Step 6
Words that cheat (Ord, der snyder)
Common Danish words that are not spelled the way they sound. You cannot sound your way to them, you learn to recognise them.
Set 1 The box of forgotten things, hv words
What we practise
words beginning with hv
The words
The text
Der står en stor kasse ude i gangen.Hvad er der i den?Hvor er den tung!Mia kigger ned i kassen.Den er fuld af glemte ting.Her er en vante, en hue og en sko.Hvem har glemt det hele?Hvordan finder vi ud af, hvis ting det er?
Talk about the text
- What is the box full of?Hvad er kassen fuld af?
- Why is the box so heavy?Hvorfor er kassen så tung?
- Have you forgotten something at school? How did you get it back?Har du glemt noget i skolen? Hvordan fik du det igen?
For the adult: The h cannot be heard in any of these words. They cannot be sounded out, so say them for your child and let them recognise them next time. These five are among the most used question words in Danish.
Set 2 The winter trip to the beach, words with a silent d
What we practise
words with a silent d
The words
The text
Det er vinter, og vi går ned til stranden.Der er ingen andre end os.Min hånd er kold, for jeg har glemt mine vanter.En hund løber i det våde sand.Ude på vandet ligger en and helt stille.En mand kaster en bold ud i vandet.Hunden løber efter den.Nu er den helt våd.
Talk about the text
- Who is throwing the ball?Hvem kaster bolden?
- Why does the dog get wet?Hvorfor bliver hunden våd?
- What can you do down by the water in winter?Hvad kan man lave nede ved vandet om vinteren?
For the adult: The d is not pronounced in kold, hånd, hund, sand, mand, bold or and. Say the words slowly together and listen for where the d went.
Set 3 The bike ride, words where the g cannot be heard
What we practise
words where g cannot be heard
The words
The text
Jeg spurgte, om du ville med.Du sagde ja med det samme.Så tog vi cyklerne og kørte.Vent på mig, råbte jeg.Men du kørte bare videre.Til sidst fik jeg fat i dig.
Talk about the text
- What am I shouting?Hvad råber jeg?
- Why am I shouting wait for me?Hvorfor råber jeg vent på mig?
- Have you ever not been able to keep up? What was that like?Har du prøvet ikke at kunne følge med? Hvordan var det?
For the adult: The g cannot be heard in jeg, mig, dig, og, sagde and spurgte. These six words are among the most used in Danish, so they are worth knowing by heart.
Set 4 Grandad and the saw, words whose ending cheats
What we practise
words where the ending does not sound the way it looks
The words
The text
Farfar bor helt ude ved et hav.I skuret hænger hans gamle sav.I dag skal vi bygge et fuglebræt af et stykke træ.Jeg holder fast, mens han saver, og lyden skærer i mit ene øre.Da vi er færdige, sætter vi brættet op i træet.Bagefter sidder jeg med en bog i vindueskarmen.Ude på marken står en ræv og kigger.Så er den væk.
Talk about the text
- What hangs in the shed?Hvad hænger der i skuret?
- Why is the fox standing completely still?Hvorfor står ræven helt stille?
- Have you built something together with an adult?Har du bygget noget sammen med en voksen?
For the adult: These five words cheat at the end. In hav, sav and ræv the v turns into an u sound, and the same happens to the g in bog. In øre the r disappears into the vowel. The words cannot be sounded out all the way, so say them for your child and let them recognise them next time.
Set 5 Home from the beach, hj words
What we practise
words that begin with hj
The words
The text
Vi skulle hjem fra stranden.Mit forhjul sad fast i det bløde sand.Jeg kaldte på min storesøster og bad om hjælp.Hun tog fat i styret, mens jeg løftede bagi.Så kom hjulet fri.Mit hjerte bankede helt oppe i halsen af at trække.Vi var hjemme, lige før det blev mørkt.
Talk about the text
- What was stuck in the sand?Hvad sad fast i sandet?
- Why was the heart pounding?Hvorfor bankede hjertet?
- Who do you ask for help when something gets stuck?Hvem beder du om hjælp, når noget går i stå?
For the adult: The h cannot be heard in hjem, hjælp, hjul and hjerte. The words begin with a j sound even though an h is written first. It is the same kind of trap as the hv words in set 1, and the two groups can be learned together.
Set 6 The day at the lake, words with a soft d
What we practise
words with a soft d
The words
The text
Det var en god dag ved søen.Vandet lå helt stille, og der var ingen vind.Vi havde mad med i en kurv.Min lillebror ville bade med det samme.Han sagde, at vandet slet ikke var koldt.Det var det.Han kom hurtigt op igen, rød i hovedet og stadig glad.
Talk about the text
- What did they bring in the basket?Hvad havde de med i kurven?
- How can you tell the water was cold after all?Hvordan kan man se, at vandet alligevel var koldt?
- When did you last swim in something cold?Hvornår har du sidst badet i noget, der var koldt?
For the adult: The d in god, mad, bade, rød and glad is soft. It does not sound like the d in dag or du, and your child cannot sound their way to it. Say the words slowly together and listen to how different the two kinds of d are.
Set 7 The swing in the garden, words with ng
What we practise
words with ng
The words
The text
Der var mange ting at lave i haven.Vi skulle hænge en gynge op i det store træ.Far holdt stigen, mens jeg bandt rebet fast.Det tog lang tid at få knuden til at sidde ordentligt.Min ene finger blev helt rød af at trække.Men så kunne vi gynge resten af eftermiddagen.
Talk about the text
- What was going up in the tree?Hvad skulle hænges op i træet?
- Why did the finger turn red?Hvorfor blev fingeren rød?
- What have you helped with at home?Hvad har du selv hjulpet med derhjemme?
For the adult: The n and the g melt into a single sound in mange, ting, hænge, gynge and finger. Your child cannot say n and g separately and get the word out of it, so the sound has to be learned as one.
Is this the right step?
If your child reads most of the words without sounding them out, the step is too easy. If your child gets stuck on more than a few, go one step down. That is not a defeat, it is the fastest way forward.
Borrow books that match: show this text to the librarian, and they can find books at the same level. See library.
