Easy-to-Learn
"Talk sometimes in a foreign language, not to forget how bad you know it."
- Boleslav Paszkowski
Languages
DANISH
English
Danish:
Transcription:
Dialogue 2
Amleth: - Hallo! Mit navn er Amleth.
Hvad hedder du?
[vað heðɒ du]
Pleasee meet Amleth, a figure in a medieval Scandinavian legend, the direct predecessor of the character of Prince Hamlet, the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
He's greeting you:
You look confused...
Ah right, we haven't yet learnt what "hvad hedder du" means.
It means "I'm a murderous psychopath".
No, wait, wrong dictionary.
It means "what's your name" or literally "what are you called".
That makes much more sense.
Now, let's answer to Amleth. But don't forget to greet him first.
It is warm
Det er varmt
[de æɐ̯ va:mt]
It is sunny
Det er solrigt
[de æɐ̯ so:lʁi:d]
It is windy
Det er blæsende
[de æɐ̯ blɛ:sənə]
Now, you are ready to continue
the conversation.
Is is going to rain?
Vil det regne?
[vil de ʁɑjnə]
English
Danish:
Transcription:
It's just a shower!
Det er bare en byge!
[de æɐ̯ bɑ:ɑ en by:ə]
Now, let's say "goodbye"
to Amleth.
It is foggy
Det er tåget
[de æɐ̯ tɔ:uəð]
There is a strong wind
Det er stærk vind
[de æɐ̯ sdaɒg ʋin]
Dialogue 3
Amleth: - Hvad hedder du?
You: - ..................../e.g. good morning/.
.................../My name is ......../.
Amleth: - Hvordan har De det?
You: - ................./e.g. I'm feeling fine, thank you/
Amleth: - Det er koldt i dag.
You: - Pardon?
The phrase "det er koldt i gad" [deaɒ kɒld i dæ:]
means "it is cold today".
You have already met the verb "er" (am, is, are) before:
e.g. in the sentence "mit navn er...".
Let's look at the conjugation of the verb "" (to be):
to be (present) = være [ˈvɛːɐ]
I am = jeg er [æɐ̯]
you are = du er [æɐ̯]
s/he/it is = han/hun/det/den er [æɐ̯]
we are = vi er [æɐ̯]
you are = I er [æɐ̯]
they are = de er [æɐ̯]
As you can see, there isn't much to memorise here.
Except for the personal pronouns, maybe. You'll need them in future.
Ok, let's see what phrases we can use to describe the weather
for you to be able to keep up this extremely boring conversation.
Here are some examples:
Amleth: - Det er koldt i dag.
You: - Nej [nɑj](no), ......../e.g. it is sunny/.
Solen skinner.
[so:lən sginɒ]
Hang on a minute...
How come you know the expression meaning "the sun is shining"?
So, I assume you know the following expressions too:
You: - ......................../e.g. Have a good day/.
Amleth: - Hej hej.
UNIT 2: Weather
Viking Prince Amleth of Jutland
12th century
The story on which William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is based was an ancient one; versions of it are found in Byzantine, Greek, and Roman myth. The Danish story probably came to Shakespeare through an earlier play, now lost.
Rorik was real enough, a viking who (among other things) was King of Jutland. But Rorik's grandson, Amleth, was a figure of legend rather than history, a heroic avenger who outsmarted his rivals and ended up with two wives. Rorik's daughter, Gerutha, was given in marrriage to his favourite, Horwendil, whose son was Amleth (Hamlet). . . and the legend begins.
See more facts here
Dialogue 1