Marie's Danish Lessons


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GlitteringTiaras

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Thanks for the article GlitteringTiaras. Can you maybe translate part of it for the non-danish readers among us :innocent:


When I have a chance, no problem. Unless someone else would like to do the honors?:D

There is another article and [URL="http://www.seoghoer.dk/~/media/A3BC0584279D4C1AB564A80FC0F902A9.ashx"]cover shot[/URL] of Marie on this week's Se og Hor. Now they are claiming that she isn't really interested in learning Danish. Allegedly she noted that so far, hence since her engagement announcement back in October, she has only recieved six hours of Danish lessons a month. I believe it came from her interview with Point du Vue magazine in which she stated:

In practice how did things go?

With regard to the language, for instance, I have to admit that I haven't made much progress. It must be said that my courses take place in Copenhagen while I spent most of my time at Schackenborg, Joachim's castle, which is not very near the capital. Which made that for the moment because of spending only about 6 hours per month on learning the language, I have just mastered the basics. It's a very difficult language, it has a very special pronounciation. But it doesn't worry me too much: once I will get immersed in the country; everything will go very fast then, I think.

I sure hope it is simple a language barrier translation thingy or something even though "allegedly" the interview was in French. Then translated into Danish. Anyway...apparently, Se og Hor is P.O.'d about this noting that she is essentially giving the "friendly finger" to the Danes and demostrating her sheer laziness and attitude towards the Danish people, culture, and language.

They sure are stretching it. Why they are so hell bent on sticking it to Marie is beyond me. Personally speaking, it is quite clear they don't like her, and are making darn sure she and everyone else in Denmark knows it. So childish.:rolleyes:
 
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I sure hope it is simple a language barrier translation thingy or something even though "allegedly" the interview was in French. Then translated into Danish. Anyway...apparently, Se og Hor is P.O.'d about this noting that she is essentially giving the "friendly finger" to the Danes and demostrating her sheer laziness and attitude towards the Danish people, culture, and language.

They sure are stretching it. Why they are so hell bent on sticking it to Marie is beyond me. Personally speaking, it is quite clear they don't like her, and are making darn sure she and everyone else in Denmark knows it. So childish.:rolleyes:

It's typical Se & Hør behaviour, really. They'll do the same thing to anyone, (and have) if they can sell some extra magazines from it.

I think it is an interesting case, though, because it makes it obvious that even if the basic facts are the same - some will take it and say "Marie isn't learning Danish" whereas others will take it and say "Wonderful, Marie is learning Danish.". :ermm: It's been the same with all the members of the royal family (as well as other celebrities) who end up featuring in both Se & Hør and Billedbladet. There aren't really all that many "middle road" kind of magazines in Denmark.
 
Ofcourse by saying she hasn't many lessons yet, people won't expect that much of her Danish.
 
how is possible she does not bother to learn danish, it is the first thing she should do, if she will be a princess indenmark is the least she can do! this thing that the house is far it is not excuse! como on she has all the mony and power now for getting the things easy for her, do like maxima get a private tuttor! sorry if i look upset, i am not but i think she should to try to show a little bit more interested.
 
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Mandy, Empress, Dazzling, Grim_Lady, and GT:flowers:
 
Ofcourse by saying she hasn't many lessons yet, people won't expect that much of her Danish.

That's definitely one way to look at it. Honestly, with the way the press was blowing up Mary's Danish knowledge before the engagement, without any solid knowledge, it would naturally lead to disappointment from Ekstrabladet/Se&Hør in retrospect. By deflating this now, I suppose the expectations on Marie might be lower. :ermm:
 
That's definitely one way to look at it. Honestly, with the way the press was blowing up Mary's Danish knowledge before the engagement, without any solid knowledge, it would naturally lead to disappointment from Ekstrabladet/Se&Hør in retrospect. By deflating this now, I suppose the expectations on Marie might be lower. :ermm:

That was my point :flowers: I do hope it's that, because otherwise Marie would have a really bad start, both in Denmark (not speaking the language) as with the Danish people. (A Princess who doesn't "want" to learn the language well.)

I'm not saying that's what Danish people would think, I'm saying it's what the could think.

