Obligatory or compulsory term in Danish language: Vedkommende
Chillax, Let's Learn Some Danish! 🇩🇰
Hey buddy, today we're gonna spill the beans on a word you gotta know - vedkommende 💥. This bad boy is gonna make your Danish sound smoother than a freshly shaved Viking!
What's the tea with vedkommende?
To understand this versatile word, let's break it down. It's derived from ‘ved’ (preposition meaning ‘by’, ‘at’, or sometimes ‘near’ or ‘about/close to’) combined with the Danish verb ‘at komme’ (to come).
So, literally speaking, it means ‘arriving at’, but don’t trip, it ain't what it actually means.
Why the heck do I need to know vedkommende?
Because it's always working overtime to help you sound like a boss in multiple situations where two English words just ain’t cutting it.
Let's begin with 'til rette vedkommende' (pronounced 'til reht vedkoh-men-denna'), which means ‘to whom it may concern’. This fancy phrase is less common these days but you may still see it in some fancy emails or letters (and, yeah, you might find it even less frequently in actual letters).
Business emails and official correspondence, including emails sent by authorities to people, usually start with ‘kære [name],’ (pronounced ‘ka-ra’ followed by the person's full name)—just like in English. But, when the recipient's name is unknown, then ‘til rette vedkommende’ is used. So, the so-called ‘uopfordret jobansøgning’ (unsolicited job application) is probably the place you're most likely to see this.
📝 Pro-tip: Check out How to write a polite letter or email in Danish if you want to write like a real boss!
Now, let's look at the sentence: ’Hvis der er nogen, der er utilfreds med den nye kaffeordning, så må vedkommende sige til.’ 'For Pete's sake, if anyone has an issue with the new coffee arrangements, let the person(s) concerned speak up.'
Here, the ‘vedkommende’ refers to the hypothetical individual who may have a beef with the new coffee machine at work, or something similar. You can see now that ‘vedkommende’ refers to a person who might exist or have an interest in a particular issue.
Sometimes you can find a rearranged version of ‘vedkommende’ ‘det kommer ikke dig ved’, which cannot be translated word for word, but is the equivalent of saying 'this doesn't concern you', or more bluntly, 'mind your own beeswax'.
If you wanna be a real jerk, you can instead say ‘det rager ikke dig’ (pronounced ‘deh trey-ge neeck dee-oo’) to tell another person something is no concern of theirs.
The final use of vedkommende is to explain the perspective of one or more people, often when this perspective is in contrast to the majority.
Examples:- ‘de fleste har en fridag, men for mit vedkommende er det en almindelig arbejdsdag.’ (‘most people have the day off, but for me it's a normal working day.’)- ‘for vores vedkommende var vejret ligegyldigt, men de fleste var træt af regnen.’ (‘from our point of view, the weather didn't matter, but most people were fed up with the rain.’)
That's the lowdown on vedkommende, folks. Now that you know this handy dandy word, you'll sound like one savvy Dane! Keep practicing, and soon you'll be fluent enough to out-Danish the Danes themselves, bro! 🤘🔥
- Articles about Danish lifestyle might include the usage of 'vedkommende' in emails or official correspondence, explaining its meaning as 'to whom it may concern'.
- In home-and-garden news, understanding 'vedkommende' could be beneficial for composing polite letters or emails about home improvement projects, as it is often used in situations where the recipient's name is unknown.
- For space enthusiasts, 'vedkommende' could serve as a key component in interstellar communications, signifying a person or persons who have an interest in a particular space-related issue or problem.
- News about Danish art and culture may employ 'vedkommende' in discussing perspectives of artists or groups of artists that are in contrast to the mainstream or majority.
- Lifestyle blogs could provide meaningful insights into the versatility of 'vedkommende,' explaining its use in various situations and its significance in shaping the Danish language and culture.
