In this solo episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish shares a series of personal anecdotes that illustrate how easily foreigners (and even locals) can become confused by Danish place names and personal names that sound alike. She recounts mistaking the bus stop Sølvtorvet for Søtorvet, mixing up Ørsted and Øresund, and confusing nearby stations such as Nørgaard, Nørre Allee, Nørreport, and Nørrebro. The confusion extends to people’s names—Jutta vs. Jette, Lena, Tina, Jürgen vs. Jörn, Michael vs. Mika, and even her own name, Kay, which is often read as the male name Kai or the English name Kate. These mix‑ups have led to missed appointments, gender‑related misunderstandings, and humorous social interactions. Mellish concludes by directing listeners to her sister website kxmgroup.dk for a “top 10 mistakes Danes make in English” list and to howtoliveindenmark.com for comments, encouraging the community to share their own experiences. The episode is framed with a light, conversational tone and ends with music arranged by George Garvis.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. I came up with the idea for this week's podcast while running. I was running from Sølvtorvet, where I had mistakenly gotten off the bus, to Søtorvet, where my business meeting was. Sølvtorvet, Søtorvet. Those 2 places were about 15 minutes away from each other by foot, and it was 10 minutes before I had to be there, so I was moving pretty quickly. But I was thinking about all the times I still get confused about Danish place names. A lot of names sound very similar to foreigners. Although I'm sure to Danes they're quite distinct. For example, the Copenhagen Metro has a stop called Ørsted and one in another direction called Øresund. Ørsted, Øresund. If you don't speak Danish well, those two letters' difference is enough to get you very, very lost. As a matter of fact, I've met and helped a lot of lost tourists because Ørsted is a bit of a tourist attraction. Lots of exciting modern architecture there. Another tourist attraction is a lovely park called Ørsted. Yes, that's right, folks. The difference is Ørsted or Ørsted. One letter. And don't get frustrated and jump in the Øresund, which is the large body of water between Denmark and Sweden. The bridge between the two countries is the Øresund Bridge. Ørsted, Ørsted. Øresund. Got it now? I still haven't got it, because I still get lost. I missed a party recently because I went to Nørgaard when I was supposed to go to Nørre Allee. I could have also gone to Nørreport or Nørrebro, all of which are within walking distance of each other in Copenhagen. It's not just place names, it's people names. Denmark once having been a very Christian country, there are people with the last names Christiansen, Christian Sun, and Christian Sun. All of these people will be miffed if you get their name wrong. First names can also be tricky. I got in trouble this week for calling a lady named Jutta Jette by mistake. Maybe it was Jette and Jutta. At any rate, I still mess up Lena and Lena, and particularly Tina and Tina. For the men, it's easy to confuse Jürgen and Jörn and Michael and Mika. And I do confuse them. All the time. I even have problems with my own name in Danish. My name, Kay, is spelled the same way as a Danish man's name, Kai. Now, Kai was a big name during the 1920s, so now it's associated with very old men. Sort of like, say, Hubert in English. There are no young Huberts. Anyway, when I first got here, I tried to make an appointment with the gynecologist and was told— Sorry, Kai, this doctor is only for women. When Danish people do realize that I am a woman, they often call me not Kay, but Kate. I was helping some other parents paint my daughter's school recently, when I noticed that one of the fathers, who were ordering all the mothers around, kept calling me Kate. I corrected him— he's known me for years— and he immediately apologized. Sorry, he said, there's an English lady named Kate at work, And all those English names sound alike. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. Check out our sister website, kxmgroup.dk, for a list of the top 10 mistakes Danes make in English. I'm not the only one making mistakes. Or visit our How to Live in Denmark page at howtoliveindenmark.com and leave a comment about things you've gotten mixed up. Music arranged by George Garvis. See you next week.
