DANSK · Hej
Learn Danish online with a private tutor
Close to English in words and grammar and far from it in sound, and the citizenship test that comes on top of the B2 language exam asks for 36 answers right out of 45.
- Native name
- Dansk
- Speakers
- 6M
- Hours to fluency
- ~552
- Lesson length
- 25 / 50 / 80
How long does Danish actually take?
The US Foreign Service Institute has been timing this for decades, and the figure everyone quotes is only half of what they publish. FSI puts Danish at 24 weeks — 552 classroom hours for an English speaker to reach professional working proficiency. But FSI also states that a typical week is 23 hours in class and 17 hours of self-study, so the real total is closer to 960 hours of work. The pace below divides that full total rather than the classroom half, which is why these numbers are longer than the ones you have seen elsewhere:
One lesson a week
about 7.4 years
≈2.5 hours a week including homework
Two lessons a week
about 3.7 years
≈5 hours a week including homework
Intensive — daily
about 1 year
≈15 hours a week including homework
Worth saying plainly: that figure is for full professional proficiency, which is a much higher bar than most learners need. Holding a real conversation in Danish usually arrives at somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
What the Danish levels mean
Teachers describe lessons using the Common European Framework. Not sure of yours? Your teacher will work it out with you in your first lesson.
- A1Beginner
Introduce yourself and handle very simple, predictable exchanges.
- A2Elementary
Cope with routine tasks — shopping, directions, simple description of your background.
- B1Intermediate
Handle most travel situations and explain opinions on familiar topics.
- B2Upper-intermediate
Hold a fluent, spontaneous conversation with a native speaker without strain on either side.
- C1Advanced
Use the language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes.
- C2Proficient
Understand virtually everything heard or read, and express yourself with precision.
Kinds of Danish lesson
Teachers list what they specialise in, so you can match on purpose rather than on price alone.
Danish tutors for beginners
Teachers who work with absolute beginners every day and can run a first Danish lesson entirely in a language you share.
Conversational Danish tutors
Lessons that are mostly you talking. For learners who can read Danish but freeze when someone answers back.
Business Danish tutors
Meetings, email, negotiation and presentations — Danish for the situations your job actually puts you in.
Danish tutors for kids
Teachers experienced with children, who keep Danish lessons short, build them around games, and keep a parent in the loop.
Danish exam preparation tutors
Teachers who know the Danish exam formats, mark to the real rubric, and work backwards from your test date.
Intensive Danish courses
Several Danish lessons a week with homework between them, for learners with a deadline rather than a hobby.
Native Danish speaking tutors
Teachers who grew up speaking Danish, for accent work, idiom and the register textbooks never cover.
Danish grammar tutors
Focused work on the Danish structures that keep breaking, with exercises built from your own mistakes.
Danish exams we have written about
Prøve i Dansk
Prøve i Dansk 1–3 — Denmark's Danish tests for adults, PD3 at B2
Questions about learning Danish
How long does it take to learn Danish?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Danish at roughly 552 hours of study to reach professional working proficiency for an English speaker. At two lessons a week plus homework — call it five hours — that is about 2.1 years. Conversational comfort arrives much earlier, usually somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
How much do Danish lessons cost?
Each Danish teacher decides which lesson lengths they offer and sets a price for each — you see both before booking. Many teachers also sell lesson packages at their own price, usually cheaper per lesson. If you are still choosing, you can top up your wallet instead and spend the balance with any teacher — nothing is tied to one person.
Should I learn Danish with a native speaker?
For pronunciation, idiom and register, yes — a native ear catches things a textbook cannot. For grammar explanations early on, a teacher who learned Danish as a second language themselves is often clearer, because they remember finding it hard. Many learners use both, and there is no rule against switching.
Can I learn Danish from absolute zero?
Yes. Filter for teachers who work with beginners and your first lessons will be run partly in a language you already share, shifting into Danish as you gain ground. You do not need to prepare anything beforehand.
Which Danish exams can I prepare for?
We have written guides to Prøve i Dansk (Prøve i Dansk 1–3 — Denmark's Danish tests for adults, PD3 at B2), each read on the examining body's own pages.
Free Danish guides
All Danish guides →- CostAny level
How much do Danish lessons cost?
Preply's Danish page, read 23 Oct 2026: $15–$100 an hour, average $49, above Norwegian and Swedish. Denmark's own Danish course is free, after a deposit.
- ExamB2
Danish for citizenship: Prøve i Dansk 3, the 45-question citizenship test, and a pause after the election
Denmark asks for Prøve i Dansk 3 (B2) and 36 of 45 on the citizenship test, 4 of 5 values questions right. Read from the rules on 16 Oct 2026.
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