Top Norwegian Survival Phrases

Photo via Wikipedia / Wikipedia

Goddag, lenge siden sist! (Hello, long time no see!)

Snakker du norsk? Nei? Men...hvorfor?? (Do you speak Norwegian? No? But...why??)

Okay. So Norwegian might be a little off the beaten track in terms of language learning, but once you accept the additions to the alphabet and get acquainted with the somewhat unusual tone of the language, you’ll realise you are uncovering a beautiful hidden gem that not many make the effort to go and look for.

We think you should. For starters, ett språk er aldri nok (one language is never enough).

Det er vakkert (it’s beautiful).

Photo via Wikimedia /  Wikimedia

We think a language reflects the country in which it is spoken. Norway is a beautiful landscape of a country full of incredible places to explore and interesting people to meet. Here’s a short video from the locals themselves revealing what it is that makes Norway so Norwegian.

And after a quick look at the birdseye view panoramas, who isn’t ready to pack a bag, learn a little language and do a little sightseeing there?

Photo via Wikipedia / Wikipedia

However, it’s not all Northern Lights, beautiful scenic walks and all the brown cheese - brunost - you could want. Norway - and its beautiful language - has a lot more to offer you than that. Norway’s tourist information site has some facts to entice you in: if you need further prompting further than the temptation of words like fjord, Viking and troll then by all means, take a look.

Photo via flickr / flickr

But back to Norwegian.

Norwegian is a North Germanic or Scandinavian language and within Norway there are a number of different dialects spoken, as well as a number of written forms used. If you’ve dabbled in a little language learning from countries like Spain, France or Germany, you’ll be pleased to know that the pronunciation isn’t so dissimilar (here’s a video if you want to hear for yourself). There are even a lot of words that sound like ones you already know - for eksempel (for example): typisk (typical), regn (rain) and argumentere (argue).

Because Norwegian is somewhat of a ‘novelty’ in the world of language learning, we thought it might be good to put together a few ‘survival’ phrases to help you on your quest for all things Nordic.

Here are some basic phrases to get you started.

Ja.  Yes.

Nei. No.

Vær så snill.  Please.

Takk. Thank you.

Vær så god.  You're welcome.

Unnskyld. Excuse me.

Beklager. I'm sorry.

Sounds good, no?

May we take this opportunity to further inspire you to visit this picturesque land.

Photo via Wikipedia /  Wikipedia

Did it work? We hope so.

Norwegian essentials

Here are some further useful survival phrases, should our little introduction have piqued your interest.

God morgen, snakker du engelsk? Good morning, do you speak English?

Dessverre snakker jeg bare litt norsk. Unfortunately, I only speak a little Norwegian.

Korleis har du det? How are you?

Eg har det bra, takk. I'm fine, thanks!

Enn med deg? And you?

Noko nytt? What's new?

Ikkje stort. Nothing much.

Jeg forstår ikke. I do not understand.

Hvor er ...? Where is ...?

Hvor mye koster billetten? How much is the fare?

Jeg vil gjerne kjøpe... I would like to buy...

Hvor mye koster dette? How much does this cost?

Har du...? Do you have...?

Snakk til oss på norsk (speak to us in Norwegian)

Norwegian is a language with a lot of character and personality, and the country from which it heralds is definitely worth making the effort for in terms of learning a little of its intriguing language. Why not contact us and take a look at what courses we have to help you with your own language learning. Lykke tilog god tur! (Good luck and happy travelling!)