Danish Phrases: Greetings, Goodbye & Everyday Essentials

Danish phrases are more than just polite formulas – they reveal how Danes actually communicate. Understated, direct, and often with soft sounds that disappear before you expect them to. When I started working through Danish after years with Norwegian, what struck me first wasn’t the vocabulary overlap – it was how different the spoken rhythm felt. The same phrase looks familiar on paper and sounds completely foreign out loud.

This page collects the most common Danish phrases for everyday use: greetings, goodbyes, introductions, apologies, question words, colours, numbers, days and months – each with IPA pronunciation. Whether you’re preparing for a trip to Denmark, starting a Danish course, or building your first vocabulary base, these phrases give you a practical foundation.

Danish greetings – formal and casual

Danish has a clear split between formal and casual registers – though in practice, Danes move to casual very quickly. In business contexts or when addressing someone older, the formal forms are still worth knowing. In everyday life, Hej covers almost everything.

One thing I noticed learning Danish after Norwegian: the written forms look almost identical to Norwegian, but the pronunciation diverges sharply. God dag in Norwegian sounds close to what you’d expect. In Danish, it comes out closer to go’ da’ – consonants soften or disappear entirely. That’s the core challenge with spoken Danish.

English	Formal Danish	Casual Danish	IPA (casual)
Hello	God dag	Hej	[hɑj]
Good morning	God morgen	Mor’n	[ˈmɒˀn]
Good evening	God aften	Hej / Aftens	[ˈkoˀ ˈɑfdn̩]
How are you?	Hvordan har De det?	Hvordan går det?	[vɐˈdæn ˈkɒˀ ˈde]
I’m doing well	Jeg har det godt, tak	Det går godt, tak	[de ˈkɒˀ ˈkʌd tˢɑk]
Nice to meet you	Det er en fornøjelse	Dejligt at møde dig	[ˈtɑjlid ˈæd ˈmøːðə ˈdɑj]
Welcome!	Velkommen!	Velkommen!	[ˈvelˌkʰɔmən]
Good to see you	Godt at se Dem	Godt at se dig	[ˈkʌd̥ ˈɛˀ ˈseˀ ˈtɑj]

A note on De vs. du: the formal pronoun De (capitalised) is increasingly rare in modern Danish – Denmark has one of the most informal business cultures in Europe. But in written correspondence or when addressing elderly people, it still appears.

How to say goodbye in Danish – formal and casual

Danish goodbyes are straightforward, but the casual-formal split matters here too. Farvel is the standard formal goodbye – equivalent to “farewell” in weight. In everyday use, Danes prefer Hej hej, which sounds almost identical to a Swedish goodbye but carries a distinctly Danish rhythm.

English	Formal Danish	Casual Danish	IPA (casual)
Goodbye	Farvel	Hej hej	[hɑj hɑj]
See you soon	På gensyn	Vi ses snart	[vi ˈseːs ˈsnɑːˀd]
See you tomorrow	På gensyn i morgen	Vi ses i morgen	[vi ˈseːs i ˈmɒːn]
See you later	–	Vi ses senere	[vi ˈseːs ˈseːnɐ]
Take care	Pas godt på Dem selv	Pas på dig selv	[ˈpæs ˈpʰoˀ dɑj sɛl]
Talk later	–	Vi snakkes	[vi ˈsnɑkəs]
Good night	God nat	God nat	[ˈkoˀˌnɛd]
Sleep well	–	Sov godt	[ˈsʌʊ̯ ˈkʌd]
Nice to have met you	Det var en fornøjelse	Dejligt at have mødt dig	[ˈtɑjlid ˈæd hæː ˈmøt ˈdɑj]

Please and thank you in Danish – formal and casual

Danish doesn’t have a single direct equivalent of “please” the way English does. Vær så venlig is the formal version (“be so kind”), while vær sød is the casual equivalent. In practice, Danes often simply use the imperative with a softening tak at the end – making “please” implicit rather than stated. This took some getting used to when I first encountered it.

English	Formal Danish	Casual Danish	IPA
Please	Vær så venlig	Vær sød	[ˈvæɐ̯ ˈsøːˀð]
Thank you	Mange tak	Tak	[tˢɑk]
Thank you very much	Tusind tak	Tusind tak	[ˈtˢusən tˢɑk]
You’re welcome	Det var så lidt	Selv tak	[ˈsɛl tˢɑk]
No, thank you	Nej tak	Nej tak	[ˈnɑj tˢɑk]
Yes, please	Ja tak	Ja tak	[ˈjæ tˢɑk]

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Apologising in Danish – formal and casual

The word undskyld does a lot of heavy lifting in Danish – it covers “sorry”, “excuse me”, and “pardon” depending on context. For more serious apologies, jeg beklager carries more weight and is the form you’d use in writing or formal situations.

