Skills

Norwegian (Bokmål) Skills by StrengthCrownsNameOriginal Order

••• 6 Introduction11 @ 100% 0

A heartfelt welcome to the Norwegian course!

Norwegian is a language with simpler grammar than many other European languages, but it is still a gendered language with three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.

Grammatical Gender

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
en mann	ei kvinne or en kvinne	et barn
a man	a woman	a child

All feminine gendered nouns can be classified as masculine gender as well. In theory, one could treat all feminine nouns as masculine ones, but most Norwegians still use the feminine form to some degree, especially for certain words.

The choice really is up to you! Both en kvinne and ei kvinne are grammatically correct, and the tendency to use the feminine gender depends on geography and dialect.

We have opted to teach it where it is most natural to use it, with words such as jente meaning girl, for example, but in the first couple of skills we'll let you focus on the masculine and neuter noun patterns.

Pronouns

Norwegian pronouns are very straightforward and correspond well to English ones:

Norwegian	English
jeg	I
du	you (singular)
han	he
hun	she
det	it

When referring to a neutral subject, det is used to mean it or that. However, when referring to a masculine or feminine subject, it becomes den instead.

Verbs

Conjugation couldn't be simpler. All conjugated verbs have an -r stem in the present, and verbs don't change according to the subject! How easy is that?

Singular		Plural
jeg er	I am	vi er	we are
du er	you are	dere er	you are
han, hun, det er	he, she, it is	de er	they are

Pronunciation

As a general rule, words are spelled as they're pronounced in Norwegian. One exception is words beginning with hv, such as hvem, meaning who. In this word, the h is silent.

In addition, there are several letters and letter combinations that are pronounced differently from English.

Norwegian	IPA, Notes
A	[ɑ], very open
B	[b]
C	[s] or [k] depending on word, very rare, ex. Canada
D	[d], silent in consonant clusters or at the end of certain words like med or ved
E	[e] or [ɛ], [æ] in her and der, [i] in de
F	[f]
G	[g], [j] before an i; silent before a j; silent after an i and sometimes an a or o; often silent in days of the week
H	[h], silent before v
I	[i] like the e in email or ebook, [ɪ] before two consonants, like the i in hit or fit
J	[j], like the y in yes or yellow
K	[k]
kj, ki, ky	[ç], traditionally like the sharp h in human, but more and more people now use [ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell
L	[l]
M	[m]
N	[n]
O	[u] like the oo in soon, but longer, [ʊ] before two consonants or in some exception words like tog
P	[p]
Q	[k], very rare, ex. Qatar
qu	[kv], very rare, ex. quisling
R	[ɾ], tap, like the tt in North American butter; many in Western Norway use [ʁ], the so-called French R
rs	[ʃ], r + s combinations produce sh sound, even between words
S	[s]
skj, ski, sky, sl	[ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell
T	[t], silent after an e sometimes, ex. det
U	[ʉ], like the ew in new, but more closed
V	[v]
W	[v], very rare, ex. show
X	[ks], very rare, ex. taxi
Y	[y] or [ʏ], like the e in email, but more closed
Z	[s], very rare, ex. zen

Norwegian also has three additional letters that English doesn't have!

Norwegian	IPA, Notes
Æ	[æ], like the a in mad or sad
Ø	[ø], like the o in word, but more open
Å	[o], like the o in go or low

Special Notes on Common Words

Norwegian	Meaning	Pronunciation
jeg	I	yai
det	it, that	deh, silent t

Core Vocabulary

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
er	am, are, is
hvem	who
og	and
ikke	not
jeg	I
du	you (singular)
han	he
hun	she
en	a, an
en mann	a man
en/ei kvinne	a woman
en gutt	a boy
en/ei jente	a girl

••• 6 Who? What? Where?21 @ 100% 0

Who? What? Where?

Confused yet? We have just the word for you...

Hva is the word for what, and also happens to be just the right thing to exclaim when you feel like you've been hit in the head with one Norwegian grammar rule too many.

In this skill, you'll also come across another question word, but you'll have to go look for it yourself, because we're not sure exactly where it went.

Plural Pronouns

You're already familiar with the singular pronouns jeg, du, han, hun and det, and now we're adding the plural pronouns into the mix.

Norwegian	English
vi	we
dere	you (plural)
de	they

Notice how Norwegian has two different pronouns for "you": du is the singular and dere is the plural version. An easy way to keep them apart, is to remember that the word representing more people has more letters in it.

Question Words

When you're just starting out learning a new language, few things are more useful than to be able to ask the questions that allow you to find what you need or further your learning. You've already learned one, hvem, and in this skill you'll learn two more of the most common question words.

Norwegian	English
hvem	who
hva	what
hvor	where

Isn't it neat how they all resemble their English counterparts? You've probably noticed by now that English and Norwegian have many things in common, both when it comes to grammar and vocabulary. This is because they're closely related Germanic languages.

However, we do need to differentiate ourselves somehow, and so we decided to add some extra letters to our alphabet - just to keep things interesting.

Knowing

The verb å vite, to know, is an irregular verb in Norwegian. Its present tense, which you will familiarize yourself with in this skill, is vet. See that vowel change from the infinitive to the present? Cheeky!

There are actually several verbs for knowing, and you'll get to know them all in due time, but this particular one deals with factual knowledge. Some examples of that is knowing what or where something is, or knowing something about something or someone.

Vet du hvor det er?
Do you know where it is?

Vet du hvem hun er?
Do you know who she is?

Three New Vowels

Norwegian has three extra vowels, Æ, Ø and Å.

Vowel	Similar To	IPA
Æ	the a in add or apple	[æ]
Ø	no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth	[ø] or [œ]
Å	the o in open or old	[o] or [ɔ]

Vocabulary
har	has
vet	knows
sitter	sits
vi	we
dere	you (plural)
de	they
i	in
hva	what
hvor	where
her	here
der	there
Norge	Norway
et	a, an
et barn	a child
et eple	an apple
en katt	a cat
brød (n)	bread
vann (n)	water

••• -16 Greetings32 @ 100% 0

••• 6 Actions32 @ 100% 0

Definite Forms

The definite form, the man, the woman, et cetera, is formed by attaching the indefinite article onto the end of the noun. This ending is called a postfix or a suffix.

Indefinite		Definite
en mann	a man	mannen	the man
et barn	a child	barnet	the child

Although the t is pronounced as such in the phrase et barn, it turns silent in the definite form, barnet, which is pronounced more like barneh. This is the case with all neuter nouns in the singular definite form. Be sure to drop the t sound, otherwise you might sound rather Swedish.

For feminine-classified nouns, there is one irregularity in the definite form:

Indefinite		Definite
ei kvinne or en kvinne	a woman	kvinna or kvinnen	the woman
ei jente or en jente	a girl	jenta or jenten	the girl

Both jenta and jenten are appropriate translations for the girl. These same endings apply to all feminine nouns. Please consult the tips and notes section for the first lesson if you would like a review of the Norwegian grammatical genders.

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

You do not have to worry about person or number when dealing with verbs in Norwegian, the verb stays the same. This is even simpler than English where you have to remember to add the -s in the third person singular in the present tense.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Infinitive	Present	English Translation
å spise	spiser	eat(s), am/are/is eating
å drikke	drikker	drink(s), am/are/is drinking
å se	ser	see(s), am/are/is seeing

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
spiser	eats
drikker	drinks
leser	reads
liker	likes
ser	sees
kjøper	buys
noe	something
den	it
ei	a, an
en/ei bok	a book
et brev	a letter
ris (m)	rice
melk (m/f)	milk
gutten	the boy
jenta	the girl
mannen	the man
kvinnen	the woman
barnet	the child

••• 6 Animals42 @ 100% 0

Animals

Many animal names in Norwegian share etymological ties with English ones, but the meaning has drifted over time in one direction or another. Below are some examples.

Beware these false friends!

Norwegian	Translation	Related Word
hund	dog	hound
fugl	bird	fowl
elg	moose	elk*
dyr	animal	deer

*In British English, "elg" and "elk" are actual cognates. In American English, "elk" refers to a different animal.

The following words are true friends, meaning that the words are similar in both spelling and meaning.

Norwegian	English
katt	cat
bjørn	bear
krabbe	crab
elefant	elephant
ulv	wolf
mus	mouse

You know more Norwegian than you thought you did!

Grammatical and Biological Gender

After being introduced to nouns such as ei jente, en gutt, and et barn, you'd be forgiven for thinking that there was a correlation between a word's grammatical gender and its biological gender, or sex.

However, this is not the case. Grammatical gender is a completely independent concept. While en hund is a masculine noun, that does not imply that the dog we're referring to is male, that's just the grammatical gender of the word itself.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
et dyr	an animal
en elg	a moose
en/ei and	a duck
en hest	a horse
en hund	a dog
en fugl	a bird
en bjørn	a bear
en edderkopp	a spider
en ulv	a wolf
elgen	the moose
katten	the cat
hesten	the horse
bjørnen	the bear
hunden	the dog
dyret	the animal
fuglen	the bird
anden	the duck
edderkoppen	the spider

••• 6 Phrases44 @ 100% 0

astrid · bare · beklager · bra · dag · einar · erna · god · ha · hei · helg · heter · hyggelig · ja · jens · kveld · marius · morgen · natt · nei · takk · tur · tusen · unnskyld · velkommen · vær så god · vær så snill
27 words

Common Phrases

We've compiled a list of common phrases in the Norwegian language, for your reference.

Many of them are idiomatic, meaning that they don't translate word for word to English. You'll have to learn the entire phrase.

One example is "Ha det bra!", which literally means "Have it good!", but idiomatically translates to "Goodbye!"

Norwegian	English
Hvordan har du det?	How are you?
Hvordan går det?	How is it going?
Bare bra, takk!	Just fine, thanks!
Jeg har det bra.	I'm doing well.
Ha det bra!	Goodbye!
Vi ses!	See you later!

Norwegian Characters

By now, you're probably getting used to seeing the Norwegian vowels Æ, Ø and Å around.

Vowel	Similar To	IPA
Æ	the a in add or apple	[æ]
Ø	no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth	[ø] or [œ]
Å	the o in open or old	[o] or [ɔ]

If you're doing your Duolingo lessons on the app, you may need to install a Norwegian or international keyboard to type these. However, before you do so, try holding down A or O and see if they appear as options.

If you're doing your lessons on the web, you can either install a Norwegian keyboard, or just click the special characters displayed below the input field when you type your response.

When you have no other option, you can use these replacement characters, but don't get into the habit of relying on them, as it will be a hard one to break.

Character	Replacement
Æ	AE
Ø	OE
Å	AA

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ha	have
unnskyld	sorry, excuse me, pardon
vær så snill	please, be so kind
takk	thank you, thanks
trenger	needs, requires
elsker	loves
ja	yes
nei	no
eller	or
kanskje	maybe, perhaps
tusen	(a) thousand
bra	good, nice
hyggelig	nice, pleasant
bare	only, just
en tur	a trip
en/ei natt	a night
en/ei helg	a weekend

••• 6 Food51 @ 100% 0

Cooking

In this skill, you'll learn the verb lager, which translates to make. There's no separate verb for cooking, instead, we use lager mat, literally make food.

Han lager mat.
He is cooking.

Measure Words

Remember that in Norwegian, the word for of, av, is omitted where one would normally use it in English to join a measure word with another noun.

Norwegian	English
en kopp kaffe	a cup of coffee
et glass vann	a glass of water

Neat, huh?

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å lage	to make
å lage mat	to cook
en fisk	a fish
et kjøtt	a meat
en pasta	a pasta
en/ei suppe	a soup
en kylling	a chicken
mat (m)	food
en frokost	a breakfast
en ost	a cheese
en frukt	a fruit
en tomat	a tomato
et glass	a glass
en øl	a (unit of) beer
et salt	a salt
et egg	an egg
et sukker	a sugar
en pepper	a pepper (not bell pepper!)

••• 23 Object Pronouns61 @ 100% 0
Object Pronouns

We were introduced to the Norwegian pronouns in the first skill. Let's have a look at them here:

Singular Plural

jeg I vi we

du you (singular) dere you (plural)

han, hun, den/det he, she, it de they

As in English, the pronouns above only pertain to subjects. The pronouns at the receiving end of a verb, in other words the object pronouns, are as follows:

Singular Plural

meg me oss us

deg you (singular) dere you (plural)

ham, henne, det/den him, her, it dem them

Den is used to mean it or that when referring back to a masculine or feminine subject.

Det is used to mean it or that when referring back to a neuter subject, and when introducing a brand new noun that has not yet been mentioned - regardless of the gender of that noun.

Han is an alternative form of ham, but in this course we will use "han" exclusively as a subject ("he"), and "ham" for the object form ("him").

Vocabulary (Tree 4)

viser show

meg me

deg you (singular)

ham him

henne her

den (m/f) it

det (n) it

oss us

dere you (plural)

dem them

••• 3 Definite Forms62 @ 100% 0

appelsinen · avisen · boken · brevet · brødet · bygd · bygda · egget · fisken · frukten · hytta · iskremen · jordbæret · kaffen · kjøttet · kone · kua · kyllingen · maten · måltidet · oljen · osten · pastaen · risen · saltet · sitronen · smørbrødet · sukkeret · suppen · teen · tomaten · vannet · vegetarianeren · vinen · øy · øya
36 words

Definite Forms

The definite form ("the man", "the woman", et cetera) is formed by placing the indefinite article, "a/an", or in Norwegian, "en/et", at the end of the word instead of at the beginning. This is called a postfix or a suffix.

Indefinite		Definite
en mann	a man	mannen	the man
et barn	a child	barnet	the child

For feminine-classified nouns, there is one irregularity:

Indefinite		Definite
ei kvinne OR en kvinne	a woman	kvinna OR kvinnen	the woman
ei jente OR en jente	a girl	jenta OR jenten	the girl

Both jenta and jenten are appropriate translations for the girl. These same endings apply to all feminine nouns.

It is also normal to use the masculine article "en" for indefinite forms, even when preferring a feminine suffix in definite. This is not considered an error!

Indefinite		Definite
en jente	a girl	jenta	the girl
en øy	an island	øya	the island

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
-en	definite suffix: the
en/ei hytte	a cabin
osten	the cheese
egget	the egg
maten	the food
vannet	the water
brødet	the bread
suppen	the soup
pastaen	the pasta
saltet	the salt
fisken	the fish
brevet	the letter
kjøttet	the meat
sukkeret	the sugar
kyllingen	the chicken
eplet	the apple
frukten	the fruit
ølen	the beer
boken	the book
risen	the rice
tomaten	the tomato
avisen	the newspaper

••• 3 Plurals71 @ 100% 0

aviser · barn · bjørner · brev · bygder · bøker · dyr · elefanter · ender · epler · flere · fugler · hester · hunder · hytter · jordbær · katter · koner · kyllinger · lærere · mange · noen · sauer · skilpadder · smørbrød
25 words

Plurals

With few exceptions, most masculine or feminine nouns (most nouns) pluralize with -er or -r.

Norwegian	English
eple	apple
epler	apples
gutt	boy
gutter	boys
jente	girl
jenter	girls

Single-syllable neuter nouns, such as hus house and dyr animal, often do not change spelling in the indefinite plural.

Norwegian	English
hus	house or houses
dyr	animal or animals
barn	child or children

How then can you tell the difference between hus meaning house and hus meaning houses? That depends on context and adjective endings, which we will cover a bit later in the course.

One exception to these rules is the Norwegian word for "man" which pluralizes in an irregular way that's almost identical to English:

Norwegian	English
mann	man
menn	men

Here are some additional common irregular plurals, a couple of which are also irregular in English.

Singular	Plural	English Translation
and	ender	duck - ducks
bok	bøker	book - books
fot	føtter	foot - feet
hånd	hender	hand - hands
natt	netter	night - nights
tann	tenner	tooth - teeth
tre	trær	tree - trees

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
noen	some, any
flere	several, multiple, more
mange	many
en sykkel	a bicycle
katter	cats
aviser	newspapers
jenter	girls
fugler	birds
gutter	boys
hunder	dogs
ender	ducks
bøker	books
hester	horses
bjørner	bears
epler	apples
hytter	cabins
kvinner	women
kyllinger	chickens
dyr	animals
brev	letters
barn	children
menn	men
-er	indefinite plural suffix

••• 3 Definite Plurals82 @ 100% 0

alle · avisene · barna · brevene · bøkene · elefantene · elgene · endene · eplene · fiskene · fuglene · guttene · hestene · hundene · hyttene · jentene · jordbærene · kattene · kokkene · konene · kvinnene · kyllingene · mennene · skilpaddene · smørbrødene · tallerkenene
26 words

Definite Plurals

With very few exceptions, all nouns can be converted to the definite plural form, i.e. the books, the cows, the dogs... by changing the -er ending on the plural form to an -ene ending:

Norwegian	English
hund	dog
hunden	the dog
hunder	dogs
hundene	the dogs

Many neuter nouns do not have to follow this rule. Instead, they can become definite plurals by adding on an -a ending. The choice is yours, but the -ene ending is somewhat more common.

Norwegian	English
brev	letter or letters
brevet	the letter
brevene or breva	the letters

Keep in mind that the word "barn" meaning "child" almost always becomes "barna" in the definite plural, although "barnene" is grammatically correct as well.

