The best way to learn Danish is a mix: mostly Danish you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Danish you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Danish Work Best?
Reading and listening to Danish at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Shows, podcasts and the news | Danish at natural speed | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works, such as where "the" goes | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Danish for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Move to DenmarkRead and hear Danish about everyday life most of the time, and ask your municipality about the Official Danish Language Course, which many adults who live in Denmark can take for free.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Watch Danish ShowsPut most of your time into listening, starting with podcasts made for learners and moving on to DR's series on DRTV with Danish subtitles.
- Pass Prøve i DanskRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the example tests on Dansk og Prøver, the official Danish test site, as the test gets close.
- Read Danish BooksSpend most of your time reading short stories, and move on to easy Danish books, such as the Læseværkstedet series, once everyday conversations feel easy to follow.
- Work in DanishRead and hear Danish about your field most of the time, and practice the Danish of meetings and emails with a tutor.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Danish.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Duostories for short stories or DR Ligetil for easy news, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Danish lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A first course | Duolingo's free Danish course | Memrise, or Pimsleur for audio lessons you answer out loud |
| Reading and listening at your level | Short stories on Duostories, and the podcast Dansk i ørerne in slow, clear Danish | Bubblegum or LingQ |
| Shows, podcasts and news | DRTV for DR's series with Danish subtitles, DR Ligetil for news in simple Danish | Language Reactor, which shows Danish subtitles beside a translation |
| Review | Readlang, which saves the words you look up as flashcards | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar and word forms | Den Danske Ordbog, which shows the endings and pronunciation of each word | Babbel, whose lessons come with grammar explanations |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Danish sentences you can follow.
- Reading Danish Like EnglishMany Danish words sound different from how they are spelled, as in hvem (who), where the h is silent, so play the audio as you read.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each noun comes with its en or et and an example of how it is used.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetSave Danish series for when you can follow an episode with Danish subtitles on, and listen to slow podcasts like Dansk i ørerne before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Danish with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn Danish grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the Danish you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after bilen (the car) and huset (the house), it is easy to see that Danish puts "the" on the end of a noun.
Which Danish test do I need?
It depends on what you are applying for. Dansk og Prøver, the official test site from Denmark's Agency for International Recruitment and Integration, links Prøve i Dansk 2 to permanent residence, Prøve i Dansk 3 to citizenship, and Studieprøven to university admission. Each test has a written part and an oral part, and a language center can tell you which level you need.
Which Danish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Danish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Danish app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- Dansk og Prøver, from Denmark's Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI): what each Danish test is for
- Dansk og Prøver: Prøve i Dansk 2, with example tests from earlier sittings
- A2B: The Official Danish Language Course
- DR Ligetil
- Readlang, pricing (free plan)
- HelloTalk, Danish language exchange partners
- Den Danske Ordbog
- Wikipedia: Danish orthography (h is silent before v, as in hvem)
- Wikipedia: Danish grammar (the definite endings -en and -et)
