Basic requests and instructions | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: A beginner practices six useful English phrases about basic requests and instructions..

EN → DA / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Basic requests and instructions to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Kom venligst ind.

kohm VEN-lest en. Please come inside.
B

Sæt dig venligst her.

sed dye VEN-lest hair. Please sit here.
A

Vent venligst her.

vend VEN-lest hair. Please wait here.
B

Kig venligst her.

kee VEN-lest hair. Please look here.
A

Lyt venligst godt efter.

lüt VEN-lest gohd EF-tuh. Please listen carefully.
B

Tal venligst langsomt.

tail VEN-lest LANG-somd. Please speak slowly.

Word by Word

Kom “Kom” means “come” in the instruction “Kom venligst ind.” It is the form used to tell one person to come; a common pattern is “Kom” followed by a direction or place.
venligst “venligst” means “please” and makes the instruction polite. It commonly appears with an instruction, as in “Kom venligst ind.” Use it when making a polite request to another person.
ind “ind” means “inside” in “Kom venligst ind.” It shows the direction of movement into an interior space; it can follow a movement instruction such as “Kom … ind.”
Sæt In “Sæt dig venligst her,” “Sæt” helps form the instruction to sit down. It is used with “dig” when the person is being told to sit; this pattern is useful for a direct request about where someone should sit.
dig “dig” refers to the person being addressed in “Sæt dig venligst her.” Together with “Sæt,” it shows that the person should sit themselves; the pattern “Sæt dig …” is used when telling someone to sit down.
her “her” means “here” and identifies the place in “Sæt dig venligst her.” It commonly follows an instruction when you want someone to do something in a particular nearby place.
Vent “Vent” means “wait” in “Vent venligst her.” It tells one person to remain until something happens; “Vent” can be followed by a place, as in “Vent … her.”
Kig “Kig” means “look” in “Kig venligst her.” It directs someone’s attention toward a place or thing; a useful pattern is “Kig” followed by the place or object to look at.
Lyt “Lyt” means “listen” in “Lyt venligst godt efter.” It asks one person to pay attention to sound or speech; it is commonly used in an instruction such as “Lyt … efter.”
godt “godt” means “well” here and contributes to the meaning “carefully” in “Lyt venligst godt efter.” With “Lyt … efter,” it strengthens the request to listen attentively; use this expression when asking someone to pay close attention.
efter In “Lyt venligst godt efter,” “efter” is part of the expression that means “listen carefully” or “listen closely.” It is used together with “Lyt” and “godt,” not as a shortened replacement for the whole expression.
Tal “Tal” means “speak” in “Tal venligst langsomt.” It asks one person to speak; it commonly comes before an adverb that describes how to speak.
langsomt “langsomt” means “slowly” in “Tal venligst langsomt.” It describes the requested speaking speed; use it after “Tal” when asking someone to speak at a slower pace.

Grammar Points

Imperativ: verbets stamme

Kom ind, venligst.

kohm en, VEN-lest.

Come inside, please.

The Danish imperative uses the verb stem, as in kom, vent, kig, lyt and tal.

Refleksivt pronomen efter imperativ

Sæt dig her.

sed dye hair.

Sit here.

With sætte, Danish uses dig for “yourself”: sæt dig means “sit down” or “sit yourself.”

Danish Vocabulary

dig pron
dye yourself
godt efter phrase
gohd EF-tuh carefully
her adv
hair here
ind adv
en inside
kigge verb
KEH-guh look Kig
kom verb
kohm come Kom
langsomt adv
LANG-somd slowly
lytte verb
LÜD-duh listen Lyt
sætte verb
SED-uh sit Sæt
tale verb
TAIL-uh speak Tal
venligst adv
VEN-lest please
vente verb
VEN-duh wait Vent

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Please come inside.

Show AnswerKom venligst ind.

Please sit here.

Show AnswerSæt dig venligst her.

Please wait here.

Show AnswerVent venligst her.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

please

Show Answervenligst

wait

Show AnswerVent

slowly

Show Answerlangsomt

yourself

Show Answerdig