Here in Norway the "How are you" question is a "real question" if you ask someone. It is never used as a greeting, so many don't understand the social context when being asked. I have cringed in many business meetings when a native English speaker greets me and my coworkers with "How are you?", and my coworkers start talking about their bad knee or that their car broke down on their way to work that morning, and don't answer with the normal "I'm doing good, thank you. How are you?". 🤣
We have "går det godt" in Danish. But it's not rude to say "not really ". If you ask that question you're pretty much hooked. So you kinda just use that greeting with people you're actually willing to listen to and help. Anyway, grateful to see that even Norwegians are following a channel with such a Danish focus. Hope you take good care of my former colleague, Boris, who chose the Norwegian oil rigs over the pricey TVs we made. De bedste ønsker herfra, Norge er top notch.
@@MTMF.london Depence on where the person(s) are, tha you are talking too . They have video's on this if i recall correctly. But let's just say we do small talk, mostly just with people within our "friend circle". Or if we are at some event, for the very short anser. But we are direct when speaking generally. (save times and misunderstanding)
@@MTMF.london In my experience small talk is almost nonexistent in Denmark, though the elderly sometimes do it. We don’t take everything literall, But if a Dane says “how are you” it’s a sincere question and not a way to say hello :-))
The “How are you” greeting! Last year I returned to Denmark from a 5 year deployment (my husband’s job) in a European NATO-base, giving me daily interactions with Americans. I loved that, but it took me a good 2 years to learn not to reply with an in-depth account of my general well-being, giving me a fair share of bewildered and puzzled looks.
I'm almost always thrown out of Walmart after 45 minutes of explaining my health situation to the cashier, working my way up from my feet, and at that time I have barely reached my knees 😁
I regularly ask my colleagues "Hvordan går det" but I expect an update on their issues from the last time we talked. What's going on with the kids and whatever else is their issues. I would not greet a stranger that way, unless I just saw them take a fall or some other thing. In which case the question is more like "are you ok"?
While it's a bit more slang I guess, growing up I've used a lot of "hva' så?" which translates more roughly to "What's up?" and I think it can be better in some instances than the "Hvordan går det?" or "How are you?" and if you find yourself having a very hard time dropping the "How are you" from your vocab then just use that instead.
For foreigners, if you want a greeting thats close to "how are you?", try "whats up?". Most danes will recognize this as a greeting and not a question.
If a random person came up to me and asked “hvordan har du det?” Or “hvordan går det?”, I would go “Hvad var navnet?” Or “sku’ du spørge fra no’en?”. I don’t know you like that. 🤨
The problem is that many Danes translate it word for word into "Hvordan har du det?".. and that is NOT what was being asked. What was being asked was "Hva' så?"/"What's up?"
Same here. ...i am Greek and after 7 years in Athens boiling every summer, i prefer now Danish weather; Athens is only good when you stay 9 months there and then 3 months on an island at summer, something that most of working class people working there can't afford.
I lived several years in the US when I was young (before the internet 😬) I NEVER got used the way things were measured, weight, length, distance and temperature. Today you can just use an online converter, but back then you had to remember all these formulas, and then do the math on a piece of paper, for every damn little thing! The fact that I weren’t taught English in school didn’t exactly make things easier. Trying to bake anything were an absolute nightmare! First I had to buy the ingredients.. Step 1: translation. What is the name in English? I had brought my woefully inadequate Danish to English dictionary with me, and sometimes that was a help.. Step 2: finding out which one of the 50+ or so brands or varieties of each ingredient you should get. That included comparing prices and trying to decipher the ingredient lists (it took a looong time and you still risked ending up with something tasting utterly disgusting) Step 3: after spending 3 hours in a grocery store getting the (hopefully) right stuff, you had to do a lot of math to figure out the measurements. I know I need 175 grams of butter but what is that in ounces? How many tubs or sticks do I need? And is there a difference between the two? Step 3: heating the oven.. ok 180 Celsius is what in Fahrenheit? 🤨 I quickly decided that home cooked food was not really necessary for my survival in the US, it was both cheaper and easier to just eat at McDonald’s! As a vegetarian that meant surviving almost exclusively on French fries and fountain coke for about 2-3 years 😅 Still wouldn’t know what to wear if the weather forecast said 68 decrees and cloudy ⛅️ 😂
When we moved to England, saw the neighbor and instead of saying hi or hello, he said "ya alright"and kept walking. So it's not just Americans who do the how are ya thing.
Did you know that the official standard in the US actually is metric? It has been since 1875 (not a typo). US uses metric to calibrate their imperial system. A little search here on YT will lead you to a very good video on the subject.
In Denmark we often say, that people living in Copenhagen are cold, whereas people in Aarhus are more warm. It might be the reason, that Aarhus is called the city of the smile. It's easier to get friends in Aarhus.
@@RobeTrotting it could be the difference in tempo. The residents in smaller cities are more laid-back. Not that much in a hurry. But that's just my theory.
I am not sure about the recommendation to speak English rather than persisting with Danish. We spent 15 years in Switzerland and in my experience those people that allowed the Swiss to speak English to them, because it was easier, were generally the ones that never learned German. When we moved I refused to speak anything but German with my colleagues and anyone else I met. It was really difficult for the first six months and I was mentally exhausted at the end of the day. However after six months I was pretty much fluent and made my life there so much better, both personally and professionally.
I think most Danes would actually prefer English when a stranger with limited knowledge of Danish approaches them. The many vocals in Danish aren't easy to get a grasp on and having to politely reveal that you didn't understand single word after three tries is demoralising to both parties. I once had someone ask for the directions to a store and it sounded like they were asking for nitroglycerine. I got their point not because I understood the words, but because I managed to reverse engineer why they were asking me a question.
When someone asks me “Hvordan går det?” (how are you) except from my friends, I always gat a bit uncomfortable. Either i have to lie and say im doing good or explain that ive been depressed for 5 years. My ussual go to respons is “As good as ussual”
In case you missed it, off cause you didn't..., Mike were refering to running 6 mph in US but he could yank it up to 10 km/h and when he used to lift 100 pounds (random number) he could only lift 45 kg
I *love * Mike trying to work out at the "metric gym" 🙃That's me at ANY gym, tbh! Good tip about the doctor: coming from a system where you have to find your own, if I was assigned one, I would naturally assume that I'm stuck with that. Cheers for another fun video.
@@RobeTrotting The metric vs imperial thing is definitely hard to navigate I think. Here in New Zealand, older people still talk about their height in feet n inches, younger in cm. But as we only use Celsius, I’ve never got the hang of Fahrenheit. 🤣 tell me a number and I’d have no idea if I need swimwear or my winter coat 😝
Here in Finland if someone asks "how are you?", you will hear headaches and digestion problems in return. So you should ask "how's it going?" in stead. Usually the nurse asks "how are you" one's patients.
