Fluent Fiction - Danish: Hygge Chronicles: A Heartwarming Journey of Cultural Exchange
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.org/hygge-chronicles-a-heartwarming-journey-of-cultural-exchange

Story Transcript:

Da: Lars så op fra sin kaffe, da døren til hans yndlingscafé, "Kop og Kande", svingede op. Ind kom Signe og Astrid, hans bedste venner. De havde en ukendt ven med. Signe havde mødt hende på en konference i London. Hende hed Lucy, hun var fra Colorado, USA, og farvede Københavns gader med sin lyse, amerikanske energi.
En: Lars looked up from his coffee as the door to his favorite café, "Cup and Kettle," swung open. In came Signe and Astrid, his best friends. They had brought along an unknown friend. Signe had met her at a conference in London. Her name was Lucy, she was from Colorado, USA, and she brightened the streets of Copenhagen with her light, American energy.

Da: "Lucy vil lære om 'hygge'," sagde Astrid. Alle kiggede på Lars. Lars var god til ord. Men 'hygge?' Det kunne være svært at forklare.
En: "Lucy wants to learn about 'hygge'," said Astrid. Everyone looked at Lars. Lars was good with words. But 'hygge?' It could be difficult to explain.

Da: "Hygge," begyndte Lars, "Er...". Han tøvede. "Kan vi ikke bare vise hende det?" sagde han. De andre nikkede.
En: "Hygge," Lars began, "Is...". He hesitated. "Can't we just show her?" he said. The others nodded.

Da: Så de viste Lucy København. De gik langs kanalen ved Nyhavn, mellem de gamle, farverige huse. De viste hende Dronning Louises bro fuld af mennesker, der nyder solen. De gik gennem Strøget med dens travle butikker og gademusikanter. Men 'hygge' handlede ikke kun om steder.
En: So they showed Lucy Copenhagen. They walked along the canal at Nyhavn, between the old, colorful houses. They showed her Queen Louise's Bridge full of people enjoying the sun. They walked through Strøget with its bustling shops and street musicians. But 'hygge' wasn't just about places.

Da: De tog Lucy med til en dansk fødselsdag. Der var flag på bordet, masser af mad og sang. Alle talte og grinede sammen. Besøgte de også den lokale bager en tidlig morgen, hvor de delte friskbagte rundstykker.
En: They took Lucy to a Danish birthday party. There were flags on the table, plenty of food, and singing. Everyone talked and laughed together. They also visited the local bakery one early morning, where they shared freshly baked rolls.

Da: Om aftenen tog de hjem til Lars. Han tændte lysene, lavede te og fandt et tæppe frem til Lucy. De satte sig alle sammen i hans bløde sofa, med en god film. Alt var stille.
En: In the evening, they went back to Lars's place. He lit the candles, made tea, and got a blanket for Lucy. They all sat together on his soft couch, watching a good movie. Everything was quiet.

Da: "Er dette 'hygge'?" spurgte Lucy.
En: "Is this 'hygge'?" Lucy asked.

Da: "Ja," sagde Signe, Astrid og Lars. Til sidst forstod Lucy 'hygge'. Det handlede ikke om ord. Det var en følelse. En følelse af at være sammen, af at være tryg, af at være glad.
En: "Yes," said Signe, Astrid, and Lars. In the end, Lucy understood 'hygge'. It wasn't about words. It was a feeling. A feeling of being together, of feeling safe, of being happy.

Da: Så det er 'hygge,' tænkte Lars. Det er ikke så svært at forklare. Det er bare svært at sætte ord på det. Det bedste er at opleve det.
En: So that's 'hygge,' thought Lars. It's not so hard to explain. It's just hard to put into words. The best thing is to experience it.

Da: Og det er historien om, hvordan Lars, Signe og Astrid lærte Lucy 'hygge'. Hvordan de delte deres by, deres hjem, deres venskab og deres 'hygge' med hende. Og Lucy tog det hele med tilbage til Colorado: minderne, oplevelserne og 'hygge'.
En: And that's the story of how Lars, Signe, and Astrid taught Lucy 'hygge'. How they shared their city, their home, their friendship, and their 'hygge' with her. And Lucy took it all back to Colorado: the memories, the experiences, and 'hygge'.


Vocabulary Words:

• door: dør
• favorite: yndlings
• café: café
• friends: venner
• unknown: ukendt
• conference: konference
• London: London
• energy: energi
• explained: forklare
• difficult: svært
• show: vise
• city: by
• birthday: fødselsdag
• flags: flag
• food: mad
• singing: sang
• candles: lys
• te: te
• blanket: tæppe
• sat: sat
• movie: film
• feeling: følelse
• together: sammen
• safe: tryg
• happy: glad
• hard: svært
• experience: opleve
• friendship: venskab
• memories: minder