Compared with other cultures, it’s rare in Denmark to ask someone out on a date (unless drunk) and there’s often missing vocabulary around defining what relationships are (there’s no direct translation for “dating”).
SpotifyApple PodcastsFor a culture that is normally so practical and matter-of-fact (see Separate Duvets), Danes seem to find it surprisingly difficult to talk about relationships.
Compared with other cultures, it’s rare in Denmark to ask someone out on a date (unless drunk) and there’s often missing vocabulary around defining what relationships are (there’s no direct translation for “dating”).
All this means that non-Danes (and to some extent, Danes) can really struggle with navigating the world of relationships in Denmark.
In this episode we seek to explore why, and offer advice on what to do!
Sam and Josefine are joined in the studio by Line Kirsten Nikolajsen, a radio presenter at DR (the Danish national broadcaster) who used to present Giftekniv, a show all about helping young people in the world of dating.
In the episode we cover:
And several times investigating the sense that Danes (as a general rule) struggle to talk about romantic feelings, and how that is reflected in the Danish language.
We had some additional help on this episode from student journalist Frida Rottländer who joined us in the studio, and Sue-Angel Nyleti who conducted additional research.
A few things that we spoke about include
If you have any thoughts on this episode please do comment on our Instagram - we’d love to hear what you think!
You can also learn more about What The Denmark on our website, Facebook and Instagram @whatthedenmark
Decoding Danish Culture
