R

Update on #LearningDanish: I have completed 3 of 45 units on Duolingo and 1 of 4 units on Mango Languages. I think I'll run out of content rather quickly; there's not as much as, say, the French course on Duolingo (which has more than 200 units). I'm starting to wonder what could fill the intermediate space between materials for beginners and native speakers, though I still have some time to think about it.

Most of the lessons have been about indefinite, definite, and plural nouns. This seems straightforward, though I do struggle to pick between endings like -erne or -ene; I suppose that comes with practice.

Jun 10, 2023 at 3:04pmWeb
Show threadSaustrupJun 10, 2023
@R The disconnect between the written and spoken language can be somewhat disconcerting. My wife broke down in tears when she tried her first read-and-listen course. Now, years later she's teaches at university level in Danish. Still can't completely shake her Slavic accent, but I find it charming 😊
Show threadRJun 10, 2023
@saustrup I've heard about this as well. The written language looks quite similar to Norwegian, but the sound is distinct.
Show threadSaustrupJun 10, 2023
@R To many Danes, Swedish and Norwegian has singing/melodic quality to it. Many words are the same across the three languages and many can understand each other. Conversations where one part is speaking Norwegian and another Danish is not uncommon. I struggle a bit though. Mild intoxication helps.
Show threadRJun 10, 2023
@saustrup I have some background in Norwegian, which definitely helps! I finished the Duolingo course for it a few years ago, but I have since forgotten most of what I learned. Going through the Danish course is more like relearning the material than starting from scratch.