You're right that practically all Danes speak English. But it's still nice to ask if they do. We northerners sound like we speak it very well as our languages are so closely related to English, but vocabulary and colloquial expressions are still very much a thing and we might struggle even if it doesn't show. Older people, of course, speak less English (but might actually be better at the specifics) but even young people are still Scandinavian after all and have less of a grasp of the language than many English speakers kindly assume they do. I work in a shop in Scandinavia and speak English very well (if I may be so bold) as I lived I England for several years. But I still appreciate very much when my international customers ask me. Even if I also enjoy surprising them. Hehe. It's just thoughtful and polite. 🙂
Gordon Ramsay once topped the "How are you" fail by trying to translate it to danish when speaking to some people he thought were danish (they ran a danish restaurant in the US). It came out: "Hvordan er du?" Most Danes would interpret that as something like "By what means do you exist?"
I disagree on the part about speaking English. If you want to get good at Danish you need to speak Danish all the time, as much as you can. Just go for it.
So funny and also so true 👍! Yeah! You wanna dress in 3 layers (wet, windy, cold) so you can take something off, or put something on, depending on the weather! You can experience all seasons in one day here. During summer you'd probably wanna bring a "windbreaker" and something warm, for the evenings! Remember that daylight is from 3/4 am to 10:30ish pm, during the Summer.
I find that speaking Danish is pretty handy if you are in contact with the older generation in the countryside. A lot of them do not speak English. So knowing a bit Danish (jeg snakker en lidt for lille Dansk) is useful outside of Kopenhagen 😁
Everywhere we've traveled in Denmark we were fine with just English but we also don't have Danish in-laws or family to speak with. There are very few instances where we would speak to someone of that generation - but I guess the point was that if you're in line at a coffee shop or something, it's best to just speak english and not hold up the line or confuse someone with your weird accent/mispronunciation like I did :)
@@RobeTrotting In stores I speak English, and yes if you start in Danish they will Just switch to English 😁 but any conversation with older farmers .... Is a combination of hands, feet, acting, sounds and what else 🤭, but not a single word of English.
Also "Good for you" may be misunderstood as ironical by many Danes if they are not sufficiently acquainted with English. Probably people easily understand foreign languages in a too literal sence.
The thing is that, yes, Danes generally have a good command of English, but they are gradually loosing their skills in Danish and displace Danish words with either English (American) words directly or via meaningless verbatim translations, eg: "I det mindste sluttede de på en god note" (note = brief text and not 'node/tune').
The amount I had to explain that “how are you”, is not an open question for you to answer your life’s story, it’s just a polite, superfluous greeting, a basic, common ice opening.. and even if Danes actually know it, I still get “I just don’t like that phrasing”.
Yes, we have definitely concluded the same, that many times it's just a stubborn argument or a choice not to understand the way "how are you" is used (exactly the same as "hvad så").
I like your videos guys! As an old American living for a very long time in Germany and thinking back on all the "mistakes" I made especially in the first years it is interesting to here about your experiences. By the way: How are you?
@@RobeTrotting Doing well, thanks for asking. Last week and weekend I spent five days in the Amager district of Copenhagen and loved it! You guys did great by moving to Copenhagen! Don't worry about the little things that you have done and will continue to do that are maybe a little too American. As time goes by you will remember and have a good laugh. It's that way with me at least. Keep up the cool content and perhaps we can meet the next time I'm there. If you come to Berlin and want an experienced tour guide of Kreuzberg then let me know. All the best 😊
As a "initiate commection" a question of how anyone are doing is a bit off. I don't see the ordinary dane as blunt (I - with autism - are however) but as a percieved blunt people a "hi" will do the trick: I see you, I made a initial sound to indicate that more words could be transferred - and that'll do.
i think we dont see other danish people as blunt because its what we're used to. i've just never gotten the idea of asking a question if you dont want an honest answer.. thought it was just because of autism it didnt make sense for me.
Been digging and digging through what's required to move to Denmark but I find myself running in circles, trying to put them in the right order to get things underway. For instance, I've read that you need a CPR card in order to secure a place but to get a CPR card, you need proof of residency by showing a rental contract. My brain is tying in knots, trying to figure out what comes first. lol
As a foreigner in Denmark, if it is a subject where I feel my vocabulary may be lacking, I just ask "kan det være på engelsk?" I am not asking if they speak english, I am only asking if they do not mind taking it in english.
MIke's trouble with how to get a spare key and such, I had the same problems here in the US. Fortunately my wife is American, but still... "How are you?" Over here I realized that people didn't really give a crap about how I was...
In addition to the Danish wall (Kasper Schmeichel) you also have Morgan Freeman in your videos now. Wow there are so many celebrities who want to be in your videos now so I guess you guys are really starting to get famous here on CZcams 😂😉 Keep up the good work with your videos because even though I am Danish I love your videos 👍
I use to go to a bar wher you could move tables together which was cool as you meet new people, but yeah not like friends, I would have made 100+ bands if bar talk was serious the next day
The problem with "How are you?" is that it's an idiomatic expression in English that, for those who have a big English vocabulary, but aren't keenly aware of idiomatic expressions, translates, word for word, into a Danish IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION which is the source of all this confusion. Saying "How's it going?" would translate directly into the informal greeting you're looking for :P The wrong translation goes: "How are you?" = "Hvordan har du det?" which actually means "How are you feeling (right now)?" The "I'm prepared for Danish idioms" version: "How's it going?" = "Hva' så?"/"Hvordan går det?" which actually means "What's up?"
That’s a perfect explanation. Now I understand the confusion more, I never got why Danes think it’s about feelings or deep status - it’s basically “hvad så” or “what’s up/how’s it going” in American English. I also think it’s a bit of Danes projecting their own culture on it, because Americans tend to be more open and receptive to strangers in almost any situation, but that’s not the “Danish way” in most cases.
@@RobeTrotting I actually don't think it's the last part at all. I think Danes just consider themselves good at English, so "obviously they understood it right"....Which is absolutely not the case. Danes only have large English vocabularies, but the education on British, American and Australian idiomatic expressions is sorely lacking. Having Aspergers I've been trained in Danish idiomatic expressions, because I understood them as what was literally said. This, obviously, made me curious about the English equivalents. TL;DR: If you say "Hej, hva' så?" to ANY Dane they will instantly recognize the situation as "I'm being polite and want to exchange pleasantries. Please give a response appropriate for this situation". And this is perfectly acceptable behaviour at every other place than a funeral (provided you don't look like a bum/biker/weirdo). That we may not wish to extend the situation into a prolonged small talk session is an entirely different matter.
Grade 3? My daughter is learning English at grade 1... Edit: about the doctor... Even if you are assigned to one guy. You have the right to have a second opinion. Just call or show up somewhere else. They may not have an open slot that day, but they get the same pay from government... And then you can be rather sure to get a third party evaluation of your health.
@@RobeTrotting I'm an old garden gnome, English wasn't until 4th grade. So I was surprised myself. But language is so much easier when you start early. It certainly doesn't harm. Raising our own kids by the one parent one language strategy. So our daughter (7 years/1st grade) is fluent in Danish and Cantonese spoken, and quite good at English, picking up the reading already.. I could hardly be prouder.. I remember how difficult it was to me to just learn how to pronounce the Cyrillic characters at age 25. Never could I imagine being able to also handle the grammar. But I do quite okay when it comes to German. The earlier the better.
