The word box
These are words your child cannot read yet but can understand perfectly well. They belong to the reading aloud and to the talk during the day, not to the ten minutes of practice. Tap a word to hear it.
Take one box at a time and stay with it for a few weeks. Use the words out in everyday life and not only here on the page.
Box 1: How you feel inside Words for how you feel.
For the adult: Say the word when you can see your child feels that way. If your child says "oh no", you can say "du er ærgerlig".
ærgerlig
Annoyed and sorry that something went wrong, and wishing it had turned out differently.
Jonas blev ærgerlig, da isen faldt på fliserne.
stolt
Proud of something you have done, and glad for others to see it.
Hun var stolt, da hun kunne binde snørebåndene selv.
skuffet
Disappointed: you had been looking forward to something, and then it did not happen.
Vi blev skuffede, da turen til stranden blev aflyst.
nervøs
Nervous about something you have not tried before, with a fluttering feeling in the stomach.
Han var nervøs, før han skulle synge for hele klassen.
overrasket
Surprised: something happens that you had not expected at all.
Hun blev overrasket, da der sad en hvalp i gaven.
utålmodig
Impatient: you cannot bear to wait and want it to happen now.
Bilen var ikke engang kørt, og Sara var allerede utålmodig.
Box 2: How you move Words for walking and running in different ways.
For the adult: Try the words with your body. Show how to liste and how to slentre, and let your child guess which word you are showing.
snuble
To trip over something with your foot and almost fall.
Han snublede over en sten og tabte posen.
liste
To walk so quietly that nobody can hear you.
Hun listede ud i køkkenet efter en kiks.
krybe
To creep: to move right down by the ground, on your tummy or on your hands and knees.
Hun krøb ind gennem hullet i hækken.
vakle
To stand or walk unsteadily, about to topple over.
Tårnet af klodser vaklede og væltede.
slentre
To stroll along slowly because there is no hurry.
Vi slentrede hjem gennem parken.
tumle
To tumble and roll about together, the way puppies do.
De tumlede rundt på gulvet, til lampen væltede.
Box 3: How you say something Words for ways of using your voice.
For the adult: Read the sentences aloud the way the word says: whisper the whispering one and giggle the giggling one.
hviske
To whisper, so quietly that only the person closest can hear.
Hun hviskede svaret til Emil.
brøle
To roar so loudly and for so long that it carries a long way.
Løven brølede, så græsset rystede.
fnise
To giggle: to laugh quietly and a bit sillily, often with a hand over your mouth.
Pigerne fnisede, da læreren tabte kridtet.
prale
To boast, telling everyone again and again how good you are.
Han pralede af, at han kunne cykle uden hænder.
trøste
To comfort someone who is upset.
Hun trøstede sin lillebror med et plaster og en sang.
skændes
To argue: to speak angrily to each other because you disagree.
Brødrene skændtes om, hvem der skulle sidde forrest.
Box 4: The weather Words for what is going on outside.
For the adult: Look out of the window tomorrow morning and find the word that fits.
tåge
Fog: cloud lying right down at ground level, so you cannot see far.
Der var så meget tåge, at vi ikke kunne se den anden side af vejen.
byge
A shower of rain that arrives suddenly and is over again soon after.
Vi nåede hjem, lige før bygen kom.
frost
Frost: cold enough for water to turn to ice.
Der var frost om morgenen, og cyklen var helt hvid.
tø
To thaw: ice and snow turning back into water as it gets warmer.
Sneen begyndte at tø, og snemanden blev mindre for hver time.
blæst
Strong wind that tugs at clothes and at trees.
Der var så meget blæst, at paraplyen vendte om.
skybrud
A cloudburst: rain so heavy that the water cannot drain away fast enough.
Efter skybruddet stod der vand i hele gården.
Box 5: In the kitchen Words for what happens when food is being made.
For the adult: Say the word while you do it: "nu ælter jeg dejen".
skrælle
To peel the outer layer off a potato or an apple.
Far skrællede kartoflerne, mens vi dækkede bord.
hælde
To pour milk or water from a jug into a glass.
Hun hældte saft op til alle fem.
ælte
To knead dough with your hands until it turns soft.
Vi æltede dejen, til den slap skålen.
dryppe
To drip, one drop at a time.
Hanen dryppede hele natten.
smuldre
To crumble, falling apart into small pieces.
Kagen smuldrede, da han skar den ud.
dampe
To steam: to send warm, damp air up into the room.
Suppen dampede, da låget kom af.
Box 6: How things feel and look Words for what you can touch and see.
For the adult: Let your child feel. Find something ru and something blankt in the room, and let your child find the next one.
ru
Rough to the touch, uneven and a little scratchy.
Kattens tunge er ru som sandpapir.
klistret
Sticky: it clings to your fingers and is hard to get off.
Bordet var klistret efter marmeladen.
spids
Pointed, narrowing to a thin end you could prick yourself on.
Blyanten var så spids, at den knækkede.
sej
Tough: hard to chew or hard to tear apart.
Kødet var sejt, og han tyggede længe.
skrøbelig
Fragile: it breaks easily if you are not careful with it.
Æggene lå øverst, for skallen er skrøbelig.
blank
Shiny enough that you can almost see yourself in it.
Skoene var blanke, da han var færdig med at pudse dem.
Box 7: When you are not sure Words for thinking something over.
For the adult: Say the words out loud when you are thinking something over yourselves: "jeg overvejer" or "jeg tvivler" next time you have to make up your minds.
tøve
To hesitate for a moment because you are not quite sure.
Hun tøvede, før hun sprang ud fra kanten.
tvivle
To doubt: not to be certain that something is true.
Han tvivlede på, at der var is nok til alle.
ane
To have an inkling of something without actually knowing it.
Hun anede, at der ventede en overraskelse.
overveje
To think something over before making up your mind.
Han overvejede længe, om han skulle sige ja.
opdage
To discover something you did not know was there.
De opdagede en fuglerede inde i hækken.
undre
To wonder at something that seems strange, and want to know why.
Vi undrede os over, at døren stod åben.
Box 8: Words about time Words for when something happens.
For the adult: Notice the words in the bedtime story, and stop just once to ask what is meant.
pludselig
Suddenly: it happens at once, with no warning.
Pludselig gik lyset ud.
endelig
At last: it happens after a long wait.
Endelig blev det fredag.
straks
Right now, and not in a while.
Han kom straks, da mor kaldte.
sjældent
Rarely: it almost never happens.
Vi ser sjældent sne i oktober.
samtidig
At the same time: two things happening at once.
Hun grinede og græd samtidig.
efterhånden
Gradually: it happens little by little.
Efterhånden lærte hun alle navnene i klassen.
Box 9: Words that tie things together Small words that show how two things are connected.
For the adult: These words cannot be shown in a picture. Say them out loud while you are doing something: now we tidy up, and bagefter we read.
alligevel
Anyway, even so: it happens although you had expected something else.
Det regnede, og vi tog alligevel i skoven.
imod
Against: the opposite direction to the one you are heading in.
Vi cyklede lige imod vinden hele vejen hjem.
modsat
Opposite: two things as different from each other as they can be.
Varm er det modsatte af kold.
bagefter
Afterwards: what happens once something else has finished.
Først spiser vi, og bagefter rydder vi op.
imens
While: during the same time as something else is happening.
Far vaskede op, imens vi legede i haven.
undtagen
Except: the one thing or person that is not included.
Alle skulle med, undtagen Mia, der var syg.
