Questions & Answers

The Danish Language Education program is an official offer for adult foreigners coming to Denmark. You will learn to speak, write and understand Danish, so that you can get by both personally and professionally in Denmark. The program is generally free of charge if you have a Danish CPR number and have resided in Denmark for less than 5 years (diplomats are an exception). If you are a self-supporting citizen, you must pay a deposit of DKK 2000, – before you can start.

Read more on the rules for the Danish Language Education program here.

There are three levels of the programme; 1, 2 & 3. Each level consists of 5 or 6 modules. Before you can start learning Danish, you must attend an interview with a language consultant, who will assess which level and module is the right one for you. Each level of the program finishes with a state-authorized examination.

What is Danish 3 (Danish Education 3)?

At Danish 3, you will learn to fine-tune your oral and written Danish language. You will learn to argue and take a standpoint, and you will obtain a good knowledge about Danish history, society and cultural values. Danish 3 finishes with the Danish 3 Examination at the end of the fifth module. If you pass the examination with a good result, you may continue with an extra module, module 6, which finishes with The Higher Education Examination. After Danish 3, you will be equipped for a job or further education in Denmark. After the Higher Education Examination, you will have obtained the level of Danish language, which is an admission requirement in connection with a higher education in Denmark.

Danish 3 is for you, who has a longer education from your home country and who speaks and writes English fluently.

What is Danish 2 (Danish Education 2)?

At Danish 2, you will learn to understand and speak Danish and also to write and read texts. You will learn how Danish society is organized and how the Danish labour market works now and in the past. Danish 2 finishes with the Danish 2 Examination  at the end of the sixth module. After Danish 2, you will be equipped for a job in Denmark and active participation in Danish community life.

Danish 2 is for you who has a shorter school education background from your home country.

What is Danish 1 (Danish Education 1)?

At Danish 1, you will learn to speak and understand Danish, so that you are able to get by in Denmark. You will learn to write simple texts and you will learn about the Danish labour market and society. Danish 1 finishes with the Danish 1 Examination at the end of the sixth module. After Danish 1, you will typically be able to take an unskilled job in Denmark.

Danish 1 is for you who cannot yet read or write the Latin alphabet.

How does the Danish grading system work?

If you are not familiar with the Danish grading system, you can read our short explanation here.

Instead of using letters as in many other countries, in Denmark we use a number scale ranging from -3 to 12. Actually, the two lowest grades in the Danish grading system mean a failed exam; to pass, the minimum grade has to be 02.

If you take part in the Danish Language Examination 1, 2 or 3, the grade from the oral part will count double when the grade average is calculated. If the grade average is 02 or above, you will have passed the exam. If you take part in the Higher Education Examination, you must obtain a minimum of 02 in all parts of the examination.

7-point grading scale

The current grading system in Denmark has been in use since August 2007. The system was developed in order to be able to convert grades to other international grading systems. The 7-point grading system includes the following grades:

• -3 is given for a performance unacceptable in all aspects and means that you have failed the exam.
• 00 reflects a performance that does not meet the minimum requirements for passing.
• 02 means a performance just meeting the requirements for passing.
• 4 reflects a fair performance that still has several weaknesses.
• 7 is equal to a good performance, though still with some weaknesses
• 10 is consistent with a very good performance, which only has minor weaknesses.
• 12 reflects an excellent performance containing only few or no weaknesses at all.

For a conversion to ECTS-points, please click here

International grading systems

There are several different grading systems around the world. Some countries use a grading percentage ranging from 0-100% on tests and exams and others, like the UK and the US, use a letter grading with grades ranging from F to A. Because many grading systems are somewhat alike, it is possible to convert grades without losing merit.

What is FVU Danish & Mathematics?

FVU is an abbreviation and stands for preparatory education for adults.

FVU Danish and Mathematics are free courses that are designed to help you improve your Danish language skills – or math skills – in your everyday life, your education or at your job. An FVU course can also improve your chances for employment.

FVU is aimed at foreigners and Danish citizens alike. FVU teaching focuses on reading and writing. FVU Start has focus on oral skills and vocabulary.

FVU courses are divided into steps / levels comprising of 40-60 lessons each. Each level can be concluded with an official test. FVU Start is concluded with an internal evaluation.

