Fluent Fiction - Danish: The Magic of 'Hygge': A Cozy Evening in Copenhagen
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Story Transcript:

Da: I København på en solbeskinnet eftermiddag mødte vi Lars og Signe. De gik i de smalle gader fyldt med farverige huse. Signe, med sit bølgede hår, lo højt. Lars, med blå øjne, smilede bredt. Sammen ventede de på en gæst.
En: In Copenhagen on a sunny afternoon, we met Lars and Signe. They walked in the narrow streets filled with colorful houses. Signe, with her wavy hair, laughed loudly. Lars, with blue eyes, smiled broadly. Together, they were waiting for a guest.

Da: Signe var nervøs. "Hvordan forklarer vi 'hygge'?" spurgte hun. Lars trak på skuldrene. "Vi viser det bare," svarede han.
En: Signe was nervous. "How do we explain 'hygge'?" she asked. Lars shrugged. "We just show it," he replied.

Da: Snart kom gæsten. Stor og brunøjet, Oliver fra England. Han var ny i byen. Og ny på det danske.
En: Soon the guest arrived. Tall and brown-eyed, Oliver from England. He was new in town. And new to the Danish ways.

Da: Signe og Lars tog ham med rundt. De viste ham kanalen, fyldt med både. De viste ham Nyhavn, med de gamle, farverige huse. De viste ham Det Kongelige Teater, stort og flot. Men Oliver forstod stadig ikke 'hygge'.
En: Signe and Lars took him around. They showed him the canal, filled with boats. They showed him Nyhavn, with the old, colorful houses. They showed him the Royal Theater, grand and beautiful. But Oliver still didn't understand 'hygge'.

Da: "Vi skal nok finde ud af det," sagde Lars. Han tænkte hårdt.
En: "We'll figure it out," said Lars. He thought hard.

Da: Ved solnedgang fandt de en lille café. Den duftede af frisk kaffe og kanel. Signe tændte stearinlys på bordet. Lars bestilte varm chokolade. De tre sad og snakkede i det svage lys, mens natten udenfor blev mørkere.
En: At sunset, they found a small café. It smelled of fresh coffee and cinnamon. Signe lit candles on the table. Lars ordered hot chocolate. The three of them sat and talked in the dim light, as the night outside grew darker.

Da: Oliver følte sig varm indeni. Han grinede og smilede med Lars og Signe. Det var rart. Det var... hyggeligt.
En: Oliver felt warm inside. He laughed and smiled with Lars and Signe. It was nice. It was... cozy.

Da: Han vendte tilbage til England med et nyt ord i sit ordforråd. Og et smil på hans ansigt. Han ville aldrig glemme den hyggelige aften i København.
En: He returned to England with a new word in his vocabulary. And a smile on his face. He would never forget the cozy evening in Copenhagen.

Da: Lars og Signe var glade. De havde lært deres gæst 'hygge'. Det var ikke svært. For 'hygge' er en fornemmelse, ikke et ord. Og den fornemmelse behøver ingen forklaring. Den skal opleves.
En: Lars and Signe were happy. They had taught their guest 'hygge'. It wasn't hard. Because 'hygge' is a feeling, not a word. And that feeling needs no explanation. It must be experienced.

Da: Og dér endte deres opgave. I caféen i København, med stearinlys, varm chokolade og god snak. Det var 'hygge'. Og det var nok.
En: And there their task ended. In the café in Copenhagen, with candles, hot chocolate, and good conversation. That was 'hygge'. And that was enough.


Vocabulary Words:

• few: få
• walked: gik
• laughed: lo
• smiled: smilede
• waiting: ventede
• nervous: nervøs
• explain: forklarer
• guest: gæst
• tall: stor
• showed: viste
• understand: forstod
• figure: finde
• small: lille
• smell: duftede
• lit: tændte
• ordered: bestilte
• talked: snakkede
• warm: varm
• nice: rart
• cozy: hyggeligt
• return: vendte tilbage
• word: ord
• task: opgave
• candles: stearinlys
• hot chocolate: varm chokolade
• conversation: snak
• feeling: fornemmelse
• explanation: forklaring
• experienced: opleves
• beautiful: flot