Listen
One file, both episodes: A, the conversation, from the start; B, the drills, from 6:14. Separately: episode A · episode B.
Chapters
- 0:00A · Open
- 0:23A · The conversation, slowly
- 0:46A · Line by line
- 2:59A · Pronunciation
- 4:54A · One thing about the grammar
- 5:11A · The conversation at normal speed
- 6:02A · Close
- 6:14B · Open
- 6:35B · Warm-up
- 7:25B · Substitution drill
- 8:22B · Substitution drill
- 8:47B · Transformation drill
- 9:20B · Response drill
- 10:00B · Your turn
- 10:54B · Close
The conversation
- Mette: Hej! Jeg hedder Mette. Hvad hedder du?Hi! My name is Mette. What's your name?
- Jonas: Hej Mette. Jeg hedder Jonas.Hi Mette. My name is Jonas.
- Mette: Hvor kommer du fra, Jonas?Where are you from, Jonas?
- Jonas: Jeg kommer fra Canada. Og du?I'm from Canada. And you?
- Mette: Jeg kommer fra Aarhus. Velkommen til Danmark!I'm from Aarhus. Welcome to Denmark!
- Jonas: Tak! Det er hyggeligt at møde dig.Thanks! It's nice to meet you.
- Mette: I lige måde. Vi ses!Likewise. See you!
- Jonas: Vi ses, Mette.See you, Mette.
Pronunciation
The soft d
Listen to the next words. The d in them is not a d. The tongue stays low, almost like an English l with the tip down. Listen, then copy it in the gap.
hedder · møde · måde · Jeg hedder Mette.
Hv- words
The next words start with a silent h. You say v, then the vowel. Listen, then copy it in the gap.
hvad · hvor · Hvad hedder du? · Hvor kommer du fra?
One thing about the grammar
The phrase for my name is means I am called. The verb does not change with the person: I am called, you are called, she is called, all the same word. Learn the whole chunk, not the pieces.
Words in this unit
- hej — hi
- jeg — I
- hedder — am/are/is called
- hvad — what
- du — you
- hvor — where
- kommer — come
- fra — from
- og — and
- velkommen — welcome
- til — to
- tak — thanks
- det — it
- er — is
- hyggeligt — nice
- at — to
- møde — meet
- dig — you (object)
- i — in
- lige — same
- måde — way
- vi — we
- ses — see each other
- nej — no
- ja — yes
The drills (answer key)
Episode B. Cover this while you listen; check afterwards.
Substitution drill
Substitution. You hear the sentence, then a new country. Say the sentence with the new country in the gap.
- Tyskland → Jeg kommer fra Tyskland.
- Polen → Jeg kommer fra Polen.
- Indien → Jeg kommer fra Indien.
- Spanien → Jeg kommer fra Spanien.
- Aarhus → Jeg kommer fra Aarhus.
- København → Jeg kommer fra København.
- USA → Jeg kommer fra USA.
- Kina → Jeg kommer fra Kina.
Substitution drill
Same again with names. You hear a name. Say: my name is, and the name.
- Mette → Jeg hedder Mette.
- Anna → Jeg hedder Anna.
- Peter → Jeg hedder Peter.
- Jonas → Jeg hedder Jonas.
Transformation drill
Transformation. You hear a statement about you. Turn it into a yes-or-no question by putting the verb first.
- Du hedder Mette. → Hedder du Mette?
- Du kommer fra Aarhus. → Kommer du fra Aarhus?
- Du hedder Peter. → Hedder du Peter?
- Du kommer fra Polen. → Kommer du fra Polen?
- Du kommer fra Danmark. → Kommer du fra Danmark?
Response drill
Response. Mette asks you something. Answer as Jonas from Canada in the gap, then hear his answer.
- Hvad hedder du? → Jeg hedder Jonas.
- Hvor kommer du fra? → Jeg kommer fra Canada.
- Kommer du fra Danmark? → Nej, jeg kommer fra Canada.
- Hedder du Peter? → Nej, jeg hedder Jonas.
- Velkommen til Danmark! → Tak!
- Det er hyggeligt at møde dig. → I lige måde.
About this course
FSI Danish by Hej Danmark follows the audio-lingual format of the US Foreign Service Institute's language courses: you hear a short conversation, repeat it line by line, work on one or two sounds, then drill until the answers come without thinking. It is not affiliated with the FSI. Each unit is two episodes: A, the conversation, and B, the drills. Do A, then B the next day, then B again. Always answer out loud, at full volume, in the gap.
The three voices are synthetic (text-to-speech): an English-speaking teacher and a female and a male Danish voice. The Danish text was written by Hej Danmark with AI assistance and is reviewed by a person before a unit is published; if you hear something a Dane would not say, write to us. The course is a pilot at about level A1 and makes no other claim about levels.