Difficult Danish Words

More advanced Danish terms to use in writing and conversations.

At berige noget

To enrich something

At begrænse noget (From grænse, which means border, which is a limit)

To limit or reduce something

At belaste noget/nogen

To be a burden on or strain something/someone

At besværliggøre noget

To make something difficult or complicate something

At betyde noget

To mean something or signify something

At bidrage til noget (from old drog, to carry something somewhere)

To contribute to something (imagine a bee carrying pollen to the hive)

At forbedre noget

To improve something

At forebygge noget

To prevent something (e.g., through precautions)

At forhindre noget

To hinder, obstruct, or prevent something

At forklare noget

To explain something

At forkorte noget

To shorten or abbreviate something

At forlænge noget

To extend or lengthen something

At forringe noget (er blevet forringet) From “ringe” that means something inadequate to the situation. Can also be used for “det er i ringe stand” that means “it’s in a poor condition”.

To degrade something or make something worse

At forværre noget

To worsen or aggravate something

At forårsage noget

To cause something

At fremme noget (can be “at have fremskridt” which means “to have improvement”)

To promote, aid, or advance something

At føre til noget

To lead to something

At gavne nogen/noget

To benefit someone or something

At give nogen muligheder for noget

To give someone the opportunity/possibility to do something

At gå ud over nogen/noget

To take a toll on or affect someone/something negatively (like stepping on someone emotionally or to achieve something)

At have konsekvenser for noget/nogen

To have consequences for something or someone

At hæmme noget

To impede, inhibit, or hamper something (but not completely, making something less efficient)

At højne noget

To raise, elevate, or enhance something

At medføre noget

To entail, cause, or lead to something (in a participating way)

At medvirke til noget

To play a part in or contribute to something

At mindske noget

To lessen, diminish, or reduce something

At motivere nogen til noget

To motivate someone toward something

At nedbringe noget

To reduce or bring down something (e.g., costs, numbers)

At være nyttig for noget/nogen

To be useful or beneficial to something/someone

At presse noget/nogen

To put pressure on something or someone

At være problematisk for noget/nogen

To be problematic for something or someone

At påvirke noget/nogen

To influence or affect something/someone

At ramme nogen

To strike, hit, or impact someone negatively

At reducere noget

To reduce something

At resultere i noget

To result in something

At risikere noget

To risk something

At skabe noget

To create or generate something

At skade noget/nogen

To harm or damage something/someone

At skyldes noget (from “skyld” meaning guild or blame)

To be due to or caused by something

At sikre noget

To ensure, secure, or safeguard something

At styrke noget

To strengthen or reinforce something

At svække noget

To weaken or undermine something

At udvide noget (viden = knowledge)

To expand, widen, or broaden something

At undgå noget

To avoid or evade something

At ændre noget

To alter or change something

At ødelægge noget (to lay something barren)

To destroy, ruin, or damage something

At øge noget

To increase, boost, or augment something