Norwegian	English
barn	child
barnet	the child
barn	children
barna	the children

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
alle	all (of)
kattene	the cats
fuglene	the birds
endene	the ducks
guttene	the boys
hestene	the horses
kyllingene	the chickens
eplene	the apples
bøkene	the books
hundene	the dogs
mennene	the men
avisene	the newspapers
hyttene	the cabins
kvinnene	the women
dyrene	the animals

••• 3 Verbs: Present Tense83 @ 100% 0

arbeider · betaler · betyr · bruker · finner · gjør · gråter · ha · kjøper · kjører · lager · leker · ler · lukter · lytter · man · regner · selger · smiler · sover · støtter · synger · tar · tegner · trenger · vasker · velger · vil · viser
29 words

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English Translation
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

The Swizz Army Knife of Prepositions

In this skill, we introduce the preposition på - arguably the most important word in the Norwegian language. På has as many uses and translations as there are types of brunost in Norway, but the one you'll learn right now deals with specifying languages.

Specifying Language

På can be used to specify what language something is said or written in. When used in this meaning, it translates to in in English.

Hva betyr det på engelsk?
What does that mean in English?

Hva heter det på norsk?
What is that (called) in Norwegian?

Plurals Ending in -E

With few exceptions, most masculine or feminine nouns (most nouns) pluralize with -er or -r.

Norwegian	English
eple	apple
epler	apples
gutt	boy
gutter	boys
jente	girl
jenter	girls

However, words that end in -er already, add an extra -e to signify the plural.

Norwegian	English
lærer	teacher
lærere	teachers
amerikaner	American
amerikanere	Americans

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
gjør	does
sover	sleeps
hører	hears
velger	chooses, selects
leker	plays
selger	sells
arbeider	works
vasker	washes, cleans
skriver	writes
venter	waits, expects
når	when
om	about
på	in
en lærer	a teacher
en amerikaner	an American
en/ei mus	a mouse
barna	the children
jentene	the girls
brevene	the letters
-ene	the (definite suffix), assorted words

••• 3 The Cafe92 @ 100% 0

Getting Your Caffeine Fix

When ordering coffee at a cafe, you can simply say:

En kaffe, takk!
A coffee, thanks!

Replace kaffe with espresso, americano, cappuccino or latte to get your coffee of choice. Loanword heaven!

Expressing Desire for Something

The verb for "want" is "vil" in Norwegian. When what you want is a noun, it needs to be accompanied by its friend "ha" ("have"). Where you in English could say either "I want [noun]" or "I want to have [noun]", it's always "Jeg vil ha [noun]".

Jeg vil ha et eple.
I want (to have) an apple.

Later in the course, you'll come across "vil" followed by a verb in the infinitive, in which case you do not need to add "ha".

Jeg vil spise et eple.
I want to eat an apple.

The Swizz Army Knife of Prepositions

In this skill, we reintroduce the preposition på in a second meaning. På has as many uses and translations as there are types of brunost in Norway, but the one you'll learn right now deals with physical location.

Describing Location

When used to describe location, på can translate to on, at, and sometimes even in, depending on the context. When translating, your best bet is opting for the preposition that sounds the most natural in English.

Vi sitter på kaféen.
We are sitting at the cafe.

Hun sitter på stolen.
She is sitting on the chair.

Specifying Language

På can also be used to specify what language something is said or written in. When used in this meaning, it translates to in in English.

Hva betyr det på engelsk?
What does that mean in English?

Hva heter det på norsk?
What is that (called) in Norwegian?

So, if you order your coffee på norsk, you're ordering it in Norwegian.

Vocabulary
vil	wants
ha	(to) have
står	stands
bestiller	orders
hvordan	how
med	with
på	on, at
utenfor	outside (of)
mer	more
en is	an ice-cream
en te	a tea
en kafé	a cafe
en brus	a soda, a pop, a fizzy drink
en drikk	a drink, a beverage
et jordbær	a strawberry
en sitron	a lemon
en stol	a chair
et bord	a table
en kaffe	a coffee
en lunsj	a lunch
en kopp	a cup
en/ei kake	a cake

••• 23 Counting102 @ 100% 0
ett · fem · fire · ni · seks · sju · ti · to · tre · åtte
10 words
Counting

Welcome to Counting! Norwegian numbers are very easy for English speakers to learn in comparison to other languages. There is no tricky system or crazy multiplication weirdness. The numbers sound and work in a similar way as they do in English.

The most common word for seven is sju, but you may also hear the word syv used, which is decidedly less common. Be careful not to confuse it with the word tjue, which means twenty.

One and One More

So far, you've seen the articles en (masculine) ei (feminine) and et (neuter) used to to mean a or an. These also do double duty as numbers, translating to one.

If you want more of something countable, you can use the adverb til. You then combine it with a number: en til becomes one more or another, to til becomes two more, and so on.

When specifying exactly what you want, by adding a noun, the number goes before the noun, while til goes after, like so: en kopp til (one more cup).

Vocabulary (Tree 4)

til more

en one

to two

tre three

fire four

fem five

seks six

sju seven

åtte eight

ni nine

ti ten

••• 3 Conversation103 @ 100% 0

Til & Fra

This skill introduces two new prepositions, "til" and "fra". Not to worry, though, as these both act predictably in this context, corresponding to "to" and "from" respectively. These work both for describing direction in a geographical sense, and in other contexts such as when giving a gift, talking to someone, or expressing where someone or something is from.

"Snakker du til meg?"
"Are you talking to me?"

"Vi flyr til Norge."
"We are flying to Norway."

"Jeg er fra England."
"I am from England."

"Han gir en gave til jenta."
"He gives a gift to the girl."

Vocabulary
tror	thinks, believes
sier	says
lytter	listens
ringer	calls, rings
kommer	comes
betyr	means, signifies
til	to
fra	from
nå	now
snart	soon, shortly
ofte	often
aldri	never
hallo	hello
hvorfor	why
hvordan går det	how is it going, how are you
det går ...	it is going..., I am...
en mamma	a mom
en pappa	a dad
en nabo	a neighbor
en gjest	a guest, a visitor

••• 3 Possessives111 @ 100% 0

deres · di · din · dine · ditt · eier · hans · hennes · hundenes · hunds · katts · kokkenes · kokkens · manns · mi · min · mine · mitt · restaurantens · s · si · sin · sine · sitt · tilhører · vår · våre · vårt
28 words

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns change depending on the gender and number of the possessor and the possessed.

My

The Definite Form

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren min	mora mi	barnet mitt	foreldrene mine
my father	my mother	my child	my parents

The above form takes the definite form of the noun and places the possessive pronoun after it. This is the more common form in colloquial Norwegian, and the one you will encounter most often.

Faren min er fargeblind.
My father is colorblind.

Another form is as follows:

The Indefinite Form

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
min far	mi mor	mitt barn	mine foreldre
my father	my mother	my child	my parents

This form takes the possessive pronoun and places it before the indefinite form of the noun. This form is considered more formal and places special emphasis on the possessor.

Mitt barn er perfekt.
My child is perfect.

Your (Singular)

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren din	mora di	barnet ditt	foreldrene dine
din far	di mor	ditt barn	dine foreldre
your father	your mother	your child	your parents

Hvem er foreldrene dine?
Who are your parents?

His

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren hans	mora hans	barnet hans	foreldrene hans
hans far	hans mor	hans barn	hans foreldre
his father	his mother	his child	his parents

Hunden hans er vennlig.
His dog is friendly.

Her

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren hennes	mora hennes	barnet hennes	foreldrene hennes
hennes far	hennes mor	hennes barn	hennes foreldre
her father	her mother	her child	her parents

Hva heter barnet hennes?
What is her child's name?

Our

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren vår	mora vår	barnet vårt	foreldrene våre
vår far	vår mor	vårt barn	våre foreldre
our father	our mother	our child	our parents

Vi elsker døtrene våre.
We love our daughters.

Your (Plural)

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren deres	mora deres	barnet deres	foreldrene deres
deres far	deres mor	deres barn	deres foreldre
your (pl.) father	your (pl.) mother	your (pl.) child	your (pl.) parents

Hvor kommer familien deres fra?
Where does your family come from?

Their

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren deres	mora deres	barnet deres	foreldrene deres
deres far	deres mor	deres barn	deres foreldre
their father	their mother	their child	their parents

Datamaskinen deres fungerer ikke.
Their computer does not work.

Notice how deres can mean your (pl.) or their. You will be able to tell the difference through context.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
eier	owns
tilhører	belongs
mi/min/mitt/mine	my, mine
di/din/ditt/dine	your, yours
vår/vårt/våre	our, ours
hans	his
hennes	her, hers
deres	their, theirs
et rom	a room
et navn	a name
en telefon	a telephone

••• 23 That and Those121 @ 100% 0
de · den · det
3 words
That and Those

We learned early on how to describe definite nouns with the appropriate gender- and number-specific suffixes.

Gender Norwegian English

Masculine stolen the chair

Feminine boka the book

Neuter bordet the table

Plural husene the houses

In order to specify further with the word that or those, all we do is add one gender- and number-specific word to the mix: den, det, or de.

Gender Norwegian English

Masculine den stolen that chair

Feminine den boka that book

Neuter det bordet that table

Plural de husene those houses
••• 23 Family 281 @ 100% 0

••• 3 Location131 @ 100% 0

Location

To describe where something is, Norwegian often forgoes the verb to be in favor of to stand or to lie. Most often, upright objects with legs, such as beds, stand, while other objects, especially those on their side, tend to lie, just like in English.

Norwegian	English
Sengen står på gulvet.	The bed [stands/is] on the floor.
Hunden ligger på gulvet.	The dog [lies/is] on the floor.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ligger	lies
mellom	between
ved	by
hjemme	(at) home
bak	behind
over	over, above
foran	in front of
under	under, below, underneath
ute	outside
inne	inside
nede	downstairs, down
blant	among
oppe	upstairs, up
et gulv	a floor
en butikk	a store, a shop
en/ei seng	a bed
en/ei øy	an island
et hus	a house
en bil	a car
et tre	a tree
en/ei bro	a bridge
et gjerde	a fence
en lekeplass	a playground

••• 23 Style 1212 @ 100% 0
••• 23 Food 3282 @ 100% 0

••• 3 Direction and Motion151 @ 100% 0

bassenget · derfra · dit · drar · etter · flyr · forbi · fra · frem · gjennom · går · herfra · hit · hjem · hopper · inn · kommer · langs · legger · løper · mot · ned · omkring · opp · rett · rundt · setter · svømmer · til · tilbake · ut
31 words

Direction and Motion

In Norwegian, adverbs of place that describe where something is change when they become adverbs of motion and describe where something moves. Below are some examples:

Existence	Translation	Motion	Translation
er hjemme	is at home	går hjem	goes home
er inne	is inside	går inn	goes in
er ute	is outside	går ut	goes out
er oppe	is up	går opp	goes up
er nede	is down below	går ned	goes down

Be careful to use the proper adverb for each situation. For most of the words above, the endings fall off when in motion. Think of them like a pocket book on top of a car. The car moves, so the pocket book falls off.

Existence	Translation	Motion	Translation
er her	is here	går hit	goes here
er der	is there	går dit	goes there

The words hit and dit are related to the antiquated English words hither and thither, which used to describe here and there in motion. Note that it has to be motion toward a location - not in or at a location.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
går	walks, goes
drar	goes, leaves
løper	runs
legger	lays, puts, places
flyr	flies
svømmer	swims
hopper	jumps
hjem	home
til	to (physical direction)
hit	(to) here, hither
dit	(to) there, thither
mot	toward, against
etter	after
frem	forward
forbi	past
tilbake	back
inn	in
opp	up
ned	down
gjennom	through
ut	out
rett	straight, directly
rundt	around
et basseng	a (swimming) pool
en/ei dør	a door
et vindu	a window

••• 2 Prepositions161 @ 100% 0

av · for · i stedet for · med · overfor · til · unntatt · uten
8 words

Prepositions

As in English, all prepositions in Norwegian stand before the noun. Below is a reference sheet for the prepositions introduced in this chapter. "Av" and "for" are notoriously versatile prepositions, with several other definitions in addition to the ones mentioned.

Norwegian	English	Notes
av	of, off	Used with fractions or two-part verbs.
for	for, to	Often does not translate directly.
uten	without
unntatt	except	Literally "taken out."
i stedet for	instead of

Of course, you've already familiarized yourself with some key prepositions in earlier skills as well. Here comes a quick refresher:

Norwegian	English	Notes
i	in, inside	Used to express location
på	on, at, in	Used to express location or indicate language
til	to, for	Used to express direction and purpose
med	with	Said like meh, but in a neutral tone.

Phrasal verbs

While we won't mix them into this skill, both separable verbs and phrasal verbs are important parts of the Norwegian language.

Often, they'll use prepositions in ways that are unfamiliar, so if you ever come across a preposition you don't understand the function of, it is worth considering whether it actually forms part of the verb.

••• 41 This and These162 @ 100% 0
This and These

We learned early on how to describe definite nouns with the appropriate gender- and number-specific suffixes.

Gender Norwegian English

Masculine stolen the chair

Feminine boka the book

Neuter bordet the table

Plural husene the houses

And how to specify further with the word that or those.

Gender Norwegian English

Masculine den stolen that chair

Feminine den boka that book

Neuter det bordet that table

Plural de husene those houses

Now, we're introducing how to say this and these in Norwegian.

Gender Norwegian English

Masculine denne stolen this chair

Feminine denne boka this book

Neuter dette bordet this table

Plural disse husene these houses

••• 1 Adjectives171 @ 50% 50

altfor · billig · dyrt · enkelt · forferdelig · forskjellige · full · fulle · gode · godt · helt · lang · lett · mye · riktig · små · utrolige · veldig
18 words

Adjectives

Norwegian adjectives change for gender, number, indefinite and definite forms. Let's take a look at adjectives joined to nouns by the phrase to be, starting with the adjective stor, which means big or great.

The Indefinite Form

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En stol er stor.	A chair is big.
Feminine	Ei bok er stor.	A book is big.

So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Neuter	Et bord er stort.	A table is big.
Plural	Hus er store.	Houses are big.

As you can see above, the neuter noun changes the spelling of stor to include a -t ending, and the plural noun changes stor to include an -e ending. This pattern applies to most adjectives in the indefinite form, as shown below.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en stor stol	a big chair
Feminine	ei stor bok	a big book
Neuter	et stort bord	a big table
Plural	store hus	big houses

Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.

Norwegian	English
et viktig brev	an important letter
et norsk hus	a Norwegian house

We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!

Norwegian	English
viktige brev	important letters
norske hus	Norwegian houses

Adjectives in the Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

In addition to the noun transitioning into the definite form, we place an additional word before the adjective in the definite form. This word changes depending on gender and number, as you see below.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

There are two ways to combine possessive pronouns with adjectives. The possessive pronoun can either follow the noun in the definite form or precede the adjective. Let's take a look at how this works.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

In the second set of examples, notice how the adjective endings are all -e, just like in the definite form, but the nouns have no endings, just like in the indefinite form. In a sense, this second method of combining possessive pronouns and adjectives is a blending of grammar rules.

Pay special attention to context, and in time, these adjective endings become second nature.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
hvor	how (degree)
god	good, nice
ny	new
stor	big
kort	short
varm	warm, hot
åpen	open
vanskelig	difficult
veldig	very
fin	nice
kald	cold
lang	long
trygg	safe, secure
dårlig	bad, poor
mye	much
tung	heavy
viktig	important
skitten	dirty
ganske	rather, pretty, somewhat
ren	clean
lett	light
mulig	possible
vanlig	common, usual
forferdelig	terrible, awful
hel	whole
flott	great
hard	hard

••• 0 Location 2181 @ 25% 75

Bor & Lever

In Norwegian, there are two verbs that translate to "to live", "å bo" and "å leve". However, they are rarely interchangeable with each other.

When talking about someone's place of residence, you should use the verb "bor".

When expressing that someone or something is alive, or describing their way of life, you use "lever".

Ute & Utenfor

There are several of these pairs, but the ones we'll concentrate on is "ute" (adverb) and "utenfor" (preposition).

"Ute" (out; outside; outdoors) is an adverb, and can be used without a point of reference. If you ever want to refer to the great outdoors in Norwegian, you can say "ute".

Vi liker å være ute i naturen.
We like being out in nature.

"Utenfor" is a preposition, which means that it always needs a point of reference. What makes it a little confusing is that the point of reference can be implied; it doesn't have to be explicitly present in the sentence.

In the sentence below, there's an explicit reference point, "gjerdet".

De er utenfor gjerdet.
They are outside (of) the fence.

In the next sentence, there's no explicit reference point. However, we can imagine that the person uttering the sentence is inside a house, and that the subject of the sentence is sitting outside said house.

Hun sitter utenfor.
She is sitting outside.

In the last example, you could use "ute" as well. Either would be correct.

Same, Same, but Different

Some of the prepositions and prepositional phrases you're learning have rather similar meanings, but there are still nuances to them, and you should strive to translate them precisely.