English	Formal Danish	Casual Danish	IPA
Excuse me / Sorry	Undskyld mig	Undskyld	[ˈɔnˌskyl]
I apologise	Jeg beklager	Jeg er ked af det	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈkɛð ʌ ˈde]
It was my fault	Det var min fejl	Det var min skyld	[de vɑː min ˈskyˀl]
I didn’t mean it	Det var ikke meningen	Jeg mente det ikke	[ˈjɑj ˈmɛnˀdə de ˈekə]
I didn’t do it on purpose	Jeg gjorde det ikke med vilje	Det var ikke med vilje	[de vɑː ˈekə me̝ː ˈviljə]
That was very clumsy of me	Det var meget klodset af mig	Det var klodset af mig	[de vɑː ˈklʌsəð æ ˈmɑj]

Danish question words

Question words in Danish are mostly short and phonetically challenging – many start with hv-, which is pronounced like a simple v in modern standard Danish. Hvad sounds like va, hvor like vor. Once that pattern clicks, they become much easier to remember.

For a deeper look at Danish pronunciation, Forvo’s Danish pronunciation database is one of the best free resources available – native speakers for every word.

English	Danish	IPA
Who?	Hvem?	[ˈvɛm]
What?	Hvad?	[ˈvɛð]
Where?	Hvor?	[ˈvɒˀ]
When?	Hvornår?	[vɒˈnɒˀ]
Why?	Hvorfor?	[ˈvɒˌfɒ]
How?	Hvordan?	[vɐˈdæn]
How much? / How many?	Hvor meget? / Hvor mange?	[ˈvɒˀ ˈmɑjð] / [ˈvɒˀ ˈmɑŋə]
Which?	Hvilken?	[ˈvelˀgən]
Whose?	Hvis?	[ˈvis]

Introducing yourself in Danish

When travelling in Denmark or working with Danish colleagues, introductions come up quickly. Danes tend to get to first-name terms fast – the formal De pronoun is rarely used in conversation today.

English	Danish	IPA
My name is Jonas.	Mit navn er Jonas.	[mit ˈnɑʊ̯n ɑ ˈjoːnæs]
What is your name?	Hvad hedder du?	[vɛð ˈhɛðɐ du]
Where do you come from?	Hvor kommer du fra?	[ˈvɒˀ ˈkʰʌmɐ du fʁɑː]
I am from London.	Jeg kommer fra London.	[ˈjɑj ˈkʰʌmɐ fʁɑː ˈlɔnˌdʌn]
Where do you live?	Hvor bor du?	[ˈvɒˀ ˈpoɐ̯ ˈdu]
I live in Berlin.	Jeg bor i Berlin.	[ˈjɑj ˈpoɐ̯ i bɛɐ̯ˈliːn]
Do you speak English?	Taler du engelsk?	[ˈtʰɛːlɐ du ˈɛŋˌelˀsk]
I understand some Danish.	Jeg forstår lidt dansk.	[ˈjɑj fɒˈsdɒˀ ˈle̝d ˈtanˀsk]

Useful “I am…” phrases in Danish

These short sentences are among the first you’ll need – whether you’re expressing how you feel, explaining a situation, or just making conversation.

English	Danish	IPA
I am fine.	Jeg har det fint.	[ˈjɑj hɑː ˈde ˈfiːnˀd]
I am hungry.	Jeg er sulten.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈsulˀdn̩]
I am thirsty.	Jeg er tørstig.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈtɶɐ̯sdi]
I am tired.	Jeg er træt.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈtʁɑd]
I am happy.	Jeg er glad.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈglæːð]
I am sad.	Jeg er ked af det.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈkɛð ʌ ˈde]
I am ill.	Jeg er syg.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈsyː]
I need help!	Jeg har brug for hjælp!	[ˈjɑj hɑː ˈpʁuˀ ˈfɒ ˈjelb]
I am lost.	Jeg er faret vild.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈfɑːʁəð ˈvilˀ]
I am a tourist.	Jeg er turist.	[ˈjɑj ɑ tuˈʁisd]
I am in a hurry.	Jeg har travlt.	[ˈjɑj hɑː ˈtʁɑːwld]
I am late.	Jeg er forsinket.	[ˈjɑj ɑ fɒˈseŋˌkəð]
I am ready.	Jeg er klar.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈklɑːˀ]
I am new here.	Jeg er ny her.	[ˈjɑj ɑ ˈnyː ˈhɛɐ̯]

Useful signs and notices in Danish

These are the signs and notices you’ll most likely encounter when travelling in Denmark.

