Free Form Friday: Not all salsa is from Mexico, and I’m not a Dutchman

The Danish language is a rare commodity. Famous Danes like our beloved story teller Hans Christian Andersen, famous playwright Ludvig Holberg or philosopher Søren Kierkegaard all spoke Danish… albeit a Danish somewhat “old school”, but for which people have loved them centuries later.

Growing up a Dane in the modern day and age – you are somewhat dependent upon being able to communicate in other languages such as English. After all, only six million people have the Danish language as their native tongue. Aside from here, Danish is also the official language of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, and is also spoken by 20,000 people just south of the German border. In Icelandic schools, too, the first foreign language to be taught is Danish. That serves as a way of communicating with the other Scandinavian countries.

The toughest part of learning the Danish language lies in how it is pronounced. This is also the primary obstacle for understanding one another among the three Scandinavian countries Denmark, Sweden and Norway (as well as Iceland – though it is not connected).

So what does Danish sound like? Within a word, “g” is almost completely ignored and “d” is normally pronounced like an “l” (L) with the tongue touching the lower teeth. Try it yourself. Not so easy, is it?! The same vowel can be pronounced differently in different words, giving them totally different meanings.

Dør can mean “door” or “die”, and the difference in pronunciation is minimal. On the other hand, for example, kylling (chicken), killing (kitten) and kælling (bitch) sound very similar to non-Danes, which can lead to some funny situations – like for example, if you are in a restaurant and order killing or even kælling instead of kylling.

Most confusing of all, though, is our “free-and-easy” way with our language. Here again our casual side comes to light – not only do we often leave out syllables; sometimes we also leave out whole words. How is a foreigner supposed to make sense of that?

Anyway, for today’s Free Form Friday, I’m going to give you a sampling of my favorite Danish expressions, as well as what they translate to (if possible) in English:

• “Øvelse gør mester.”
  English equivalent: “Practice makes perfect”

• “Uden mad og drikke duer helten ikke.”
  Translation: “Without eating and drinking the hero is no good.”

• “Ude godt, men hjemme bedst.”
  Translation: “It’s good to be out (and about), but at home is best.”

• “Tale er sølv, tavshed er guld”
  Translation: “Speaking is silver, silence is gold”

• “Tomme tønder buldrer mest.”
  Translation: “Empty vessels make most noise/sound”

• “Tab og vind med samme sind.”
  Translation: “Lose and win in the same spirit”
  Possible Interpretation: “Exercise Sportsmanship. Winning isn’t everything”

• “Tyv tror hver mand stjæler.”
  Translation: “It is the thief who thinks that all men steal.”
  English equivalent: “The jaundiced eye sees all things yellow.”

• “Sku ikke hunden på hårene.”
  Translation: “Don’t judge the dog by its fur.”
  Danish version of “Don’t judge a book by the cover.”

• “Sælg ikke skindet før bjørnen er skudt.”
  Translation: “Don’t sell the fur before shooting the bear.”

• “Skik følge eller land fly”
  Translation: “Custom follow or country flee”
  English equivalent: “When in Rome do as the Romans”

• Over skyerne er himlen altid blå
  Translation: Above the clouds, the sky is always blue
  English equivalent: “Every cloud has a silver lining”

• “Operationen var en succes, men patienten døde”
  Translation: The operation was a success but the patient died

• “Nød lærer nøgen kvinde at spinde.”
  Translation: “Necessity teaches the naked woman to spin (yarn).”
  English equivalent: Necessity is the mother of invention.

• “Lige ved og næsten slår ingen mand af hesten.”
  Translation: “‘Almost’ and ‘nearly’ do not throw a man from his horse.”
  English Equivalent: “Close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades”

• “‘Hvis og hvis min røv er spids og fyldt med marmelade’”
  Translation: “If and if my ass is pointy and full of marmalade.”
  Interpretation: If there are too many unknowns in a statement, the chance of it being true is the same as the chance of my ass being pointy and full of marmelade (i.e. zero).
  English equivalent: If pigs had wings…

• “Hvo intet vover intet vinder.”
  Translation: “He who takes no chances wins nothing.”
  English equivalent: “Nothing ventured nothing gained” or “Who dares wins.”
  Possible Interpretation: Without taking risks, you cannot achieve anything.

• “Blind høne kan også finde korn.”
  Translation: “Blind hens can find grain too”
  Interpretation: Some things succeed because of luck.

Want to know how these phrases sound when spoken by us Danes? Well, you could Skype me – or just visit here. All you need to do is select one of the Danish voices from the sliding menu, and cut ‘n paste one of the expressions above.

Have fun – and I’ll see you next time!