Norwegian	English
ved	by
ved siden av	next to
nær	near, close to
i nærheten av	near, close to

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lever	lives
henger	hangs
leter	looks, searches
setter	sets, puts, places
det er	there is, there are
nær	near, close to
langs	along
ved siden av	next to
innenfor	inside (of)
bortenfor	past, beyond
herfra	from here
derfra	from there
en vei	a road
en bakke	a slope, a hill(side)
et speil	a mirror
et bilde	a picture
en vegg	a wall
en/ei lampe	a lamp
en/ei innside	an inside
en/ei grense	a border, a limit, a boundary
en utgang	an exit
en inngang	an entrance
et kjøleskap	a refrigerator

••• 0 Qualities191 100

alvorlige · berømt · berømte · egenskaper · fattige · felles · gammel · glad · glade · kjekk · kjekke · nordmenn · pen · perfekt · perfekte · rar · rart · rik · rike · slem · slemme · snill · snille · spesiell · spesielt · stolt · stolte · streng · u · ung · unge · ungt · uvanlig · uvanlige · vennlig
35 words

Adjectives in the Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Pay special attention to context, and in time, these adjective endings become second nature.

Liten

The adjective liten, meaning little or small, is the most highly irregular adjective in the Norwegian language. Take a look at how it declines. Commit this table to memory, because as in English, the word small is used a lot.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en liten stol	a small chair
	den lille stolen	the small chair
Feminine	ei lita bok	a small book
	den lille boka	the small book
Neuter	et lite bord	a small table
	det lille bordet	the small table
Plural	små hus	small houses
	de små husene	the small houses

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

As students of Danish may be aware, the postfixes after the nouns above are absent in Danish, and as a legacy of Danish colonialism, some Norwegian phrases lack the noun endings shown in the table above. These words are generally famous titles or institutions, such as The White House or The French Academy. See how they operate below.

Norwegian	English
Det franske akademi	The French Academy
Det hvite hus	The White House

Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
det (m./f.)	the
den (n.)	the
de (pl.)	the
så	so, that
kjempe-	very (prefix)
rar	strange
ung	young
pen	pretty
snill	kind, nice
liten	little, small
fattig	poor
berømt	famous
rik	rich
slem	mean, unkind
kjekk	handsome
farlig	dangerous
perfekt	perfect
spesiell	special
gammel	old

••• 0 Ownership192 100

Ownership

Possessive pronouns change depending on the gender and number of the possessor and the possessed. Be sure to pay special attention to "sin, si, sitt, & sine," which do not have equivalents in English.

Sin, Si, Sitt, & Sine

The above are an interesting set of possessive pronouns in Norwegian. They all translate to his, her, its, or their and can only be attached to objects in a sentence. Sin, si, sitt, & sine describe something that the subject has or owns, not somebody else. This distinction does not exist in English, so it may take some getting used to, but it's actually a useful distinction to be able to make; many sentences that would be ambiguous in English are perfectly clear in Norwegian.

Norwegian	English
Hun elsker faren sin.	She loves her (own) father.
Hun elsker faren hennes.	She loves her (another woman's) father.
Faren hennes elsker henne.	Her father loves her.

In the last sentence, we use faren hennes instead of faren sin because her father is the subject, not the object, of the sentence.

His, Her, or Their (Own)

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren sin	mora si	barnet sitt	foreldrene sine
sin far	si mor	sitt barn	sine foreldre
his/her/their (own) father	his/her/their (own) mother	his/her/their (own) child	his/her/their (own) parents

Please note that you should not add "own" to your translations of si/sin/sitt/sine, it's just used here to explain the concept as clearly as possible.

Expressing Possession with a Genitive "-s"

Sometimes you don't have a possessive pronoun to express the ownership with, as you may be talking about "the woman's car" rather than "her car". Just like in English, you can do this by adding a genitive -s at the end of the possessing noun.

Kvinnens bil er rød.
The woman's car is red.*

As you can see, you don't need to add an apostrophe in Norwegian. The only exception is when the noun itself ends in an -s, -x or -z already, in which case we add an apostrophe and forego the extra -s.

Expressing Possession with "Til"

Another way of achieving the same thing, is using the preposition "til". It's the equivalent of expressing ownership with the preposition "of" in English. While this can sound stilted in English, it's perfectly natural in Norwegian.

Bilen til kvinnen er rød.
The car of the woman is red.
The woman's car is red.

Garpegenitiv

A final way to express possession is the so-called garpegenitiv. It's a format that saw some use in English in the 1600s, often referred to as his-genitive. What it does is link the possessing noun to the possessed noun with a possessive pronoun.

Kvinnen sin bil er rød.
The woman's car is red.

Literally, "The woman her car is red".

While this format is common in many dialects and recognized by Språkrådet as acceptable in Bokmål, it is considered informal and should not be what you turn to in formal writing.

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Vocabulary
si/sin/sitt/sine	his, her, its, their
til	of
-s	possessive s (suffix)
guttens	the boy's
jentas	the girl's
barnets	the child's
kattens	the cat's
hundens	the dog's
mannens	the man's
kvinnens	the woman's

••• 50 Shopping 4492 100
••• 50 Shopping 2211 100

••• 0 Leisure212 100

Hos

"Hos" can be a tricky preposition to translate, as it does not have an equivalent in English. However, those of you who are familiar with French can liken it to "chez".

It's mainly used to express that you're at someone's place; in a person's home, at a company's office, etc.

De er hos oss.
They are at our place.

Vocabulary
spiller	plays
vinner	wins
taper	loses
tegner	draws
synger	sings
hviler	rests
hos	at (X's place)
fantastisk	fantastic
en hage	a garden, a yard
en gitar	a guitar
et besøk	a visit
en sport	a sport
en ball	a ball
en park	a park
en hobby	a hobby
fotball (m)	football, soccer
et spill	a game
musikk (m)	music
et band	a band
et piano	a piano
en sang	a song
et kor	a choir
en film	a movie, a film
en radio	a radio
en TV	a TV

••• 0 Verbs: Present 2221 100

finnes · klemmer · leter · lærer · orker · sier · slutter · virker
8 words

Just One, Please!

As you may have noticed in previous lessons, we have yet to introduce a solid distinction between indefinite articles such as a or an in English, and the number one. So far, you've been using en (m), ei (f), and et (n) for both functions, and that's also what natives will do when they feel no need to specify.

In cases where you want to emphasize the number, you can use the following descriptors:

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
én gutt	éi jente	ett barn
one boy	one girl	one child

These will always translate to either one or a single (one). Translating them to a or an would be incorrect.

In speech, you make the distinction by putting stress on the number. The TTS voice used for this course is not great about doing that, so you need to exaggerate it a little more than she does.

Både & Begge

There are two words for both in Norwegian, både and begge. Både is a conjunction and is used in constructions such as både ... og, ie. both ... and . In this case it is possible to list more than two elements. Begge is a quantifier and is used instead of alle when there are only two of something. If you need to use the word both on its own, you may use the phrase begge to, which literally means, both two.

Norwegian	English
Vi har bare én katt.	We have only one cat.
Jeg ser bare éi and.	I see only one duck.
Det er bare ett stykke igjen.	There is only one piece left.

Liten

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en liten stol	a small chair
	den lille stolen	the small chair
Feminine	ei lita bok	a small book
	den lille boka	the small book
Neuter	et lite bord	a small table
	det lille bordet	the small table
Plural	små hus	small houses
	de små husene	the small houses

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also used in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English Translation
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lukter	smells
gir	gives
venter	waits, expects
husker	remembers
tar	takes
finner	finds
åpner	opens
takker	thanks
dør	dies
regner	rains
beklager	apologizes
leier	rents, holds hands with
kysser	kisses
én/éi/ett	one (not a/an!)
begge	both
men	but
også	also, too, as well
til	for
alltid	always
hvordan	how
langt	far
hjemmefra	from home
bare	just, only
for	too
lite	little, small

••• 50 Family 5502 100
••• 50 Feelings 1421 100

••• 0 Work242 100

arbeidet · attest · attester · brannmannen · brannmenn · bussjåfør · byrået · cv-ene · dagpenger · elektriker · elektrikeren · fleksitid · forfatteren · fritid · ingeniør · jobb · legene · overtid · referanser · rørleggeren · sekretær · skuespillerinnen · student · studenter · studerer · søker · søknad · telefonselger · telefonselgere · vikar · vikaren
31 words

Work

Unlike in English, Norwegian usually drops the indefinite article when describing someone's profession.

Norwegian	English
Jeg er student.	I am a student.
Hun er lege.	She is a doctor.
Han er forfatter.	He is a writer.

Be mindful that constructions such as jeg er en student are also grammatical, but they are far less common.

Finding Your Voice

Now that you're becoming familiar with the sound of the Norwegian language, listening exercises are probably starting to become a little easier. However, speaking can still be a hurdle!

It's perfectly natural to feel shy about speaking a new language, but it's something that becomes more comfortable the more you practice it. The good news is that you don't have to run out and find a native speaker to practice. Saying the Duolingo sentences out loud is a great start, and will get your tongue used to making those unfamiliar twists and turns. And yes, we do mean every sentence - not just the listening exercises!

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
studerer	study
tid (m/f)	time
overtid (m/f)	overtime
en lege	a doctor, a physician
en jobb	a job
et kontor	an office
en student	a student (uni level)
en forfatter	an author
et møte	a meeting
en konferanse	a conference
en sjef	a boss
fritid (m/f)	free time, leisure
et arbeid	a work, a job
en elektriker	an electrician
en rørlegger	a plumber
en brannmann	a fireman, a firefighter
en prest	a priest
en ingeniør	an engineer
en bussjåfør	a bus driver
en telefonselger	a telemarketer, a telephone salesman

••• 0 Verbs: Infinitive251 100

Infinitives

To infinitives, and beyond!

Most infinitive verbs in Norwegian end in the stem -e. There are many, many exceptions, however. A few modal constructions exist that link to infinitive verbs directly, such as kan and vil.

Norwegian	English
Jeg kan spise.	I can eat.
Hun vil finne katten.	She wants to find the cat.

Many infinitives link with other parts of the sentence with the word å, which translates to to, as in, å se or to see. This applies to all situations where an infinitive is present without a modal verb.

Norwegian	English
Det er viktig å lese.	It is important to read.
Han liker å lage mat.	He likes to cook.

You may have noticed that in the final sentence above, the verb å lage mat could have easily translated to cooking, and you would be correct. Sometimes an infinitive beginning with an å can act like a gerund, which is nerd for a noun ending in -ing.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å	to
kan	can, am able to
må	must
å bli	to become, to get, to be
å lage	to make
å spise	to eat
å betale	to pay
å gi	to give
å sove	to sleep
å være	to be
å gjøre	to do, to make
å danse	to dance
å kjøpe	to buy
å se	to see
å ta	to take
å få	to get, to receive
å lese	to read
å vise	to show
å synge	to sing
å si	to say
å leie	to rent, to hold hands
å høre	to hear
å velge	to choose
å tenke	to think
å prøve	to try, to test, to attempt
å fortsette	to continue

••• 50 Vacation252 100

••• 0 Schedule261 100

Times of Day

Norwegian	English
morgen	morning
formiddag	late morning (9-12 am)
ettermiddag	afternoon
kveld	evening; night (before bed)
natt	night

Familiar Prepositions, New Contexts

You're already familiar with the prepositions i, om and på from previous skills. Here, you'll meet them again, but in new contexts and with different translations.

Norwegian	English
i dag	today
i natt	tonight
i morgen	tomorrow
om dagen	at day; during the day
om morgenen	in the morning; during the morning
om en time	in an hour (from now)
på dagen	at day
på morgenen	in the morning

As you can see, both på and om can be used to express that something happens at day or in the morning.

If you're referring to a specific point in time, like five in the morning, you would use fem på morgenen. If you're just referring to the morning in general, you may use either på or om. Some dialects have a preference for one over the other, but that's nothing you need to worry about here.

Two Verbs - One Job

In Norwegian, there are two very common verbs for to work, å arbeide and å jobbe.

While these are largely interchangeable, there are cases where one will be preferred to the other.

Å arbeide is the old workhorse, of Old Norse origin, and thus features in more compounds and fixed expressions.

Å jobbe is the young English apprentice, which has been adopted by the younger generations.

Both verbs are used extensively, and Norwegians will happily switch between the two within the same text or conversation.

Vocabulary
å møte	to meet, to encounter
å jobbe	to work
å komme	to come
om	in, at
hver	every, each
sjelden	seldom, rarely
før	before, prior to
i dag	today
i kveld	this evening, tonight
i morgen	tomorrow
senere	later
daglig	daily
ferdig	done, finished, complete
en gang	once, one time, a time
en morgen	a morning
en ettermiddag	an afternoon
en kveld	an evening, a night
en plan	a plan
et skift	a shift
fleksitid (m/f)	flexible hours, flextime

••• 50 People 2491 100
••• 50 People 4541 100

••• 0 Determiners281 100

alt · andre · anna · annen · annet · både · denne · dens · dets · dette · disse · egen · eget · egne · eneste · hverandre · hverandres · noen ting · samme · selv · slik · slike · sånne · sånt · verken · viss · visst
27 words

This and These

We learned early on how to describe definite nouns with the appropriate gender- and number-specific suffixes.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	stolen	the chair
Feminine	boka	the book
Neuter	bordet	the table
Plural	husene	the houses

And how to specify further with the word that or those.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den stolen	that chair
Feminine	den boka	that book
Neuter	det bordet	that table
Plural	de husene	those houses

Now, we're introducing how to say this and these in Norwegian.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	denne stolen	this chair
Feminine	denne boka	this book
Neuter	dette bordet	this table
Plural	disse husene	these houses

Other & Second

There is only one word for other and second in Norwegian, annen. It declines irregularly, so watch out.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en annen stol	another chair
	den andre stolen	the other chair
Feminine	ei anna bok	another book
	den andre boka	the other book
Neuter	et annet bord	another table
	det andre bordet	the other table
Plural	andre hus	other houses
	de andre husene	the other houses

Både & Begge

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
alt	all, everything
andre	other, others, second
ingenting	nothing
selv	myself, yourself, herself...
egen	own
ingen	no, nobody, no-one
både	both (X and X)
annet	other, second
hverandre	each other, one another
annen	other, second
annenhver	every other, every second
et ord	a word

••• 0 Days282 100

Weekdays

Below are the days of the week. The reason they're so similar to English is because English gets most of the words for the days of the week from the names of Norse gods. "Thursday" is Thor's day, and so on.

Keep in mind that the days of the week, unlike in English, are only capitalized at the beginning of the sentence. The g at the end of these words may or may not be pronounced, depending on dialect, register, and stress. Even when pronounced, it should be quite soft.

Norwegian	English
mandag	Monday
tirsdag	Tuesday
onsdag	Wednesday
torsdag	Thursday
fredag	Friday
lørdag	Saturday
søndag	Sunday

Monday through Friday are referred to as hverdager, while Saturday and Sunday are helgedager.

Since all of the days are compound nouns ending in the masculine noun en dag, they too are treated as masculine nouns.

Preposition Use

When you want to express that something's happening on a specific day, you say på mandag, on Monday.

However, if you want to say that something's happening on the weekend, it's i helgen.

Present Tense, Future Meaning

As you already know, you can make some statements about the future using the present tense in English. An example would be "We are going to Norway next month." We still understand that the sentence must be about the future, as a future point in time has been specified.

In Norwegian, you can do exactly the same. In fact, it's even more common to do so.

Vi drar på onsdag.
We are leaving on Wednesday.

Prøven er fredag.
The test is on Friday.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
mandag	Monday
tirsdag	Tuesday
onsdag	Wednesday
torsdag	Thursday
fredag	Friday
lørdag	Saturday
søndag	Sunday
en hverdag	a weekday
en/ei uke	a week
en/ei helg	a weekend

••• 50 Questions290 100
forstår · hva slags · hvem sine · hvem sitt · hvilke · hvilken · hvilket · hvor mange · hvor mye · hvordan · hvorfor · jo · når · spørsmålet · svar · vet · vite · være så snill å
18 words

••• 0 Verbs: Present 3301 100

antar · bestilte · blander · bygger · deler · forlater · forteller · fremfor · gjelder · glemmer · handler · husker · håper · lover · mener · overrasker · sender · skjønner · slipper · stenger · tilbringer · underviser
22 words

Indefinite Pronouns

When we're not referring to a specific person, but are making a general statement, we often use an indefinite or impersonal pronoun.

English has two such pronouns, the rather formal "one", which one imagines the queen uses a fair bit more than the general population, and the less formal general "you".

In Norwegian, there are also two of these pronouns, "man" and "en". However, there is no difference in formality; they can be used freely in both the formal and informal register.

"Man kan aldri være helt sikker."
"One can never be completely certain."

Note that "man" can only be used as a subject pronoun, while "en" can be used as both a subject pronoun and an object pronoun. "Ens" is the possessive pronoun, corresponding to "one's" or the general "your".

Learning and Teaching

In this skill, you'll learn the verb lærer, which changes meaning depending on whether it has an indirect object or not.

If it lacks an indirect object, it translates to learn/learns/am learning/are learning/is learning.

Jeg lærer norsk.
I am learning Norwegian.

However, if it has an indirect object, it becomes teach/teaches/am teaching/are teaching/is teaching. You can see how it works in the sentence below, where meg is the indirect object and the person being taught something.

Hun lærer meg norsk.
She is teaching me Norwegian.

What about when you want to say "teach", and you don't have an indirect object? Well, then you can add the adverb "bort" to "lærer", like so:

De lærer bort norsk.
They are teaching Norwegian.

