Getting out of my warm bed this morning, made me realize … Sleep is freaking AWESOME, and we should get a lot more of it! As I won’t be able to suddenly conjure more hours in the night, I'll instead provide some Danish words and phrases to celebrate my favourite pastime, sleep ... wonderful sleep:
- Feeling like a retirement home and other tired Danish expressions
- Common Danish expressions for going to sleep and sleeping
- Waking up – Different ways to express getting out of bed in Danish!
- Some boring stuff - nouns, verbs and adjectives related to sleep
- Sleepy Danish idioms and expressions
This blog will teach you some of the most common Danish expressions about sleep, such as 'taking a grandpa', 'go in the boards' and many many more. You'll also learn how to talk about sleeping well and sleeping poorly. Enjoy!
Feeling like a retirement home and other tired Danish expressions
Personally, I require at least eight hours of sleep to fight the ravages of aging. Without logging at least seven or eight hours in the sack, I'll become (even more) grumpy and short-tempered.
Use the expressions below to complain about being tired in Danish (click the icon for pronunciation):
Jeg er træt - I'm tired
Jeg er søvnig - I'm sleepy
Jeg er dødtræt - I'm dead tired - I'm beat
Jeg er klar til at se dyner - I'm ready to see duvets
Jeg er klatøjet - I'm bleary eyed
Jeg er mat i sokkerne - I'm dull / lacklustre in the socks
Jeg er træt som et alderdomshjem - I'm tired like a retirement home
Jeg kan ikke holde mine øjne åbne - I can't keep my eyes open
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Common Danish expressions for going to sleep
The Danish language has a ton of different expressions for going to sleep. Here are some of the most common ones:
At gå i seng [to go in bed] How to say 'to go to bed' in Danish.
At gå tidligt/sent i seng [to go early/late in bed]
At falde i søvn [to fall in sleep] Danes fall 'in sleep' and not asleep.
At gå direkte i seng [to go directly in bed] Danish for going straight to bed.
And our absolute favourite night time expressions:
At gå på hovedet i seng [to go on the head in bed] Another Danish expression for going straight to bed.
At se dyner [to se duvets]
At gå i brædderne [to go in the boards] Falling asleep - usually after consuming an excessive amount of alcohol.
At krybe til køjs [to crawl to bunk/berth] A casual expression for turning in.
At gå i seng med hønsene [to go in bed with the hens] To go to bed very early.
Danish expressions for actually sleeping
While we can't teach you Danish while you sleep, here's a few Danish expressions for doing the actual deed.
At få en skraber [to get a scraper] - to have a nap
At få en halv time på øjet [to get a half hour on the eye] - to have a short nap
At hvile sig [to rest yourself]
At sove den ud [to sleep it out] to sleep while drunk
And a few more sleepy expressions:
At sove længe [to sleep long] to have a lie-in
At sove for længe [to sleep too long] to oversleep
At sove videre - to continue sleeping
At sove som en sten [to sleep like a rock] sleep like a baby
At knalde brikker [to break game pieces]
At snorkboble - to sleep like a log
Waking up – Different ways to express getting out of bed in Danish!
At stå tidligt op [to stand early up] To get up early
At vågne op [to wake up]
At stå op før fanden får sko på [to stand up before the devil gets shoes on] To get out of bed really early
At stå op med hønsene / solen [to stand up with the hens / the sun] To get out of bed extremely early
At komme ud af fjerene [to come out of the feathers]
At få øjne [to get / receive eyes] to wake up
At sove over sig [to get / receive eyes]
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Some boring stuff - nouns, verbs and adjectives related to sleep
Maybe this isn't the most exciting part of this post, but if you are still learning Danish, it's definately good to know stuff. If not, it might help put you to sleep.
Different Danish nouns related to sleep
En seng ... to senge - bed(s)
En syvsover ... to syvsovere - slugabed(s)
En sovetryne ... to sovetryner - sleepyhead(s)
En dyne ... to dyner - duvet(s)
Et lagen ... to lagner - sheet(s)
En hovedpude ... to hovedpuder - pillow(s)
En madras ... to madrasser - mattresses
En bamse ... to bamser - stuffed animal(s)
Et mareridt ... to mareridt - nightmare(s)
En drøm ... to drømme - dream(s)
Et soveværelse ... to soveværelser - bedroom(s)
En godnathistorie ... to godnathistorier - bedtime story/ies
Nattøj - nightwear
To sleep or not to sleep - Danish bedtime verbs
At sove - to sleep
At snorke - to snore
At skære tænder - to grind one's teeth
At putte - to tuck in
At gabe - to yawn
At drømme - to dream
At vågne (op) - to wake (up)
At stå op - [to stand up] to get out of bed
A few Danish adjectives and antonyms
Træt - tired
Overtræt - overtired
Veludhvilet - well-rested
Søvnig - sleepy
Lysvågen - wide awake
Søvndrukken - drowsy
Klatøjet - bleary eyed
Kvæstet - knackered
Bombet - [bombed] weary
Sleepy Danish idioms and expressions
True to tradition, we'll finish this blog post with a few Danish idioms involving sleep.
Have et godt sovehjerte [have a good sleeping heart] - be a heavy sleeper
Få det forkerte ben ud af sengen [get the wrong leg out of the bed] - get out of the wrong side of the bed
Ikke komme sovende til noget [not come sleeping to something]
At trække torsk i land [to pull codfish in land] to snore
Træt som et alderdomshjem [tired like a retirement home]
Op før fanden får sko på [up before the devil gets shoes on] up extremely early
Komme ud af fjerene [come out of the feathers] get out of bed
Back to you
Now you know your way around the bedroom and can sleep the sleep of the just. Did we miss out on any sleepy Danish expressions? Leave a comment below with your suggestions. Learn also about how to talk about time in Danish.
Sov godt and don't let the bedbugs bite!
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