What can you use FVU for?

FVU Danish level 4 is equivalent to the Danish level obtained by concluding the 9th grade of primary school (folkeskolen). You can, for example, use a level 4 examination, if you want to apply for Danish citizenship. You can use a level 2 or 3 examination to apply for permanent residence in Denmark.

Read more about FVU level examinations here

FVU is targeted primarily at people with a shorter educational background or people who want to improve their limited Danish skills. Hence, by following an FVU course you will strengthen your Danish language skills, primarily within reading and writing. This can be useful, for example, if you want to do better at the Danish labour market.

FVU teaching takes place once a week, typically 2,5 hours, in a classroom setting with 12-18 other students. You can attend FVU classes in Hellerup, at Frederiksberg, in Lyngby or online.

You can enrol in an FVU course if you have a reasonable level of Danish.

Please see admission requirements here.

FVU cannot replace Danish education. But it can be a good supplement to Danish education or can be used as a subsequent course.

If you do not have the Danish level required to start in an FVU Danish or -Mathematics course, we can offer you FVU Start, which is a specially designed level that prepares you for the FVU courses.

8 tips and strategies to learn Danish fast

This guide is meant for you who wants to master the Danish language in record time. We have gathered 8 tips and strategies that can help you learning Danish fast.

1. Immerse yourself in the Danish language

There is no doubt that immersing yourself in the Danish language will help you to learn fast. Ways to do this can be by listening to music, watching Danish television programmes, going to Danish museums and, of course, living in Denmark, where the language is spoken.

2. Learn the basic rules of the language

It is essential to know the basic rules of the Danish language, e.g. the Danish alphabet, basic grammar rules and typical Danish phrases. You may find online resources for this on websites such as Duolingo and Babbel.

3. Practice speaking the language

When you decide to learn the Danish language, it is a good idea to find a Dane with whom you can practice speaking. It is, of course, possible to practice by yourself – but practicing with someone who knows the language will give you a better understanding of correct pronunciation and of what the language sounds like when spoken fluently. To this end, you can, for instance, participate in Let’s Speak.

4. Read texts in Danish

We recommend that you read easy books for adults or easy news articles in Danish. You can practice reading aloud while you see how the words are spelled and how the sentences are built. As you get better at the language, you may gradually read more difficult texts.

5. Listen to the language

Podcasts have become a very popular entertainment media over the past years and there is ample opportunity to listen to many interesting podcasts in Danish. No matter whether you are interested in economy, true crime or literature, it is possible to find Danish podcasts that will improve your ability to understand the spoken language.

6. Write in Danish

Writing in Danish helps you get the language under your skin. You can, for example, keep a diary in Danish or send e-mails and messages to friends who speak Danish.

7. Don’t give up

It is certainly not easy to learn a new language but it is no secret that practice is the road to success. It is therefore important that you keep practicing even though it may be a hard proces. The more you practice, the faster you will learn the language.

8. Find a good language school

A good language school is the alpha and omega if you want to learn a new language fast. In a language school you will be taught by professionals who know how to structure a language course and who have many years of experience in teaching people to speak, write and understand Danish. Moreover, you will be able to meet other expatriates who are equally engaged in learning the Danish language.

4 pieces of advice to expand your Danish vocabulary

Are you looking for efficient ways to expand your Danish vocabulary? Then you have come to the right place. At Speak – School of Danish, we have collected 4 pieces of advice on how you can expand your Danish vocabulary and generally improve your language skills.

These pieces of advice are chosen with care and we use them ourselves in our own professional work. Let’s get started!

Use flashcards

Use of flashcards is an extremely effective way to learn. You make a flashcard by writing a word in your own language on one side and translating the word into Danish on the other. You can also benefit from writing an example of a sentence on the Danish side of the card, so you can see how and when the word is used.

Flashcards help you train your long-term memory when you use them regularly. Repetition is generally a good way to store information in your memory.

Play word games

Fortunately, there are many ways to expand your Danish vocabulary that are both fun and educational. One of them is to play word games and quizzes to help you learn new words. You can, for example, play flip games or you can do quizzes about Danish proverbs and idioms which can give you a better understanding of the Danish language.