You can also use a whole other verb, which you will learn in a later skill. "Underviser" is used for teaching in a school or university context - classroom teaching.

Professoren underviser i norsk.
The professor teaches Norwegian.

To Exist or Just to Be, That is the Question

The verb finnes is an interesting one. Not only does it have the passive ending -s, but it's used much more extensively than its English counterpart, exist.

Finnes is the passive version of finner, find, so anything that finnes is something that is to be found. Depending on what sounds more natural, you should translate it to either is/are or exist(s) in English.

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also used in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English Translation
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lærer	learns, teaches
får	gets, receives
skjer	happens, occurs, takes place
holder	holds, is enough
foretrekker	prefers
stoler	trusts
følger	follows
ønsker	wishes
forsøker	tries, attempts
slutter	stops, quits
å fryse	to freeze, to be cold
begynner	begins, starts
finnes	exists, is
bærer	carries
stemmer	is right
kler på seg	gets dressed, puts on
man	one, you (impersonal)
godt	well
igjen	again
en tyv	a thief, a burglar
en vane	a habit

••• 0 The Clock302 100

Telling Time

In order to ask what time it is, you may ask,

Hva er klokka?

or literally, What is the clock?

The response will be something like,

Klokka er to.

which means the clock is two, or in other words,

It's two o'clock.

AM, PM & Military Time

Norwegians are used to seamlessly jumping between using 12-hour and 24-hour time, depending on what the situation requires.

When the intended point of time should be obvious from the context, they'll use 12-hour time without specifying AM or PM.

When there is room for confusion, they will either use 12-hour time in conjunction with a time of day to specify, or they'll switch to 24-hour time, also known as military time.

12 hour	12 hour + specification	24 hour	military
to	to på/om dagen	fjorten	14:00
ni	ni på/om kvelden	tjueen	21:00

The Confusing Half Hours

When someone says halv to in Norwegian, it actually means half past one. The half hour relates to the next whole hour, rather than the previous one, which may take a little getting used to.

Norwegian	English
halv fire	half past three
halv åtte	half past seven
halv elleve	half past ten

Vocabulary
allerede	already
halv	half
kvart på	a quarter to
kvart over	a quarter past
X på	X to
X over	X past
sen	late
tidlig	early
fort	fast, quickly
en/ei klokke	a clock, a watch, (a time)
et minutt	a minute
et sekund	a second

••• 0 Jobs311 100

Jobs

Unlike in English, Norwegian usually drops the indefinite article when describing someone's profession.

Norwegian	English
Jeg er student.	I am a student.
Hun er lege.	She is a doctor.
Han er forfatter.	He is a writer.

Be mindful that constructions such as jeg er en student are also grammatical, but they are far less common.

Two Verbs - One Job

In Norwegian, there are two very common verbs for to work, å arbeide and å jobbe.

While these are largely interchangeable, there are cases where one will be preferred to the other.

Å arbeide is the old workhorse, of Old Norse origin, and thus features in more compounds and fixed expressions.

Å jobbe is the young English apprentice, which has been adopted by the younger generations.

Both verbs are used extensively, and Norwegians will happily switch between the two within the same text or conversation.

Spelling Words of Greek Origin

Like English, Norwegian borrows heavily from Greek and Latin, especially for more technical terms. In this skill, you'll come across the noun fotograf, photographer, which stems from the words φῶς (phos), meaning light, and γραφή (graphê), meaning drawing or writing. That's what photographers do, right? They draw with light.

Whenever you come across a word of Greek origin that is spelled with a "ph" combination in English, it will be spelled with an "f" in Norwegian. Another example of this is elefant, which of course is elephant in English.

The same pattern holds true in Greek words with a "th" combination in English; the "h" disappears in Norwegian, leaving only the "t". An example from this skill is therapist, which becomes terapeut.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å arbeide	to work
å selge	to sell
profesjonell	professional
et yrke	a profession
en pilot	a pilot
en arkitekt	an architect
en fotograf	a photographer
en/ei utdanning	an education
en fisker	a fisherman, a fisher
en advokat	a lawyer
en terapeut	a therapist
en politibetjent	a police officer, a policeman, a policewoman

••• 50 Conjunctions313 100
at · eller · for · fordi · hvis · inntil · men · mens · når · om · selv om · som · så · uten at
14 words
Conjunctions

Below is a short list of some of the most common conjunctions in the Norwegian language. Four of them, og, men, fordi, and eller, you're already familiar with.

Norwegian English

og and

men but

eller or

fordi because

at that

om whether, if (binary plausibility)

hvis if (cause and effect)

Norwegian conjunctions act very similarly to English ones, with a couple of special rules.

Ikke

Keep in mind that in dependent clauses, the negation ikke gets pulled to a position in-between the subject and the main verb. This occurs with several other constructions as well. This is one weird quirk with Norwegian grammar, but it will sound natural after a while.

Norwegian English

Hun er ikke her. She is not here.

Jeg vet at hun ikke er her. I know that she is not here.

Isn't that interesting?

V-2 Word Order

The V-2 Rule is a linguistic law that applies to all Germanic languages... except English. You can see a rare instance of it in English in the expression here comes the bus. This rule states that all sentences that are statements, in other words not questions, must have a verb in the second position. This allows for some flexibility in the word order for emphasis. What it essentially means is that Norwegian verbs refuse to move from the second position in statements.

The V-2 Rule applies to dependent clauses that begin sentences. In this specific situation, the whole dependent clause is treated as being in the first position, so the verb in the independent clause comes immediately after it, in the second position, followed by the subject in the independent clause.

Norwegian English

Du (1) må (2) støtte meg. You must support me.

Hvis du vil hjelpe meg (1) , må (2) du støtte meg. If you want to help me, you must support me.

This may sound jarring, but this rule of inversion becomes easy enough after some exposure.

Norwegian English

Jeg (1) snakker (2) ikke norsk. I do not speak Norwegian.

Selv om jeg er nordmann (1) , snakker (2) jeg ikke norsk. Even though I am Norwegian, I do not speak Norwegian.

If you think this word order is weird, try German.

Vocabulary (Tree 4)

om if, whether

at that

så so

når when

mens while

for for, because

hvis if

som like, which

selv om even if, even though, despite
••• 50 Adverbs 1672 100

••• 0 Imperative331 100

avbryt · bekymre · betal · bruk · forlat · fortsett · følg · gi · gjør · gå · hjelp · hold · kjøp · kom · kyss · la · legg · lek · les · lukk · lytt · løp · møt · pass · ring · se · selg · si · skriv · slapp av · slutt · spis · spør · svar · syng · ta · tenk · tro · vask · vennligst · vent · vær · vær så snill og · åpne
44 words

The Imperative

Forming the imperative in Norwegian is quite simple. Take the base form of the verb, such as spise and drop the -e to form the word spis. Congratulations! You have successfully created the imperative in Norwegian!

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
eat	spise	spis
read	lese	les
be	være	vær

You may be wondering about how we handle verbs that do not end in -e in their base form, such as tro and ta, which mean believe and take. The answer is, we don't change the verb at all in the imperative.

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
believe	tro	tro
take	ta	ta
have	ha	ha

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
open	åpne	åpne or åpn
trade	handle	handle or handl

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
si	say
les	read
løp	run
spis	eat
ring	call, ring, phone
tenk	think
ta	take
tro	believe
lytt	listen
gjør	do
kyss	kiss
bruk	use
syng	sing
la	let, allow, permit
gi	give
vær	be
husk	remember
betal	pay
fortsett	continue
se	see, look
lek	play
pass (på)	watch out, look out, make sure
skriv	write
tegn	draw
bekymre	worry

••• 0 Places333 100

adressen · alléene · avdeling · bankene · baren · barer · bygningen · fabrikker · flyplassen · forsiden · gården · innsjøen · nærhet · nærheten · området · overalt · palass · park · parken · regionen · sentrum · skogkatt · slottet · sonen · sted · stuer · tidssone · tårnene · vei · venstre
30 words

Oh the Places You'll Go...

Norway is a country of fjords and valleys, of babbling brooks and scenic waterfalls, and it's all topped off with a coastline longer than the polar night. If you ever get a chance to visit, you're in for a treat!

Rural Communities

When describing rural communities in Norway, you can use either en/ei bygd or et tettsted.

Ei bygd is a small town or hamlet. It can have a defined center, but often it's more like a handful of farms strewn about the countryside, with a local store and not much more. Some even have to drive to another bygd to do their grocery shopping.

Et tettsted is a very vague term, as it can refer to any congregation of houses with a number of inhabitants of 200 and upward. So, it could be a tiny village, or one of Norway's largest cities.

When talking about villages outside of Norway, or in a historic context, we use the noun en landsby instead. There's a quaintness to it.

Larger towns and cities are referred to as en by.

Gate & Vei

We observe the same distinction as in English, where en gate, a street, is bordered by houses, while en vei, a road, just has to take you from A to B.

You can use vei when referring to a street as well, but it doesn't work the other way around; gate would never be used for a country road or a highway.

Left & Right

When something is to the left of you, you can say that it's either på venstre side, på venstre hånd, or til venstre.

It works the same way for høyre, right. Take care not to get the noun for the direction, høyre, mixed up with the noun for straight or correct, rett.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
omkring	around
overfor	opposite, across from, facing
venstre	left
høyre	right
borte ved	over by
der borte	over there
en by	a town, a city
et sted	a place
et tårn	a tower
et slott	a castle
en/ei kirke	a church
jorden (m/f)	the earth
en/ei bygd	a village, a small town, a hamlet
en/ei adresse	an address
et område	an area
en/ei bygning	a building
en eiendom	a property
en/ei gate	a street
en/ei sone	a zone
en innsjø	a lake, a pond
en/ei forside	a front
en/ei side	a side
en bank	a bank
en plass	a place
nærhet (m/f)	proximity, vicinity
en hovedstad	a capital city
en planet	a planet
en måne	a moon
en/ei stjerne	a star

••• 0 Verbs: Infinitive 2341 100

Infinitives

To infinitives, and beyond!

Most infinitive verbs in Norwegian end in the stem -e. There are many, many exceptions, however. A few modal constructions exist that link to infinitive verbs directly, such as kan and vil.

Norwegian	English
Jeg kan spise.	I can eat.
Hun vil finne katten.	She wants to find the cat.

Norwegian	English
Det er viktig å lese.	It is important to read.
Han liker å lage mat.	He likes to cook.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
for å	(in order) to
å le	to laugh
å finne	to find
pleier	tend to, usually do
å holde	to hold
å forsøke	to try, to attempt
å begynne	to begin, to start
å tro	to believe
å åpne	to open
å endre	to alter, to change, to edit
å bruke	to use
å bestemme	to decide
å gå	to walk, to go
å dø	to die
å sitte	to sit
å leke	to play
å miste	to lose, to drop
å huske	to remember
å stenge	to close, to shut
å drikke	to drink
å bo	to live, to reside
å stå	to stand, to be
å vinne	to win
å regne	to rain, to calculate, to count (on)
å få X til å	to make X, to get X to

••• 50 Animals 2701 100
apen · arten · artene · artenes · arter · bite · bjeffe · bjeffer · bur · buret · ekorn · fange · fanget · fjær · flaggermus · flaggermusen · flue · fluenes · frosker · griser · hale · hjortene · insekt · insekter · jager · jakte · jakter · kaninen · kaniner · kattungene · kjæledyr · kjæledyrene · kjæledyret · lam · løve · pattedyr · pingvinene · reven · sau · sauen · slange · slangen · tigeren · tigerens · uglen · uglene · valper · vinger · øgle · øglen
50 words

••• 0 Demands and Requests343 100

Saying Please

There are a number of ways to say please in Norwegian. Some go at the beginning of the sentence, while others are more comfortable at the very end of the sentence.

Note that vær så snill is a plea or request, while vennligst is more of a polite demand. You'll often see vennligst used on signs in stores, restaurants, and other public areas.

Norwegian	English	Placement
vær så snill (å)	please, be so kind as to	beginning
vær snill og	please, kindly	beginning
vennligst	please, kindly	beginning
takk	please, thanks	end
er du snill	please, if you please	end

The Imperative

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
eat	spise	spis
read	lese	les
be	være	vær

You may be wondering about how we handle verbs that do not end in -e in their base form, such as tro and ta, which mean believe and take. The answer is that we don't change the verb at all in the imperative.

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
believe	tro	tro
take	ta	ta
have	ha	ha

Some verbs that do end in -e end in a string of consonants that may sound strange without the -e. This is why you are given the option to keep the -e ending in the imperative if you so desire, but only in these specific verbs. The versions with the -e suffix is generally preferred, so those are the ones we'll teach you in this course.

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
open	åpne	åpne or åpn
trade	handle	handle or handl

Vocabulary
svar	answer, reply, respond
spør	ask
kom	come
hjelp	help
sett	put, place, set
vær så snill å	please
gå	walk, go
lukk	close, shut
slutt	stop, quit
vask	wash, clean
åpne	open
vennligst	please, kindly
følg	follow
møt	meet
vent	wait
hold	hold
forlat	leave, abandon
avbryt	interrupt
send	send
er du snill	please, if you please

••• 0 Time351 100

Time

While we're not quite as obsessed with timeliness as the Germans, being reasonably punctual is important both at work and in private. If you want to make a good impression, you should always strive to be on time.

Of course, sometimes you're late because of things out of your control, in which case it's good to notify the people waiting for you that you're running late, giving some indication of when you're expecting to arrive.

Public transport in Norway tends to be pretty punctual as well. City buses may be late during rush hour, but trains and coaches are usually on time, as are ferries unless the weather's acting up.

Døgn

Et døgn is a really neat noun, which allows you to make a distinction that doesn't exist in everyday English. It translates to a day, but specifically refers to the full 24-hour period. So it's not day as opposed to night, but the day and the night all wrapped up in one unambiguous package.

For ... Siden

When translating the English word ago, you need two words in Norwegian, for ... siden. You should place for in front of the time expression and siden after.

For fem år siden
Five years ago

Prepositions

Several Norwegian expressions of time use the preposition i in combination with a noun. These must be learned independently and treated as completely separate from the nouns they're used with. For example:

Norwegian	English
i dag	today
i kveld	tonight
i morgen	tomorrow
i morgen tidlig	tomorrow morning
i går	yesterday
i år	this year
i fjor	last year

Wrestling With the Past

Your first encounter with the past tense will be made in this skill, in the form of var (was), hadde (had), and kom (came).

As in many other languages, some of the most important verbs have highly irregular conjugations. No need to despair, though: We're introducing them early so that you'll get plenty of practice using them. By the time you're halfway through the course, these will have become second nature to you.

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å være	er	var	was
å ha	har	hadde	had
å komme	kommer	kom	came

Regular Past Tense Verbs

The majority of regular verbs end in either -te or -et, such as spiste and snakket, which mean ate and spoke, respectively.

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å spise	spiser	spiste	ate
å snakke	snakker	snakket	spoke

Some also end in -de or -dde.

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å prøve	prøver	prøvde	tried
å bo	bor	bodde	lived

Ordinal Numbers

With one notable exception, all adjectival ordinal numbers have the same spelling regardless of gender or number, ending in -e across the board.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en første stol	a first chair
	den første stolen	the first chair
Feminine	ei første bok	a first book
	den første boka	the first book
Neuter	et første bord	a first table
	det første bordet	the first table
Plural	første hus	first houses
	de første husene	the first houses

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
var	was
kom	came
hadde	had
fortsatt	still
i løpet av	in the course of, during
iblant	occasionally
lenger	anymore, any longer
i mellomtiden	in the meantime
siden	since
for ... siden	ago
inntil	until, up to
lenge	long
første	(the) first
neste	(the) next
siste	(the) last
klar	ready
rask	swift, quick
langsom	slow
et år	a year
et døgn	a day, a 24h period of time
et øyeblikk	a moment
en fest	a party
fortid (m/f)	past
nåtid (m/f)	present
fremtid (m/f)	future
en alder	an age
en bursdag	a birthday

••• 50 Objects702 100
bilen · bilene · bit · ekstra · esker · etasjen · etasjer · film · gjenstand · gjenstandene · hjulene · hjulet · hyllene · ingenting · kjeler · kjeller · kjelleren · kort · leiligheten · mattene · motoren · motorer · radio · radiobiler · sak · stoffet · søppelet · veske
28 words
••• 50 Home 3222 100
••• 50 Compound Words721 100
arbeidsgiveren · arbeidsplassen · arbeidstiden · dagbok · dagboken · e · fornøyelsesparken · leketøy · motorveien · rullestol · s · stavkirken · stekepannene · svømmebassenget · årstid
15 words
••• 50 Health 1141 100
••• 50 Bedroom722 100
av · kommoden · skuffer
3 words
••• 50 Hygiene731 100
bader · balsam · barbere · barbermaskin · dusj · fuktig · føner · gre · grer · håndkle · hårføner · hårfønerne · kam · krem · kropp · maskin · pusse · sjampo · slags · såpe · tannkrem · tennene · toalettene · tørker · vasken
25 words
••• 50 The Farm 2682 100
••• 50 Shopping 3371 100
••• 50 Marriage741 100

••• 0 Determiners 2402 100

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
dets	its
viss	certain
sånn	so, such, like this, like that, that way
enhver	any, anyone, everyone
enten ... eller	either ... or
få	few
eneste	(the) only
samme	(the) same
samtlige	all
slik	so, such, like this, like that, that way, thus
verken ... eller	neither ... nor

••• 50 Object Pronouns61 100
folket · herre · herrer · kronprinsen · kultur · menneskelig · menneskelige · noens · personlige · prins · prinsesse · tenåringer · vennskap · vennskapet · voksen
15 words
Object Pronouns

We were introduced to the Norwegian pronouns in the first skill. Let's have a look at them here:

Singular Plural

jeg I vi we

du you (singular) dere you (plural)

han, hun, den/det he, she, it de they

As in English, the pronouns above only pertain to subjects. The pronouns at the receiving end of a verb, in other words the object pronouns, are as follows:

Singular Plural

meg me oss us

deg you (singular) dere you (plural)

ham, henne, det/den him, her, it dem them

Den is used to mean it or that when referring back to a masculine or feminine subject.

