How to speak ‘amerikansk’

Danes generally speak English very well, and certainly well enough to do business with American colleagues, who are accustomed to hearing people speak with accents and make the occasional grammatical mistake.

Here, however, are some minor points of language that can trip up Danes.

(By the way, americansk, the Danish word for the language spoken in the US, is not translated directly. Most Americans will just say they speak English.)

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In the US, the words university and college are used interchangeably when referring to undergraduate courses.

If a job applicant says he has just graduated from college, he might have a degree from, say, New York University.

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While the Danish word velfærd covers health care, education, and unemployment insurance, welfare in American English generally means income transfers to the nonworking poor, something a lot like kontanthjælp.

This is why your American colleagues may misunderstand your enthusiasm for the velfærdsmodel.

Those who are enthusiastic may not thoroughly grasp how high Danish taxes are in order to pay for velfærd; 44% of Americans pay no federal income tax at all.

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At diskutere in Danish suggests that two parties disagree. That’s not true of the verb “discuss” in English. A discussion is just a deeper, slightly more thoughtful version of a conversation. Quibble is a good English word to use for petty disagreements. Stop quibbling!

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An institution in Danish can be a happy and positive place – a kindergarten, for example.

But in American English, a building that is an institution is more often a place for severely disabled or deeply troubled people, like the criminally insane.

American colleagues may react with concern if you say that you are taking your child to an institution.

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A kommode in Danish is a place to put your folded clothes. A commode in American English is a slang term for a toilet.

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Speaking of toilets, if you need to empty your bladder after a long meeting and are seeking a place to do that, you’ll find the Americans have many euphemisms for toilet facilities.

You can ask for the restroom, the ladies’ room or the men’s room, or the bathroom, even if you are in an office building and have no plans to take a bath.

Some women will still ask for the powder room, or say that they need to “go powder their nose” even though no one has carried around a powder puff for decades. Or they will say that need to “freshen up.”

Men might say they’re headed for the “little boy’s room,” that they plan to “make a pit stop” or even that they need to “go see a man about a horse.”

And it’s become trendy to call for a pause in a meeting by saying it’s time for a “bio break” or a “human break.”

Just asking for the toilet is not wrong, but it’s considered a bit explicit and vulgar.