@@sonnyboi1761 i have no clue, but I think it's a good thing... I'm just surprised that they already work on English spelling at grade 1. I basically thought it would start with all-dialogue starting so early.
Norway is the girlfriend we stole from sweden, that is why we have so much in commen :) we are a perfect match in being imperfect, with the same sense of dark scandi humor, only the norweigens and danes understand :) ❤️ hope you guys get to learn more about our history outside of cph and you stay healthy, lots of love and support from vest Jylland
Dear Robe Trotting.... when are you getting an external mic, or a lapel mic.... anything that sounds better than your bunker sound at the moment ;) im sure you could ask josh for help with it... that is my only grieve, your content is A OK :)
the "how are u" question is reserved for family and friends, as it's a personal question... maybe he sounds/looks sick, maybe u havent talked in a while, maybe u are interested in their life... there's many times u can use it, but it's always a personal question...
I’m a Dane from North Sealand and I’m pretty sure, that most of the Danes are people who always are ready to help their friends when needed. It doesn’t matter where in Denmark you’re coming from. Also if you have a Danish friend, then you have a loyal friend you can trust and a friend for life
What is the expected answer to "How are you"? I have trained my US colleagues not to ask me that question, unless they really want to hear an honest answer, so I guess I'm missing the proper code word to continue the usage of that phrase.
Why is everyone laser focused on this like it was an entire video on English language education in Denmark? We can’t change it now that’s it’s published so… 🤷🏻♂️ thanks for being the 20th comment to say this I guess 😂
@@RobeTrotting I read at least 30 comments - none of them commenting on this fact - before I wrote my comment. I didn’t want to make anyone angry, but just state a fact. I could also have written, that in Denmark we text movies, so we all hear a lot of English and American, when we see movies and series. I’m sorry that you feel offended! 🥺
Fails that you can learn from, quickly ...are the best kind, guys! No need to wallow, just move forward 😊 Some of them, everyone makes when visiting/moving to other countries, your's are probably just a smidgen more American, in nature? I do not pretend to speak a lot of languages, but I have a working knowledge of several...so instead of asking, 'Do you speak English?' I say, 'I am sorry, I only speak a little of your language' It brings them closer to you and illicits the help you might need 😉 hello from Hundested 🌸🌱
In Sweden, especially in younger age, a common phrase is "allt bra?". It literally means "everything's good?". To that phrase, in 99% you expect a simple "ja, och du?" ("yes, and you?") back as an answer because it's more of the American "how are you?" and not a sincere question.
The accent in the voice-over is all over the place. Initially it sounded like a mix between Finnish and Swedish, then drifted towards some kind of generic Continental European accent.
Before praising the Danish health care system too much, you should know that there are a big difference dependant on where you live. No problem in big cities but in rural areas there is a severe lack of doctors.
As someone who works at a super market, let me say this to none danish speakers, or just people who are still learning to speak danish, dont become the silent smiling wall. If i greet you in Danish and you just smile and nod, im not annoyed but i do wonder why you wont speak, when i then tell you the final price of your groceries and still gets no words, im starting to feel weird, when i ask you if you want a receit and you still just smile or just looks at me, then i get really annoyed, cause i will always assume you speak my language, but if you can't but dont tell me, i feel like an ass for just continuing speaking jibber jack nonsense to you, so please everyone here, just say, ''do you speak english?'' Or just ask, ''in english please'' cause then i know that now you understand me and we can communicate, but those people who just dont respond to your words, that leaves an awkward feeling in the room for everyone. :)
You don't know what is going through a customer's mind, so I suggest you don't let it get to you or take it personally. It's only awkward to you because you feel that something is deviating from the norm. You're expecting that both you and the customer will follow the same script and be on the same page, but there are plenty of reasons why someone goes off script with you (which have nothing to do with you). Maybe this person is anxious about offending you, maybe they have a disability, maybe it's actually a Native Danish speaker who just went through something super shitty and they don't really have it in them to greet you normally. Maybe it's an exchange student who wanted to speak Danish but lost the nerve in the very last second. You're not an unfriendly ass for speaking Danish in Denmark and most Danish learners will appreciate that you speak to them in Danish at first! There's nothing wrong with the silent smiling wall if they know how to pay and don't need you to get something specific from the back for them. Maybe that smile is the best they can do to make the situation less impolite and awkward. Also, no one ever died from feeling awkward, so you'll both be fine! I'm sure most people appreciate you talking the time to talk, even if they don't reply :)
Perhaps the education system is better in Denmark than in UK. Lots if Brits learn French at school but few leave school capable of holding a conversation in French.
Around 30 years ago, when somalis started to come to Denmark and every time i got to talk to some of them, I coudn't help but taking the piss on them. "Why Denmark???" and the surpriced looks on their faces was worth it. "Why do you come up here to freeze your asses off??". They always laughed, but did give it a second thought when asked in the winter, teeth clapping and all. 😀 - Yeah I know, I'm a horrible person.
@@wncjan exactly, it's something new. Meaning most adults will not have been taught from the 1st grade and I doubt that they are out talking to little kids and asking them for advice 😉 but always a good thing to inform people, just remember to specify.
"Hi how are you?" Means you are interested in how we really are. And that is something dances don't discuss with strangers. And should you manage to get to befriend a Dane and still use that phrase. Then be prepared for the raw truth of how they are. Don't ask questions you are not prepared to hear the truth about. With generally lead to the fact that if you ask questions in general you will hear the truth without putting fingers in between. Which is fun when you meet foreigners and they are so not prepared to hear about everything from sex to taxes and all in between from asking simple innocent questions. Efficiency people that is the key.:)
Well, in American English/to Americans it means something different - it's basically "hvad så" or a greeting like that - I think most Danes know this from American TV and movies, but don't accept that use of the phrase. It's also funny because I think most Americans are less private, so they are perfectly fine with people answering with a raw truth if they feel they must haha.
Guys, I do not see what you mentioned as being part of an epic fail list. Funny? Yes! Common mistakes many foreigners make? Sure! But still, all you were doing was just trying to survive, over there and figure out where you fit in. 🙃 Sure you weren't being a bit too hard on yourselves? 🙃 What surprised me most about this list, was the following, though: 😱 Gosh, asking someone if they can speak English, especially in a foreign country, hardly seems like an epic fail. Wow, I hope people (even if they were THAT offended) were still understanding of your just wanting to suss stuff out and make starting off life in a country full of pitfalls, a little bit easier. 💯 Frankly, I think you two have made a smashing success of living in a country, that many Americans miiiight not think of moving to, right off the bat.
LMAO 🤣 ! You've gone from "fails" to "keepers" 😎 ! "You can check in.., but you can never leave" (Eagles -Hotel California :-) ) ! Well you can, but we Danes like you..., so there !