Det is used to mean it or that when referring back to a neuter subject, and when introducing a brand new noun that has not yet been mentioned - regardless of the gender of that noun.

Han is an alternative form of ham, but in this course we will use "han" exclusively as a subject ("he"), and "ham" for the object form ("him").

Vocabulary (Tree 4)

viser show

meg me

deg you (singular)

ham him

henne her

den (m/f) it

det (n) it

oss us

dere you (plural)

dem them
••• 50 Adverbs 21201 100
absolutt · fremdeles · først · helst · hva som helst · hvem som helst · hvor som helst · lenge · når som helst · nær · nøyaktig · sannsynligvis · siden · unna
14 words
••• 50 Work 4451 100

••• 0 The Year422 100

A Full Year of Cognates

In the table below, you'll find the twelve months of the year listed. Notice how they all share the same etymology as their English counterparts? That's right, this skill is going to be a breeze!

Just like weekdays, months are not capitalized in Norwegian. Unless they begin a sentence, of course. If you ever need to abbreviate them, just take the first three letters of any month and stick a period at the end.

Keep in mind the RS sound in mars makes it sound like marsh. This RS letter combination creates an SH sound in the Norwegian language.

Norwegian	English
januar	January
februar	February
mars	March
april	April
mai	May
juni	June
juli	July
august	August
september	September
oktober	October
november	November
desember	December

For grammatical purposes, all of the months are treated as masculine nouns.

Two Types of Seasons

While English tends to use the same word for both, Norwegian has one word for the four seasons of the year, en/ei årstid, and another one for any other type of season, like the hunting season or the skiing season, en sesong.

Preposition Use

As you already know, we use the preposition på when referring to days or times of day.

Norwegian	English
på mandag	on Monday
på morgenen	in the morning

When talking about months and seasons, we switch things up a bit and use the preposition i instead. This is also the preposition of choice when it comes to describing how many times a week/month/year something happens.

Norwegian	English
i januar	in January, this January
i vinter	this winter
i uken	a week
i måneden	a month
i året	a year

If you're talking about something that isn't happening this winter in particular, but just generally happens in the wintertime, you would say om vinteren.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
i år	this year
januar	January
februar	February
en dato	a date
en vinter	a winter
en måned	a month
en kalender	a calendar
mars	March
april	April
mai	May
juni	June
juli	July
en vår	a spring
en sommer	a summer
august	August
september	September
oktober	October
november	November
desember	December
en høst	an autumn, a fall
en/ei årstid	a season, a time of year

••• 0 Present 4423 100

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also used in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
blir	becomes
klarer	is able, manages
inneholder	contains
ber	asks
antar	assumes, presumes
knuser	crushes, breaks, smashes
blander	mixes, blends
glemmer	forgets
fortsetter	continues
slår	beats, hits, strikes
håper	hopes
behøver	needs, requires
gjelder	pertains to, is about, is valid
skjærer	cuts, carves
forlater	leaves, abandons
orker	has the energy to/for
slipper	doesn't have to, is spared
sender	sends
stanser	stops, halts
handler	is about, acts
forteller	tells
tilbringer	spends (time)
overrasker	surprises
lite	little
som	that, which
fremfor	over
en/et/ei slags	a sort of, a kind of

••• 50 Nature 1771 100

••• 0 Verb Endings433 100

an · i ferd med · importerer · lyst på · lyst til · mislykkes · møtes · opp · produserer · respekterer · ses · synes · under
13 words

Special Endings

This Verb Looks Familiar...

Many Norwegian verbs that end in -erer in the present tense, such as importerer and produserer, are loan words from Latin. As such, they are especially easy to learn for an English speaker. Be sure to recognize them when you can.

Why Does This Verb End in S?

There are a very special set of verbs and expressions that exclusively end in the letter "s" in Norwegian. Usually, this construction is reserved for the passive form, but not here. These verbs represent very abstract concepts and must be learned individually.

Norwegian	English
Jeg synes du er pen.	I think you are pretty. (Synes is used exclusively for personal opinions.)
Vi ses!	See you!
Du mislykkes.	You are failing.
Det føles forferdelig.	It feels terrible.

I Would Like...

You already know how to say that you want something using vil+[bare infinitive] and vil ha+[noun]. In this skill, you'll learn a slightly more polite way of expressing desire, using the phrasal verbs å ha lyst til+[infinitive] and å ha lyst på+[noun].

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
fungerer	functions, works
passerer	passes
reparerer	repairs
respekterer	respects
presenterer	presents
ses	see (each other)
føles	feels
trives	is enjoying X, thrives
synes	thinks, is of the opinion
møtes	meet (each other)
mislykkes	fails
har lyst til	would like to, wants to
gifter seg	gets married
skynder seg	hurries
oppfører seg	behaves
forbereder seg	prepares
har lyst på	would like, wants
er i ferd med	is about to, is in the process of
spiser opp	eats up
går glipp av	misses out on
skriver under	signs
kommer an på	depends on

••• 0 Simple Past441 100

Simple Past

The simple past is used in a nearly identical way to how it is used in English. The vast majority of verbs in the simple past end in either -te or -et, such as spiste and snakket, which mean ate and spoke, respectively.

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å spise	spiser	spiste	ate
å snakke	snakker	snakket	spoke

There are several irregular past forms, but, thankfully, these are often similar to the ones that exist in English. You've already encountered the two most common ones, var and hadde, in the Time skill, so you even have a head start!

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å være	er	var	was
å ha	har	hadde	had
å drikke	drikker	drakk	drank
å finne	finner	fant	found
å ta	tar	tok	took
å le	ler	lo	laughed
å gi	gir	ga	gave

Notice how some of the irregular verb only get a vowel change in the past tense, with no added ending?

Watch out for two verbs in particular, å se and å si, as they are ridiculously easy to confuse in the past tense. Here they are in the present tense, as a review.

Norwegian	English
Jeg ser noe.	I see something.
Jeg sier noe.	I am saying something.

The past tense forms of these verbs are tricky for many reasons. They are each very, very common and they only have a circle above the a to distinguish them! If you imagine this circle to be an eyeball, it will go a long way to remembering that så means saw and that sa means said.

Norwegian	English
Jeg så noe.	I saw something.
Jeg sa noe.	I said something.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ga	gave
fikk	got, received
spiste	ate
kysset	kissed
brukte	used
trodde	thought
så	saw
tok	took
visste	knew
elsket	loved
snakket	spoke, talked
lo	laughed
gikk	walked, went
ville	wanted
lekte	played
skrev	wrote
kjøpte	bought
valgte	chose
sov	slept
fant	found
fylte	filled, turned
kjørte	drove
takket	thanked
gjorde	did
et minne	a memory

••• 50 Transit 1742 100
••• 50 Numbers781 100
atten · begge · elleve · femten · femti · femtitre · fjorten · førti · førtito · førtiåtte · gang · ganger · hundre · mengder · milliarder · millioner · minus · nitten · nitti · nittifem · nittiseks · pluss · samtlige · seksten · seksti · sekstien · sekstifire · summen · sytten · sytti · syttito · tjue · tjuefem · tjuefire · tjueåtte · tolv · tretten · tretti · trettien · trettito · trettitre · åtti · åttifire
43 words
••• 50 Relative Pronouns461 100
der · hva · som
3 words

Vocabulary

der where

hva what

som that, who

det (som) what, that (which)
••• 50 School 1432 100
••• 50 Prediction464 100
Prediction

One way to talk about the future in Norwegian, is to use kommer til with the infinitve of the verb. Kommer til is a bit hard to translate directly, but the closest equivalent would be going to. Sometimes, it can also be translated as will, but never as shall, as it does not carry that degree of control and certainty.

It is often used when making predictions about what is probably going to happen. In other words, often about things that you can't control.

Jeg tror at det kommer til å regne i morgen.
I think it is going to rain tomorrow.

Hun kommer nok ikke til å like gaven. She is probably not going to like the gift.

Vocabulary

å savne to miss

å glemme to forget

å ordne seg to work (itself) out , to be okay

å trenge to need, to require

å komme til å to be going to
••• 50 Hope801 100

••• 0 Compare472 100

Traits & Comparisons

In this skill, you'll be getting a taste of how comparisons are formed in Norwegian.

Comparisons, in the grammatical sense, are adjectives that express a relationship between two nouns. Some of them are irregular, just like in English. Luckily, irregular comparisons in Norwegian are mostly cognates with English ones.

For example:

god	bedre	best
good	better	best

Just like in English, there are two ways to form comparisons in Norwegian:

A special ending is added to the adjective.

kald	kaldere	kaldest
cold	colder	coldest

The word "more" or "most" is added, particularly for longer adjectives.

religiøs	mer religiøs	mest religiøs
religious	more religious	most religious

Be careful, though, since sometimes one language has a special ending where the other language does not.

viktig	viktigere	viktigst
important	more important	most important

Keep in mind that all these comparison adjectives still behave like adjectives. This means they'll usually take an -e ending in the definite or plural forms.

Boka er viktig.
Denne boka er viktigere.
Den boka er viktigst.
Det er den viktigste boka.

Vocabulary
å ligne	to resemble
å kalle	to call
kul	cool
lat	lazy
rolig	calm
stygg	ugly
typisk	typical
tålmodig	patient
lav	short, low
høy	tall, high
dum	dumb, stupid
smart	smart, clever, bright
utrolig	incredible
ekte	real, genuine, true
bedre	better
snillere	kinder, nicer
best	best
en egenskap	a trait, a characteristic
en/ei personlighet	a personality

••• 0 Simple Past 2481 100

Simple Past

Although there is no conjugation in the simple past, or anywhere in Norwegian, there are several irregular past forms, but they are similar to the ones that exist in English.

Norwegian	English
var	was, were
hadde	had
drakk	drank

Watch out for two verbs in particular, å se and å si, as they are ridiculously easy to confuse in the past tense. Here they are in the present tense, as a review.

Norwegian	English
Jeg ser noe.	I see something.
Jeg sier noe.	I am saying something.

Norwegian	English
Jeg så noe.	I saw something.
Jeg sa noe.	I said something.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
het	was named
døde	died
mistet	lost, dropped
tenkte	thought
bodde	lived, resided
betydde	meant, signified
så på	watched
holdt	held
virket	seemed
kjente	knew
solgte	sold
trengte	needed
forklarte	explained
lette	looked, searched
stolte	trusted
støttet	supported
betalte	paid
inneholdt	contained, held
oppførte seg	behaved
kunne	could
stengte	closed, shut
beholdt	kept
åpnet	opened
prøvde	tried, attempted, tested
dukket opp	turned up, appeared
så	then
i tide	in time
i fjor	last year

••• 0 Order491 100

attende · ellevte · ende · femte · femtende · fjerde · fjortende · forrige · første · hundrede · neste · niende · nittende · sekstende · siste · sjette · sjuende · syttende · tiende · tjuende · tolvte · tredje · trettende · åttende
24 words

Ordinal Numbers

With one notable exception, all adjectival ordinal numbers have the same spelling regardless of gender or number. All but one of them have an -e ending.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en første stol	a first chair
	den første stolen	the first chair
Feminine	ei første bok	a first book
	den første boka	the first book
Neuter	et første bord	a first table
	det første bordet	the first table
Plural	første hus	first houses
	de første husene	the first houses

The one exception is annen, which we introduced in the Determiners chapter as meaning second or other. Watch how it operates below.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en annen stol	a second chair
	den andre stolen	the second chair
Feminine	ei anna bok	a second book
	den andre boka	the second book
Neuter	et annet bord	a second table
	det andre bordet	the second table
Plural	andre hus	second houses
	de andre husene	the second houses

Keep in mind that annet is pronounced like the British or Boston pronunciation of the word aunt. It can also mean else, as in noe annet or something else.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
andre	(the) second
tredje	(the) third
fjerde	(the) fourth
femte	(the) fifth
sjette	(the) sixth
sjuende	(the) seventh
åttende	(the) eight
niende	(the) ninth
tiende	(the) tenth
ellevte	(the) eleventh
tolvte	(the) twelfth
trettende	(the) thirteenth
fjortende	(the) fourteenth
femtende	(the) fifteenth
sekstende	(the) sixteenth
syttende	(the) seventeenth
attende	(the) eighteenth
nittende	(the) nineteenth
tjuende	(the) twentieth
forrige	(the) previous, (the) last
et århundre	a century
en rekkefølge	an order

••• 50 The Nordic Countries821 100
••• 50 The Pharmacy831 100
••• 50 Shapes822 100
bredden · dimensjonen · dimensjoner · dybde · dybden · form · formen · hjørner · hjørnet · høyden · kanten · kulas · kule · kurver · lengden · linje · linjer · midtpunkt · pyramiden · pyramidene · rund · runde · sirkel · sirkler · størrelse · topp · toppen · trekant · vinkelen
29 words
••• 50 Travel 2192 100

••• 0 Small Talk512 100

Vocabulary
dro	left, went
likte	liked
møtte	met
spurte	asked
svarte	responded
presenterte	presented, introduced
ba	asked
antok	assumed
ringte	called
sa	said
traff	met, hit
hørte	heard
forsto	understood
skjedde	happened, occurred, took place
da	then
i sted	earlier, a little while ago
etterpå	afterwards
nettopp	just, just now, exactly
i går	yesterday
i morges	this morning
sist	last, last time
deretter	thereafter, afterwards
en samtale	a conversation
et problem	a problem
et vær	a weather
et rykte	a rumor
et tema	a topic, a subject, a theme

••• 50 Europe842 100
••• 50 Abstract 1862 100
••• 50 School 2561 100

••• 0 Simple Past 3532 100

Simple Past

Although there is no conjugation in the simple past, or anywhere in Norwegian, there are several irregular past forms, but they are similar to the ones that exist in English.

Norwegian	English
var	was, were
hadde	had
drakk	drank

Watch out for two verbs in particular, å se and å si, as they are ridiculously easy to confuse in the past tense. Here they are in the present tense, as a review.

Norwegian	English
Jeg ser noe.	I see something.
Jeg sier noe.	I am saying something.