English	Danish	IPA
Entrance	Indgang	[ˈenˌkɛŋ]
Exit	Udgang	[ˈuðˌkɛŋ]
Toilet	Toilet	[ˌtʰo.iˈlɛd]
Open	Åben	[ˈɔːbən]
Closed	Lukket	[ˈlɔgəð]
Caution!	Pas på!	[pʰæs ˈpʰoˀ]
Attention!	Advarsel!	[ˈælˌvɑːsəl]
No entry	Adgang forbudt	[ˈælˌkɛŋ fɒˈbut]
Police	Politi	[pʰoliˈti]
Emergency services	Beredskab	[bəˈʁɛðˌskɛˀb]
Fire brigade	Brandvæsen	[ˈbʁɑnˌvɛːsn̩]

The colours in Danish

English	Danish	IPA
Red	Rød	[ʁœːˀ]
Blue	Blå	[blɔːˀ]
Green	Grøn	[kʁœnˀ]
Yellow	Gul	[ɡuːˀl]
Black	Sort	[soːˀt]
White	Hvid	[viðˀ]
Orange	Orange	[oˈʁɑ̃ːʃə]
Purple	Lilla	[ˈle̝lə]
Pink	Lyserød	[ˈlyːsəʁœːˀ]
Brown	Brun	[b̥ʁuːˀn]
Grey	Grå	[kʁɔːˀ]

Days of the week, months and seasons in Danish

Days and months in Danish follow Germanic patterns – familiar if you know German or Dutch, with some characteristic Danish sound shifts. Note that days of the week are not capitalised in Danish, unlike in English or German.

English	Danish	IPA
Monday	mandag	[ˈmænˌtæˀ]
Tuesday	tirsdag	[ˈtiɐ̯ˌsdaˀ]
Wednesday	onsdag	[ˈɔnˌstaˀ]
Thursday	torsdag	[ˈtʰɒːˌsdaˀ]
Friday	fredag	[ˈfʁɛˌdæˀ]
Saturday	lørdag	[ˈlɶɐ̯ˌdæˀ]
Sunday	søndag	[ˈsønˌdæˀ]
January	januar	[ˈjanua̯ʁ]
February	februar	[ˈfe̝bʁuˌɑˀ]
March	marts	[ˈmɑːts]
April	april	[aˈpʰʁiːl]
May	maj	[ˈmai̯]
June	juni	[ˈjuːni]
July	juli	[ˈjuːli]
August	august	[ˈɑwˌgʊsd]
September	september	[sɛbˈtɛmbɐ]
October	oktober	[ogˈtʰoːbɐ]
November	november	[noˈvɛmbɐ]
December	december	[deˈsɛmbɐ]
Spring	forår	[ˈfɒːˌɒˀ]
Summer	sommer	[ˈsʌmɐ]
Autumn	efterår	[ˈefdɐˌɒˀ]
Winter	vinter	[ˈvenˀtɐ]

Danish numbers 1–25

Numbers in Danish up to 20 are manageable – but from 50 onwards, the system gets genuinely unusual. Danish uses a vigesimal (base-20) counting system, meaning numbers like 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 are expressed as fractions of 20. A full explanation with tables up to 100 is in the dedicated article: Danish numbers explained – how to count in Danish.

English	Danish	IPA
One	En / Et	[ˈe̝n] / [ˈed]
Two	To	[ˈtˢoˀ]
Three	Tre	[ˈtʰʁɛˀ]
Four	Fire	[ˈfiːɐ̯]
Five	Fem	[ˈfɛmˀ]
Six	Seks	[ˈsɛks]
Seven	Syv	[ˈsywˀ]
Eight	Otte	[ˈʌdˀə]
Nine	Ni	[ˈniˀ]
Ten	Ti	[ˈtiˀ]
Eleven	Elleve	[ˈelˀvə]
Twelve	Tolv	[ˈtʰʌlˀ]
Thirteen	Tretten	[ˈtʰʁɑd̥n̩]
Fourteen	Fjorten	[ˈfjɒːd̥n̩]
Fifteen	Femten	[ˈfɛmˀd̥n̩]
Sixteen	Seksten	[ˈsɑj̯sd̥n̩]
Seventeen	Sytten	[ˈsytˀn̩]
Eighteen	Atten	[ˈad̥n̩]
Nineteen	Nitten	[ˈne̝d̥n̩]
Twenty	Tyve	[ˈtyːvə]
Twenty-one	Enogtyve	[ˈe̝nɒˌtyːvə]
Twenty-two	Toogtyve	[ˈtˢoɒˌtyːvə]
Twenty-three	Treogtyve	[ˈtʰʁɛɒˌtyːvə]
Twenty-four	Fireogtyve	[ˈfiːɐ̯ɒˌtyːvə]
Twenty-five	Femogtyve	[ˈfɛmɒˌtyːvə]

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How to learn Danish phrases effectively

A phrase list is a starting point, not a method. From my own experience learning Danish after Norwegian – and before that, building Norwegian from scratch over eight years – the difference between passive recognition and active use comes down to repetition in context.

The approach that worked for me: learn phrases inside short dialogues, not in isolation. When undskyld appears in a greeting exchange rather than in a standalone list, it sticks differently. This is exactly what structured courses like 17-Minute Languages build around – vocabulary and phrases embedded in real dialogue from the first lesson.

If you’re at the beginning, the free trial gives you a concrete sense of how the method works: try the Danish course free for two days.*

For a full overview of Danish courses at all levels, including how Babbel and Mondly compare for Danish: Danish language courses – complete overview.

Related articles:

• Danish numbers explained – counting in Danish
• Best apps to learn Danish – tested and compared
• Learn Danish with Babbel
• Learn Danish with Mondly
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• The different ways of learning languages