Should I learn Danish or Norwegian?

All of the Scandinavian languages are relatively easy to learn. But Norwegian has the honor of being classified as the easiest. Why is that? And what exactly makes a language easy or hard to learn? Let’s take a close look.

Learning a new language is never going to be easy, but some factors can make it easier or harder. Some of these are:

• What language you speak from before
• How much time you are willing to dedicate
• What resources you have at your disposal
• If you have anyone else to practice and use the language with

When it comes to the Scandinavian languages, you’re in luck, as they are easy for English speakers to learn. They are all Germanic languages, like English, meaning much of the vocabulary will be similar, and sentence structure will be too (although not always).

Norwegian is seen as easier to learn than Swedish and Danish though. That is because Danish pronunciation is quite tricky to get down, and while Swedish pronunciation is simpler, the spelling and sentence structure is more complicated for English learners to learn. So Norwegian has a simpler pronunciation and easier grammar to contend with, thereby making it easier for English speakers.

In the digital age we live in, there are countless tools at your disposal should you decide to learn one of the Scandinavian languages. Language learning apps like Babbel or Duolingo teach all the languages, and that’s a good place to get the basics down. Other than that. You will find language learning schools for all of them with just a quick google search.

When it comes to practicing the language with others, you might want to try some lessons, either online or in a classroom. And if you want to learn Norwegian, check out our conversation classes here! 

If you’re reading this not sure which of the Scandinavian languages to learn, here are some factors that may help you make up your mind.

• Work
  • Do you need to learn the language for work? Well then choose the language you need to speak.
• Moving to Scandinavia
  • If you’re planning to move to Scandinavia, you’ll obviously want to learn the language spoken in the country you’re moving to
• Travel or interest in Scandinavia
  • Norwegian is the way to go here. It’s easier to get down for English speakers, and you will be able to communicate with Danes and Swedes using Norwegian. While Swedes and Danes don’t understand each other nearly as well.

Learning either language will require hard work and commitment. Since you already speak English (you’re reading this after all), you’ll have some advantages, but other parts may prove difficult.

Pronunciation is a hurdle you’ll have to overcome. Danish’s pronunciation will be especially difficult. Norwegian is more straightforward, but there are vowels that are not used or common in English you’ll need to master.

Additionally, you’ll have to get used to gendered nouns and which articles or variations they cause in other words. Norwegian has three genders (masculine, feminine and neutral) while Danish only has the two first.

Repetition is the key to getting all the way to fluency with any language. You need to practice every day to make sure you don’t forget things. Write things down, speak out loud and go over things you might already know just to keep it fresh. Try to immerse yourself as much as possible in the language, and eventually tricky aspects will become second nature to you.

Danish, Norwegian and Swedish are all Scandinavian languages. They belong to the same subgroup of the Germanic language tree, namely the North Germanic languages, and are quite similar. 

All Germanic languages share common roots in the ancient Germanic language spoken thousands of years ago. The North Germanic languages don’t require us to go quite that far back in time to find a common ancestor though. We only have to go back to the Old Norse spoken by the Vikings to find the common denominator for these languages.

Because of this, the languages are quite similar, to the point where Danes, Norwegians and Swedes can understand each other relatively problem free.

All the Scandinavian languages share many of the same linguistic features. The grammar is, for the most part, very similar. Norwegian has more genders for nouns than say Swedish or Danish, and there will be some variances in verb conjugation, but syntax and other grammatical rules are for the most part pretty much the same.

The same applies to the vocabulary. Though each language has their own way of pronouncing words, they share much of the same vocabulary. Norwegian is seen as the middle point between the three, and as a result, Norwegian speakers have an easier time conversing with Swedes and Danes than they do with each other.

As you might expect Danish is spoken in Denmark, Swedish is spoken in Sweden and Norwegian spoken in Norway. But we can take a look back in history to find out how the three languages emerged.

Norway, Denmark and Sweden were the land of the Vikings. Different kingdoms emerged here and gave us the three countries. However, Denmark ruled over Norway for over 400 years! So they had a major influence on Norway’s linguistic trajectory. Norway eventually gained independence from Denmark in 1814, but at this point Danish, or a Norwegianzied version of it, had been spoken in Norway for centuries.

With independence, Norway decided to keep its Norwegianized version of Danish as an official language, but also make Nynorsk, a dialectical version of Norwegian, an official language.