Norwegian	English
Jeg så noe.	I saw something.
Jeg sa noe.	I said something.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lå	lay (intransitive)
sto	stood
satt	sat (intransitive)
laget	made
hang	hung (intransitive)
husket	remembered
begynte	begun, started
la	laid (transitive)
satte	sat, placed, put (transitive)
hjalp	helped
levde	lived
glemte	forgot
hengte	hung (transitive)
bestemte	decided
ble	became
fløy	flew
leide	rented
føltes	felt
tørket	dried
sluttet	stopped, quit, ceased
forsøkte	tried
lot	let, allowed, permitted
falt	fell
rakk	was enough
fulgte	followed
pleide	used to
fantes	was, existed
spilte	played
havnet	ended up

••• 0 Reactions541 100

Vocabulary
å motstå	to resist
å reagere	to react
å skremme	to scare
å fornærme	to insult
å bry	to care, to bother
å tilgi	to forgive
å gråte	to cry
å krangle	to argue, to fight
å kaste	to throw
å angre	to regret
å hate	to hate
å bryte	to break
å nøle	to hesitate
å riste	to shake
au	ouch, ow
for	what, such
fryktelig	terribly, awfully
nervøs	nervous
lei	tired
fornøyd	content, pleased
vellykket	successful
sur	sour, grumpy
merkelig	peculiar
forståelig	understandable
en/ei sorg	a sorrow
en frykt	a fear
en tåre	a tear
en/ei glede	a joy, a happiness
et smil	a smile
en/ei forventning	an expectation
gråt (m)	crying
en latter	a laughter
en effekt	an effect
en/ei endring	a change, an alteration
en reaksjon	a reaction

••• 0 Numbers 2542 100

Ordinal Numbers

With one notable exception, all adjectival ordinal numbers have the same spelling regardless of gender or number. All but one of them have an -e ending.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en første stol	a first chair
	den første stolen	the first chair
Feminine	ei første bok	a first book
	den første boka	the first book
Neuter	et første bord	a first table
	det første bordet	the first table
Plural	første hus	first houses
	de første husene	the first houses

The one exception is annen, which we introduced in the Determiners chapter as meaning second or other. Watch how it operates below.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en annen stol	a second chair
	den andre stolen	the second chair
Feminine	ei anna bok	a second book
	den andre boka	the second book
Neuter	et annet bord	a second table
	det andre bordet	the second table
Plural	andre hus	second houses
	de andre husene	the second houses

Keep in mind that annet is pronounced like the British or Boston pronunciation of the word aunt. It can also mean else, as in noe annet or something else.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
andre	(the) second
tredje	(the) third
fjerde	(the) fourth
femte	(the) fifth
sjette	(the) sixth
sjuende	(the) seventh
åttende	(the) eight
niende	(the) ninth
tiende	(the) tenth
ellevte	(the) eleventh
tolvte	(the) twelfth
trettende	(the) thirteenth
fjortende	(the) fourteenth
femtende	(the) fifteenth
sekstende	(the) sixteenth
syttende	(the) seventeenth
attende	(the) eighteenth
nittende	(the) nineteenth
tjuende	(the) twentieth
forrige	(the) previous, (the) last
et århundre	a century
en rekkefølge	an order

••• 0 Computers543 100

abonnere · abonnerer · abonnerte · automatisk · avbryter · avbrøt · bloggen · brukere · e-post · e-posten · e-postene · e-poster · filene · gyldig · hodetelefonene · hodetelefoner · innlegg · innlegget · innstillingene · installere · internett · klikker · kommenterer · kommenterte · kontoen · kontoer · lagre · laste ned · laster ned · lastet · lenken · logge · logger · logget · lukket · maskinvare · maskinvaren · nettside · nettsiden · nettverk · passord · passordet · programmeringsspråk · programmeringsspråket · programmet · robot · roboten · slettet · slo av · slå av · slå på · slår av · slår du av · slår på · tilgjengelig · trykk · trykker · ugyldig · utgave · utgaven · vedlegg
61 words

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å installere	to install
å oppdatere	to update
å lukke	to close
å slette	to delete
å klikke	to click
å slå på	to turn on, to switch on
å lagre	to save
å slå av	to turn off, to switch off
å trykke	to press, to push
tilgjengelig	accessible, available
en/ei fil	a file
en bruker	a user
en/ei utgave	a version, an edition
et tastatur	a keyboard
et program	a program
en konto	an account
et uhell	an accident
en/ei innstilling	a setting
hodetelefoner (m)	headphones
programmering (m/f)	programming

••• 50 The News551 100
••• 50 Nightlife462 100

••• 0 Verbs561 100

Vocabulary
å eie	to own
å låne	to borrow
å følge	to accompany
å bytte	to change, to exchange, to swap
å starte	to start, to begin
å passe	to fit, to suit
å vekke	to wake up
å forstå	to understand
å rulle	to roll
å gjette	to guess
å bygge	to build
å kunne	to be able, to know
å stoppe	to stop, to quit, to cease, to halt
å få til	to make (something happen)
å kjenne igjen	to recognize
å bære	to carry
å legge	to lay
å tvinge	to force
å forlate	to abandon, to leave
å advare	to warn
å stjele	to steal
å utsette	to postpone
å tømme	to empty
å dytte	to push
å forbli	to remain, to stay
å spille	to play
å stå på spill	to be at stake
å oppleve	to experience
å gjemme	to hide
å anbefale	to recommend
å være nødt til	to have to, to need to, to be required to

••• 0 Comparison571 100

aller · bedre · best · eldre · eldst · eldste · enda · fleste · fremst · færre · færrest · jo · kaldere · kaldeste · lengre · lettere · mindre · minst · nyere · oftere · oftest · penere · penest · relativt · snillere · større · største · tidligere · varmere · varmeste · verre · verste · yngre · yngst
34 words

Comparison

For example:

god	bedre	best
good	better	best

Just like in English, there are two ways to form comparisons in Norwegian:

A special ending is added to the adjective.

kald	kaldere	kaldest
cold	colder	coldest

The word "more" or "most" is added, particularly for longer adjectives.

religiøs	mer religiøs	mest religiøs
religious	more religious	most religious

Be careful, though, since sometimes one language has a special ending where the other language does not.

viktig	viktigere	viktigst
important	more important	most important

Keep in mind that all these comparison adjectives still behave like adjectives. This means they'll usually take an -e ending in the definite or plural forms.

Boka er viktig.
Denne boka er viktigere.
Den boka er viktigst.
Det er den viktigste boka.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lignet	resembled, was alike
mer	more
enda	even
jo ... jo ...	the [comparative] the [comparative]
like	alike, similar
yngre	younger
større	bigger
lettere	lighter
varmere	warmer
færre	fewer
nyere	newer
lengre	longer
mindre	smaller
kaldere	colder
verre	worse
eldre	older, elder
penere	prettier
tidligere	earlier, previously
-ere	comparative suffix

••• 0 Verbs: Present Perfect572 100

arbeidet · begynt · blitt · bodd · dratt · fått · gitt · gjort · gått · hatt · hengt · hørt · kommet · lest · ligget · mistet · presentert · regnet · ringt · sagt · satt · sendt · sett · skrevet · snakket · sovet · spist · spurt · stengt · stilt · tatt · vært
32 words

Present Perfect

Present perfect is used to talk about the past when the time is uncertain.

Jeg har bodd i Oslo.
I have lived in Oslo.

It is also used to talk about actions or states that started in the past, that have not completed and that stretch into the present and/or the future.

Jeg har bodd her i tre år.
I have lived here for three years.

Finally, it is used when talking about the future when one action ends before another begins.

Når jeg har spist, skal jeg ringe deg.
When I have eaten, I will call you.

What we have to do to express present perfect in Norwegian, is to create a form of the verb, called the past participle. Then we combine this with the present form of ha, which is har.

Du har vasket hendene. (You have washed your hands.)
De har kjørt bil. (They have driven a car.)
Hun har levd lenge. (She has lived a long time.)
Jeg har solgt henne en avis. (I have sold her a newspaper.)
Jeg har bodd i et hus i Oslo. (I have lived in a house in Oslo.)

This probably looks complicated, and to be perfectly honest, it is. There are three different basic ways to construct present perfect in Norwegian, and they look like this:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present Perfect	English Translation
1	-et/-a	å vaske	har vasket/vaska	have washed
2	-t	å kjøre	har kjørt	have driven
	-d	å leve	har levd	have lived (as in being alive)
3	-dd	å bo	har bodd	have lived (as in making one's home somewhere

Group 1

This group is easy which is good since most of the verbs in Norwegian belong to it. The past participle is the same as the simple past.

We use the suffix -et in this course, since it is the most common form in writing and there are a few cases where it is also the only allowed form. In speech, the suffix -a is common and in some dialects the only one used.

Group 2

This is the other big group. The past participle is formed by adding a -t. If the stem ends in v, g or a diphthong (ai, au, ei, oi, øy) we use a -d.

Group 3

In this group we find single syllable words such as tro, så, nå, bry og spå. They get the ending -dd or -tt such as ha.

Keep in mind when forming the present perfect that there are no built-in progressive forms in Norwegian. The present perfect covers both the progressive and non-progressive meanings of the verb.

Norwegian	Eng. Non-Progressive	Eng. Progressive
Jeg har lest boken.	I have read the book.	I have been reading the book.
Han har spist for mye.	He has eaten too much.	He has been eating too much.

All the difficulties aside, good luck learning the Norwegian present perfect skill!

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
har	have
tatt	taken
fått	received
hatt	had
blitt	become
hørt	heard
gitt	given
lest	read
sett	seen
ringt	called, phoned, ringed
spist	eaten
dratt	gone, left
bodd	lived, resided
gått	walked, gone
sagt	said
vært	been
gjort	gone
sendt	sent
begynt	begun, started
skrevet	written
satt	set, put, placed
spurt	asked
ligget	lain
mistet	lost, dropped
stengt	closed, shut
snakket	talked, spoken
kommet	come

••• 50 Passive Voice812 100
avhørt · behandlet · brukes · bygges · elskes · elsket · erstattet · fjernet · flyttes · født · kritiseres · leses · mottatt · nektes · oppleves · produsert · påkjørt · ranet · repareres · s · ses · skadet · stoppes · stoppet · tegnet · trykkes · trykket · velges · økes
29 words

••• 0 Adjectives 2582 100

dum · flink · forsiktige · frisk · friske · få · høye · kjempesterk · kompliserte · kule · kuleste · lavere · lavt · ledig · lur · mest · mett · mette · midlertidige · mykt · rolig · ryddig · sann · sant · stygg · stygt · svak · tørst · tørste · ulikt · vant
31 words

Adjectives

The Indefinite Form

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En stol er stor.	A chair is big.
Feminine	Ei bok er stor.	A book is big.

So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Neuter	Et bord er stort.	A table is big.
Plural	Hus er store.	Houses are big.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en stor stol	a big chair
Feminine	ei stor bok	a big book
Neuter	et stort bord	a big table
Plural	store hus	big houses

Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.

Norwegian	English
et viktig brev	an important letter
et norsk hus	a Norwegian house

We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!

Norwegian	English
viktige brev	important letters
norske hus	Norwegian houses

The Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

Norwegian	English
Det franske akademi	The French Academy
Det hvite hus	The White House

Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lur	clever
sann	true
kjent	famous, (well-)known
klar	clear
forsiktig	careful
død	dead
stille	silent
gyldig	valid
ordentlig	proper
sjelden	rare, uncommon
nødvendig	necessary
gal	crazy
flink	good (at something)
mett	full, satiated
skarp	sharp
rotete	messy, untidy
populær	popular
våt	wet
myk	soft
vant	used (to something)
tørst	thirsty
ryddig	tidy
favoritt	favorite
u-	assorted negative adjectives

••• 50 The World871 100
••• 50 Work 5602 100

••• 0 Contrast594 100

Comparison

For example:

god	bedre	best
good	better	best

Just like in English, there are two ways to form comparisons in Norwegian:

A special ending is added to the adjective.

kald	kaldere	kaldest
cold	colder	coldest

The word "more" or "most" is added, particularly for longer adjectives.

religiøs	mer religiøs	mest religiøs
religious	more religious	most religious

Be careful, though, since sometimes one language has a special ending where the other language does not.

viktig	viktigere	viktigst
important	more important	most important

Keep in mind that all these comparison adjectives still behave like adjectives. This means they'll usually take an -e ending in the definite or plural forms.

Boka er viktig.
Denne boka er viktigere.
Den boka er viktigst.
Det er den viktigste boka.

Vocabulary
å sammenligne	to compare
aller	(the) very (superlative adjective)
nest	(the) second (superlative adjective)
forholdsvis	relatively
ulik	unlike, different
størst	biggest, largest
færrest	fewest
varmest	warmest, hottest
-est	-est, most (superlative suffix)
flest	most (countable nouns)
minst	least
penest	prettiest
kaldest	coldest
eldst	oldest, eldest
yngst	youngest
fremst	foremost, in the front
annerledes	different
en/ei sammenligning	a comparison

••• 0 Present Perfect 2602 100

antatt · bestilt · betalt · burde · drukket · forlatt · forsøkt · fortalt · fulgt · hoppet · kjent · kjøpt · laget · lagt · lekt · savnet · sittet · skjedd · sluttet · smakt · solgt · stanset · stått · sunget · svømt · tenkt · tillatt · truffet · tvunget · utviklet · valgt · vasket · villet · vunnet · åpnet
35 words

Present Perfect

Present perfect is used to talk about the past when the time is uncertain.

Jeg har bodd i Oslo.
I have lived in Oslo.

It is also used to talk about actions or states that started in the past, that have not completed and that stretch into the present and/or the future.

Jeg har bodd her i tre år.
I have lived here for three years.

Finally, it is used when talking about the future when one action ends before another begins.

Når jeg har spist, skal jeg ringe deg.
When I have eaten, I will call you.

What we have to do to express present perfect in Norwegian, is to create a form of the verb, called the past participle. Then we combine this with the present form of ha, which is har.

Du har vasket hendene. (You have washed your hands.)
De har kjørt bil. (They have driven a car.)
Hun har levd lenge. (She has lived a long time.)
Jeg har solgt henne en avis. (I have sold her a newspaper.)
Jeg har bodd i et hus i Oslo. (I have lived in a house in Oslo.)

This probably looks complicated, and to be perfectly honest, it is. There are three different basic ways to construct present perfect in Norwegian, and they look like this:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present Perfect	English Translation
1	-et/-a	å vaske	har vasket/vaska	have washed
2	-t	å kjøre	har kjørt	have driven
	-d	å leve	har levd	have lived (as in being alive)
3	-dd	å bo	har bodd	have lived (as in making one's home somewhere

Group 1

This group is easy which is good since most of the verbs in Norwegian belong to it. The past participle is the same as the simple past.

Group 2

This is the other big group. The past participle is formed by adding a -t. If the stem ends in v, g or a diphthong (ai, au, ei, oi, øy) we use a -d.

Group 3

In this group we find single syllable words such as tro, så, nå, bry og spå. They get the ending -dd or -tt such as ha.

Keep in mind when forming the present perfect that there are no built-in progressive forms in Norwegian. The present perfect covers both the progressive and non-progressive meanings of the verb.

Norwegian	Eng. Non-Progressive	Eng. Progressive
Jeg har lest boken.	I have read the book.	I have been reading the book.
Han har spist for mye.	He has eaten too much.	He has been eating too much.

All the difficulties aside, good luck learning the Norwegian present perfect skill!

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
sittet	sat
laget	made
tenkt	thought
smakt	tasted
truffet	met, hit
forsøkt	tried, attempted
lagt	laid
stått	stood
fulgt	followed
kjøpt	bought
betalt	paid
forlatt	left, abandoned
valgt	chosen
villet	wanted
hengt	hung, hanged
fortalt	told, said
hoppet	jumped
tvunget	forced
solgt	sold
tillatt	permitted, allowed
åpnet	opened
bestilt	ordered
skjedd	happened, occurred
stanset	stopped, halted
presentert	presented
stilt	put, set, placed, asked
kjent	known
burde	should
antatt	assumed, presumed
sluttet	quit, stopped, ceased
vasket	washed, cleaned
drukket	drunk

••• 50 The Garden902 100
••• 50 Work 6772 100

••• 0 Thought621 100

ansvar · beslutning · blikk · blikkene · drøm · emne · emner · emnet · enighet · feil · formål · formålet · forslag · forslaget · forståelse · fred · fremgang · håpet · kjærlighet · kjærligheten · later · latt · lot · løsning · løy · mareritt · meningen · minner · mulighet · mystisk · mystiske · ombestemt · ombestemte · omtenksomme · omtenksomt · oppfant · oppfunnet · opplysning · opplysningen · opplysninger · opplysningstiden · problem · problemer · problemet · samhold · samtale · syn · synet · tanke · tro · tåle · tåler · tålte · utenkelig · uvitende · valg · vare på · verdi · våkne · våkner · våknet · årsaken · årsaker · ønsker
64 words

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å illustrere	to illustrate
å lyve	to lie
å foreslå	to suggest
å oppfinne	to invent
å ombestemme seg	to change one's mind
å tåle	to tolerate, to bear, to put up with
å late som	to pretend
å våkne	to wake up

utenkelig	unthinkable
omtenksom	considerate
mystisk	mysterious, mystical
uvitende	ignorant
en tanke	a thought
et minne	a memory
en/ei mening	a meaning
en verdi	a value
en årsak	a reason
en/ei mulighet	an opportunity
en forståelse	an understanding
et formål	a purpose
en/ei enighet	an agreement
et samhold	a unity, a togetherness, a camaraderie
en fremgang	a step forward, a success
en/ei beslutning	a decision
et emne	a topic, a subject
en hjerne	a brain
en opplysning	a piece of information

••• 50 Theater942 100
••• 50 The Museum931 100
••• 50 Measure 1973 100
••• 50 Children953 100

••• 0 Modal Verbs641 100

bør · får · måtte · skal · tør
5 words

Modal Verbs

Below are four modals from previous lessons:

Norwegian	English
kan	can, be able to
vil	want to, will (willing to)
må	have to, need to, must
la	let, allow

And here are the new modals introduced in this chapter:

Norwegian	English
skal	shall, will (regardless of willingness)
bør	should, ought to
får	may, get to, be allowed to
tør	dare to

All of the modal verbs above also have forms in the simple past, as shown below:

Norwegian	English
kunne	could, was able to
ville	wanted to, was going to (willing to)
måtte	had to, needed to
skulle	should, was going to (regardless of willingness)
burde	should have, ought to have
fikk	got to, was allowed to
lot	let, allowed
turte	dared to

One of These Verbs Is Not Like the Other...

The first rule of Modal Club is that a modal is followed by a bare infinitive, i.e. an infinitive without the infinitive marker "å".

Jeg vil danse.
Hun må dra.
Vi skal gifte oss.

However, the verb tør is the exception to that rule. The infinitive marker is optional following tør.

Han tør ikke (å) bli med.

••• 0 Verbs: Past Perfect651 100

dødd · funnet · gitt · glemt · gått · hadde · hørt · klart · kommet · levd · oppdaget · ringt · skrevet · skåret · tatt · trodd · visst
17 words

Past Perfect (aka Pluperfect)

Oh dear, yet another tense. But do not worry! There is no new form of the verb to learn. The past perfect is identical to the present perfect, except for one small thing. The auxillary verb ha is in the past tense, hadde rather than in the present tense, har.

The challenge is to know when to use it. The past perfect is used to talk things that happened before some other thing in the past.

Da jeg hadde spist, gikk jeg på skolen.
When I had eaten, I went to school.

