How to Say Hello in Danish
Say "hej!", Politely greet someone with "hallo"., Greet someone based on the time of day., Greet someone informally., Enjoy yourself!
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Say "hej!"
This casual greeting translates to "hi" or "hello." Pronounce this word as high. -
Step 2: Politely greet someone with "hallo".
Although more common when answering the phone, this world is also acceptable to use in person, and translates to "hello".
Pronounce this word as hah-lo , Depending on whether it is morning, the afternoon, or the evening you will either say god morgen, god eftermiddag, goddag, or god aften.
Like English, French, and the many latin based languages, these are common phrases and considered appropriate and polite to use with anyone from friends to strangers, regardless of social hierarchy.
In Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Norway "god morgen" is used until 12 AM when you switch to greeting with "god eftermiddag".
Then you can stick with that until 6 PM, at which point it's more appropriate to say "god aften" to people.
It is considered normal to use goddag for the entire day up until the evening time.
Pronounce god morgen as goh-morn.
The r is uvular
- similar to the French and German r
- and the intonation rises at the end.
Pronounce "god eftermiddag" as goh-ef-tuh-mi-dhai.
Pronounce "god aften" as goh-haf-den.
Pronounce "goddag" as goo'dey, Say "Hva så?" This is translated as "What's up?" This is best used amongst friends, familiar acquaintances, and people of similar social standing.
For instance it wouldn't typically be appropriate to ask your grandmother "Hva så".
Or maybe it would, depending on your relationship with your grandma.
Pronounce this greeting as hveh-sah, with a rising intonation at the end. , Du må hygge dig! Now that you've got some basic greetings and friendly phrases, you can open up new social situations with Danes and Danish speakers.
Good luck improving your language skills and experiencing new cultures.
Pronounce this as doo-mah-hoog-dah. -
Step 3: Greet someone based on the time of day.
-
Step 4: Greet someone informally.
-
Step 5: Enjoy yourself!
Detailed Guide
This casual greeting translates to "hi" or "hello." Pronounce this word as high.
Although more common when answering the phone, this world is also acceptable to use in person, and translates to "hello".
Pronounce this word as hah-lo , Depending on whether it is morning, the afternoon, or the evening you will either say god morgen, god eftermiddag, goddag, or god aften.
Like English, French, and the many latin based languages, these are common phrases and considered appropriate and polite to use with anyone from friends to strangers, regardless of social hierarchy.
In Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Norway "god morgen" is used until 12 AM when you switch to greeting with "god eftermiddag".
Then you can stick with that until 6 PM, at which point it's more appropriate to say "god aften" to people.
It is considered normal to use goddag for the entire day up until the evening time.
Pronounce god morgen as goh-morn.
The r is uvular
- similar to the French and German r
- and the intonation rises at the end.
Pronounce "god eftermiddag" as goh-ef-tuh-mi-dhai.
Pronounce "god aften" as goh-haf-den.
Pronounce "goddag" as goo'dey, Say "Hva så?" This is translated as "What's up?" This is best used amongst friends, familiar acquaintances, and people of similar social standing.
For instance it wouldn't typically be appropriate to ask your grandmother "Hva så".
Or maybe it would, depending on your relationship with your grandma.
Pronounce this greeting as hveh-sah, with a rising intonation at the end. , Du må hygge dig! Now that you've got some basic greetings and friendly phrases, you can open up new social situations with Danes and Danish speakers.
Good luck improving your language skills and experiencing new cultures.
Pronounce this as doo-mah-hoog-dah.
About the Author
Carolyn Lee
A passionate writer with expertise in lifestyle topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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