Fluent Fiction - Danish: Hygge: The Danish Art of Finding Home
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.org/hygge-the-danish-art-of-finding-home

Story Transcript:

Da: Bussen gled ind på Nørreport Station i Københavns hjerte.
En: The bus glided into Nørreport Station in the heart of Copenhagen.

Da: Fra bussens vindue så Lars på de gamle, smukke bygninger.
En: From the bus window, Lars looked at the old, beautiful buildings.

Da: Han smilede.
En: He smiled.

Da: København, hans hjem.
En: Copenhagen, his home.

Da: Lars' gamle ven, Matt, en amerikaner, var i byen for første gang.
En: Lars' old friend, Matt, an American, was in town for the first time.

Da: Lars ville lære ham om 'hygge'.
En: Lars wanted to teach him about 'hygge'.

Da: Men hvordan forklarer man det?
En: But how do you explain it?

Da: De gik ned til Strøget, Københavns hovedhandelsgade.
En: They walked down to Strøget, Copenhagen's main shopping street.

Da: Solen skinnede, men vinden var frisk.
En: The sun was shining, but the wind was fresh.

Da: Hænderne i lommerne, Lars begyndte sin forklaring.
En: Hands in their pockets, Lars began his explanation.

Da: "Hygge er mere end bare et ord," begyndte Lars, "det er en følelse.
En: "Hygge is more than just a word," Lars began, "it's a feeling.

Da: Det er varm te på en kold dag.
En: It's warm tea on a cold day.

Da: Det er at se en god film.
En: It's watching a good movie.

Da: Det er at være sammen med dem, du elsker.
En: It's being together with the ones you love."

Da: "Matt så forvirret ud, men han lyttede.
En: Matt looked confused, but he listened.

Da: De fortsatte deres vandring, Lars pegede på steder rundt omkring, som kunne repræsenterer hygge.
En: They continued their walk, Lars pointing out places around them that could represent hygge.

Da: De gik forbi et hyggeligt café, hvor folk sad og hyggede sig.
En: They passed a cozy café where people were sitting and enjoying themselves.

Da: "Se Matt, dét er hygge," sagde Lars.
En: "See Matt, that's hygge," said Lars.

Da: Efter turen rundt i byen, begav Lars og Matt sig hjem til Lars' lille hyggelige lejlighed.
En: After their tour around the city, Lars and Matt headed back to Lars' cozy little apartment.

Da: De satte sig i de bløde stole, med en kop varm kakao og tændte stearinlys.
En: They sat in the soft chairs, with a cup of hot cocoa and lit candles.

Da: De talte om gamle minder, grinte, og lige der følte Matt, hvad 'hygge' virkelig betød.
En: They talked about old memories, laughed, and right there, Matt felt what 'hygge' truly meant.

Da: Det var ikke noget, der kunne oversættes, det skulle opleves.
En: It was something that couldn't be translated, it had to be experienced.

Da: Lars så på Matt og spurgte, "Fører dette dig tættere på forståelsen af hygge?
En: Lars looked at Matt and asked, "Does this bring you closer to understanding hygge?"

Da: " Matt nikkede og smilede, "Ja, Lars, det gør det helt sikkert.
En: Matt nodded and smiled, "Yes, Lars, it definitely does."

Da: " Den aften gik Matt i seng med en dybere forståelse for dansk kultur og det særlige begreb 'hygge'.
En: That evening, Matt went to bed with a deeper understanding of Danish culture and the special concept of 'hygge'.

Da: Det blev en oplevelse, Matt aldrig glemte.
En: It became an experience that Matt would never forget.

Da: Lars lærte ham, at hygge var mere end bare et ord, det var at føle sig hjemme.
En: Lars taught him that hygge was more than just a word, it was feeling at home.

Da: Og det var præcis, hvad Matt følte den dag med sin ven i København.
En: And that's exactly what Matt felt that day with his friend in Copenhagen.

Da: En følelse af hjem.
En: A feeling of home.

Da: Og det var hygge.
En: And that was hygge.


Vocabulary Words:

• bus: bussen
• glided: gled
• Nørreport Station: Nørreport Stationen
• heart: hjerte
• Copenhagen: København
• Lars: Lars
• looked: så
• old: gamle
• beautiful: smukke
• buildings: bygninger
• smiled: smilede
• home: hjem
• friend: ven
• Matt: Matt
• American: amerikaner
• town: byen
• first time: første gang
• wanted: ville
• teach: lære
• about: om
• 'hygge': 'hygge'
• But: Men
• explain: forklarer
• walked: gik
• main: hoved
• shopping: handels
• street: gade
• sun: solen
• shining: skinnede
• wind: vind