My Danish Language Learning Resources

My Story Learning Danish

I started Danish because of the TV series Hannibal. I loved the show and enjoyed Mads Mikkelsen's performance as Hannibal Lecter, so I went on to watch all his backlist of movies and TV shows. Naturally, many were in Danish, and I became interested in the language and decided to learn some.

I kicked off with the good old Teach Yourself book and also did the online free course from Dansk Her og Nu (linked below). Having studied German in the past, my comprehension of written and spoken Danish is higher than my own speaking and writing ability. For example, I might struggle to maintain a conversation, but I have read parts of Lord of the Rings in Danish, only having to look up a few words per page.

I am not actively studying Danish at present, but I try to keep it up a bit by listening to any podcasts put out by the two shows I have listed below and by watching the occasional Danish movie.

You can hear me speaking about my journey with Danish here.

 

Resources

The following resources are ones I've found useful.

Please note that I am not receiving any incentive to recommend any of these resources. Nor can I say they will suit every learner, as everyone's learning style is different. I am sharing only my personal experiences with these assets and cannot guarantee they will benefit everyone.

Books

Teach Yourself Danish - A decent introductory course for new learners.

Danish: An Essential Grammar - A good text for the general learner that covers all the key points of Danish grammar clearly.

Danish: A Comprehensive Grammar - For those at a higher level who really wish to get into the nitty gritty of Danish grammar, but for most general learners the Essential Grammar above would be sufficient.

 

YouTube

Mic's Languages - Mic only releases a new video on occasion, but those he has uploaded on Danish are all really well explained and useful.

Podcasts

DanishTube - In these regular podcast episodes, Liam chats with Danish learners in a mix of English and Danish, making it a good introductory podcast for beginners. 

Simple Danish - Podcasts are only sporadic here, but when they appear they are good listening practice for anyone high-beginner and above.

Apropos Musical - In this podcast they discuss various musicals.

 

Websites

Dansk Her og Nu - A free online beginners' course. 

DR Forsiden - Danish media for practice for those at a higher level of comprehension.