Hi guys. Thank you for another great video. I got an idea while watching. Last christmas i bought two t-shirts from an American website for two lovely girls aged 4 and 7. It was no easy task due to the different measurement systems. I imagine it must have been a struggle for you to adapt to cm, meters, km, grams, kilo, when you are used to miles, oz, gallions and cups from birth. I took the girls measurements and used the size guide from the webshop, I converted the measurements into inches. The girls did fit into them, but let's just say it's gonna be a while before the girls have outgrown them. A x-small and small. The t-shirts were bought from an American company, but produced in a factory in Holland. It is a complete nightmare and very time consuming and nerveracking trying to get it right. My idea is: could you guys maybe if you want, do a video about that topic, since you are familiar with both measurement systems now. maybe a guide with tips on how to shop on american websites and tips and tricks and how to deal with different measurement. I'm sure it will be useful to many danes as well as expats who moved to Denmark. Thank you for taking time to read my comment.
Its different from school to school, some is from 1st grade and some still stick to 2nd or 3rd though we do introduce english far earlier than we did back when I went to school xD I started with english in 3rd grade, though I didnt really start to learn it properly in 9th grade. But by now I’m as fluent in english as I am in Danish :D at times I use more english than Danish xD
@@LarsPallesen When I was in school it wasn't until 5th, but it since has been moved forward to the beginning of school, maybe we should move it forward to the maternity ward....
@@Sturniolo_SnC_reposts its 1st grade now for learning english, but me and other who was a child back in the 2000’s we learned it in 3-4 grade. For me was it in 2003-2004 ish ☺️
OMFG with the “we learn english in 1st grade” yeah ok.. they made a mistake, chill! Some us us newly adults learned english in 3-4 grade in the beginning of 2000’s. God dahmit relax people. Its a new thing 😂
What denmark has that the US dont is much more simpel than you put it. We newer have to worry. If we want a book or pc game, we go to the liberary, if we are stressed we take a wacation, if we need national pride we watch football, and im not calling it soccer, what you americans call football is not played with a foot, so that just dont make sence. I have in my life dropped my wallet 4 times and evry time i got it back with all the money in it, and at one time i found a womans handbag on a train, i am a dane so i simply opened her wallet to find her adress and sendt it to her. while opening her bag to find her adress, i could see that her passport, keys, driverslicence, socuial security card and some werry personal items were in the bag. I hated going into her bag, but i diddent mind the chokolate, the nice letter and the 1000 kroner she send me as a thanks for returning her bag. Being safe and being at team, and ofcause Social liberalism, is what makes scandinavia great and i love to watch the US growing into the same ideals. In denmark it is a unwritten law, that you pay a Finders fee of about 10% I newer looked but i think there might have bin a bit of money in that bag, but it dossent matter, in Debmark we dont really have a good reson to become criminals, We get about 2000 $ For going home and doing nothing. I have PTSD because i was subjeted to wionelce in my childhood and later had a bad accident when i was in the danish army, that have given me mild brain damage that has damaged my hearing and short tearm memory, so i simply cant work, but i feel safe and i feel like im rich. I have acces to luxurious food, free healthcare, free scools, safety in the streets, werry low corruption. Our politisian sometimes try to corrupt our system, but they dont try werry hard, because they know we were Vikings and remenmber how to cut a blood eagel. The US government dont respect its own peopel, the danish government respects its people and they are a littel bit afraid of Vikings.
Here in Norway the "How are you" question is a "real question" if you ask someone. It is never used as a greeting, so many don't understand the social context when being asked. I have cringed in many business meetings when a native English speaker greets me and my coworkers with "How are you?", and my coworkers start talking about their bad knee or that their car broke down on their way to work that morning, and don't answer with the normal "I'm doing good, thank you. How are you?". 🤣
It's like this pretty much everywhere aside from the US.
We have "går det godt" in Danish. But it's not rude to say "not really ". If you ask that question you're pretty much hooked. So you kinda just use that greeting with people you're actually willing to listen to and help.
Anyway, grateful to see that even Norwegians are following a channel with such a Danish focus. Hope you take good care of my former colleague, Boris, who chose the Norwegian oil rigs over the pricey TVs we made.
De bedste ønsker herfra, Norge er top notch.
Does that mean the Danes/Norwegians don't do small talk or do they just take everything literally?
@@MTMF.london Depence on where the person(s) are, tha you are talking too . They have video's on this if i recall correctly. But let's just say we do small talk, mostly just with people within our "friend circle". Or if we are at some event, for the very short anser. But we are direct when speaking generally. (save times and misunderstanding)
@@MTMF.london In my experience small talk is almost nonexistent in Denmark, though the elderly sometimes do it. We don’t take everything literall, But if a Dane says “how are you” it’s a sincere question and not a way to say hello :-))
The “How are you” greeting! Last year I returned to Denmark from a 5 year deployment (my husband’s job) in a European NATO-base, giving me daily interactions with Americans. I loved that, but it took me a good 2 years to learn not to reply with an in-depth account of my general well-being, giving me a fair share of bewildered and puzzled looks.
Yeah, don't ask questions you don't want to have an actual answer to.
I'm almost always thrown out of Walmart after 45 minutes of explaining my health situation to the cashier, working my way up from my feet, and at that time I have barely reached my knees 😁
I regularly ask my colleagues "Hvordan går det" but I expect an update on their issues from the last time we talked. What's going on with the kids and whatever else is their issues. I would not greet a stranger that way, unless I just saw them take a fall or some other thing. In which case the question is more like "are you ok"?
While it's a bit more slang I guess, growing up I've used a lot of "hva' så?" which translates more roughly to "What's up?" and I think it can be better in some instances than the "Hvordan går det?" or "How are you?" and if you find yourself having a very hard time dropping the "How are you" from your vocab then just use that instead.
For foreigners, if you want a greeting thats close to "how are you?", try "whats up?". Most danes will recognize this as a greeting and not a question.
I usually try to go with that or something like “what’s going on” to stress that it’s just a limited question as to the current status and that’s all.
Just say Hello!
If someone came up to me at random and ask me "How are you?", I'd reply "I'm doing well, how are you?". I think it varies from Dane to Dane :)
Danny gets it! 😀🙌🇩🇰
@@RobeTrotting Just say "what up?" instead. ;)
If a random person came up to me and asked “hvordan har du det?” Or “hvordan går det?”, I would go “Hvad var navnet?” Or “sku’ du spørge fra no’en?”.
I don’t know you like that. 🤨
@@nicolaim4275 How about, "Nice Weather, huh?".
The problem is that many Danes translate it word for word into "Hvordan har du det?".. and that is NOT what was being asked. What was being asked was "Hva' så?"/"What's up?"
My Alaskan husband used to say that the reason he moved to Denmark was...the weather ;)
Same here. ...i am Greek and after 7 years in Athens boiling every summer, i prefer now Danish weather; Athens is only good when you stay 9 months there and then 3 months on an island at summer, something that most of working class people working there can't afford.
Try to use the south Danish "MOJN" in an upbeat mood. Works a lot of times because of all the people from Copenhagen that are actually from Jutland.
