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Au pair means on equal terms. Being an au pair means that you live with a host family with children under the age og 18, on equal terms with the rest of the family. The purpose of being an au pair is to:

Increase your linguistic and vocational skills, as well as broadening your cultural horizon...by gaining knowledge and understanding of Denmark and Danish culture. 

As a return payment you participate in the daily household chores, cooking, cleaning, laundry and child care. Minimum 3, maximum 5,  hours a day, for maximally 6 days a week. 

Sources: www.nyidanmark.dk / www.aupairnetwork.dk/dk/om/ 

You move in with a family. You get your own room and their home becomes your home. There can be a big difference between homes in Denmark. Some are big. Some are small. Some people live in houses, some in appartments. 

Here you can find some of the common words for rooms in a house that you will have to learn. Listen to how they are pronounced and practice saying them:

A home is filled with furniture. Here you can practice the words for the most common items:

You might be asked, for instance, to change the sheets in someones room:

As an au pair you will often deal with the children in the house. Here are some extra items that relate specifically to children, usually located in the bathroom:

You will most likely be asked to change and bathe the kids in the house. Listen to the questions below and practice the answer to the questions:

1) Would you be sweet and change Anna?

2) Would you be sweet and bathe Anna?

As an au pair you have to take part in the household chores, such as cleaning. In Danish "to clean" is "at gøre rent."

At gøre rent is therefore an umbrella term for everything that has to do with cleaning. You can also be more specific about what you are doing, or what you are being asked to do. 

Another household chore is tidying:

If you need help tidying, you can ask, but you can also offer to help.

In order to clean, you need various tools. Practice the following list:

You may need to ask where things are, or say that you've run out of something:

You will also need different cleaning products:

You might also need to be able to ask what remedies to use when you have to clean a specific room or place:

You have been asked to clean the bathroom, but you are not sure what to use? 

What do you ask?

You could be asked to help do the laundry. Practice the words below: 

You may not know how the washing machine works, what program to use for washing or whether a particular item may be thrown in the washer. So, you can ask. 

The nouns in red, below, can be exchanged with other items.

In order to be able to help the children with clothes, you need to know what they are called:

Listen to and practice the following vocabulary:

If you want to ask a child to put on, or take-off, his or her shoes, you can say:

If you want to help the child put on his/her things, you can ask:

Danish weather changes  a lot, which is why children always have a wide assortment of clothes to match it. The following items match, fall, winter and spring:

Below are clothes that are suitable for the summer period:

You have to take Anna to school. Ask her to put her shoes on:

Anna has managed to put on her shoes, but is having trouble with her laces. What do you say?

You will absolutely be asked to help with cooking and in the kitchen in general. So you need to know the relevant words in there:

You will need various utensils when you are cooking:

You also need various utensils when you are eating:

When you are done eating, you need various items for cleaning:

There are a lot of things we are good to be able to say conerning food. Listen to and practice the items below:

I am cooking in English, covers that you are making all sort of food. There is a similar term in Danish:

If you are going to cook and would the children to assist, you can ask:

If you want the children to help you set or clear the table, you can ask:

There are various things which are necessary to be able to talk with the children about in Danish. Listen to and practice the following:

When the food is ready and people sit down to eat, you can say værsgo to let them know that they can start:

When you, or someone else, is done eating, it is polite to say thank you for the food:

The usual response to someone saying thank you, is:

You want to ask if the child is thirsty. What do you say?

You want to ask if the child is hungry. What do you say?

You are about to cook dinner, and you want Anna to help. What do you say?

Especially with younger children it is an advantage to be able to ask how they are doing, and if they are ok. 

It may happen that you are asked to do something which might not be part of your contract or agreement, or is outside of working hours. Maybe to babysit on a Friday evening because the parents are trying to make other plans. You can either answer: 

Children often need help with their hygiene. Listen to and practice the sentences below:

There are so many games  you can play and things you can do with your children. 

You will most likely get to take the children to the playground. There are things to be aware of both on the way there, and when you arrive. Below are things to say on the way there:

At the playground, there are many things to do. You can always ask:

A lot of children are a bit shy when they meet new people. But even though you yourself might not speak that much Danish yet, you can always try to break the ice by asking some questions about what they do:

You will have a lot of time to yourself as you are maximally allowed to work 5 hours a day. That gives you the opportunity to go to language classes at a local language center. There you will both learn Danish, but also meet other people in similar situations to your own. 

But, if you want to meet other Danes, you should sign up for sports or games at the local foreninger. Here you can play badminton, or volleyball, or something else. You can always ask your host parents what they would suggest.