Fluent Fiction - Danish: Mastering 'Rødgrød med fløde': A Language Challenge in Aarhus
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
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Story Transcript:

Da: I Aarhus, byen ved havet, boede en mand ved navn Lars. Han elskede byen, men der var noget, der drillede ham. Denne sag handlede ikke om cykler, der er kendt i denne by, eller dens berømte kunstmuseum. Nej, Lars' udfordring var sproget.
En: In Aarhus, the city by the sea, there lived a man named Lars. He loved the city, but there was something that bothered him. This matter was not about bicycles, which are known in this city, or its famous art museum. No, Lars' challenge was the language.

Da: Lars kæmpede med den særegne danske tungevrider, "rødgrød med fløde". Udfordret af denne frase, tilbragte Lars mange timer hver dag for at forbedre sin udtale. "Røgdrød med flø...flød", ville han prøve, men det var ikke helt rigtigt.
En: Lars struggled with the unique Danish tongue-twister, "rødgrød med fløde" (red berry dessert with cream). Challenged by this phrase, Lars spent many hours each day improving his pronunciation. "Røgdrød med flø...flød," he would try, but it wasn't quite right.

Da: Fredag var en særlig dag i Lars' kalender. Det var dagen, hvor han mødtes med sin danske lærer, Fru Nielsen, i Den Gamle By. Hun gjorde sit bedste for at hjælpe ham med udfordringen. "Rød-grød-med-flø-de, Lars", sagde hun med klar og tydelig stemme.
En: Friday was a special day on Lars' calendar. It was the day he met with his Danish teacher, Mrs. Nielsen, in the Old Town. She did her best to help him with the challenge. "Rød-grød-med-flø-de, Lars," she said with a clear and distinct voice.

Da: Selv med Fru Nielsens hjælp var Lars langsom til at forstå tungevrideren. Han øvede uafbrudt, men det var svært for ham. Han ville næsten give op. Men en tanke blev ved med at opmuntre ham. Han ville mestre sætningen, ikke kun for sig selv, men for at vise sin kærlighed til byen og dens sprog.
En: Even with Mrs. Nielsen's help, Lars was slow to understand the tongue-twister. He practiced relentlessly, but it was difficult for him. He was almost ready to give up. But a thought continued to encourage him. He wanted to master the sentence, not just for himself, but to show his love for the city and its language.

Da: En sen aften, sad Lars alene på sit værelse. Han så ud af vinduet, ud over de oplyste gader i Aarhus. Han tog en dyb indånding, og sagde højt og tydeligt, "Rødgrød med fløde". Til hans overraskelse lød det perfekt.
En: One late evening, Lars sat alone in his room. He looked out the window, overlooking the illuminated streets of Aarhus. He took a deep breath and said loudly and clearly, "Rødgrød med fløde." To his surprise, it sounded perfect.

Da: I ren glæde, skyndte han sig hen til Fru Nielsen næste morgen. Med et stort smil på hans ansigt, sagde han de magiske ord, "Rødgrød med fløde". Hun brød ud i et stort smil og klappede i hænderne. Lars var lettet og glad.
En: In pure joy, he hurried to Mrs. Nielsen the next morning. With a big smile on his face, he said the magical words, "Rødgrød med fløde." She broke into a big smile and applauded. Lars was relieved and happy.

Da: Fra den dag blev "rødgrød med fløde" en nem frase for Lars. Hans kærlighed til Aarhus og sit ønske om at mestre sproget havde hjulpet ham med at overvinde hans udfordring. Og i hjertet af Aarhus, gik en stolt mand ved navn Lars, der nu kunne sige "rødgrød med fløde" lige så let som enhver anden dansker.
En: From that day on, "rødgrød med fløde" became an easy phrase for Lars. His love for Aarhus and his desire to master the language had helped him overcome his challenge. And in the heart of Aarhus, walked a proud man named Lars, who could now say "rødgrød med fløde" as easily as any other Dane.


Vocabulary Words:

• In: I
• Aarhus: Aarhus
• the: den
• city: byen
• by: ved
• sea: havet
• there: der
• lived: boede
• a: en
• man: mand
• named: ved navn
• Lars: Lars
• He: Han
• loved: elskede
• but: men
• something: noget
• that: der
• bothered: drillede
• him: ham
• This: Denne
• matter: sag
• was: var
• not: ikke
• bicycles: cykler
• which: der
• are: er
• known: kendt
• in: i
• famous: berømte
• art: kunst