Norway entered into a union with Sweden after independence from Denmark, and was subject to the Swedish crown. This gave Norwegian a taste of Swedish as well. Norway finally became 100% independent in 1905, but at this point, Swedish and Danish har made their mark on the language, and that is why Norwegian is so similar to both of these languages.

Norwegians like to joke about the way Danes speak. A common description is that Danes sound like they have a potato lodged in their throat, or that they sound just like a drunk Norwegian. But of course that is just based on a bit of friendly rivalry between the countries. And while the two languages look close to identical in their written forms, Norwegian has a much more straightforward pronunciation than Danish. It will be easier to get down for new learners.

Danish is like the French of Scandinavia. By this we mean that endings of words are often swallowed, or not pronounced. Danes also have something called the stød, a kind of glottal stop which is a constant that is a sound produced by releasing air from your mouth…. Yeah complicated…

Norwegian has three extra vowels, Æ Ø and Å. These do not exist in Danish, although you can make some approximations. Danish on the other hand has much softer consonants than in Norwegian, and they are often merged together to where they almost sound like a vowel.

The sentence “Had hedder du?” (what’s your name) would be pronounced like “vah he-ugh do” in Danish. The same sentence in Norwegian “Hva heter du” has a much more straightforward pronunciation, although also with a silent H in the first word.

Norwegian has more emphasis on tone and intonation than Danish. A word can mean multiple things depending on where you place the emphasis, so this is one area in which Danish has an advantage.

No matter if it’s Norwegian or Danish though, you want to practice your pronunciation. This can be done in many ways, but we recommend listening to podcasts, movies, TV in your target language, and attempting to repeat the words you hear. You can also speak to yourself as you go about your daily routine. Tell yourself you’re going to get a coffee in Norwegian or Danish for example.

Most important though, is practicing with others. So find someone to speak the language with. Don’t know where to look? Check out our Norwegian conversation courses here!

Since Norway was subject to Danish rule for over 400 years, the languages share a striking resemblance in their vocabulary. But Norwegian and Danish still have plenty of differences that you need to be aware of.

Norwegians and Danes are able to communicate relatively problem free with each other speaking  their respective languages. But some confusion might occur thanks to some false friends. These are words that look and sound similar but mean very different things.

If a Dane describes you as rar, for example, it means they think you’re cute. While a Norwegian describing you as rar thinks you’re weird. There are many such words that can cause confusion. Kneppe in Norwegian means to button up, while it’s the F word in Danish!

Since Norwegian independence in 1814, both languages have evolved. So there are plenty of colloquialisms that separate the two languages today. Reading a newspaper might be easy in either language if you speak one of them, but a conversation might lead to some miscommunication.

As with any language you might want to learn, learning the vocabulary is essential. Some ways to do this quickly is to consume content in the language you are learning. Using post-it notes with Norwegian or Danish words around your house or office can also help you remember important vocabulary. And of course, you’ll want to practice. So find someone to speak with, making sure you are able to listen and speak using your target language.

When it comes to the written word, Danish and Norwegian are practically the same. This is a result of Denmark’s rule over Norway for over 400 years. And while the pronunciation of words varies, the writing is more or less identical.

There are some differences. A Dane or Norwegian looking at the other country’s writing might for a second think there are some spelling mistakes here and there, but would be perfectly able to understand it.

In fact, Norwegians and Danes have an easier time understanding each other through text than actually speaking together! So if you want to improve your writing skills in either language, you need to make sure you’re learning material in the right language, or there might be some errors along the way.

We’ve already explained some of the biggest similarities and differences between Norwegian and Danish. We’re talking about the written language (similar) and pronunciation (different). But how exactly do you know if you’re speaking with a Dane or Norwegian, and how do you know if what you’re reading is Norwegian or Danish?

You can identify if the person you’re speaking with is Norwegian if they have a more sing-songy tone in their speech. Intonation and emphasis on certain syllables is essential in Norwegian, and not used in Danish. So the more musical the speaker is, the higher the chance is that they are speaking Norwegian.

You can also be on the lookout for the endings of words being swallowed, or the Danish “stød” as a tell-tale way of identifying a Danish-speaker.

Writing might be harder to identify for new learners. The languages are so similar that even native speakers might have to read some words of a sentence before they can identify the language. So the best way to know if what you’re reading is Danish or Norwegian is to learn one of the languages and see if some of the spelling seems a bit off.