Character of Copenhagen - part 3

Here comes the 3rd post about "Character of Copenahgen".
This week we talk about:
Learning Danish
Good Times

11. Majority of people find Danish language very difficult. Main reason why people get that impression lays in the fact that pronunciation of some words and sounds is quite different. I've heard some of them saying they'd need jaw reconstructing surgery in order to achieve it LOL.
Anyhow, I do believe that Danish is yet another language that anyone can quickly master if one is studying hard and using it everyday.
Good news is - Danish government is sponsoring language courses for every newcomer.
As there are numerous schools offering language courses, it's your call where you wanna study.
Classes are usually organized 2 times a week, each time lasting for about 3 hours. And yes, you are expected to do plenty of homework in between classes. Sigh, but that part never worked for me :)

Challenging thing with learning Danish is - if you are working professional, spending everyday 8-10 hours, you don't feel like spending 3 more hours studying Danish, as you easily get spoiled with enjoying life around Copenhagen.
Another challenge would be, even when you try to practice your Danish with natives, they keep answering you in English. They simply enjoy practicing their own foreign language skills.

And one somewhat bad news is - once you've started your government sponsored Danish language courses - you have to reach level 6 within 3 years from that date. if you haven't master Danish after the initial period of 3 years you will have to finance Danish classes yourself!

In addition, if you wanna study on your own, there are some resources on the web. Try to google some of the next terms and you'll find some useful stuff:
Duolingo, byki, myhappyplannet, kiss, danish MP3 lessons, danish language for beginner,

And the best thing is: translate.google.com I can't imagine my day without using this great service. It is not 100% accurate, but you can quickly figure out what is said in any Danish text or website.

Good luck learning ...


12. Danish society is seen as relaxed -  in Danish it would be "Slapper af".
Danes, and people living in Denmark for some period of time, are seen as easy going, happy and relaxed. That all comes as consequence of several factors:
- high standard of living
- continuity of high prosperity in the country,
- and a very Danish term "hygge".
"Hygge" stands for good times, great atmosphere, being positive, happy, relaxed and full of joy.
Everyone enjoys it, and nobody wants to break it. But once you go back home, that won't stop you from bragging ;)

"Hyggelig tid" - happy times are great concept which is impossible to describe in words. You have to live it up for some time in order to feel and understand the real value it carries inside. There for you are all more then welcome to try it and experience it yourself.


To be continued ...