Latest / Learn Danish with Fexingo / Danish Clothing Sizes & Fitting Phrases
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Danish with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. Hi everyone. It is so good to be back with you all. Lucas: It really is. We have been working hard on our Danish lately. Luna: Yeah. Last episode was about the weather. Rain and wind. Lucas: Exactly. And before that, we talked about putting clothes on. So today... Luna: Today feels like a natural next step. Shopping for those clothes. Lucas: Right. Let us imagine you are in a shop in Copenhagen. Luna: Oh, I love this idea. A stylish shop. Maybe something bright. Lucas: Maybe. You see a jacket you really like. But it looks a bit loose. Luna: Okay. So you do not just buy it immediately. You want to try it first. Lucas: Yes. The most important question is: where can I try these on? Luna: Let me try that. Hvor kan jeg prøve dem? Lucas: Perfect pronunciation. Hvor kan jeg prøve dem? That means 'Where can I try them?' Notice the word 'dem'. It refers to plural items, like shoes or pants. Luna: Got it. Dem. Where can I try them? I will say it again. Hvor kan jeg prøve dem? Lucas: Very good. Now, imagine you go to the fitting room. You come out. Luna: And the jacket is too tight. Or maybe the sleeves are too long. Lucas: Exactly. You need to tell the clerk it does not fit. Luna: I think I know this one. De passer ikke? Lucas: Spot on. De passer ikke. This literally means 'They do not pass' or 'They do not match'. In English, we say 'They don't fit'. Luna: De passer ikke. Okay. That sounds easy enough to remember. Lucas: It is. Now, if they do not fit, you probably want a different size. Luna: This is the big phrase. Har du dem i en anden størrelse? Lucas: Yes. Har du dem i en anden størrelse? Break it down. 'Har du' is 'Do you have'. 'Dem' is 'them'. 'I en anden' is 'in an other'. 'Størrelse' is 'size'. Luna: So: Do you have them in another size? Har du dem i en anden størrelse? Lucas: Correct. Say it slowly. Har du dem... i en anden... størrelse? Luna: Har du dem i en anden størrelse. Wow. That feels powerful. Lucas: It is. Because now the clerk can bring you the right size. Luna: And finally, you put it on. It fits perfectly. You are happy. Lucas: You decide to buy it. What do you say at the counter? Luna: I take them. Jeg tager dem? Lucas: Yes. Jeg tager dem. 'I take them.' Simple and direct. Very common in shops. Luna: Jeg tager dem. Okay. One last thing though. Before I pay... Lucas: Right. You might want to check the price if it is not on the tag. Luna: Hvor meget koster det? Lucas: Exactly. Hvor meget koster det? How much does it cost? Luna: Hvor meget koster det? I feel like I could run a whole clothing store with these five phrases. Lucas: You really could. Let us review them quickly. First phrase. Luna: Hvor kan jeg prøve dem? Where can I try them? Lucas: Second. De passer ikke. They do not fit. Luna: Third. Har du dem i en anden størrelse? Do you have them in another size? Lucas: Fourth. Jeg tager dem. I take them. Luna: Fifth. Hvor meget koster det? How much does it cost? Lucas: Excellent. You are ready for any shop in Denmark now. Luna: I am excited. Although, I hope I do not spend too much money. Lucas: That is why we learned the price phrase. Smart planning. Luna: True. Okay, let's keep going. Imagine I try on a dress instead of a jacket. Lucas: Good point. If it is a singular item, like a dress or a shirt... Luna: We change 'dem' to 'den'. So, Hvor kan jeg prøve den? Lucas: Yes. Den for singular masculine or neuter nouns in this context. Or 'det' depending on the grammatical gender. But usually 'dem' works for most shopping items. Luna: Okay. Den or Det. Got it. Let me practice the fit phrase again. De passer ikke. Lucas: De passer ikke. Even for one item, the verb 'passer' stays the same. Only the pronoun changes. Luna: Interesting. So De passer ikke works for plural. But for singular, is it Den passer ikke? Lucas: Actually, yes. Den passer ikke. Or Det passer ikke. But often Danishes just say 'Det passer ikke' for anything that doesn't fit well. Luna: Ah, so 'Det' is the universal 'it' for fit issues. I like that. Lucas: It is very useful. Det passer ikke. Remember that trick. Luna: Det passer ikke. Okay. What if I want to return it later? Lucas: That is a different conversation. But for now, buying is the goal. Luna: Right. Jeg tager dem. I take them. I am committed. Lucas: Committed. Now, let us talk about something else for a moment. Luna: Sure. What is on your mind? Lucas: If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language, we want to share a quick honest thing with you. Luna: Yeah. We are lucky to have a community that supports us. Lucas: A handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that is literally what funds making this many of these episodes. Luna: It keeps the show ad-free and allows us to focus entirely on quality content for you. Lucas: The link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — that is F. E. X. I. N. G. O. Luna: F. E. X. I. N. G. O. Just a small way to say thanks if you enjoy the lessons. Lucas: We appreciate every single listener who chooses to support us. Luna: Back to the shop. Imagine the clerk asks if you need help finding anything else. Lucas: What would you say? You are done. You have your items. Luna: I would say... Nej, tak. No thank you. Lucas: Perfect. Nej, tak. Simple and polite. Luna: Nej, tak. Then I walk to the register. Hvor meget koster det? Lucas: Hvor meget koster det? The clerk tells you the price. Luna: And then I pay. Kan jeg betale med kort? Lucas: Yes! We actually used that phrase in a previous episode about laundromats. Luna: Oh right. Kan jeg betale med kort? Can I pay by card? Lucas: It is a great phrase to reuse. It shows you are learning continuously. Luna: Kan jeg betale med kort? Yes. I feel so confident now. Lucas: You should be. You have mastered the core shopping interaction. Luna: Let us do one final full role-play. Fast pace. Lucas: Go ahead. You are the customer. I am the clerk. Luna: Hej. Hvor kan jeg prøve dem? Lucas: Naturligt. Go ahead. Luna: Tak. Åh. De passer ikke. Lucas: Undskyld. Har du dem i en anden størrelse? Luna: Ja. Har du dem i en anden størrelse? Lucas: Her er din nye størrelse. Passer den bedre? Luna: Ja! Det passer perfekt. Jeg tager dem. Lucas: Godt. Hvor meget koster det? Luna: Hvor meget koster det? Lucas: Det koster tre hundrede kroner. Luna: Ok. Kan jeg betale med kort? Lucas: Selvfølgelig. Tak for handlen. Luna: Tak hej! Lucas: Wow. That went smoothly. You handled that beautifully. Luna: I did. I felt like a pro. Danish shopping is not so scary after all. Lucas: It really isn't. Once you have the phrases, you have the keys. Luna: Keys to the wardrobe. I like that image. Lucas: Exactly. Practice these five phrases until they feel natural. Luna: Hvor kan jeg prøve dem? De passer ikke? Har du dem i en anden størrelse? Jeg tager dem? Hvor meget koster det? Lucas: Repeat them in the shower, in the car, while walking. Luna: I will. It is amazing how much confidence comes from just knowing what to say. Lucas: It truly is. You solve the problem. You get the item. Everyone is happy. Luna: Even if the price is a little high. Hvor meget koster det? Lucas: Ha. You are already thinking about the budget. Good habit. Luna: Always. Thanks for guiding me through this, Lucas. Lucas: My pleasure, Luna. And my pleasure to teach you all. Luna: See you next time. Keep practicing your sizes. Lucas: See you next time. Hej hej.