Josette
 
I really think that learn Danish should have been Marie most important task. I know that the wedding is up there, but she will have to speak with with the Danish people for the rest of her life. The wedding day is only one day. Go to your Danish lessons Marie.:ROFLMAO:
 
I really think that learn Danish should have been Marie most important task. I know that the wedding is up there, but she will have to speak with with the Danish people for the rest of her life. The wedding day is only one day. Go to your Danish lessons Marie.:ROFLMAO:

Yep, I quite agree. Learn the language and I'm pretty sure she will be loved by the Danes. THat's the first step she should take into consideration. ;)
 
IMO, this makes me think more highly of Princess Mary, simply because, although not fluent when they announced their engagement, she could at least speak a little. It's almost 2 weeks before their marriage and it seems to me that she is not very concerned with learning the language. Also, like I've said previously, she's been dating him for what seems like forever, HELLO, let's get a clue there Marie!! Speaking from experience, my mother in law is Japanese, yet lives her in America and has for 30 years and is fluent in English, but I did learn at least a couple of phrases in Japanese. No real reason to except to see her smile. If it had been me, I'd have learned Danish long ago. Like was stated earlier, hire a private tutor!
 
yes with all the money that they have what they are waiting for a private tuttor like maxima, i said this befor and i insist , i am even surprise the queen doesn't take action!!!! what's the matter with them????
 
IMO, this makes me think more highly of Princess Mary, simply because, although not fluent when they announced their engagement, she could at least speak a little. It's almost 2 weeks before their marriage and it seems to me that she is not very concerned with learning the language. Also, like I've said previously, she's been dating him for what seems like forever, HELLO, let's get a clue there Marie!! Speaking from experience, my mother in law is Japanese, yet lives her in America and has for 30 years and is fluent in English, but I did learn at least a couple of phrases in Japanese. No real reason to except to see her smile. If it had been me, I'd have learned Danish long ago. Like was stated earlier, hire a private tutor!

And Mary had never undertaken another language other than English! Marie is already multilingual so I would think she knows what it takes to get really good. I think though that she and Joachim mainly speak French to each other (like Mary and Fred said before that they speak mainly English together). I just remember that cute picture of Mary with a stack of Danish books. :flowers:
 
And Mary had never undertaken another language other than English! Marie is already multilingual so I would think she knows what it takes to get really good. I think though that she and Joachim mainly speak French to each other (like Mary and Fred said before that they speak mainly English together). I just remember that cute picture of Mary with a stack of Danish books. :flowers:
what other languages Marie speaks? do you still have that cute photo of Mary?
 
And Mary had never undertaken another language other than English

On a technicality, she did. French, in highschool...:D
 
Having just warped back in time to a photo of Mary's engagement ring taken at the anouncement of the engagement on the Mary - Jewelry thread, I was a little bemused/amused to find that just under it was a caustic post regarding Mary's lack of fluency in Danish when she had been living in Denmark for 14 months! :ermm:

By those rules I believe Marie is still entitled to be cut a little slack. :flowers:
 
Having just warped back in time to a photo of Mary's engagement ring taken at the anouncement of the engagement on the Mary - Jewelry thread, I was a little bemused/amused to find that just under it was a caustic post regarding Mary's lack of fluency in Danish when she had been living in Denmark for 14 months! :ermm:

By those rules I believe Marie is still entitled to be cut a little slack. :flowers:

Indeed. I think there is a difference between living in Denmark and living in Geneva when it comes to learning Danish. :whistling:

That being said, I remember the court coming out and talking about their programme for learning Mary about Denmark and teaching her Danish, allegedly the same programme they used for Alexandra. (Reading Danish books, watching Danish shows like Matador, etc. only speaking Danish) I wonder if they're still using it to teach Marie…
 
Yes, but aren't her lessons physically in Denmark? She said it herself in various interviews so far that she's in Denmark on the weekends. Every weekend. Wouldn't it be a nice added bonus to have additional lessons in Geneva... then when the weekend rolls along more lessons in, you guessed it, Denmark?

Jus' sayin...:)
 
The keypoint of any successful integration - not only for a princess - is the language. And therefore I would have thought that Marie studies Danish 6 hours a day (I would if I were in her shoes, I must admit I was disappointed by her statement).