Read articles and non-fiction books about subjects that interest you

If you struggle to find the motivation to produce flashcards, or similar exercises, you can benefit from reading specialist articles or non-fiction books about subjects that interest you. This can be politics, music, literature or something completely different.
Through non-fiction books and research publications, you will be able to pick up completely new Danish concepts and ways of talking about familiar subjects. If your ultimate goal is to expand your Danish vocabulary, this is an effective way to do it and it doesn’t feel too much like homework.

Immerse yourself in the Danish language

It is always effective to immerse yourself in the language that you want to learn. If you play, for example, Danish music in different genres, you will often experience that the artists use the Danish language in very different ways.
Another option is to listen to Danish podcasts about things that you do not necessarily know so much about, or you can attend Folkeuniversitetet (People’s University) and listen to professionals talk about a particular subject.

We hope that you – like ourselves – will experience that these pieces of advice are extremely effective ways to expand your Danish vocabulary,

When learning Danish, you might discover that the grammar rules are different from the ones you know. It can be difficult to master the articles, the sentence structure or the use of certain words, as some of the rules actually are pretty hard to explain. Therefore, our job at Speak School of Danish is to make you comfortable with the Danish grammar, in order for you to speak your new language. To give you a few examples, you can read about some grammar rules here.

Grammatic rules that are good to know

One of the grammatic rules to master in the Danish language is the use of the two articles “en” and “et”, for example when saying “en bil” or “et hus”, which means “a car” and “a house”. This grammatic rule isn’t really based on any rule in particular, and therefore it can be hard to learn, when to use which article. It all comes down to one thing: practice. The more times you repeat a word with its article and decline the word, the easier you will remember it. This is a classic example of a rule in Danish grammar. But remember ever so true quote – practice makes perfect.

A Danish language course will teach you the grammar

Even though the Danish grammar can be a challenge to learn, if you’re new to the language, there is always a way. If you want to make your Danish perfect, it can be a good idea to join a language course. At Speak – School of Danish we have schools in 4 different places in Denmark, in which we offer courses for people at all levels. Here, everything is in Danish from the day you arrive, and you won’t be disappointed with the improvement of your skills afterwards.

Want to learn more?

Additional tips for learning Danish at home

In addition to the activities mentioned above, here are a few more tips to help you along your Danish language learning journey:

Write a diary in Danish

One of the best ways to practice and improve your Danish language skills is by writing a diary in Danish. This exercise allows you to apply the vocabulary and grammar rules you’ve learned, while also enhancing your writing proficiency. Start by writing a few sentences each day about your experiences, thoughts, or reflections in Danish. You can also include new words or expressions you’ve recently learned. Not only will this practice help you become more comfortable with the language, but it will also serve as a personal record of your language journey.

Use apps on your smartphone to learn Danish words and pronunciation

In today’s digital age, there are numerous language learning apps available that can help you learn Danish conveniently on your smartphone. These apps provide interactive lessons, vocabulary exercises, and pronunciation practice. Some popular options include Duolingo, Memrise, and Babbel. These apps offer structured lessons, progress tracking, and even the opportunity to connect with other language learners. Make the most of your time by incorporating these apps into your daily routine, whether it’s during your commute or before bed.

Invite a Danish friend over and speak Danish together

Practicing with a native speaker is an invaluable opportunity to enhance your Danish speaking skills. If you have a Danish friend or acquaintance, invite them over for a language exchange session. Set aside dedicated time to converse solely in Danish, allowing you both to practice and improve your language abilities. You can discuss various topics such as hobbies, current events, or even Danish culture. This immersive experience will expose you to authentic Danish conversation, helping you become more comfortable with the language’s sounds, intonations, and expressions.

Speak Danish with your family or roommates

If you have family members or roommates who are also interested in learning Danish, consider setting aside specific times to practice speaking together. Create a language-friendly environment where you can engage in conversations, ask questions, and provide feedback to one another.

Use your Danish surroundings

It is not difficult to learn a new language but it requires practice and patience. In addition to the advice mentioned above, one of the best ways to learn Danish is actually to just live in the Danish society. Speak Danish when you have the opportunity and encourage yourself to be brave and just try. This is a great supplement to professional Danish lessons at a language course at one of our 4 departments at Speak School of Danish.