Tak for i dag, og hils derhjemme!

Literally, it is Thanks for today.

Danes often say this when parting after spending time together that day, for example:

• after visiting someone
• after a class or meeting
• after work
• after a meal or social gathering

It sounds very natural in Danish, even though Thanks for today is not as common a fixed phrase in English.

I dag means today, and after tak for, Danish often uses a time expression directly:

• Tak for i dag = Thanks for today
• Tak for i aften = Thanks for this evening
• Tak for sidst = Thanks for last time

So for i dag is a set expression. For dagen would not sound natural here.

Hils is the imperative form of the verb at hilse.

So:

• at hilse = to greet / to say hello to
• hils! = greet! / say hello!

In this sentence, hils derhjemme! means something like Say hello to everyone at home!

The object is left unstated because it is understood from context.

Hils derhjemme usually means:

• Say hi to your family
• Give my regards to the people at home
• Say hello at home for me

Danish often leaves this implicit when it is obvious who is meant. If you want to be more explicit, you could say:

• Hils din kone = Say hello to your wife
• Hils børnene = Say hello to the children
• Hils alle derhjemme = Say hello to everyone at home

Derhjemme means at home, but in a slightly more specific sense: back home / at your home / at home where you live.

It often refers to the home base of the person being spoken to. In this sentence, it points to the people at that place.

Compare:

• hjem = home, toward home
• hjemme = at home
• derhjemme = at home there / back home

In hils derhjemme, derhjemme sounds very natural because the speaker means the home and household connected with the listener.

Normally, no. Hils derhjemme is the natural expression.

Hjemme by itself means at home, but derhjemme is the idiomatic choice when referring to the people in someone’s home or household.

So a Dane would usually say:

• Hils derhjemme
• Hils alle derhjemme

rather than hils hjemme.

It is friendly and natural, and it works in many everyday situations. It is not slangy, but it is somewhat personal because hils derhjemme assumes the person has people at home you can greet.

You can say it:

• to friends
• to colleagues
• to acquaintances
• sometimes even in fairly polite situations

It would be less suitable if you do not know anything about the person’s home life, or if the situation is very formal.

The imperative form is the same whether you are speaking to one person or more than one person.

So hils! can be used for:

• one person
• several people

However, hils derhjemme is most often said to one person who is going back to their home or family. If speaking to several people, the context has to make sense.

Because the sentence contains two coordinated imperatives:

• Tak for i dag
• og hils derhjemme

Danish comma rules often place a comma before a coordinating conjunction like og when joining clauses. In modern Danish, comma practice can vary depending on which comma system is being followed, but this punctuation is completely normal.

Yes, very much so. At least the first part, Tak for i dag, is a very common fixed phrase. The whole sentence feels like a standard warm farewell in the right context.

It is the kind of thing you might say at the door when leaving:

• Tak for i dag
• Og hils derhjemme!

That gives it a very natural, idiomatic feel.

In careful pronunciation, roughly:

• Tak for i dag → tahk for ee DAI
• og hils derhjemme → aw hils dair-YEM-me

A few useful points:

• og is often reduced in speech, sometimes sounding more like å
• dag has a soft Danish g, not a hard English g
• the stress in derhjemme falls on hjem

In connected speech, the whole sentence often sounds smooth and relaxed rather than sharply separated word by word.