Denmark is one of the least necessary places in the world to learn the local language. English proficiency is near-universal, service staff switch to it before you have finished apologising, and there is no social penalty for not trying. That makes the question less "what do I need" than "what is actually worth the hour".
The short list
| Danish | Sounds roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hej | hi | hello (and hi, universally) |
| tak | tak | thanks |
| tusind tak | TOO-sin tak | thanks a thousand |
| undskyld | ON-skyl | sorry, excuse me |
| ja / nej | ya / nigh | yes / no |
| hvor meget? | vor MY-el | how much? |
| hvor er …? | vor air | where is …? |
| regningen, tak | RYE-ning-en tak | the bill, please |
| hej hej | hi hi | bye |
Danish has no everyday word for "please". Tak does the work at the end of a request — regningen, tak — and adding something that translates "please" makes the sentence stranger, not politer. English speakers reaching for it is the single most common learner tell.
Read the price tags, not the phrasebook. Danish numbers from fifty upward count in twenties, so 70 is halvfjerds — "half-fourth times twenty" — and 50 is halvtreds. Shop prices land squarely in that range. Recognising halvtreds, tres, halvfjerds and firs by ear is worth more than any greeting, because it is the one place a traveller genuinely cannot guess.
The words you will read constantly
| Danish | Meaning | Where |
|---|---|---|
| åben / lukket | open / closed | shop doors |
| indgang / udgang | entrance / exit | everywhere |
| tog / bus / cykel | train / bus / bicycle | transport |
| afgang / ankomst | departure / arrival | stations |
| tilbud | offer, on sale | supermarkets |
| uden / med | without / with | menus, labels |
| kasse | checkout, till | shops |
Tilbud alone justifies the list. Danish supermarket pricing leans heavily on promotions and the shelf label reads in Danish regardless of how good the cashier's English is.
Hygge is not what the gift books say
The word travelled into English as a lifestyle category involving candles and blankets. In Danish it is closer to an adjective for a situation: an evening, a café, a conversation can be hyggelig, and the sense is of comfortable ease rather than of decor. Det var hyggeligt — that was nice — is a perfectly ordinary thing to say leaving a dinner, and using it correctly is more appreciated than any amount of memorised phrasing.
The practical stuff
Denmark is close to cashless; cards work everywhere including small bakeries, and some places no longer take cash at all. Tipping is not expected — service is included and rounding up is already generous. Cycling infrastructure is genuinely the default rather than a novelty, and the cycle lane rules are enforced socially with some vigour, so a visitor wandering into one on foot will be told about it. That is not hostility, and it is the same directness you meet in the language.
Look up Danish words offline
The free English-Danish Dictionary gives meanings and everyday vocabulary without a connection.
Open the dictionary appFrequently asked questions
Do I need Danish in Denmark?
No. Denmark consistently ranks at or near the top of global English proficiency surveys, and you can spend a fortnight there without needing a word. What Danish gives you is reading — menus outside the centre, supermarket labels, transport notices — more than speaking.
Why does spoken Danish sound so different from the spelling?
Danish has undergone heavy consonant weakening and vowel reduction that the orthography never caught up with. Many written consonants are softened or dropped, and the stød — a creaky catch in the voice — carries meaning but is not written at all.
Can I get by with Swedish or Norwegian?
Written, largely yes; the three are close in print. Spoken is asymmetric: Danes generally understand Norwegian better than Norwegians understand Danish, and Swedes often struggle with spoken Danish. Reading a Danish sign with Swedish is much easier than hearing one.