Taking a Cooking Class | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a community setting, two adults discuss a beginner cooking class with simple dishes and basic sauces..

EN → DA / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Taking a Cooking Class to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Der er et madlavningskursus i medborgerhuset.

Dare air et MAD-lahv-ningz-KOOR-soos ee MED-bor-er-HOOS-et. There's a cooking class at the community center.
B

Hvilke slags retter lærer de dig at lave?

VEL-keh slags RED-uh LAIR-uh dee die ed LAIR-vuh? What kind of dishes will they teach you to make?
A

Enkle pastaretter og simple saucer.

ENG-leh PAS-dah-RED-uh oh SEM-bluh SOW-suh. Simple pasta dishes and basic sauces.
B

Er kurset åbent for begyndere?

Air KOO-set OH-bent for beh-YEN-uh-reh? Is it open to beginners?
A

Kurset starter med de grundlæggende trin.

KOO-set STAR-deh meh dee GROON-leg-eh-neh treen. The class starts with basic steps.
B

Du bør melde dig til.

Doo boor MEL-deh sigh tell. You should sign up.
A

Jeg vil gerne lære én nyttig opskrift.

Yai vihl GAIR-neh LAIR-uh ain NUH-thee OPS-greft. I want to learn one useful recipe.
B

Du kan lave den til os bagefter.

Doo kan LAIR-vuh den tell ohs BAY-ehf-tuh. You can cook it for us afterward.

Word by Word

Der In "Der er et madlavningskursus", "Der" introduces the existence of something: there is a cooking class. It is commonly used at the beginning of the pattern "Der er ..." when saying that something exists or is present.
er In "Der er et madlavningskursus", "er" helps say that something exists, giving "there is"; in "Er kurset åbent?", it means "is" in a question. Use "Der er ..." to introduce something and "Er ...?" to ask about it.
et In "et madlavningskursus", "et" means "a" and introduces one cooking course. It comes directly before the noun in this expression, as in the reusable pattern "et + noun".
madlavningskursus "Madlavningskursus" means a cooking class or cooking course. It is the activity being offered at the community center, and it can be used after "et" in "et madlavningskursus".
i In "i medborgerhuset", "i" means "in" and indicates the place where the course takes place. Use it before a place when describing where something is or happens.
medborgerhuset "Medborgerhuset" means "the community center" in this dialogue. The form refers to the specific place where the cooking course is held, as in "i medborgerhuset".
Hvilke In "Hvilke slags retter", "Hvilke" asks which items or kinds are meant: what kind of dishes. It is used before the plural expression "slags retter" in this question pattern.
slags In "Hvilke slags retter", "slags" contributes the meaning "kind" or "type". The reusable question pattern is "Hvilke slags + plural noun?" when asking what kinds of things someone means.
retter "Retter" means dishes, referring here to prepared foods such as pasta dishes. It appears in the expression "slags retter" and in the compound "pastaretter".
lærer In "lærer de dig at lave", "lærer" means "teach": the class teaches you how to make something. A useful pattern is "lærer nogen at + verb", as in "lærer de dig at lave".
de In "lærer de dig", "de" means "they" and identifies the people who teach you. It is used as the subject before the verb in this question.
dig In "lærer de dig at lave", "dig" means "you" as the person receiving the teaching. It follows the verb in the pattern "lærer nogen at + verb".
at In "at lave", "at" marks the following verb as an infinitive, giving the meaning "to make" or "to cook". It commonly comes directly before an infinitive after a verb such as "lærer".
lave "Lave" means "make" in "at lave" and "cook" in "lave den til os". It is used after "at" in the first expression and after "kan" in the second, with the object placed after it.
Enkle In "Enkle pastaretter", "Enkle" means simple and describes the pasta dishes being taught. It comes directly before the noun it describes.
pastaretter "Pastaretter" means pasta dishes. It names the food being taught and is described by "Enkle" in "Enkle pastaretter".
og In "Enkle pastaretter og simple saucer", "og" means "and" and joins two types of food. Use it between items or groups that belong together in a list.
simple In "simple saucer", "simple" means basic or uncomplicated and describes the sauces. It appears directly before the noun "saucer".
saucer "Saucer" means sauces, the second type of food mentioned in the class. It follows the adjective in "simple saucer".
kurset "Kurset" means "the course", referring to the cooking course already mentioned. It is used in both "Er kurset åbent?" and "Kurset starter ..." when talking about that specific course.
åbent In "Er kurset åbent for begyndere?", "åbent" means open or available to beginners. It describes the course in the pattern "åbent for + group".
for In "åbent for begyndere", "for" means "for" and introduces the people the course is intended for. Use it after "åbent" when specifying who may participate.
begyndere "Begyndere" means beginners, the people with little or no previous experience who may join the course. It follows "for" in "åbent for begyndere".
starter In "Kurset starter med de grundlæggende trin", "starter" means starts or begins. A useful pattern is "starter med + activity or thing" when describing what something begins with.
med In "starter med de grundlæggende trin", "med" means "with" and introduces the first material or activity. Use "starter med + noun" to say what something begins with.
grundlæggende In "de grundlæggende trin", "grundlæggende" means basic or fundamental. It describes the steps that form the starting point of the class.
trin "Trin" means steps in "de grundlæggende trin", referring to the basic stages or instructions for cooking. It is used after an adjective in this noun phrase.
Du In "Du bør melde dig til", "Du" means "you" and is the person being advised to register. It appears as the subject before "bør".
bør In "Du bør melde dig til", "bør" expresses advice: you should or ought to do something. It is followed by the infinitive expression "melde dig til".
melde In "melde dig til", "melde" contributes the meaning of registering or signing up. The reusable expression is "melde sig til" or, with a specific person, "melde dig til" for joining an activity.
til In "melde dig til", "til" is part of the expression for registering or signing up for an activity. Keep it with "melde dig" when using this pattern.
Jeg In "Jeg vil gerne lære", "Jeg" means "I" and identifies the speaker. It is used as the subject before the expression "vil gerne".
vil In "vil gerne lære", "vil" contributes the meaning of wanting or intending to do something. Together with "gerne", it introduces a polite desire followed by an infinitive.
gerne In "vil gerne lære", "gerne" helps express that the speaker would like to learn. The reusable pattern is "vil gerne + infinitive" for stating what you would like to do.
lære In "vil gerne lære én nyttig opskrift", "lære" means learn. It follows "vil gerne" and takes the thing being learned after it, here "én nyttig opskrift".
én In "én nyttig opskrift", "én" means one and emphasizes the quantity of recipes the speaker wants to learn. It comes directly before the adjective and noun in this phrase.
nyttig In "én nyttig opskrift", "nyttig" means useful or practical and describes the recipe. It is placed before the noun "opskrift".
opskrift "Opskrift" means recipe, the thing the speaker wants to learn and later cook. It appears in the phrase "én nyttig opskrift".
kan In "Du kan lave den til os", "kan" means can and expresses the possibility or ability to cook it. It is followed by the infinitive "lave".
den In "lave den til os", "den" means "it" and refers back to the recipe. It is the object of "lave" in the pattern "lave den til nogen".
os In "lave den til os", "os" means "us" and identifies the people for whom the food will be cooked. It follows "til" in the expression "til os".
bagefter In "lave den til os bagefter", "bagefter" means afterward or later, referring to the time after the class or learning activity. It is placed at the end here to say when the cooking will happen.