And IMO Marie has 1 thing against her: Frenchman Henrik hasn't managed to master the language to the Dane's satisfaction and therefore was accused of not being interested enough. And now comes Frenchwoman Marie and tells a French magazine that she only has 6 Danish lessons a month?

Bad idea. I can already see the critical articles about her language skills 14 months from now. :whistling:
 
. . . .I can already see the critical articles about her language skills 14 months from now.
And she will still have only just reached the point that Mary had when her engagement was announced, meanwhile Marie will have had the added advantage of "full immersion" language study. :whistling:
 
And she will still have only just reached the point that Mary had when her engagement was announced, :whistling:
Actually she will not, you have to add the 8 engagement months which Marie obviously did not use to full advantage.
 
Actually she will not, you have to add the 8 engagement months which Marie obviously did not use to full advantage.
Those months were not spent living in Denmark? Or were they? :flowers:
 
Well, you said she will have reached the point that Mary had at her engagement.
14 months from now Marie will have had 14 months spent in DK plus 8 months she could have used for extensive Danish lessons (although only living in DK every second week) - which Mary had not.

But I don't want to start a fight. Hopefully 14 months from now - after Marie had the advantage of "full immersion" language study in DK - her Danish will be so satisfying that there won't be any critical articles.:)
 
I think clever Marie is playing a very smart game...I think she is being coy and downplaying how much work she has actually done in learning Danish, so when we finally hear her give her first speech in Danish listening with our low expectation ears...we are going to fall of our chairs at just how brilliant she actually is...I think she has an aptitude for languages, being European and already knowing 3-4...whereas Mary being Australian (like me) is only exposed to one language, English and so making it difficult to learn a second...

Because if Marie was saying things like, yes I have had lots of lessons and am doing quite well and I think I am fabulous at speaking Danish...we would have slashed her down like the tall poppy she is and her language skills would become secondary to her arrogance and over-confidence and cockiness...

So really the poor girl can't win either way and we will just have to wait and see how Princess Marie Agathe of Denmark surprises us all :)
 
I think clever Marie is playing a very smart game...I think she is being coy and downplaying how much work she has actually done in learning Danish, so when we finally hear her give her first speech in Danish listening with our low expectation ears...we are going to fall of our chairs at just how brilliant she actually is...I think she has an aptitude for languages, being European and already knowing 3-4...whereas Mary being Australian (like me) is only exposed to one language, English and so making it difficult to learn a second...

Because if Marie was saying things like, yes I have had lots of lessons and am doing quite well and I think I am fabulous at speaking Danish...we would have slashed her down like the tall poppy she is and her language skills would become secondary to her arrogance and over-confidence and cockiness...

So really the poor girl can't win either way and we will just have to wait and see how Princess Marie Agathe of Denmark surprises us all :)

Soooo, when shall I start holding my breath?:D
 
whereas Mary being Australian

I'm Australian and I know two languages fluently and one not so fluently..haha..What's your point, sweetheart? And your only around two and a half hours from me...:flowers:
 
Which made that for the moment because of spending only about 6 hours per month on learning the language, I have just mastered the basics. It's a very difficult language, it has a very special pronounciation. But it doesn't worry me too much: once I will get immersed in the country; everything will go very fast then, I think.
Marie saying that she has only 6 hours of lessons a month makes it come across as though she is uninterested in learning the language, it probably would of been better for her to say that she was taking lessons but it is a difficult language and once she is living in Denmark she thinks it will come faster.
 
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Recent interview in Billedbladet about preparations for the wedding, and the quote from her about learning Danish:
"I've laughed a lot with my Danish teachers, and it is a funny language to learn. It's much more different than the other languages I speak. Most Danes think it is very difficult to learn the language, but so far I'm very hopeful. It's a very soft language, and the grammar is luckily not very difficult. Unfortunately the pronunciation can be a bit difficult.

It is always easier to learn a new language when you're living in the country. I can notice that when I've been in Denmark for a few weeks, it is much easier. Then I begin to watch television and listen to the radio. But when I get to Geneva, I forget it quickly again. It is like that with all languages.

But I hope the Danes will be patient with me.

To learn Danish is going to be one of my biggest tasks. The least you can do is to learn the language of the country you're moving to."
 
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