lærer
[ˈlɛːɐ]masculine
The Danish word for teacher is lærer. Wiktionary also lists lærerinde.
Meaning: person who teaches (noun)
Ways to say it
| Danish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| lærer | [ˈlɛːɐ] (narrow) [ˈlæːɐ] (narrow) |
masculine |
| lærerinde | /lɛːrərenə/ | feminine |
lærer refers to a person who teaches. In modern Danish, lærer is increasingly used as a gender-neutral term for both men and women in professional contexts.
Which one should you use?
While lærer is the standard term for a teacher, lærerinde specifically denotes a female teacher.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of lærer is lærere. To indicate possession (the teacher's), add '-ens' to the definite form 'læreren', resulting in lærerens.
Did you know?
- The word lærer comes from the verb lære, which in Danish means both 'to teach' and 'to learn'.
- In Danish schools, students traditionally address their lærer by their first name without any title, reflecting a culture of egalitarianism and low power distance.
- Danish has a specific term lektie for 'homework', which comes from the Latin 'lectio' meaning 'a reading', linking the lærer's assignments to ancient reading practices.
Examples in context
- Han er min lærer.He is my teacher.This sentence is useful for identifying someone's profession using lærer.Tatoeba #1528827 by danepo, translation #297929 by CK
- Er Tom lærer her?Is Tom a teacher here?This sentence is useful for asking if someone holds the profession of teacher using lærer.Tatoeba #6793287 by danepo, translation #6793226 by CK
- Jeg er din lærer.I'm your teacher.This sentence is useful for stating your own profession using lærer.Tatoeba #12298718 by danepo, translation #2872581 by CK
- Jeg vil gerne tale med læreren efter timen.I would like to speak with the teacher after class.
- Han er en god lærer.He is a good teacher.
- Skal vi spørge lærerinden, hvordan vi løser denne opgave?Shall we ask the teacher how to solve this exercise?
- 131 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Mikkel are talking about school after class.
- EmmaHar du mødt den nye lærer?Have you met the new teacher?
- MikkelJa, han er meget sød.Yes, he is very kind.
- EmmaEr han en god lærer?Is he a good teacher?
- MikkelJa, han forklarer alt meget tydeligt.Yes, he explains everything very clearly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations and entries lærer, lærerinde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lærer, lærerinde, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
