Danish Proverbs

B

* "Blind høne kan også finde korn."
o Translation: "Blind hens can find grain too"
o Interpretation: Some things succeed because of luck.


D

* "Den der ler sidst ler bedst."
o Translation: "He who laughs last, laughs best."

* "Den man tugter elsker man."
o Translation: "The one you chasten you love."
o Interpretation: if you are constantly teasing someone it is because you secretly love/like them.

* "Der er ingen ko på isen (så længe halen er på land)."
o Translation: "There is no cow on the ice (as long as the tail is on land)."
o Interpretation "There are no problems (as long as you have ensured the basics)"

E

* "En fugl i hånden er bedre end ti på taget."
o Translation: "One bird in the hand is better than ten on the roof."
o English equivalent: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
o Interpretation: You should be grateful for the little you already have rather than envious of something that is beyond your reach.

* "Enhver er sin egen lykkes smed."
o Translation: "Everybody is the smith of his own happiness"
o Possible interpretation: Don't wait for luck. Create your own happiness.

F

* "For mange kokke fordærver maden."
o Translation: "Too many cooks spoil the meal."

* "Fra børn og fulde folk skal man høre sandheden."
o Translation: "From children and drunks will you hear the truth."
o Possible Interpretation: Sometimes, ordinary people are too afraid or blind to see the truth.
o Possible Interpretation: Believe in the words of children and drunk people, who are not afraid of the consequences of telling the truth.

G

* "Græsset er altid grønnere hos naboen."
o Translation: "The grass is always greener at the neighbour's." Or, loosely: "Your neighbour's grass is always greener."
o Possible Interpretation: You always want what you can't have (even if what you do have is just as good).
o English equivalent: "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."


* "Gå ikke over åen efter vand."
o Translation: "Don't cross the stream to get water."
o Possible Interpretation: Easy does it
o English equivalent: "Don't carry coal to Newcastle"


* "Græsset bliver ikke brændt i skyggen, om sommeren."
o Translation: "The grass won't be burnt in the shadows during summer."

H

* "'Hvis og hvis min røv er spids og fyldt med marmelade'"
o Translation: "If and if my ass is pointy and full of marmalade."
o Possible Interpretation: If there are too many unknowns in a statement, the chance of it being true is the same as the chance of my ass being pointy and full of marmelade (i.e. zero).
o English equivalent: If pigs had wings...
o English equivalent: On the twelfth day of Never.
* "Hvo intet vover intet vinder."
o Translation: "He who takes no chances wins nothing."
o English equivalent: "Nothing ventured nothing gained" or "Who dares wins."
o Possible Interpretation: Without taking risks, you cannot achieve anything.
* "Hvor der handles, der spildes."
o Translation: "Where there is action, there is waste."
o English equivalent: You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.

I

* "Ingen roser uden torne"
o Translation: "No roses without thorns"
o Possible Interpretation: Nothing is perfect; everything, no matter how lovely, has at least a bit of a fault or downside.


K

* "Kast ikke med sten hvis du selv bor i et glashus."
o Translation: "Don't throw rocks if you live in a glass house."
o Interpretation: Don't criticize others for faults you have yourself (usually to an even larger degree).

* "Kragen råber immer på sit eget navn"
o Translation: "The crow always calls its own name."

* "Kryds ikke vejen når du ikke kan finde ud af køkkenet"
o Translation: "Don't cross the road when you can't find your way out of the kitchen."

L

* "Lige børn leger bedst."
o Translation: "Equal children play best."
o Possible Interpretation: You should stick to your own social class.
o Possible Interpretation: You should compete with people at your own level.
o Possible Interpretation: Do not match uneven things

* "Lige ved og næsten slår ingen mand af hesten."
o Translation: "'Almost' and 'nearly' do not throw a man from his horse."
o Possible Interpretation: Sometimes 'almost' is not enough, eg. "I almost won the contract" (i.e. did not)
o Possible Interpretation: Although nearly "not-X", was still "X" in the end... or the converse.
o English Equivalent: "Close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades"

M

* "Man må hyle med de ulve man er i blandt"
o Translation: "One must howl with the wolves one is among"
o English equivalent: "When in Rome do as the Romans"

* "Man skal smede mens jernet er varmt"
o Translation: "One should do the blacksmithing while the iron is hot"
o English equivalent: "Strike while the iron is hot"
o Possible interpretation: Seize the moment. Take the opportunity now; don't waste it.

