Bedeutung
Taking responsibility for a mistake.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Danes value 'pålidelighed' (reliability). Admitting a mistake quickly with 'det er min fejl' is seen as more reliable than making excuses. In Danish offices, 'fejl' are often seen as learning opportunities. Saying 'det er min fejl' is the first step in a 'post-mortem' discussion. Over-apologizing is not very Danish. A simple 'det er min fejl' is usually enough to settle a minor issue without further drama. Younger Danes might use 'Min fejl' as a filler or a way to acknowledge they weren't listening, even if no real 'mistake' was made.
The 'Hov' Addition
Add 'Hov' (Oops) before the phrase to sound more like a native speaker: 'Hov, det er min fejl!'
Don't over-apologize
Danes find excessive apologizing awkward. Say it once, fix it, and move on.
Bedeutung
Taking responsibility for a mistake.
The 'Hov' Addition
Add 'Hov' (Oops) before the phrase to sound more like a native speaker: 'Hov, det er min fejl!'
Don't over-apologize
Danes find excessive apologizing awkward. Say it once, fix it, and move on.
Eye Contact
Make brief eye contact when saying this to show sincerity, as is common in Danish culture.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing possessive pronoun.
Det er ___ fejl. (My mistake)
'Fejl' is common gender, so we use 'min'.
Which phrase is best for a small typo in an email?
Du har skrevet navnet forkert.
'Fejl' is for mistakes, 'skyld' is for guilt, and 'Jeg er en fejl' means 'I am a mistake'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Du glemte at lukke døren. B: Hov, ___ ___ ___.
This is a standard response to a minor oversight.
Match the situation to the best phrase.
You spilled water on a friend's book.
Using the past tense 'var' is natural here as the spill just happened.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Fejl vs Skyld
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenDet er ___ fejl. (My mistake)
'Fejl' is common gender, so we use 'min'.
Du har skrevet navnet forkert.
'Fejl' is for mistakes, 'skyld' is for guilt, and 'Jeg er en fejl' means 'I am a mistake'.
A: Du glemte at lukke døren. B: Hov, ___ ___ ___.
This is a standard response to a minor oversight.
You spilled water on a friend's book.
Using the past tense 'var' is natural here as the spill just happened.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
14 FragenYes, 'Min fejl' is very common and perfectly acceptable in casual and semi-formal situations.
It is always 'min' because 'fejl' is a common gender noun (en fejl).
'Fejl' is a mistake or error. 'Skyld' is guilt or blame. Use 'fejl' for typos and 'skyld' for breaking a heart.
Absolutely. In fact, it's encouraged as it shows professional honesty.
Simply change 'er' to 'var': 'Det var min fejl'.
It is singular. The plural is also 'fejl', but the phrase 'det er min fejl' refers to the specific instance.
No, 'det er min fejl' is an apology in itself, but adding 'undskyld' makes it softer.
Yes, you can say 'Jeg beklager fejlen' (I apologize for the mistake).
It's a longer, more formal word for 'mistake'. You might see it in books or news reports.
It's better to say 'Det er en stor fejl fra min side'.
Yes, 'der er en fejl på maskinen' means there is a fault in the machine.
Say 'Det er ikke min fejl'.
No, it's standard Danish, but very common in informal speech.
In Danish, 'ej' is a diphthong that sounds like 'ai' in English 'high'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
min skyld
similarmy fault/guilt
jeg beklager
synonymI apologize
undskyld
similarsorry / excuse me
en fejltagelse
builds ona mistake/misunderstanding
at fejle
specialized formto fail / to make a mistake