It will actually work in most of Germany also.
I lived several years in the US when I was young (before the internet 😬) I NEVER got used the way things were measured, weight, length, distance and temperature. Today you can just use an online converter, but back then you had to remember all these formulas, and then do the math on a piece of paper, for every damn little thing! The fact that I weren’t taught English in school didn’t exactly make things easier.
Trying to bake anything were an absolute nightmare! First I had to buy the ingredients..
Step 1: translation. What is the name in English? I had brought my woefully inadequate Danish to English dictionary with me, and sometimes that was a help..
Step 2: finding out which one of the 50+ or so brands or varieties of each ingredient you should get. That included comparing prices and trying to decipher the ingredient lists (it took a looong time and you still risked ending up with something tasting utterly disgusting)
Step 3: after spending 3 hours in a grocery store getting the (hopefully) right stuff, you had to do a lot of math to figure out the measurements. I know I need 175 grams of butter but what is that in ounces? How many tubs or sticks do I need? And is there a difference between the two?
Step 3: heating the oven.. ok 180 Celsius is what in Fahrenheit? 🤨
I quickly decided that home cooked food was not really necessary for my survival in the US, it was both cheaper and easier to just eat at McDonald’s! As a vegetarian that meant surviving almost exclusively on French fries and fountain coke for about 2-3 years 😅
Still wouldn’t know what to wear if the weather forecast said 68 decrees and cloudy ⛅️ 😂
When we moved to England, saw the neighbor and instead of saying hi or hello, he said "ya alright"and kept walking. So it's not just Americans who do the how are ya thing.
Did you know that the official standard in the US actually is metric? It has been since 1875 (not a typo).
US uses metric to calibrate their imperial system. A little search here on YT will lead you to a very good video on the subject.
In Denmark we often say, that people living in Copenhagen are cold, whereas people in Aarhus are more warm.
It might be the reason, that Aarhus is called the city of the smile. It's easier to get friends in Aarhus.
Interesting. Is it the normal "big city resident" reputation that most cities around the world have, or do you think it's something more?
@@RobeTrotting it could be the difference in tempo. The residents in smaller cities are more laid-back. Not that much in a hurry.
But that's just my theory.
I am not sure about the recommendation to speak English rather than persisting with Danish. We spent 15 years in Switzerland and in my experience those people that allowed the Swiss to speak English to them, because it was easier, were generally the ones that never learned German. When we moved I refused to speak anything but German with my colleagues and anyone else I met. It was really difficult for the first six months and I was mentally exhausted at the end of the day. However after six months I was pretty much fluent and made my life there so much better, both personally and professionally.
I think most Danes would actually prefer English when a stranger with limited knowledge of Danish approaches them. The many vocals in Danish aren't easy to get a grasp on and having to politely reveal that you didn't understand single word after three tries is demoralising to both parties. I once had someone ask for the directions to a store and it sounded like they were asking for nitroglycerine. I got their point not because I understood the words, but because I managed to reverse engineer why they were asking me a question.
When someone asks me “Hvordan går det?” (how are you) except from my friends, I always gat a bit uncomfortable. Either i have to lie and say im doing good or explain that ive been depressed for 5 years.
My ussual go to respons is “As good as ussual”
In case you missed it, off cause you didn't..., Mike were refering to running 6 mph in US but he could yank it up to 10 km/h and when he used to lift 100 pounds (random number) he could only lift 45 kg
Yeah I dont get it. I say Hi how are you on the phone when I am calling a company and they just say nothing...awkward silence every time.
It's so funny that it confuses people, we try to avoid it, but it's such a habit from most of our life haha.
This was really cute, thank you XD Got corona so my life has been on youtube for a couple of days now and your videos are always a highlight ;)
I'm so glad! And wishing you a full recovery soon.
Wouldn't it be awesome if we all had Morgan Freeman narrate out lives like that? 😁😁 That was hilarious, guys. Nice touch.
I *love * Mike trying to work out at the "metric gym" 🙃That's me at ANY gym, tbh! Good tip about the doctor: coming from a system where you have to find your own, if I was assigned one, I would naturally assume that I'm stuck with that. Cheers for another fun video.
Thanks Michael! So glad you liked it and fun you can relate (for any reason haha).
@@RobeTrotting The metric vs imperial thing is definitely hard to navigate I think. Here in New Zealand, older people still talk about their height in feet n inches, younger in cm. But as we only use Celsius, I’ve never got the hang of Fahrenheit. 🤣 tell me a number and I’d have no idea if I need swimwear or my winter coat 😝
Here in Finland if someone asks "how are you?", you will hear headaches and digestion problems in return. So you should ask "how's it going?" in stead. Usually the nurse asks "how are you" one's patients.
Yeah, so funny because in America they’re essentially the same question.
You're right that practically all Danes speak English. But it's still nice to ask if they do. We northerners sound like we speak it very well as our languages are so closely related to English, but vocabulary and colloquial expressions are still very much a thing and we might struggle even if it doesn't show. Older people, of course, speak less English (but might actually be better at the specifics) but even young people are still Scandinavian after all and have less of a grasp of the language than many English speakers kindly assume they do. I work in a shop in Scandinavia and speak English very well (if I may be so bold) as I lived I England for several years. But I still appreciate very much when my international customers ask me. Even if I also enjoy surprising them. Hehe. It's just thoughtful and polite. 🙂
Gordon Ramsay once topped the "How are you" fail by trying to translate it to danish when speaking to some people he thought were danish (they ran a danish restaurant in the US). It came out: "Hvordan er du?"
Most Danes would interpret that as something like "By what means do you exist?"
I disagree on the part about speaking English. If you want to get good at Danish you need to speak Danish all the time, as much as you can. Just go for it.
So funny and also so true 👍! Yeah! You wanna dress in 3 layers (wet, windy, cold) so you can take something off, or put something on, depending on the weather! You can experience all seasons in one day here. During summer you'd probably wanna bring a "windbreaker" and something warm, for the evenings! Remember that daylight is from 3/4 am to 10:30ish pm, during the Summer.
Good video guys, that #1 really made me giggle, you live you learn ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it! 🇩🇰😀
I find that speaking Danish is pretty handy if you are in contact with the older generation in the countryside. A lot of them do not speak English. So knowing a bit Danish (jeg snakker en lidt for lille Dansk) is useful outside of Kopenhagen 😁
Everywhere we've traveled in Denmark we were fine with just English but we also don't have Danish in-laws or family to speak with. There are very few instances where we would speak to someone of that generation - but I guess the point was that if you're in line at a coffee shop or something, it's best to just speak english and not hold up the line or confuse someone with your weird accent/mispronunciation like I did :)
@@RobeTrotting In stores I speak English, and yes if you start in Danish they will Just switch to English 😁 but any conversation with older farmers .... Is a combination of hands, feet, acting, sounds and what else 🤭, but not a single word of English.
@@Huismusje77 the case I experienced with gammel Vendelboer.
Also "Good for you" may be misunderstood as ironical by many Danes if they are not sufficiently acquainted with English. Probably people easily understand foreign languages in a too literal sence.
