Learn Danish: Taler du dansk? - Do you speak Danish?

In English, we usually add "do" to ask yes/no questions, like "Do you speak...?". Danish does not use a helper word like "do". Instead, it simply puts the verb at the very beginning of the sentence. So, Taler du literally translates to "Speak you". This verb-first order is the standard way to ask a yes/no question in Danish.

Why is dansk written with a lowercase "d"?

Unlike English, Danish does not capitalize the names of languages or nationalities. You only capitalize words like dansk or engelsk if they happen to be the very first word of a sentence.

Why does the verb Taler end in an "-r"?

The -r ending tells us that the verb is in the present tense. In Danish, verbs don't change based on who is doing the action. Whether it is I, you, we, or they speaking, the present tense verb is always taler.

Could I use the word snakker here instead?

Yes, you absolutely can! Taler means "speak" and snakker means "talk". In everyday conversation, Danes often ask Snakker du dansk? just as much as they ask Taler du dansk?. Both are completely correct and natural.