Danish for Parents in Denmark

If your child goes to daycare or school in Denmark, Danish arrives fast: a note about spare clothes, a message about a closing day, a pedagogue telling you at pickup how the day went. Much of it runs through Aula, the platform schools and daycare use to message parents. This page covers the words you'll meet first and the short phrases that get you through pickup and the daily messages.

Daycare and school

dagpleje (en) — childminding in a childminder's home, for the youngest children
vuggestue (en) — nursery for babies and toddlers
børnehave (en) — kindergarten, before school starts
skole (en) — school. klasse (en) — class. klassekammerat (en) — classmate
SFO (en) — after-school care at the school
pædagog (en) — the trained staff in daycare and SFO. lærer (en) — teacher
skema (et) — timetable. lektier — homework. frikvarter (et) — break

Things to bring

madpakke (en) — packed lunch. madordning (en) — a lunch scheme, where the institution provides lunch
skiftetøj (et) — spare clothes
regntøj (et) — rain gear. gummistøvler — rubber boots. flyverdragt (en) — snowsuit
bleer — nappies. sut (en) — dummy, pacifier
navneskilt (et) — name label. Label everything.

The day and the calendar

aflevering (en) — drop-off. aflevere — to drop off
afhentning (en) — pickup. hente — to pick up
middagslur (en) — the midday nap
syg — ill. feber (en) — a temperature. sygedag (en) — a sick day
lukkedag (en) — a day the institution is closed
udflugt (en) — a trip or outing. tilmelding (en) — sign-up
forældremøde (et) — parents' meeting. forældresamtale (en) — a one-to-one meeting about your child
legeaftale (en) — a playdate. fødselsdag (en) — birthday

At pickup and drop-off

Danish

English

Hej, jeg er Noahs mor. Jeg skal hente ham.

Hi, I'm Noah's mum. I'm here to pick him up.

Hvordan har dagen været?

How has the day been?

Har hun spist og sovet?

Has she eaten and slept?

Hans far henter i morgen.

His dad is picking him up tomorrow.

Hun mangler skiftetøj.

She needs spare clothes. (what you might hear)

Undskyld, kan du sige det lidt langsommere?

Sorry, could you say that a bit more slowly?

Short messages on Aula

Aula messages are usually short and friendly. Start with Hej, say what you need, and sign off with your name and who you are.

Danish

English

Hej. Emma er syg i dag og bliver hjemme. Venlig hilsen Sara (mor)

Hi. Emma is ill today and is staying home. Best regards, Sara (mum)

Oscar bliver hentet kl. 14 i dag af sin mormor.

Oscar is being picked up at 2 pm today by his grandmother.

Vi holder fri på fredag, så Alma kommer ikke.

We're taking Friday off, so Alma won't be in.

Har I set en blå hue? Den er væk.

Have you seen a blue hat? It's gone missing.

Må Freja komme og lege hos os efter skole på torsdag?

Can Freja come over and play after school on Thursday?

Mormor or farmor?

Danish names grandparents by side of the family: mormor is your mother's mother, farmor your father's mother, and morfar and farfar the grandfathers. You'll see these in pickup messages all the time.

Reading with your child

Reading Danish children's books together is one of the best ways for a parent to learn alongside their child. See Danish children's books for beginners for books by level and where to borrow them.

Word listFamily & Relationships

The family vocabulary you'll use in messages and at pickup, with example sentences and audio.