PD2 Speaking: How to Pass Mundtlig Kommunikation (Delprøve 1 and 2)

Here is the number that should reorganise your whole PD2 preparation: your speaking grade counts double. The pass calculation is (Reading + Writing + 2 × Speaking) ÷ 4, and you need at least 2.0. One grade step in oral communication moves your average twice as far as one step in reading or writing.

And it is the part almost everyone prepares least — because you cannot practise it silently on the bus. The oral exam lasts about 20 minutes for two candidates, so you personally get roughly ten minutes of speaking time. Every one of those minutes is graded, including the minutes where you are talking to the other candidate rather than to the examiner.

Always confirm the current format and your exact dates with your language school and at danskogproever.dk, as the framework can change.

The shape of the exam

Mundtlig kommunikation is at B1+ level and has two delprøver, taken with another candidate present.

Delprøve 1 — your own topic (individual). A prepared presentation of about 1.5 minutes on a topic you choose and prepare before the exam, followed by about 3.5 minutes of examiner questions about it. Roughly 10 minutes for the pair.

Delprøve 2 — the photo, then the scenario. The examiner gives you a photograph and about half a minute to look at it. You describe the situation and then answer questions about your own experiences and views. Afterwards, the two of you have a conversation together about what could be done in a situation the examiner sets out — with the examiner acting as mediator, not as your conversation partner. Again roughly 10 minutes for the pair.

You get one grade for oral communication, and it is your own — your partner's Danish does not become your grade.

1. Pick a Delprøve 1 topic you can survive 3.5 minutes of questions about

The presentation is 1.5 minutes. The interview afterwards is more than twice as long — and it is unscripted. Yet almost everyone spends their preparation polishing the 90 seconds and none of it on the four minutes that follow.

So choose your topic for interrogability, not impressiveness:

• Works well: your job, your neighbourhood, a hobby you actually do, how you came to Denmark, a change in your family life, a Danish habit you had to get used to.
• Fails predictably: Danmarks historie, klimaforandringer, kunstig intelligens — topics you can present but cannot be personally questioned about. The follow-ups will be about your experience, and you will not have any.

The test: can you answer Hvorfor? Hvordan? Kan du give et eksempel? Var det altid sådan? Hvad så nu? five times without repeating yourself? If not, change the topic — that is a much better use of an evening than rewriting your opening line.

Prepare three concrete anecdotes attached to your topic. Anecdotes survive an unexpected question; a memorised paragraph does not.

2. Build 1.5 minutes you can actually deliver

Ninety seconds is roughly 180–200 words. Use this frame:

• Opening (2 sentences): "Jeg vil gerne fortælle om…" + why you chose it. "Grunden til, at jeg har valgt det emne, er, at…"
• Two points, each with one concrete example. Not four points with none.
• A closing line that invites a question: "Det, jeg synes er mest interessant ved det, er…" — you can steer the interview towards ground you have prepared.

Time it out loud on your phone. Most candidates discover they either finish in 40 seconds or are still going at 2:30. Both cost you.

Do not memorise word for word. A recited text sounds recited, and it collapses at the first interruption. Learn the shape and the examples, and let the sentences come out slightly differently each time — that is what fluent preparation looks like.

3. The photo: describe, interpret, relate — in that order

You have about 30 seconds with the picture. Do not use them naming objects. Use them to find one detail you can talk about.

Then make three moves:

1. Describe — what is literally there, in two sentences maximum. "På billedet kan man se…", "I forgrunden…"
2. Interpret — what is happening and how the people seem. "Det ser ud til, at…", "De virker…", "Måske er de…"
3. Relate — connect it to your own life. "Det minder mig om…", "Sådan er det også, hvor jeg bor…"

The single most common failure here is stopping after step 1. A careful inventory of everything in the photo is not the task — talking about the situation is. Candidates who reach step 3 by themselves almost never run out of things to say, because the follow-up questions were heading there anyway.

You are not supposed to know the photo's real story, so hedge and keep going: "Måske…", "Det kunne være…", "Jeg går ud fra, at…", "Jeg er ikke helt sikker, men det ser ud, som om…". A wrong guess in good Danish scores. Silence does not.

4. The paired conversation is graded on how you include the other person

This is the part that surprises people, and it is where the easiest points are won. In the last section you talk with the other candidate about what could be done in the situation the examiner describes. The examiner steps back. You are assessed on active participation — which cuts both ways:

• Do not dominate. Four uninterrupted minutes is not a conversation, and it will not be marked as one.
• Do not wait to be invited. Sitting quietly while the other person carries it is the worst possible outcome.