The past perfect is also used in indirect speech, when someone said something about the past in the past. That sounds confusing, but hopefully the following example will help:

Hun sa at hun hadde gått på skolen.
She said that she had gone to school.

What we have to do to express past perfect in Norwegian, is to create a form of the verb, called the past participle, our friend from the present perfect. Then we combine this with the past form of ha, which is hadde.

Du sa at du hadde vasket hendene. (You said that you had washed your hands.)
Hun visste at de hadde kjørt bil. (She knew that they had driven a car.)
Da hun døde, hadde hun levd lenge. (When she died, she had lived for a long time.)
Da jeg hadde solgt henne en avis, gikk hun. (When I had sold her a newspaper, she left.)
Før det hadde jeg bodd i Oslo. (Before that, I had lived in Oslo.)

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
hadde	had
gått	walked, gone
hørt	heard
ringt	called
kommet	come
gitt	given
tatt	taken
klart	managed, been able to
skåret	cut, carved
funnet	found
skrevet	written
visst	known
levd	lived
dødd	died
trodd	believed
glemt	forgot, forgotten
oppdaget	discovered

••• 0 Philosophy652 100

ansvarlig · ansvarlige · erfaring · faktum · filosofene · handling · illusjon · illusjons · livsløgn · makten · menneskeheten · menneskehetens · påminnelsen · regel · sannheten · sinn · tvil · vilje · virkeligheten · virkeligheter · ærlig
21 words

Philosophy

Livsløgn

A livsløgn is a personal favorite untranslatable philosophical concept, invented by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in the play Vildanden, or The Wild Duck. A løgn is a lie or an untruth, and the prefix livs- means of life. Therefore, a livsløgn is commonly translated as a life-lie. Ibsen defined a livsløgn as the central delusion we have in life that keeps us happy. It could be anything ranging from the conviction that you will become a famous Hollywood actor to the belief that your ex-spouse will change his/her mind and remarry you. Once the lie is exposed as such, a person is left without hope for the future, and becomes only a shell of a human being.

Philosophy is not a science for the faint of heart.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å diskutere	to discuss
å innse	to realize
å misbruke	to abuse
å lure	to wonder, to trick
klok	wise
ærlig	honest
fornuftig	reasonable
vis	wise (a little more profoundly than "klok")
ærlig talt	honestly
en teori	a theory
en filosofi	a philosophy
en erfaring	an experience
en/ei løgn	a lie
en filosof	a philosopher
en fornuft	a reason, a common sense
en/ei sannhet	a truth
en eksistens	an existence
menneskeheten (m/f)	humanity
en/ei makt	a power, a might
et faktum	a fact
en/ei virkelighet	a reality
en/ei samvittighet	a conscience
en vilje	a will
et sinn	a mind
en kraft	a power
en bevissthet	a consciousness

••• 0 Verbs Review662 100

anbefalte · anta · bytte · bytter · erstatte · forandrer · forberede · forlate · forstå · importert · innfører · sitte · sjekke · spare · stoppe · tillate · tillater · treffer · øke
19 words

What is Verbs Review?

Verbs Review is a set of action words using all the constructions and tenses introduced thus far. It is a grammatical review for the intermediate learner.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
da	then
den	the one, (impersonal) he
under	during, in
uten at	without (that)
noen gang	ever
på grunn av	because of, due to
å snu	to turn around
å treffe	to meet, to hit
å skifte	to change
å kjenne	to know, to feel, to be familiar with
å innføre	to introduce, to put into place, to import
å erstatte	to replace
å like	to like
å anta	to assume, to presume
å tillate	to allow, to permit
å sjekke	to check
å unngå	to avoid
å avbryte	to interrupt
å forvente	to expect
å lytte	to listen
å vare	to last
å spare	to save
å godta	to accept
å bevege (seg)	to move
å mangle	to lack, to miss
å senke	to lower
å dekke	to cover, to deck
å blande	to blend, to mix
å forberede	to prepare
å distrahere	to distract
å inneholde	to contain
å gjøre ferdig	to finish, to complete

••• 50 Space1202 100
astronauten · astronautene · astronomen · bane · basen · basene · beboelige · energi · enorm · etablert · etablerte · galakser · lyser · lyste · mysterium · månen · observerte · planet · planetens · romstasjonen · satellitten · satellitter · smell · smellet · solsystemet · solsystemets · stjerne · teleskopet · tyngdekraft · ubeboelig · universer · universet · utenomjordisk · utforsker · verdensrommet
35 words
••• 50 Destiny991 100
avslutte · avslutter · begravelsen · druknet · dø · døden · dødt · endelig · graven · heldig · leve · lide · lykkelig · lykken · overleve · selvmord · sjel · skjebne · sørger · sørget · tapet
21 words

••• 0 Passive Voice 2682 100

The Passive Voice

There are two ways to form the passive voice in Norwegian.

You can form the passive with the verb bli, which usually means to become. You combine the conjugated verb with the past participle, just like in English. This is the more usual, less formal way of forming the passive, and the most likely to be spoken.

Norwegian	English
Eplet blir spist.	The apple is eaten.

The other way to form the passive is with an -s ending on a verb. This method is more abstract, more formal, and more likely to appear in written texts.

Norwegian	English
Eplet spises.	The apple is eaten.

Either passive form can be combined with future constructions (and the bli-form with past constructions) to change the tense of the passive verb.

Norwegian	English
Eplet ble spist.	The apple was eaten.
Eplet skal bli spist.	The apple will be eaten.
Eplet skal spises.	The apple will be eaten.

Vocabulary
å økes	to be increased
å elskes	to be loved
å nektes	to be denied
å trykkes	to be printed
å kritiseres	to be criticized
[s]	assorted passive verbs
født	born
elsket	loved
avhørt	questioned
trykket	printed
produsert	produced

••• 0 Future691 100

bestille · drikke · fungere · følge · gifte · glemme · henge · hindre · hvile · invitere · kommer · kommer til å · lete · miste · oppnå · ordne seg · overmorgen · påvirke · savne · skal · skje · skynde · slutte · stund · undervise
25 words

Future

Let's talk about the future. There are three different ways to express future in Norwegian.

The Present Tense

The present tense can be used to talk about the future, especially when it is certain. To make sure it is about the future we include some adverb specifying the time. For example:

Jeg reiser i morgen.

I am leaving tomorrow.

Although the same kind of constructions exist in English they are a bit more common in casual Norwegian.

Skal & Vil

It is also possible to use the auxillary verbs skal and vil and the infinitve. In Norwegian, skal and vil are the equivalent of the English verbs shall and will, as in I shall or I will. Note that skal does not sound anyway near as formal as shall in English.

Jeg skal ta eksamen til våren.

I shall take the examination this spring.

Det vil snø i fjellet.

It will snow in the mountains.

This construction can be used "modally" as well to express desire and obligation.

Du skal gjøre leksene dine først.

You shall do your homework first.

Jeg vil ikke gå!

I do not want to go!

Kommer til

The third way is to use kommer til with the infinitve of the verb. Kommer til is a bit hard to translate directly, but the closest equivalent would be going to. It is often used when making predictions about what is probably going to happen. In other words, often about things that you can't control.

Jeg tror at det kommer til å regne i morgen.

I think it is going to rain tomorrow.

Hun kommer nok ikke til å like gaven.

She is probably not going to like the gift.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
skal	shall, am going to
vil	will, am going to
å følge	to follow
å bestille	to order
å skynde seg	to hurry
å skje	to happen
å lete	to search, to look
å henge	to hang
å fungere	to work, to function
å hvile	to rest
å gifte (seg)	to marry, to get married
å slutte	to stop, to quit
å oppnå	to achieve
å påvirke	to influence, to impact, to affect
å invitere	to invite
overmorgen	the day after tomorrow
en/ei stund	a while

••• 50 Sports983 100
aktiv · ballen · lag · slalåm · sparke · spill · spiller · treneren · verdensmester · verdensmestere · volleyballen
11 words
••• 50 Exercise1021 100
••• 50 Weather 21011 100
••• 50 Games1022 100
alven · alvene · dvergene · dverger · nivå · riddere · ridderen · skjold · spillene · sverd · øksa
11 words
••• 50 Literature1031 100
figur · fortelling · helten · metaforer · novellene · rime · rimer
7 words
••• 50 Abstract 21042 100
••• 50 Religion 1981 100

••• 0 Music731 100

begeistring · begeistringen · fiolin · konserten · lytter · lyttere · piano · publikum · salen · taushet · tausheten · trommene
12 words

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å øve	to practice
å inspirere	to inspire
å begeistre	to thrill, to excite, to enthuse
å imponere	to impress
sunget	sung
musikalsk	musical
en lyd	a sound
en fiolin	a violin
et instrument	an instrument
en/ei fløyte	a flute
en sanger	a singer
en/ei tromme	a drum
et publikum	an audience
et verk	a piece, a work, an opus
et bidrag	a contribution
en melodi	a melody
en rytme	a rhythm
et vers	a verse
et refreng	a refrain
en komponist	a composer
en sal	a hall
en symfoni	a symphony
et orkester	an orchestra
et volum	a volume
en tilhører	a listener
en musiker	a musician
en/ei begeistring	an excitement, an enthusiasm
[assorted genres]	jazz, rock, opera, funk, blues...

••• 50 Emergency1053 100
behov · brann · brannbil · brannbilen · bremsene · hjelp · hjelpen · iverksetter · kontroll · legevakten · legevaktene · nød · nødbremsen · nødutgangene · nødutganger · nødvendig · nødvendige · omstendigheter · sykebil · sykehus · sykehuset · tiltak · ulykke · ulykken
24 words

••• 0 Art741 100

drama · hendelse · hendelsen · komedier · komikeren · komikerne · kreative · regissøren · samler · samling · sjokkerte · skaper · vitser
13 words

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å skape	to create
å tegne	to draw
å male	to paint
kunstig	artificial, fake
talentfull	talented
briljant	brilliant
kunstnerisk	artistic
en kunst	an art
en kunstner	an artist
håndverk (n)	handiwork, crafts
en tusj	a marker
en prikk	a dot
en/ei tegning	a drawing
et mønster	a pattern
en detalj	a detail
en pensel	a paint brush
et design	a design
et geni	a genius
en dans	a dance
en/ei maling	a paint
et kamera	a camera
en/ei ramme	a frame
en bakgrunn	a background

••• 0 Politics752 100

Politics

Norway is a centrally governed constitutional monarchy with a unicameral legislature in Oslo. The Norwegian Constitution was signed and dated on May 17, 1814. For this reason, Norwegians celebrate May 17th as their national holiday. The Constitution itself, which is still in use today, ranks among the oldest in the world.

Parliamentary Parties of Norway

The following is a list of parties that are currently represented in the Storting, also called the Norwegian Parliament.

Norwegian	English	Ideology
Arbeiderpartiet	Labour Party	Social Democracy
Høyre	Conservative Party (lit. Right)	Liberal Conservatism
Fremskrittspartiet	Progress Party	Right-Wing Populism
Kristelig Folkeparti	Christian Democratic Party	Christian Democracy
Senterpartiet	Centre Party	Centrism
Venstre	Liberal Party (lit. Left)	Social Liberalism
Sosialistisk Venstreparti	Socialist Left Party	Democratic Socialism
Miljøpartiet De Grønne	Green Party	Green Politics
Rødt	Communist Party (lit. Red)	Marxism & Socialism

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å fatte	to get, to make (a decision)
å bidra	to contribute
å representere	to represent
å føre	to lead
å samarbeide	to cooperate, to collaborate
å styre	to steer, to govern
å forsvare	to defend
å planlegge	to plan
politisk	political
ansvarlig	responsible
en tale	a speech
et parti	a party
et valg	an election
en stemme	a vote
et samfunn	a community
en motstander	an opponent
en streik	a strike
en strategi	a strategy
et fremskritt	a progress
et hat	a hate
et mangfold	a diversity
en nasjon	a nation
politikk (m)	politics

••• 50 Health 2372 100
••• 50 Media & Communication761 100
artikkel · artikkelen · artikler · bekrefte · bekreftet · brosjyre · brosjyren · dekning · fjern · fjernet · foregår · foregått · frimerke · frimerker · fylle · inntrykk · kildene · kontroversiell · kontroversielle · mottatt · mottok · nyheter · nyhetskanal · nyhetskanalen · overvåke · overvåker · overvåket · postkortet · ropte · skjemaer · skjemaet · spalte · spalten · talskvinne · talsmann · talsmannen · talsperson · tekstmelding · tekstmeldinger
39 words
••• 50 Health 3531 100
••• 50 Politics 21101 100
••• 50 Online1102 100
••• 50 Measure 21092 100
••• 50 Conflict 1632 100
••• 50 Law 11121 100
••• 50 Present Participles1062 100
avgjørende · blivende · deprimerende · døende · fengende · flygende · flytende · forvirrende · fungerende · givende · gjenværende · grunnleggende · gående · hengende · imponerende · irriterende · kommende · lekende · levende · liggende · lignende · løpende · nåværende · overraskende · passende · rasende · sittende · sjokkerende · skuffende · snakkende · sovende · spennende · svømmende · tilsynelatende · underholdende · utelukkende
36 words

••• 0 Science800 100

alkoholen · avstanden · beholdere · beholderen · består · bevege · bevegelse · beveget · centimeter · detalj · ekspert · ekspertene · elektrisitet · elektrisk · elektriske · enhet · enheter · forbindelsen · forbindelser · forskerne · fysikk · hastighet · kilo · konklusjon · konklusjonen · kraftverk · kraftverket · laboratorium · løftet · mangler · masse · merkelig · metode · mål · måler · nobelprisen · oppdagelse · oppdagelsen · oppdaget · oppfinnelse · oppfinnelsen · overfladisk · overflaten · prikk · rister · ristet · senket · skifte · skiftende · skifter · stikkontakt · teknikken · teknikker · teknologi · temperaturer · undersøker · undersøkt · undersøkte · utvikler · veier · vekt · vitenskap · volum
63 words

Vocabulary	Tree 4
å utvikle	to develop
å teste	to test
å undersøke	to examine, to research
å bestå	to consist of, to comprise
å oppdage	to discover
effektiv	effective, efficient
en ekspert	an expert
en forsker	a scientist, a researcher
en vitenskap	a science
en teknologi	a technology
matematikk (m)	mathematics
fysikk (m)	physics
en teknikk	a technique
en konklusjon	a conclusion
en/ei oppdagelse	a discovery
et laboratorium	a laboratory
en enhet	a unit
biologi (m)	biology
en metode	a method
en beholder	a container, a canister
en forbindelse	a connection
en gass	a gas
en/ei væske	a liquid, a fluid
forskning (m/f)	research
kjemi (m)	chemistry
elektrisitet (m)	electricity
en oppfinnelse	an invention

••• 50 Law 21163 100
••• 50 Conditional1142 100
blitt · endret · gitt · gjort · gått · kjøpt · kunne · lest · ringt · skadet · skrevet · spist · svart · var · ville · vært
16 words
••• 50 Future Perfect811 100
bestemt · funnet · innen · lært · ringt
5 words
The Future Perfect

The Norwegian future perfect is formed by combining the helping verb vil or kommer til å with the present perfect, which is ha in addition to the past participle. Take a look at some examples, which translate directly word-for-word.

Norwegian English

Jeg vil ha spist. I will have eaten.

Du vil ha lest. You will have read.

Hun vil ha funnet boken. She will have found the book.
••• 50 Nature 21002 100
••• 50 The City1131 100
beliggenhet · benker · bensinstasjonen · bensinstasjonens · bergen · brannstasjonen · fontenen · fortauene · fotgjengeren · fotgjengerfeltet · fotgjengerne · garasjen · gatelyset · innbyggere · innbyggerne · jernbanestasjonen · kjøpesenteret · klubbens · krysser · krysset · kvartalet · leverer · levert · leverte · marked · minnesmerke · minnesmerket · offentlig · offentlige · oslo · parkeringsplass · parkerte · passasjer · passasjerene · politistasjonen · rulletrappen · rulletrapper · rådhus · rådhuset · statuer · stavangers · syklistene · syklister · torg · trafikklysene · trondheim · tunneler · vandrerhjemmet · vandrerhjemmets
49 words
••• 50 School 3631 100
••• 50 Transit 21172 100
••• 50 Style 2312 100
••• 50 Identity1182 100
••• 50 Work 7891 100
••• 50 Food 2181 100
allergisk · bananer · bringebær · bringebærsyltetøyet · brødskivene · brødskiver · bær · deilig · ekkel · ekkelt · favorittpålegg · fløte · frokostblanding · frokostblandingen · gryterett · gryteretten · gulrot · gulrøttene · gulrøtter · kjøleskapet · kjøttkakene · knekkebrød · kålen · løk · løker · mais · matpakken · ostehøvel · poteter · pølser · salat · salaten · saus · sennep · serviett · serviettene · skinke · smak · smakte · smør · smørepålegg · storfekjøtt · svinekjøtt · syltetøy · vaffel · vaflene · vårruller
47 words
••• 50 Feelings 2612 100

••• 0 Adverbs 3862 100

altså · an · daglig · deretter · derfor · derimot · ellers · engang · etterpå · faktisk · forholdsvis · forresten · fort · heldigvis · hittil · i alle fall · knapt · lenger · like · likevel · midt · nettopp · noensinne · nylig · omtrent · opprinnelig · plutselig · på forhånd · rett og slett · riktig · samtidig · selv · simpelthen · sist · stadig · straks · særlig · temmelig · tidsnok · uansett · vekk · videre
42 words

Adverbs

In Norwegian, adverbs usually follow the verb.

