Have you ever stopped to ask yourself this question “Why am I doing this?” I mean really search the deepest part of your motivational treasure chest and dig out the answer?
I know from myself that more than once an idea has gotten into my head like I want to learn programming or animation, game design, SEO, marketing or whatever I’m obsessing about at that specific time and I sign up for an online course on the topic but after a (short) while I lose interest and give it up.
I’m not saying that this is the case with your Danish course, or anything else that you do, you’re probably way more dedicated than me. But the thing is, that it takes more than desires, dedication and obsession to go through with something as long term as learning an entire language (well). It’s like starting a successful business or learning software coding from scratch – it take years. And to avoid giving up on the way and to achieve a level that is useful to reach your goals, you need more motivation than an interest or vague idea.
For many people, what really makes the difference is having a clear and concrete reason to use the language in real life. A need to communicate at work, in studies, in relationships, or simply to feel at home in everyday situations can become a powerful and lasting source of motivation. When learning Danish is connected to something tangible and meaningful, it stops being an abstract goal and starts becoming a practical tool—and that makes it much easier to stay engaged and make steady progress over time and learn the language well enough.
But! What do I mean by “well enough”. That is another question. This will depend on your individual goals. You may be fine communicating in one or more different languages even while living in Denmark, because you don’t need it and your communicative needs a met and you only use Danish occasionally. This is just fine and then perhaps you’re not in need of a strong motivation. But you may notice a tension between your communicative needs and your level of Danish which will affect your (changing) level of motivation to learn.
Make sure, if you don’t want to end up paying for classes out of your own pocket, that you decide before the first five years are up, because after that you’re not entitled to free Danish classes anymore. Lot’s of people get burned by this rule perhaps because they didn’t even realise that it existed in the first place.