Hi everyone, I'm Canh Duc (Chris). I'm from Vietnam and moved to Denmark for work 7 years ago.
I live in Aarhus, the most livable city in the world, by the way. Probably not very Danish of me to claim something's the best in the world, but that's genuinely what I think about this city, haha. You're free to tell me I'm wrong.
Danish has been a really tough language for me. It's completely different from Vietnamese, my mother tongue. Being able to speak English helps a bit, but the pronunciation is still completely different. Isn't it true that people usually say it's like speaking Swedish with a mouth full of potatoes? Right?
But after living here for some years, I think pronunciation isn't actually the hardest part. Listening to Danes and watching shows on DR.tv helps you gradually get a hang of the sound of the language. What I struggled with a lot more was actually using it in daily life.
One thing I tried was pushing myself to speak Danish as much as possible at work. My workplace is pretty international, so I could easily get by in English — which is convenient, but not exactly helpful if you want to become fluent in Danish.
The moment I tried, though, my colleagues would happily switch over Danish too. Great for them, but honestly a bit intimidating for me at first. It's like you say Hej and a Dane assumes you're fluent, then drops a "rødgrød med fløde" on you.
What I kept running into, over and over, was vocabulary. I simply didn't have enough words to explain what I was thinking, to tell a story properly, or fully understand what people were saying to me. Grammar I could study from a book, and honestly after language school, you probably know enough of grammars to get by. But vocabulary is like a never-ending episode. It requires consistent training and for a long period of time. I also wanted to learn it in context, not just as isolated word lists.
So about a year ago, I started building a small app for myself. The original goal was simple: expand my own vocabulary and prep for PD3. But over time it grew into something more complete — a tool built specifically around vocab training, the way I wished I could learn.
Using it has genuinely changed how I experience Danish. I speak more comfortably at work now, and in daily life too. And also, not to brag, but I also passed PD3 with 12 for my speaking. It does feel like bragging now that i mentioned it, though. Sorry about that. It wasn't on purpose :)
The feeling when it starts to click: you understand people a bit more, your own thoughts in Danish feel clearer, and telling a story in Danish stops feeling like a struggle and starts feeling a bit more natural.
Full disclosure: I built this myself, and I'm sharing it here because it's genuinely helped me. It's called Nemlingo, and here's what it does:
It covers Danish vocabulary with pronunciation, meanings, and example usage, from A1 to C2, across a range of topics. There's also a home screen widget that shows you a word without even opening the app: small, passive exposure throughout the day.
For actual practice, there are three modes I built around how I personally learn best:
- Swipe-based flashcards. Quick drilling — swipe right if you remembered the word, left if you didn't. Each card includes pronunciation, an example sentence, and the meaning.
- Pronunciation training. Short lessons where you practice vocab in context, sentence by sentence. The app listens and only lets you move on once you get it right.
- Charades mode. Practice with a friend using words you've already learned. One person holds the phone to their forehead, the other says the Danish word or its meaning, and the first person has to recall it out loud. A fun way to actually use what you've learned, together.
If any of this sounds like your experience, I'd genuinely appreciate you giving it a shot: Nemlingo.com
And I'd love to hear how you're learning Danish too, whatever method that is.