Grammar Points

vil gerne + infinitiv

Jeg vil gerne lære at lave en ret.

Yai vihl GAIR-neh LAIR-uh ed LAIR-vuh en RED.

I would like to learn to make a dish.

Use vil gerne before an infinitive to express what you would like to do.

Adjektivets bøjning: enkel ret → enkle retter

Vi laver enkle retter.

Vee LAIR-vuh ENG-leh RED-uh.

We make simple dishes.

An adjective takes -e before a plural noun: enkle retter.

Danish Vocabulary

begynder noun
beh-YEN-er beginner begyndere
Gender
common

Er kurset åbent for begyndere?

enkel adj
ENG-leh simple enkle

Enkle pastaretter og simple saucer.

grundlæggende adj
GROON-leg-eh-neh basic

Kurset starter med de grundlæggende trin.

lave verb
LAIR-vuh to make; to cook

Hvilke slags retter lærer de dig at lave?

lære verb
LAIR-uh to teach; to learn lærer

Hvilke slags retter lærer de dig at lave?

madlavningskursus noun
MAD-lahv-ningz-KOOR-soos cooking class
Gender
neuter

Der er et madlavningskursus i medborgerhuset.

medborgerhus noun
MED-bor-er-HOOS community center medborgerhuset
Gender
neuter

Der er et madlavningskursus i medborgerhuset.

pastaret noun
PAS-dah-red pasta dish pastaretter
Gender
common

Enkle pastaretter og simple saucer.

ret noun
RED dish retter
Gender
common

Hvilke slags retter lærer de dig at lave?

sauce noun
SOW-suh sauce saucer
Gender
common

Enkle pastaretter og simple saucer.

starte verb
STAR-deh to start starter

Kurset starter med de grundlæggende trin.

åben adj
OH-ben open åbent

Er kurset åbent for begyndere?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

There's a cooking class at the community center.

Show AnswerDer er et madlavningskursus i medborgerhuset.

Simple pasta dishes and basic sauces.

Show AnswerEnkle pastaretter og simple saucer.

Is it open to beginners?

Show AnswerEr kurset åbent for begyndere?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to teach; to learn

Show Answerlærer

open

Show Answeråbent

sauce

Show Answersaucer

simple

Show Answerenkle