken to other guests on this podcast in the past about life in Denmark and how it’s possible to work in English-speaking jobs and live your life in English. But what do you think learning Danish and speaking Danish really unlocks about living in Denmark that you possibly don’t get in the English version of Denmark?
Sigga: To get under the skin of the culture, I think it’s important to at least know a little bit of the local language. You don’t need to be totally fluent, but at least know some basics. I think it’s also a way to show your investment to the locals. Even at a workplace where the official language is English, for example, people will be speaking together in more casual situations.
If you don’t know the language, you’re going to miss out on those small situations where people basically connect and bond over small talk. Things like “What are your weekend plans?” or “Listen to what I did this weekend,” or “Oh, are you moving? Good luck!” All these small things that make us bond with each other and create connections. This is what you will miss out on if you don’t speak Danish at all.
Carlie: Yeah, definitely. I’ve really felt that living in France, and it’s been a huge motivator for me to get better at French. Just going to the pub or bar with a bunch of teammates after sports training and not being able to join in the banter and things like that. You’re like, “Okay, I need to get this language thing organized.”
Sigga: Yes, exactly.
Carlie: Do you encourage your students to measure their progress in any certain way? I know a big milestone for me was when I was able to go into the post office here in France in my first year or so and successfully get a parcel mailed. The first couple of times I tried, it was a complete failure and I just burst into tears.
Sigga: Oh no! What I encourage my students to do is to be really clear on their “why” – why are they learning Danish? What is their motivation? Is it to speak with their colleagues at work? Is it to speak with their kids’ teachers? Is it to feel more integrated, whatever it is? Or is it to be able to understand movies with actor Mads Mikkelsen in his own language?
Whatever it is, it’s important to be clear on that. It’s going to help you stay on track even on days when you feel less motivated or if you feel like quitting. And also to celebrate when you reach that point – to give yourself credit for all the hard work you’ve done.
Carlie: And also to remember your why.
Sigga: Yeah, exactly.
Carlie: So if listeners are interested in diving into learning Danish with yourself, where can they find you?
Sigga: I would suggest finding me on Instagram. You can find me with the handle @LinguaDanica – that’s the name of my company. I’m also on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube with the same handle. But I would say Instagram is my main channel.
Carlie: Fabulous. Sigga, thank you so much for coming on the Expat Focus podcast to discuss learning Danish.
Sigga: Thanks for having me. It was a pleasure.
Carlie: That’s it for today. For more content on Denmark, roll back through our podcast archives. You’ll find me chat with career consultant Kate Dahl about how to find a job in the country, and Melanie Haynes explains how the Danish healthcare system works. She also shares a bit about her life as a Brit in Copenhagen.
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