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DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish word of the day: Folkeligt

Today’s Danish word of the day is of the people and for the people.

What is folkeligt? 

Folk means “people” and can have various nuances related to context just like “folk” and “people” in English.

It can mean “a people” in the national sense or people joined by some sort of characteristic such as gamle folk (older people) or solhungrende folk (sun-thirsty people).

It might also used to talk about people in the abstract or to convey a general truth: i gamle dage gik folk i kirke hver søndag (“in the old days people went to church every Sunday”).

It is also used in many compound words: folkeparti, “people’s party”, which is used by three different Danish political parties; or indeed folkefest, a party or festival for the people. Folkekære, literally “dear to the people” means something closer to “national treasure”.

Sometimes it means ‘the people’: folket or det danske folk can be used to refer to the public in general.

The suffix -lig or -elig on the end of a word (these can both end with ‘t’ depending on grammatical construction) turns a noun into an adjective, and means to be closely related to or characteristic of something. Barnlig is “childish”, en grønlig farve means “a green-like colour” and endelig means “finally”.

Why do I need to know folkeligt?

To be folkelig is to be closely related to the people or the general public, but also to reflect the people or to have sprung from the people.

Music can be folkelig (without necessarily being folk music, although folk music would fit this description). Traditions can be folkelige as opposed to religiøse (religious), and culture can be folkelig, carrying the subtext that it is a product of the people and carries a simple but valued quality.

People – usually public people – are also sometimes described as folkelig. This means they are considered in some way to be close to the people or even one of them, even though their status or position in society in some way sets them apart from the masses.

To be described as folkelig, it is probably necessary to spend several years demonstrating a down-to-earth, approachable, and to a certain degree humble personality to gain public favour. Once a person has it, they may enjoy huge popularity and support in their endeavours.

Example

Der er en enorme folkelig opbakning til det nye kongepar.

There’s huge public support for the new king and queen.

Kongen er kendt for at være folkelig.

The king is considered a man of the people.

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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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