Frequently-asked questions (FAQ)

SpeakDanish is an independent online language course for self-study, whose main purpose is to help you learn Danish quickly and effectively. We are not a language school, nor do we offer certification.

This course differs from other common and traditional language-learning approaches in the sense that it is not constructed from the bottom up. It does not begin with basic grammatical structures and follow a path of increasing complexity.

The course is based on phrases instead of explanations of the rules. Through a process of induction (deriving rules from a set of examples and putting the pieces together without being told how to do it), your brain creates a language framework all by itself. You might not be aware of it, but your brain is actually quite good at doing this. In simple terms, all you need to know is what the words mean (vocabulary) and have examples of how those words are arranged (syntax). The bottom line: you learn better from examples than from rules.

The course is divided into 20 conversations and a subsequent analysis of the conversation. It also has a reference section (phrasebook, pronunciation and grammar) for further study.

Except for most of the grammar section, every word and sentence has a play button that allows you to hear the pronunciation. Every sentence has an additional slowed-down audio version, represented by a ‘slow motion’ play button. This is the heart of the course. Danish pronunciation is notoriously difficult, which makes it nearly impossible to learn from a book. With the thousands of audio-enabled words and sentences in this course, there will be no need to guess the pronunciation; you’ll be speaking Danish right from the start – with confidence!

Like with everything else it’s a bit difficult in the beginning, but it soon begins to even out as your knowledge and confidence grow. We believe that greater fluency is achieved through repetition than through analysis. Just repeat the words and phrases in this course as much as possible until you begin to acquire a verbal muscle memory. Then give it some time. No need to think too hard.

No problem. The grammar section is the most extensive and accessible Danish language reference available on the Internet. Our explanations try to convey as much information as possible without being too wordy and technical, bearing in mind that you just want to know how the language works; not become a grammarian.

There is no defined time frame, and in a sense the course is never really completed because you’ll always find something new to learn. Even when you have completed the 20 conversations, there is no reason not to revisit them numerous times. The reference sections have enough information to keep even an advanced learner busy for a while.

The course contains all the material you need to ensure that you can express yourself in most everyday social situations. How proficient you become within a certain amount of time naturally depends on individual effort. In concrete terms the scope of this course corresponds, at the very least, to a B1-level within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The course can only be done online.

Yes, you can!

No. You only need one license. It’s similar to using any other log-in site.

Almost 15% of the material on the website is free for you to try.

We call it a student version, but it applies to anyone who cannot afford the standard version.

There is no difference in content. Just the price is different.

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