So true - it's hard not to take a second language in a literal sense when you don't grow up in the culture.
The thing is that, yes, Danes generally have a good command of English, but they are gradually loosing their skills in Danish and displace Danish words with either English (American) words directly or via meaningless verbatim translations, eg: "I det mindste sluttede de på en god note" (note = brief text and not 'node/tune').
Exactly this! I get squeamish every time I hear one of those "translations".
Your comedy is getting better and better :D
Aw, damn. Thank you :)
The amount I had to explain that “how are you”, is not an open question for you to answer your life’s story, it’s just a polite, superfluous greeting, a basic, common ice opening.. and even if Danes actually know it, I still get “I just don’t like that phrasing”.
Yes, we have definitely concluded the same, that many times it's just a stubborn argument or a choice not to understand the way "how are you" is used (exactly the same as "hvad så").
I like your videos guys! As an old American living for a very long time in Germany and thinking back on all the "mistakes" I made especially in the first years it is interesting to here about your experiences. By the way: How are you?
Glad you can relate - yeah, it’s fun to look back at all the little mistakes 😂
and we’re good, you? haha
@@RobeTrotting Doing well, thanks for asking. Last week and weekend I spent five days in the Amager district of Copenhagen and loved it! You guys did great by moving to Copenhagen! Don't worry about the little things that you have done and will continue to do that are maybe a little too American. As time goes by you will remember and have a good laugh. It's that way with me at least. Keep up the cool content and perhaps we can meet the next time I'm there. If you come to Berlin and want an experienced tour guide of Kreuzberg then let me know. All the best 😊
As a "initiate commection" a question of how anyone are doing is a bit off. I don't see the ordinary dane as blunt (I - with autism - are however) but as a percieved blunt people a "hi" will do the trick: I see you, I made a initial sound to indicate that more words could be transferred - and that'll do.
i think we dont see other danish people as blunt because its what we're used to.
i've just never gotten the idea of asking a question if you dont want an honest answer..
thought it was just because of autism it didnt make sense for me.
In public/private schools they already start with english lessons in 1. Grade and a third language in 5. Grade.
okay... well we can't change it now and it's literally not the point of this video lol
0:47 in Denmark start learning English in 1st grade (when we are about 7 yaers old).
ok
Been digging and digging through what's required to move to Denmark but I find myself running in circles, trying to put them in the right order to get things underway. For instance, I've read that you need a CPR card in order to secure a place but to get a CPR card, you need proof of residency by showing a rental contract. My brain is tying in knots, trying to figure out what comes first. lol
Lol. I flip back and forth between Danish and English every day. 😂
As a foreigner in Denmark, if it is a subject where I feel my vocabulary may be lacking, I just ask "kan det være på engelsk?" I am not asking if they speak english, I am only asking if they do not mind taking it in english.
MIke's trouble with how to get a spare key and such, I had the same problems here in the US. Fortunately my wife is American, but still...
"How are you?" Over here I realized that people didn't really give a crap about how I was...
Yeah, but if you really aren’t well they and they could do something about it they would care for sure.
This is the thing, there is so much insincerity and superficial / false friendliness. The Danish way seems a lot more honest and transparent.
Great video guys - love your channel✌️
Cheers
Thanks so much Michael! 😊🇩🇰
In addition to the Danish wall (Kasper Schmeichel) you also have Morgan Freeman in your videos now. Wow there are so many celebrities who want to be in your videos now so I guess you guys are really starting to get famous here on CZcams 😂😉
Keep up the good work with your videos because even though I am Danish I love your videos 👍
Thank you so much :)
Great with the “Morgan Freeman” voice 😂😂😂
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching Allan :)
I use to go to a bar wher you could move tables together which was cool as you meet new people, but yeah not like friends, I would have made 100+ bands if bar talk was serious the next day
The problem with "How are you?" is that it's an idiomatic expression in English that, for those who have a big English vocabulary, but aren't keenly aware of idiomatic expressions, translates, word for word, into a Danish IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION which is the source of all this confusion. Saying "How's it going?" would translate directly into the informal greeting you're looking for :P
The wrong translation goes: "How are you?" = "Hvordan har du det?" which actually means "How are you feeling (right now)?"
The "I'm prepared for Danish idioms" version: "How's it going?" = "Hva' så?"/"Hvordan går det?" which actually means "What's up?"
That’s a perfect explanation. Now I understand the confusion more, I never got why Danes think it’s about feelings or deep status - it’s basically “hvad så” or “what’s up/how’s it going” in American English.
I also think it’s a bit of Danes projecting their own culture on it, because Americans tend to be more open and receptive to strangers in almost any situation, but that’s not the “Danish way” in most cases.
@@RobeTrotting I actually don't think it's the last part at all. I think Danes just consider themselves good at English, so "obviously they understood it right"....Which is absolutely not the case. Danes only have large English vocabularies, but the education on British, American and Australian idiomatic expressions is sorely lacking.
Having Aspergers I've been trained in Danish idiomatic expressions, because I understood them as what was literally said. This, obviously, made me curious about the English equivalents.
TL;DR: If you say "Hej, hva' så?" to ANY Dane they will instantly recognize the situation as "I'm being polite and want to exchange pleasantries. Please give a response appropriate for this situation". And this is perfectly acceptable behaviour at every other place than a funeral (provided you don't look like a bum/biker/weirdo). That we may not wish to extend the situation into a prolonged small talk session is an entirely different matter.
Can you make a video where you review "Matador"
Cotton is nice - until it gets wet in cold weather. "Cotton kills" - every hiker or mountaineer learns that quickly.
I love the Morgan Freeman commenting! I can't stop laughing! 😂
We couldn’t wait to find JUST the right video for that haha
HAHAHA I'm an thinking that was a dig at House of El :D
Grade 3? My daughter is learning English at grade 1...
Edit: about the doctor... Even if you are assigned to one guy. You have the right to have a second opinion. Just call or show up somewhere else. They may not have an open slot that day, but they get the same pay from government... And then you can be rather sure to get a third party evaluation of your health.
Too late to edit it to grade 1 haha, but that’s really good 👍
@@RobeTrotting I'm an old garden gnome, English wasn't until 4th grade. So I was surprised myself. But language is so much easier when you start early. It certainly doesn't harm.
Raising our own kids by the one parent one language strategy. So our daughter (7 years/1st grade) is fluent in Danish and Cantonese spoken, and quite good at English, picking up the reading already.. I could hardly be prouder..
I remember how difficult it was to me to just learn how to pronounce the Cyrillic characters at age 25. Never could I imagine being able to also handle the grammar. But I do quite okay when it comes to German.
The earlier the better.
English in grade 1 is quite new,
@@sonnyboi1761 i have no clue, but I think it's a good thing... I'm just surprised that they already work on English spelling at grade 1. I basically thought it would start with all-dialogue starting so early.
"How are you?" is not that strange, but unless you are close friends you would just say that you are good/ok, even if you are not.
