skildpadde
/ˈsɡelˌpaðə/common gender
The Danish word for turtle is skildpadde.
The term skildpadde refers to a land or marine reptile with a shell.
Meaning: land or marine reptile with a shell (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word skildpadde is a compound made of skild, meaning shield and padde, meaning toad.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a common-gender noun. You can create the definite form skildpadden (the turtle) by adding the suffix -en. To express the plural, use skildpadder (turtles).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsɡelˌpaðə/
Did you know?
- Unlike English, which distinguishes between 'turtle' and 'tortoise', Danish uses skildpadde for both creatures regardless of their habitat.
- The Danish skildpadde is a direct linguistic cousin to the archaic English term 'shield-toad', which was once used to describe the same animal.
- The word skildpadde is part of a wider Scandinavian pattern, where similar words like the Swedish sköldpadda also use the 'shield' concept.
Examples in context
- Hvorfor købte du en skildpadde?Why did you buy a turtle?This sentence shows how to ask why someone bought a skildpadde.Tatoeba #5308295 by danepo, translation #5152913 by CarpeLanam
- Vi fandt en skildpadde i haven.We found a turtle in the garden.This sentence demonstrates finding a skildpadde in a garden.Tatoeba #6995396 by sifhg, translation #376630 by CK
- Skildpadden lagde sine æg på stranden.The turtle laid its eggs on the beach.This sentence illustrates a turtle laying eggs on a beach using the form skildpadde.Tatoeba #7860151 by danepo, translation #7860147 by Hybrid
- Jeg så en skildpadde i søenI saw a turtle in the lake.
- Lad os gå ned til stranden og se om vi kan finde nogle skildpadderLet's go down to the beach and see if we can find some turtles.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Noah are at the aquarium.
- EmmaSe, en lille skildpadde!Look, a little turtle!
- NoahDen er virkelig sød, Emma.It is really cute, Emma.
- EmmaHvor er den hurtig.How fast it is.
- NoahJa, skildpadden svømmer godt.Yes, the turtle swims well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “turtle” translations and entries skildpadde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries skildpadde, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
