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DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish word of the day: Najs

Here's a word that should be familiar to Danish learners with a knowledge of English.

Published: 9 August 2023 17:16 CEST

What is najs? 

Najs is pronounced almost exactly the same as English ‘nice’, and the reason why is simple: it’s a loan word, but has been adapted to fit Danish spelling. In fact, it’s equally if not more common to see it written with the original English spelling in the middle of a Danish sentence.

It can be used as a slang substitute for words like dejlig, fin, or skøn, and can refer to how something looks or a general feeling, for example det ser nice ud (that looks lovely). You’ll also hear it as an exclamation, as in English, to express appreciation for something: najs!

In terms of context, it usually conveys a bit more enthusiasm than in English. For example, where the English expression “have a nice day” can feel empty, if you tell someone jeg håber, du får det nice (“I hope you have a ‘nice’ time”), you really mean you want them to have an excellent experience.

Why do I need to know najs?

Danish has loaned plenty of words from English in recent decades, thanks to a growing level of English language proficiency and the wide availability of English books, films, songs and games.

However, najs (or ‘nice’) is a bit special in this regard because it is not a recent crossover from English into Danish.

Najs first came into use in Danish during the period between the two World Wars. This is demonstrated in the legendary Danish television series Matador, which is set in this period. The character Vicki Hachel, the young wife of Oberst (Colonel) Hachel, can be heard in one episode describing a 1920s party she attended as najs. The use of an English loan word in this historical setting jumped out at me the first time I saw it, but it isn’t an anachronism.

READ ALSO: The best Danish TV shows to watch to understand Denmark

Generally, English words adopted into Danish keep their original spelling, grammatical adaptations aside. The fact that nice can be spelled as najs may be evidence of the fact that it has a longer history in Danish than many loan words.

Texts dating back to the 1910s include examples of both spellings (as well as a third spelling, nejs), according to the online Danish dictionary.

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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.

Published: 24 June 2024 15:52 CEST
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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