What The Denmark | Danish Culture for Expats, Internationals and Danes

Dating Danes: learning the (missing?) language of love in Denmark


Listen Later

For a culture that is normally so practical and matter-of-fact (see Separate Duvets), Danes seem to find it surprisingly difficult to talk about relationships.

Compared with other cultures, it’s rare in Denmark to ask someone out on a date in person (unless drunk) and there’s often missing vocabulary around defining what relationships are (there’s no direct translation for “dating”).

All this means that non-Danes (and to some extent, Danes) can really struggle with navigating the world of relationships in Denmark. 

In this episode we seek to explore why, and offer advice on what to do!

Sam and Josefine are joined in the studio by Line Kirsten Nikolajsen, a radio presenter at DR (the Danish national broadcaster) who used to present Giftekniv, a show all about helping young people in the world of dating. 

In the episode we cover:

  • Advice on how to approach a Danish person you think looks hot
  • How to do a first date in Denmark
  • A warning on saying “I love you” to a Dane
  • Differences between heterosexual and homosexual relationships
  • The gender (in)equality in Danish relationships
  • Danes (perhaps) being more comfortable dating friends than strangers
  • Experiences dating in Denmark vs abroad

And several times investigating the sense that Danes (as a general rule) struggle to talk about romantic feelings, and how that is reflected in the Danish language.

We had some additional help on this episode from student journalist Frida Rottländer who joined us in the studio, and Sue-Angel Nyleti who conducted additional research.

A few things that we spoke about include

  • Dating advice from Maroua Sajeb
  • Dating Without Borders video “What not to do on a date in Denmark”

If you have any thoughts on this episode please do comment on our Instagram - we’d love to hear what you think!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


This episode is sponsored by Talent to Denmark's "State of Denmark" campaign.

Denmark is actively looking to attract international talent to move to the country. If you're interested to learn more about jobs in (one of) the happiest countries in the world, head to www.state-of-denmark.com/wtd


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


You can also learn more about What The Denmark on our websiteFacebook and Instagram 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

What The Denmark | Danish Culture for Expats, Internationals and DanesBy Cofruition

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

28 ratings


More shows like What The Denmark | Danish Culture for Expats, Internationals and Danes

View all
Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast by Chris Christensen

Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast

53 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,238 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,910 Listeners

TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

22,136 Listeners

How to Live in Denmark by Kay Xander Mellish

How to Live in Denmark

66 Listeners

Learn Danish | DanishClass101.com by DanishClass101.com

Learn Danish | DanishClass101.com

23 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,756 Listeners

Denmark 101 with Alex Berger by Alex Berger

Denmark 101 with Alex Berger

18 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

110,865 Listeners

Inside the Hive by Vanity Fair

Inside the Hive

1,532 Listeners

Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler by Condé Nast Traveler

Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler

628 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,294 Listeners

Sweden in Focus by The Local

Sweden in Focus

37 Listeners

Danish Learning Accelerator by Language Learning Accelerator

Danish Learning Accelerator

4 Listeners

Danish Lessons: Dansk på farten / Danish on the go by Mathilde - Private Online Lessons

Danish Lessons: Dansk på farten / Danish on the go

5 Listeners