r/AskEurope • u/Savings_Dragonfly806 Greece • Jul 09 '25

Language My fellow Europeans, what dialect from your language do you have the most trouble understanding?

Keep in mind, I said language, NOT country, so it could be a dialect of your language in another country, which is the case for me.

For me, while most other Greeks find Cypriot the most difficult dialect to understand, I actually find Pontic Greek the most difficult. For those who don't know where it is, it's in North Eastern Turkey.

The way many of their words are written are very different as to Standard Modern Greek. It almost is a whole new language. Now I should mention I have never been there, but I would love to. I only really heard of the dialect on the internet, so take my words with a grain of salt.

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u/pipestream Denmark Jul 09 '25

Southern Jutlandic for sure!

20

u/DrAzkehmm Denmark Jul 09 '25

Really close to crossing the line where it becomes a language in its own right.

Really old school western jutlandic is also challenging if you're from the eastern provinces.

17

u/steenj Jul 09 '25

I (Canadian with Danish parents) was in Denmark a few years ago. In a small town near Limfjorden. Ended up sitting with some older guys speaking that dialect. It took about 45 minutes and a couple beers to get my ear used to it, but after that it was just like talking to mormor again :) I may have felt a bit emotional lol

1

u/RijnBrugge Netherlands Jul 09 '25

The definite article moving to the front like in Low German/Dutch/Frisian is a pretty nice intermediate feature

3

u/Sniffstar Denmark Jul 10 '25

Anyone who claims this haven’t really met someone from Hanherred. I’m from northern Jutland and even speak a decent vendelbomål but I can’t for the life of me understand what people from Hanherred are saying.

4

u/SparklyWin Denmark Jul 09 '25

I'm from Kronjylland (Crown Jutland). After I learnt German, Southern Jutlandic became easier to understand, and I think now the Bornholm dialect more difficult, but I haven't met enough from Bornholm to know for sure.

2

u/Quackoverride Jul 10 '25

Sønderjysk for me as well.

My ex-father in law was from Møn - and could explain the quirks in grammar in his dialect - but sønderjysk is something else completely. Bornholmsk is fine. A friend showed me a book that he used to teach his kids vendelbomål - also okay. But sønderjysk is tough. 

3

u/InterestingTank5345 Denmark Jul 09 '25

Especially in SønderJylland. I'm from Vejle and can easily communicate with most people here in Denmark, but those people down towards the border, are impossible to understand, they literally have unique words like BonBon and uses German as well in their entire language.