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DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish expression of the day: Spænder ben

Have you ever (figuratively) stumbled around trying to find the right turn of phrase in Danish? Today's expression of the day could be just the thing for you.

What is spænder ben?

The verb at spænde means to stretch something to its full length, making it tense, perhaps by fixing it to two points (it should not be confused with the noun et spænde, meaning a clip which holds things together).

It can also have the figurative meaning of squeezing as much use or potential out of something as possible, as in han spændte ugens madbudget så effektivt, at han først skulle handle igen ni dage senere (“he stretched that week’s food budget so efficiently that he didn’t need to shop again for nine days”).

Ben is the Danish word for “leg” (and does not change between singular and plural form), so to spænde ben is literally to stretch a leg. 

Why do I need to know spænder ben?

A more accurate translation of at spænde ben would be to “stick a leg out”, with the implicit intention of tripping someone up. 

The phrase is not just used to describe juvenile practical jokes though, and also has a figurative use meaning to present an obstacle or difficulty in the way of what you or someone else may be trying to achieve.

As such, Denmark has an equivalent phrase for trying to trip someone up, but an object or situation can also “stick a leg out”, something that wouldn’t make sense in the English language usage of the phrase.

You can even spænde ben for yourself by hindering your overall progress through your actions, conjuring up images of contorted limbs as you try to get one of your legs in the way of the rest of your body.

Examples

Du spænder kun ben for dig selv, hvis du ikke finder et relevant praktikforløb under din uddannelse.

You’re just holding yourself back if you don’t find a relevant work placement during your studies.

EU regler spænder ben for regeringens ønske om at indføre et forbud mod at sælge cigaretter.

EU rules are providing an obstacle to the government’s plan to introduce a ban on selling cigarettes.

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DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish word of the day: Varmebølge

Here's a Danish word to use when complaining about the hot weather.

Danish word of the day: Varmebølge

What is varmebølge?

Varmebølge means “heatwave” in Danish.

Varme means “heat” or “warmth”, and bølge means “wave”, so it’s an easy translation. You’ll sometimes hear hedebølge used too, using another Danish word for “heat”. The word varme is the more common of the two, and can be used in situations where you might say either “heat” or “warmth” in English. Hede, on the other hand, implies a more extreme type of heat.

For example, the Danish words for “hot water bottle” and “central heating” both use varme rather than heat (varmedunk and centralvarme or just varmen, respectively) and “hot weather” is varmt vejr but the phrase i kampens hede means “in the heat of the battle”. 

Why do I need to know varmebølge?

While the above terms – varmebølge and hedebølge – are synonyms on first glance, there’s an important difference.

Denmark’s national meteorological agency, DMI, defines a varmebølge as a three-day period on which the average highest temperature is over 25 degrees Celsius.

For a hot spell to qualify as a hedebølge, on the other hand, the average highest temperature for the three days in question must exceed 28 degrees Celsius

People from southern parts of Europe might consider either type of Danish heatwave to feel more like regular summer weather – and perhaps this helps explain why extreme weather in southern regions in recent years, related to climate change, has led to speculation Denmark could become an increasingly popular summer destination for foreign holidaymakers.

The phrases also reveal a little about how Denmark’s climate influences language and the way Danes talk about the weather.

READ ALSO: Five Danish phrases you only hear in summer

While almost everyone gets quickly tired of long spells of cool, wet summer weather – like those seen during most of June 2024 – it also doesn’t take much for Danes to begin longing for more moderate temperatures to return once it heats up.

Anything over around 24-25 degrees Celsius is likely to be considered for meget (“too much”) what I would consider a regulation summer temperature of 26 degrees might be described as denne forfærdelige varme (“this dreadful heat”).

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