How to Say "Grandfather" in Danish

bedstefar

/ˈbɛsdəˌfɑː/common gender

The Danish word for grandfather is bedstefar. Wiktionary also lists bedstefader.

Meaning: grandfather (from either side) (noun)

Ways to say it

“grandfather” in Danish
Danish	IPA	Note
bedstefar	/ˈbɛsdəˌfɑː/	common gender
bedstefader		common gender

Both forms of the word are used to refer to a grandfather from either the maternal or paternal side.

bedstefader is a more formal or old-fashioned version of bedstefar.

Both bedstefar and bedstefader are common-gender nouns.

/ˈbɛsdəˌfɑː/

A paternal grandfather is specifically called farfar, which literally translates to 'father-father'.
The word bedste in bedstefar does not just mean 'best' in quality, but historically referred to the 'eldest' or 'senior' member of the family.
In many Danish families, instead of using the formal bedstefar, people use farfar for paternal grandfather and morfar for maternal grandfather to avoid ambiguity.

Det er min bedstefar.
This is my grandfather.
This sentence is useful for identifying someone as your bedstefar.
Tatoeba #10697979 by danepo, translation #1898106 by CK
Tom er Marys bedstefar.
Tom is Mary's grandfather.
This sentence shows how to express the relationship between two people using bedstefar.
Tatoeba #3740862 by danepo, translation #1028541 by CK
Min bedstefar var læge.
My grandfather was a doctor.
This sentence demonstrates the use of bedstefar when describing a grandfather's former profession.
Tatoeba #11855409 by danepo, translation #11854747 by shekitten
Har I set farfar? Han kommer snart.
Have you seen grandpa? He's coming soon.
47 more sentences on Tatoeba

Lucas and Freja are talking about their family during a walk.

Sources

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