* "Mange bække små gør en stor å."
o Translation: "Many small brooks make the river strong."
o English equivalent: "Every little bit helps."
o Possible Interpretation: If You save a little here and a little there, You will eventually get rich.
o Possible Interpretation: Be aware of aggregates (can also be a warning, i.e. towards going into debt)

N

* "Nød lærer nøgen kvinde at spinde."
o Translation: "Necessity teaches the naked woman to spin (yarn)."
o Possible Interpretation: You can if you must.
o English equivalent: Necessity is the mother of invention.

O

* Over skyerne er himlen altid blå
o Translation: Above the clouds, the sky is always blue
o English equivalent: "Every cloud has a silver lining"
o Interpretation: Though you can't think of any good things at the moment, they're right behind the bad.

* Operationen var en succes, men patienten døde
o Translation: The operation was a success but the patient died

P

* "Pels ikke bjørnen før den er skudt."
o Translation: Don't skin the bear before it's been shot
o English equivalent: "Don't count your chickens before they hatch"
o Possible Interpretation: Don't think you have something, until you really got it


S

* "Sku ikke hunden på hårene."
o Translation: "Don't judge the dog by its fur."
o Danish version of "Don't judge a book by the cover."
o Possible Interpretation: Don't make assumptions about the character of a person based solely on their outward appearance.
o Possible Interpretation: Be aware that not all important traits are easily observed (applies broadly to both physical and non-physical traits of fellow humans).


* "Sælg ikke skindet før bjørnen er skudt."
o Translation: "Don't sell the fur before shooting the bear."
o Possible Interpretation: Don't be too ambitious. Having done something and planning to do it are two different things. Do things in the right order.
o Possible Interpretation: Is a warning against acting on hopeful predictions, i.e. don't spend your raise until it really is yours.


* "Sæt ikke dit lys under en skæppe."
o Translation: "Do not hide your light under a bushel"
o Possible Interpretation: Don't hide your talents.


* "Skik følge eller land fly"
o Translation: "Custom follow or country flee"
o English equivalent: "When in Rome do as the Romans"

T

* "Tale er sølv, tavshed er guld"
o Translation: "Speaking is silver, silence is gold"
o Possible interpretation: Speaking is fine, but being silent can be of more value.

* "At tisse i bukserne for at holde varmen"
o Translation: "to pee in one's pants to stay warm"
o Possible interpretation: To engage in an action that seems beneficial in the short term but is foolish or detrimental in the long term.

* "Tomme tønder buldrer mest."
o Translation: "Empty vessels make most noise/sound"
o Possible Interpretation: "The ignorant make themselves known." (Empty head = loud mouth)

* "Tab og vind med samme sind."
o Translation: "Lose and win in the same spirit"
o Possible Interpretation: "Exercise Sportsmanship. Winning isn't everything"

* "Tyv tror hver mand stjæler."
o Translation: "It is the thief who thinks that all men steal."
o English equivalent: "The jaundiced eye sees all things yellow."

U

* "Uden mad og drikke duer helten ikke."
o Translation: "Without eating and drinking the hero is no good."
o Possible Interpretation: "To achieve greatness also requires attention to the basics/mundane".
o Possible Interpretation: It should be taken literally. It is usually only used when talking about food (breaks).


* "Ude godt, men hjemme bedst."
o Translation: "It's good to be out (and about), but at home is best."
o Possible Interpretation: Seeing different things (cultures) is good, but we still prefer our own way of life.
o Possible Interpretation: Can also be meant as a acknowledgement of you or someone else being homesick.


Æ

* "Ærlighed varer længst""
* Translation: "Honesty last longest"
o Possible Interpretation: In the long term, honesty is the best policy

Ø

* "Øvelse gør mester."
o Translation:"Practice makes master"
o English equivalent: "Practice makes perfect"