I will soon try to read my first book in Danish

Antje Fitzner has just started as a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen. She is determined to learn Danish in order to get by in her daily life in Denmark.

How does the use of parallel languages affect your work life at the University of Copenhagen?

The main language spoken at my workplace is English. But there are more Danish employees than foreign employees, and therefore a lot of Danish is spoken regularly, especially during lunch and coffee breaks and when people are small talking in the corridors.

Participating in a Danish course together with other international employees at the University is a good opportunity for me to meet other foreign people. You can share experiences about living and working in Copenhagen.

What linguistic challenges do you experience in your everyday life in Denmark?

Most people, for example in the supermarket, do speak English very well, but newspapers, letters, etc. are primarily in Danish. Now, before even finishing the Danish module 1 course, I am able to read and understand most of these written texts. However, people tend to speak very quickly in Danish, so I have to practice the language a lot in order to be able to understand what they say. Another thing is that I experience that some people behave in a more friendly way if you start a conversation in Danish. However, my Danish is not good enough to have a real conversation in Danish, but I’m on my way to getting there. 

What thoughts did you have about learning Danish when moving to Denmark?

For me it is a must to learn the language of the country I am living in. I am happy that I could start immediately on the Danish module 1 course when I arrived. Also, participating in a Danish course together with other international employees at the University is a good opportunity for me to meet other foreign people. You can share experiences about living and working in Copenhagen.

How do you intend to continue learning Danish?

I would like to do the next course modules when I have finished this first module. Furthermore, I will soon try to read my first book in Danish.

Do you have any advice for international and Danish employees working at a workplace with parallel language use?

It is good - almost necessary - to have at least some passive knowledge of Danish in order to get by in your daily life in Denmark, but even better to be able to speak the language yourself.