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DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish word of the day: Firkantet

Is it hip to be square in Danish?

What is firkantet? 

The word firkant is a square – literally, a “four-side”.

If something is firkantet it is “square shaped” or “squared” (meaning to resemble a square, not multiplied by itself).

While this literal meaning is not incorrect and can be used and will be understood correctly in the right context, it’s not the normal use of firkantet.

It can also be used as an adjective to describe something or someone as inflexible, strict or somewhat set in their ways.

Why do I need to know firkantet?

We’ve previously written about the word langhåret (“long-haired”) which, like firkantet, has both literal and figurative meanings, and the figurative meanings are opposites in some senses, which can make them easier to remember.

While langhåret means a concept that is very abstract, philosophical, or unrealistic, firkantet is much easier to, erm, put in a box with a label on.

If a person is set in their ways and doesn’t like to change their methods, they might be described as firkantet. A set of rules which can often be impractical but always strictly applied are also firkantet.

Something very simple and without any nuance is also firkantet, making it easier to understand. It is this use that is closest to being an opposite of langhåret, in my experience.

Examples

Han er en meget firkantet mand, så du skal ikke spørge ham, om han vil købe Heinz i stedet for Beauvais ketchup.

He’s very set in his ways, so don’t ask him to buy Heinz Ketchup instead of Beauvais.

Reglerne er meget firkantede. Går du på græsset, får du en bøde. Der er ingen undtagelser.

The rules are very clear. If you walk on the grass, you will receive a fine. There are no exceptions.

I firserne så bilerne langt mere firkantet ud, end de gør i dag.

Cars had a far more square-shaped appearance in the 1980s than they do now.

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DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish word of the day: Kværn

This unassuming little word pops up surprisingly often in Danish, so it's a very good one to have in your vocabulary.

Danish word of the day: Kværn

What is kværn?

Kværn is a noun meaning “mill” or “grinder”, used to refer to any kind of tool or machine that breaks a substance down into smaller pieces.

kværn can be small, for example a peberkværn (pepper mill) or kaffekværn (coffee grinder).

There’s some overlap between kværn and mølle, the Danish word for “mill”. In the past, mølle might have been used to refer to household items like the coffee grinder. It’s now become the reserve of larger pieces of machinery like windmills (vindmølle), but there is stills a bit of interchangeability in Swedish, a sister tongue of Danish.

If you’re in Skåne – the Swedish province closet to Denmark — the word for “mill” in the local dialect is not kvarn but mölla.

Why do I need to know kværn?

The above describes how to use kværn as a noun, but it’s also a verb, at kværne, meaning “to grind” or “to mill”.

Apart from everyday uses like jeg kværner kaffebønnerne (”I’ll grind some coffee beans”), you won’t hear it too often in its literal sense, but it has a lot of figurative meanings too.

For example jeg var så sulten, at jeg kværnede maden uden at sige et ord means ”I was so hungry I gobbled down (literally ’crushed’ or ’ground’) the food without saying a word”.

This can also apply to drinking: han sad og kværnede bajere hele aftenen (“he sat there downing beers all evening”).

It can also be used to describe working very hard, as in jeg skal bare kværne, indtil projektet er færdig (“I have to keep grafting until the project is finished”).

Finally if someone kværner bare løs, it probably means they are talking non-stop.

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