Yes 🙌🏼 you get it 😊
Norway is the girlfriend we stole from sweden, that is why we have so much in commen :) we are a perfect match in being imperfect, with the same sense of dark scandi humor, only the norweigens and danes understand :) ❤️ hope you guys get to learn more about our history outside of cph and you stay healthy, lots of love and support from vest Jylland
Do you guys like metric? I hear most americans moving out like it, but some just can’t have it 9
Dear Robe Trotting....
when are you getting an external mic, or a lapel mic.... anything that sounds better than your bunker sound at the moment ;)
im sure you could ask josh for help with it...
that is my only grieve, your content is A OK :)
We have a Rode boom mic and it works fine.
That Morgan Freeman voice made me think of Shawshank Redemption 😀
That’s what we were aiming for haha
the "how are u" question is reserved for family and friends, as it's a personal question... maybe he sounds/looks sick, maybe u havent talked in a while, maybe u are interested in their life... there's many times u can use it, but it's always a personal question...
you have a Dane from Jutland as a friend who is always ready to help you👍🏻 as we like to meet talk to you. 👍🏻😊🇩🇰🇺🇸
Aw, thank you Michael :)
I’m a Dane from North Sealand and I’m pretty sure, that most of the Danes are people who always are ready to help their friends when needed. It doesn’t matter where in Denmark you’re coming from. Also if you have a Danish friend, then you have a loyal friend you can trust and a friend for life
“Who knew that unit confusion could be a major fail?” Tell that to NASA
Nice Freeman.
What is the expected answer to "How are you"?
I have trained my US colleagues not to ask me that question, unless they really want to hear an honest answer, so I guess I'm missing the proper code word to continue the usage of that phrase.
'Fine, thanks' is good enough. You can continue from there if you want.
How did you guys do that with Morgan Freeman voice ? 😂
We had the idea ourselves, but we had to hire someone haha - we are both terrible at even the simplest voices like a British accent 😂
In Denmark children actually learn English from første klasse (directly translate to first grade), which is actually the second year. 😁
Why is everyone laser focused on this like it was an entire video on English language education in Denmark? We can’t change it now that’s it’s published so… 🤷🏻♂️ thanks for being the 20th comment to say this I guess 😂
@@RobeTrotting I read at least 30 comments - none of them commenting on this fact - before I wrote my comment. I didn’t want to make anyone angry, but just state a fact. I could also have written, that in Denmark we text movies, so we all hear a lot of English and American, when we see movies and series. I’m sorry that you feel offended! 🥺
Fails that you can learn from, quickly
...are the best kind, guys!
No need to wallow, just move forward 😊
Some of them, everyone makes when visiting/moving to other countries,
your's are probably just a smidgen more American, in nature?
I do not pretend to speak a lot of languages, but I have a working knowledge of several...so instead of asking,
'Do you speak English?'
I say,
'I am sorry, I only speak a little of your language'
It brings them closer to you and illicits the help you might need 😉
hello from Hundested 🌸🌱
0:50 2 is ok
if your not good to prounounce danish words u can just talk engilish bc that happends often livving in denmmark
Even worse than "how are you" is "what's up". No one in Scandinavia knows what they should answer! 😂
In Sweden, especially in younger age, a common phrase is "allt bra?". It literally means "everything's good?". To that phrase, in 99% you expect a simple "ja, och du?" ("yes, and you?") back as an answer because it's more of the American "how are you?" and not a sincere question.
The accent in the voice-over is all over the place. Initially it sounded like a mix between Finnish and Swedish, then drifted towards some kind of generic Continental European accent.
It’s supposed to sound like Morgan Freeman… not that deep of an issue haha.
@@RobeTrotting it is Morgan Freeman! He just need to listen better 😂😉
Before praising the Danish health care system too much, you should know that there are a big difference dependant on where you live. No problem in big cities but in rural areas there is a severe lack of doctors.
That's literally the case in every country.
As someone who works at a super market, let me say this to none danish speakers, or just people who are still learning to speak danish, dont become the silent smiling wall. If i greet you in Danish and you just smile and nod, im not annoyed but i do wonder why you wont speak, when i then tell you the final price of your groceries and still gets no words, im starting to feel weird, when i ask you if you want a receit and you still just smile or just looks at me, then i get really annoyed, cause i will always assume you speak my language, but if you can't but dont tell me, i feel like an ass for just continuing speaking jibber jack nonsense to you, so please everyone here, just say, ''do you speak english?'' Or just ask, ''in english please'' cause then i know that now you understand me and we can communicate, but those people who just dont respond to your words, that leaves an awkward feeling in the room for everyone. :)
You don't know what is going through a customer's mind, so I suggest you don't let it get to you or take it personally. It's only awkward to you because you feel that something is deviating from the norm. You're expecting that both you and the customer will follow the same script and be on the same page, but there are plenty of reasons why someone goes off script with you (which have nothing to do with you). Maybe this person is anxious about offending you, maybe they have a disability, maybe it's actually a Native Danish speaker who just went through something super shitty and they don't really have it in them to greet you normally. Maybe it's an exchange student who wanted to speak Danish but lost the nerve in the very last second. You're not an unfriendly ass for speaking Danish in Denmark and most Danish learners will appreciate that you speak to them in Danish at first! There's nothing wrong with the silent smiling wall if they know how to pay and don't need you to get something specific from the back for them. Maybe that smile is the best they can do to make the situation less impolite and awkward. Also, no one ever died from feeling awkward, so you'll both be fine! I'm sure most people appreciate you talking the time to talk, even if they don't reply :)
0:43 actually we learn it from 1. grade and not 3. grade 🙂
7 minute video - one take away 😂
Dane here 🙋🏼♀️ the 1 grade is something new. Back in my schools years in the 2000’s it was 3-4 grade.
Helle Thorning? Anders Fogh? Mette Forræderiksen?
LOL
"Have you met Dave" would be soo much harder in Denmark- unless you look awesome, as in AWESOME! Goes for every gender!
Ha ha its so spot on. Damn we Danes are strange 😄😄
But lovable 🇩🇰😂
I tend to say "er vi friske" when I meet up with my friends. I can only imagine the confused look I would get if I asked an american "are you fresh" 😂
how much Danish do you gues speak
No one ever understands us so we only do videos in english haha, but we have basic Danish skills
You do know that English is something every one do learn in school.. 😉
Yep - now we realize it haha
@@RobeTrotting
But yes there are a lot of older people that forgot what they learned... 🤭😁😂👍
Depends on what age the lessons start. Not everyone who learned English at school is necessarily a fluent speaker either.
@@MTMF.london
I know 👍😁
Perhaps the education system is better in Denmark than in UK. Lots if Brits learn French at school but few leave school capable of holding a conversation in French.
Haha… who did the Morgan Freeman voice?
We found someone online and sent him the lines haha
Who made the Morgan Freeman voice?
Around 30 years ago, when somalis started to come to Denmark and every time i got to talk to some of them, I coudn't help but taking the piss on them. "Why Denmark???" and the surpriced looks on their faces was worth it. "Why do you come up here to freeze your asses off??". They always laughed, but did give it a second thought when asked in the winter, teeth clapping and all. 😀
- Yeah I know, I'm a horrible person.