Learn three moves and use each at least once:

• Invite: "Hvad synes du om det?", "Er du enig?", "Hvad ville du gøre?"
• Build on what they said: "Ja, og jeg vil tilføje, at…", "Det er et godt punkt, fordi…"
• Disagree politely: "Jeg forstår godt, hvad du mener, men jeg ser det lidt anderledes."

If your partner is struggling, ask them questions. Helping them keeps the conversation alive and demonstrates exactly the skill being assessed. If your partner will not stop talking, "Må jeg lige sige noget?" is a completely normal thing to say in Danish.

And remember what a scenario asks for: a decision. Propose something concrete — "Jeg synes, vi skal…" — and try to land on an agreement before time runs out: "Så er vi enige om, at…"

5. Repair, don't restart

Everything above assumes things go smoothly. They will not, and that is fine — how you recover is part of what is being assessed.

• You don't know a word. Talk around it: "det der, man bruger til at…", "noget i retning af…", "hvad hedder det nu…". Never insert the English word, and never stop dead. Paraphrasing is a skill the examiner can hear.
• You lose your thread. "Undskyld, jeg starter lige forfra." One restart is human. Three is a pattern.
• You didn't understand the question. "Kan du gentage spørgsmålet?" or "Mener du…?" Asking costs you nothing. Confidently answering a question nobody asked costs you a lot.
• You need a second to think. Danish has its own fillers — altså, jo, faktisk, sådan set, lad mig lige tænke… — and they sound far more natural than a long silence.

Common mistakes

1. Memorising the presentation word for word. It sounds recited and breaks at the first follow-up.
2. Choosing an abstract Delprøve 1 topic you cannot be personally questioned about.
3. Listing what is in the photo instead of talking about the situation.
4. Talking only to the examiner in the paired conversation.
5. One-sentence answers. "Ja, det synes jeg" is a dead end — always continue with fordi… or for eksempel…
6. Switching to English when a word disappears.
7. Preparing in your head. Oral communication is a physical skill. Speak out loud, or you are not practising it.

Danish phrase bank

Opening a presentation

• Jeg vil gerne fortælle om… · Grunden til, at jeg har valgt det emne, er… · Jeg starter med… og til sidst…

Describing a photo

• På billedet kan man se… · I forgrunden / i baggrunden… · Det ser ud til, at… · De virker glade / stressede / travle… · Situationen minder mig om…

Hedging a guess

• Måske… · Det kunne være… · Jeg går ud fra, at… · Jeg er ikke helt sikker, men… · Det ser ud, som om…

Opinions with a reason

• Efter min mening… fordi… · Jeg synes, at… fordi… · Det vigtigste for mig er… · Sammenlignet med mit hjemland… · For eksempel…

Talking with the other candidate

• Hvad synes du? · Er du enig? · Ja, og jeg vil tilføje, at… · Jeg ser det lidt anderledes… · Skal vi sige, at…? · Så er vi enige om, at…

Buying time and repairing

• Altså… · Lad mig lige tænke… · Hvad hedder det nu… · Kan du gentage spørgsmålet? · Mener du…? · Undskyld, jeg starter lige forfra.

Drill these out loud until they arrive without thinking. Phrases you have to retrieve under pressure are not yet usable.

FAQ

How long is the PD2 oral exam?

About 20 minutes in total for two candidates — roughly 10 minutes for Delprøve 1 and 10 for Delprøve 2. In Delprøve 1 you personally get about 1.5 minutes of prepared presentation plus about 3.5 minutes of examiner questions.

Can I choose my own topic for PD2 Delprøve 1?

Yes. The presentation topic is yours to choose and prepare before the exam. Choose something personal enough that you can handle several minutes of follow-up questions about it.

Does it matter who my exam partner is?

You receive your own grade for oral communication, so a weaker partner does not become your result. If they are quiet, ask them questions — being the person who keeps the conversation going is precisely what active participation means.

How much does the PD2 oral exam count?

Double. The weighted average is (Reading + Writing + 2 × Speaking) ÷ 4, and you need at least 2.0 to pass — you can try the numbers on the PD2 score calculator.

Related guides

• How to Pass Prøve i Dansk 2 — the whole exam, and where candidates actually lose points.
• PD2 exam overview and score calculator — format, timings, and how the double weighting works out in practice.
• PD2 Written Production Guide — structure and checklist for the writing half.
• PD2 Reading: How to Score Full Marks — all five reading task types.
• How to Pass the PD3 Oral Exam — if you are aiming one level higher.

Practise PD2 speaking in Bestå

Bestå has PD2-format speaking practice for both delprøver — a Del 1 where you speak on a topic and an AI examiner asks follow-up questions in Danish, and Del 2 picture tasks to describe out loud. It listens while you speak and gives you feedback on communication, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and fluency, so the first time you are asked "Kan du give et eksempel?" is not on exam day. Download free on iOS and Android.