😂
😎🇩🇰
In my school we learn English in 0 grade
I'm from Denmark
Nice 👍
Actually Danes are taught English from 1st grade.
Okay
It hasn't been that way for very long..
that's new, I didn't learn until 3rd grade, I'm 25
@@mikachristinasunesen-laurs6757 My granddaughter is in 1st grade and are taught English.
@@wncjan exactly, it's something new. Meaning most adults will not have been taught from the 1st grade and I doubt that they are out talking to little kids and asking them for advice 😉 but always a good thing to inform people, just remember to specify.
0:50 2 ro 1
1st grade actually
5:00 sorry, but I laughed :)
"Hi how are you?" Means you are interested in how we really are. And that is something dances don't discuss with strangers. And should you manage to get to befriend a Dane and still use that phrase. Then be prepared for the raw truth of how they are.
Don't ask questions you are not prepared to hear the truth about.
With generally lead to the fact that if you ask questions in general you will hear the truth without putting fingers in between. Which is fun when you meet foreigners and they are so not prepared to hear about everything from sex to taxes and all in between from asking simple innocent questions. Efficiency people that is the key.:)
Well, in American English/to Americans it means something different - it's basically "hvad så" or a greeting like that - I think most Danes know this from American TV and movies, but don't accept that use of the phrase. It's also funny because I think most Americans are less private, so they are perfectly fine with people answering with a raw truth if they feel they must haha.
Guys, I do not see what you mentioned as being part of an epic fail list.
Funny? Yes!
Common mistakes many foreigners make? Sure!
But still, all you were doing was just trying to survive, over there and figure out where you fit in.
🙃 Sure you weren't being a bit too hard on yourselves? 🙃
What surprised me most about this list, was the following, though:
😱 Gosh, asking someone if they can speak English, especially in a foreign country, hardly seems like an epic fail.
Wow, I hope people (even if they were THAT offended) were still understanding of your just wanting to suss stuff out and make starting off life in a country full of pitfalls, a little bit easier.
💯 Frankly, I think you two have made a smashing success of living in a country, that many Americans miiiight not think of moving to, right off the bat.
Interesting....but you seems to be doing ok
yeah, still doing well 😃
@@RobeTrotting You both have a warm attitude so I deeply excuse the climate...sitting at home fighting a cold🙂
LMAO 🤣 ! You've gone from "fails" to "keepers" 😎 ! "You can check in.., but you can never leave" (Eagles -Hotel California :-) ) ! Well you can, but we Danes like you..., so there !
😁 Thanks Kim
Hi guys. Thank you for another great video. I got an idea while watching. Last christmas i bought two t-shirts from an American website for two lovely girls aged 4 and 7. It was no easy task due to the different measurement systems. I imagine it must have been a struggle for you to adapt to cm, meters, km, grams, kilo, when you are used to miles, oz, gallions and cups from birth. I took the girls measurements and used the size guide from the webshop, I converted the measurements into inches. The girls did fit into them, but let's just say it's gonna be a while before the girls have outgrown them. A x-small and small. The t-shirts were bought from an American company, but produced in a factory in Holland. It is a complete nightmare and very time consuming and nerveracking trying to get it right. My idea is: could you guys maybe if you want, do a video about that topic, since you are familiar with both measurement systems now. maybe a guide with tips on how to shop on american websites and tips and tricks and how to deal with different measurement. I'm sure it will be useful to many danes as well as expats who moved to Denmark. Thank you for taking time to read my comment.
Well dont be shy, besides in Denmark we embrace failures and stupid, it is pretty much what run the show here, from politics and down.
Jeg taler dask og Danmark
Otherwise I do enjoy your channel :)
br alan
Here in demmark we lern engilsh at 0 grade
Obviously not early enough by the looks of it.
Sure, English language media is something people in Denmark get even before it's part of formal education - good point :)
Its different from school to school, some is from 1st grade and some still stick to 2nd or 3rd though we do introduce english far earlier than we did back when I went to school xD I started with english in 3rd grade, though I didnt really start to learn it properly in 9th grade. But by now I’m as fluent in english as I am in Danish :D at times I use more english than Danish xD
@@LarsPallesen When I was in school it wasn't until 5th, but it since has been moved forward to the beginning of school, maybe we should move it forward to the maternity ward....
@@vrenak lol
We learn english at grade 1 not in grade 3 😁
okay
Well.. we did in the 2000’s
@@Simpopcorn i dont Think understand you?
@@Sturniolo_SnC_reposts its 1st grade now for learning english, but me and other who was a child back in the 2000’s we learned it in 3-4 grade. For me was it in 2003-2004 ish ☺️
@@Simpopcornoh okay
OMFG with the “we learn english in 1st grade” yeah ok.. they made a mistake, chill! Some us us newly adults learned english in 3-4 grade in the beginning of 2000’s. God dahmit relax people. Its a new thing 😂
Childen lean english in 1. grad in Denmark to day.😉
Okay
Actually children learn English from first grade
Okay
What denmark has that the US dont is much more simpel than you put it.
We newer have to worry. If we want a book or pc game, we go to the liberary, if we are stressed we take a wacation, if we need national pride we watch football, and im not calling it soccer, what you americans call football is not played with a foot, so that just dont make sence.
I have in my life dropped my wallet 4 times and evry time i got it back with all the money in it, and at one time i found a womans handbag on a train, i am a dane so i simply opened her wallet to find her adress and sendt it to her. while opening her bag to find her adress, i could see that her passport, keys, driverslicence, socuial security card and some werry personal items were in the bag. I hated going into her bag, but i diddent mind the chokolate, the nice letter and the 1000 kroner she send me as a thanks for returning her bag. Being safe and being at team, and ofcause Social liberalism, is what makes scandinavia great and i love to watch the US growing into the same ideals. In denmark it is a unwritten law, that you pay a Finders fee of about 10% I newer looked but i think there might have bin a bit of money in that bag, but it dossent matter, in Debmark we dont really have a good reson to become criminals, We get about 2000 $ For going home and doing nothing. I have PTSD because i was subjeted to wionelce in my childhood and later had a bad accident when i was in the danish army, that have given me mild brain damage that has damaged my hearing and short tearm memory, so i simply cant work, but i feel safe and i feel like im rich. I have acces to luxurious food, free healthcare, free scools, safety in the streets, werry low corruption. Our politisian sometimes try to corrupt our system, but they dont try werry hard, because they know we were Vikings and remenmber how to cut a blood eagel. The US government dont respect its own peopel, the danish government respects its people and they are a littel bit afraid of Vikings.
Yeah if we danes want to mingle, we go to the local swingers club 😁
Now I remember! That’s where I recognize you from 😂
So ... how many ferrets could you lift? :-p
Is this a mink joke we don't get?
@@RobeTrotting I saw a meme joking that americans would measure in anything except meteics, and mentioned an astroid 2000 ferrets wide ;-p
English is before 3 grade