Norwegian	English
Du snakker godt norsk!	You speak Norwegian well!

One exception is that adverbs of time often appear at the end of the sentence or clause.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.

Another exception is related to the V-2 Rule in Germanic linguistics, which applies to all Germanic languages... besides English. You can see a rare instance of it in English in the expression here comes the bus. This rule states that all sentences that are statements, in other words not questions, must have a verb in the second position. This allows for some flexibility in the word order for emphasis, but don't get crazy.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.
Jeg har nå tid.	I now have time.
Nå har jeg tid.	Now I have time.

The final example is a demonstration of the V-2 Rule. When the adverb moved to the front of the statement, the subject moved to the other side of the verb har. This is because Norwegian verbs refuse to move from the second position in statements.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å gå an	to be possible
å legge an på	to hit on, to flirt with
ellers	else, otherwise
riktig	really, properly, correctly
faktisk	actually, in fact
derimot	on the other hand
i alle fall	at least
rett og slett	simply, plain and simple
plutselig	suddenly
knapt	barely
hittil	thus far, so far
tydelig	clearly, clear
straks	(very) soon, shortly, straight away
stadig	constantly, ever more, more and more
videre	further, on(ward)
samtidig	simultaneously, at the same time
altså	therefore, then
særlig	especially
likevel	still, after all
tidsnok	in time
fremover	forward, forth
temmelig	rather
på forhånd	in advance
vekk	away, gone
nylig	recently
derfor	therefore, why
engang	even
noensinne	ever
forresten	by the way
opprinnelig	originally

••• 0 Banking871 100

akseptere · aksepterer · akseptert · aksepterte · aksjer · avgift · avgiften · avtale · bilindustri · bilindustrien · børs · børsen · børsene · fattigdom · finansierer · finansiert · finansierte · forfremmet · formuen · forsikring · global · grådig · grådige · inntekt · inntekter · investering · investeringer · konkurs · kredittkortet · leverandør · leverandører · lån · lånet · lås · låst · låste · organisasjon · overskudd · privat · regnskapsføreren · renten · sløs · sløse · sløste · styret · tjene · tjener · tjente · underskudd · undervurder · undervurderte · varemerke · veksler · vekslet · økonomiene · økonomisk
56 words

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å undervurdere	to underestimate
å anslå	to estimate
å akseptere	to accept
å sløse	to waste, to squander
å veksle	to exchange
å finansiere	to finance
grådig	greedy
privat	private
konkurs	bankrupt
et styre	a board
en/ei rente	an interest
en formue	a fortune
en økonomi	an economy
en/ei forsikring	an insurance
en fattigdom	a poverty
en investering	an investment
et lån	a loan
en avtale	a deal, an agreement, an appointment
en organisasjon	an organization
en regnskapsfører	a bookkeeper
en børs	a stock exchange
en aksje	a stock
et overskudd	a surplus, a profit
et underskudd	a deficit, a loss
en/ei avgift	a fee, a tax
en valuta	a currency

••• 0 The Body872 100

albuen · albuer · arret · bart · brystene · brystet · fregner · håndleddene · håndleddet · hælene · kinn · leddet · lever · lungene · muskler · neglene · nervene · nerver · nyrene · ryggrad · ryggraden · rynke · rynker · skjeletter · tannkjøtt · tannkjøttet · tomler · tommel · øyelokk · øyelokket
30 words

Implied Possessives

In Norwegian, as in many other languages, body parts generally do not carry possessive pronouns. Instead, we use the definite form for all pronouns. Øyet can mean the eye, my eye, or your eye, etc. The person's body in question should be intuited from context.

This is especially common when speaking about one's own body parts

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
naken	naked
et bein	a bone
et ledd	a joint
en negl	a nail
en albue	an elbow
en/ei skulder	a shoulder
en tommel	a thumb
et håndledd	a wrist
et kinn	a cheek
en/ei rynke	a wrinkle
en/ei leppe	a lip
en/ei panne	a forehead
en/ei fregne	a freckle
et øyelokk	an eyelid
et øyenbryn	an eyebrow
et lår	a thigh
et arr	a scar
en hæl	a heel
en nerve	a nerve
et ribbein	a rib
et skjelett	a skeleton
en ryggrad	a spine
en/ei/et nyre	a kidney
en/ei lever	a liver
et bryst	a chest, a breast
en/ei lunge	a lung
tannkjøtt (n)	gums

••• 0 Cooking881 100

basilikum · bønnene · eddik · honning · hvitløk · ingredienser · kaffebønner · kokebok · kokende · kokes · krydder · krydre · krydrer · melet · mikrobølgeovn · mikrobølgeovnen · nøtt · olivenene · olivenolje · oppskriften · ovn · riseddik · smeltet · smule · smuler · soppen · soppene · spiselig · steke · stekt · urt
31 words

Vocabulary
å koke	to boil
å steke	to fry
å krydre	to season, to spice (up)
å smelte	to melt
fersk	fresh
smakfull	tasty, delicious, tasteful
spiselig	edible, eatable
rå	raw, uncooked
et mel	a flour
en smule	a crumb
en sopp	a mushroom
en/ei kokebok	a cookbook
en/ei oppskrift	a recipe
en ingrediens	an ingredient
en ovn	an oven
en/ei bønne	a bean
en mikrobølgeovn	a microwave oven
en/ei nøtt	a nut
en eddik	a vinegar
en hvitløk	a garlic
et krydder	a spice, a seasoning

••• 50 Tools1211 100
drill · drillen · driller · hammer · hammere · hammeren · kassen · kassene · praktisk · redskap · redskaper · sag · skrue · skruen · skrutrekkere · snekkere · snekkeren · snekkerne · spiker · verksted · verkstedet · verktøy · verktøyet
23 words
••• 50 Romance1223 100
attraktiv · attraktive · avvist · ekteskap · flørt · flørtet · forelsket · forlovet · giftet · gjengjelde · gjengjeldte · intens · kjær · kjære · kjært · koser · kysse · lengtet · lidenskap · lidenskapen · overnatte · overnatter · overnattet · partner · partnere · romantisk · romantiske · samboeren · samboerskap · skilles · tiltrekning · ugift · ugifte
33 words
••• 50 Nature 31231 100
••• 50 Continuous Forms1233 100
driver · holder på · ligger · sitter · sto · står
6 words

••• 0 Adjectives 3902 100

annerledes · avhengig · barnslig · beskjedne · brukket · ekte · frekt · gammeldags · gift · greit · grusomme · hemmelig · hemmelige · høflige · ille · interessert · mandig · middelmådig · moderne · nysgjerrig · nyttig · opptatt · selvfølgelig · sjenert · smal · smaleste · smalt · stille · stillere · tradisjonelle · troverdig · tydelig · tålmodig · utmerket · våken · våt
36 words

Adjectives

The Indefinite Form

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En stol er stor.	A chair is big.
Feminine	Ei bok er stor.	A book is big.

So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Neuter	Et bord er stort.	A table is big.
Plural	Hus er store.	Houses are big.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en stor stol	a big chair
Feminine	ei stor bok	a big book
Neuter	et stort bord	a big table
Plural	store hus	big houses

Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.

Norwegian	English
et viktig brev	an important letter
et norsk hus	a Norwegian house

We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!

Norwegian	English
viktige brev	important letters
norske hus	Norwegian houses

The Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

Norwegian	English
Det franske akademi	The French Academy
Det hvite hus	The White House

Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Vocabulary	Tree 4
nær	near, close
smal	narrow
kraftig	strong, powerful
grusom	gruesome, terrible
selvfølgelig	obvious, of course
bred	wide
fjern	far
barnslig	childish, immature
grei	okay, passable
opptatt	occupied, taken, busy
avhengig	dependent
utmerket	exquisite, remarkable
ytre	outer
høflig	polite
nysgjerrig	curious
beskjeden	modest, reserved, shy
[-lig]	adjective ending + assorted adjectives
frekk	rude
indre	inner
sosial	social
nyttig	useful
middelmådig	mediocre, middling

••• 0 Passive Participles911 100

forbudt · forbudte · forsinket · forvirret · imponert · invitert · involvert · overrasket · spist · stengt · stengte · stjålet · åpnet
13 words

Passive Participles

Welcome to another lesson in the magical world of participles!

Passive participles are past participles that act like adjectives. That means that unlike past participles, they are declined for gender, number, and definite or indefinite form.

Norwegian	English
en stengt dør	a closed door
den stengte døren	the closed door
stengte dører	closed doors

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
spist	eaten
åpnet	opened
stjålet	stolen
forsinket	delayed
involvert	involved
overrasket	surprised
stengt	closed, shut
invitert	invited
forbudt	illegal
forvirret	confused
imponert	impressed

••• 50 Dessert1271 100
bake · baker · baker · bakeren · bakeri · bakerier · bollene · boller · dessert · eplepai · godteri · kaken · kakene · kaker · kanel · kjeks · kjeksene · lefsa · lefse · pai · sjokolade · sjokoladen · smultringer
23 words

••• 0 The Sea921 100

akkar · akkaren · akvariet · atlanterhavet · blekkspruten · blåskjell · finner · fiske · fisker · hai · haien · hval · hvalen · hvalrossen · isfjell · isfjellet · kamskjell · kapteinen · laks · laksen · lugar · lugarene · maneten · mannskap · mannskapet · måken · måkene · måker · om bord · omkom · reker · rekesmørbrød · saltvann · sank · seiler · seilte · selen · selene · sild · sjøstjernen · sjøstjernene · skalldyr · skjell · stillehavet · sunket · sursild · torsk
47 words

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å fiske	to fish
å svømme	to swim
å seile	to sail
å drukne	to drown
å synke	to sink
å omkomme	to perish, to die
ombord	on board, aboard
en hai	a shark
en laks	a salmon
en hval	a whale
en torsk	a cod
en manet	a jellyfish
en/ei sjøstjerne	a starfish
en sel	a seal
en finne	a fin
en/ei gjelle	a gill
en/ei måke	a seagull
en/ei krabbe	a crab
saltvann (n)	saltwater
en blekksprut	an octopus
en/ei sild	a herring
en/ei reke	a shrimp
et skjell	a shell
et blåskjell	a (blue) mussel
et akvarium	an aquarium
et kamskjell	a scallop
en kyst	a coast
en/ei havn	a port
en marine	a navy
en lugar	a cabin
et isfjell	an iceberg
en kaptein	a captain
et mannskap	a crew
Stillehavet	the Pacific Ocean
Atlanterhavet	the Atlantic ocean

••• 50 Future Preterite931 100
gjort · gått · skulle · spist
4 words
Future Preterite

The future preterite is used about time and also modally.

About time it is used about something in the past that is going to happen after something else also in the past.

Etter at de hadde stått opp, skulle de spise frokost. After they had woken up, they were going to eat breakfast.

Similarly, it is used modally in hypothetical statements:

Hvis han vant, ville han reise jorden rundt. If he won, he would travel around the world.

And also when expressing wishes and polite speach:

Jeg skulle ønske det virket I should wish it worked.

The future preterite is expressed using the auxillary verbs skulle and ville and the infinitive. That's right, the same as in the future tense except our friends skal og vil are in the past.

Vocabulary

skulle should

gått gone, walked

spist eaten

gjort done, made

••• 0 Absence932 100

fargeløs · fargeløse · fargeløst · forsvarsløs · grenseløs · grenseløse · hjelpeløs · hjelpeløse · hjemløs · håpløs · maktesløs · maktesløse · målløs · smakløs · smakløse · søvnløse · tankeløse · tankeløst · tidløs · trådløs · verdiløs · verdiløse
22 words

Adjectives of Absence

You've already learned the adjective ending -full, used to indicate the presence of a quality or thing. It's a component of words like smakfull, tasty, håpefull, hopeful, and verdifull, valuable.

In this skill, you'll be introduced to the ending -løs, which is used to the opposite effect: to indicated the absence of a quality or thing. In the vast majority of cases, it translates directly to -less in English. One example would be håpløs, which translates to hopeless.

While many of these adjectives have negative connotations, as is the case for hjelpeløs, helpless, and verdiløs, worthless, that's not a requirement. Take the adjective tidløs, timeless, for example.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
håpløs	hopeless
hjelpeløs	helpless
grenseløs	boundless, limitless
maktesløs	powerless
forsvarsløs	defenseless
tidløs	timeless
trådløs	wireless, threadless
verdiløs	worthless
fargeløs	colorless
smakløs	tasteless, bland
målløs	speechless
søvnløs	sleepless
hjemløs	homeless
tankeløs	thoughtless
bevisstløs	unconscious

••• 50 Materials1303 100
bomull · bomullsstoff · diamant · diamanten · diamantene · diamanter · grunnstoff · grunnstoffer · jern · kobber · kvikksølv · leire · materiale · mineral · mineraler · papp · pappeska · pappeske · silkekjole · smidde · strikker · stål · stålbrua · stålull · sy · sølv · sølvmynt · ulla · ullgenser
29 words

••• 0 Bugs942 100

bien · billene · flåtten · flåtter · humla · humler · kryper · loppene · lus · lusa · marihøner · mygg · sommerfugl · sommerfuglene · sommerfugler · stikker · stukket · veps · øyenstikkere
19 words

Vocabulary (Tree 4)
å stikke	to sting
en/ei flue	a fly
en/ei bille	a beetle
et insekt	an insect
en/ei humle	a bumblebee
en/ei marihøne	a ladybug, a ladybird
en øyenstikker	a dragonfly
en/ei lus	a louse
en flått	a tick
en veps	a wasp
en mygg	a mosquito
en/ei loppe	a flea

TEST 0

Test
Test

TEST 1

1. Test
2. Test

TEST 2

1. Test
2. Test

TEST 3

-1. Test
-2. Test

TEST 4

Test

Test

TEST 4

1. Test
2. Test

TEST 4

1. Test
2. Test

••• 0 Symbols943 100

bokstaver · halvmåne · korset · murene · parentes · pilene · punktum · spørsmålstegn · symbol
9 words

Punctuation

While the punctuation system in Norwegian is, thankfully, very similar to that of English, there are a few notable exceptions.

Firstly, Oxford commas are not used. If you're genuinely afraid you'll be misunderstood, you're free to add one, but if it's just a stylistic choice you have to let it go.

Norwegian	Oxford English
Hun brukte et spørsmålstegn, et utropstegn og et punktum.	She used a question mark, an exclamation mark, and a period.

Punctuation in Numbers

Norwegian uses a comma ("et komma") rather than a decimal point to separate a whole number from a decimal.

Norwegian	Pronunciation	English
25,3	tjuefemkommatre	25.3

The Golden Rule

Punctuation is there to make the text more easily readable. It either separates distinct units of text or represents a pause that would be present in speech. Use it in a way that serves the text.

Parenthesis or Parentheses?

In Norwegian, one would say that (this word) står i parantes, using the singular noun, as we think of the two brackets as forming one parenthesis.

In English, one would say that (this word) is in parentheses, using a plural noun, as English counts each bracket as one separate parenthesis.

Keep this in mind when translating from Norwegian to English and vice versa.

Vocabulary (Tree 4)
en/ei pil	an arrow
en mur	a wall
et kors	a cross
et tegn	a sign
et symbol	a symbol
en metafor	a metaphor
en bokstav	a letter
en/ei skrift	a writing
et alfabet	an alphabet
en parentes	a parenthesis, parentheses
et punktum	a period, a full stop, a point
et utropstegn	an exclamation mark
et spørsmålstegn	a question mark

••• 0 Fantasy951 100

drage · drager · enhjørning · enhjørninger · fantasi · fantasien · fe · forestill · forsvant · forutse · forutsett · forvandlet · havfrua · havfrue · havfruen · heks · heksen · hekser · kjempe · kjempen · kjempene · kjemper · lyssabel · lyssabelen · magi · mektige · mektigere · nettroll · ond · onde · overnaturlig · overnaturlige · romskip · romskipet · romvesener · skapning · skapninger · skurk · spøkelser · svevde · svever · tidsmaskinen · tidsreise · troll · trollmenn · tryllestav · udødelig · udødelige · umenneskelig · umenneskelige · usynlig · vampyr · varulven · varulver · vesener · ånden
56 words

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å forsvinne	to disappear, to vanish
å sveve	to levitate, to float (in air)
å forestille (seg)	to imagine
å forvandle (seg)	to transform, to turn into
å forutse	to predict
ond	evil, wicked
usynlig	invisible
mektig	mighty, powerful
udødelig	immortal
en/ei heks	a witch
en magi	a magic
en tryllestav	a wand
en fe	a fairy
en ånd	a spirit
en drage	a dragon
en vampyr	a vampire
et spøkelse	a ghost
et vesen	a being
et uhyre	a monster
en lyssabel	a lightsaber
en varulv	a werewolf
en fantasi	a fantasy, an imagination
en kjempe	a giant
en/ei havfrue	a mermaid
en skapning	a creature

••• 50 Language 21253 100
••• 50 Celebrate 2522 100

Cached // 2023-07-170.181

Words

Tips and Notes

··········· Table of Contents ···········

Basics
Introduction
Basics 2
Who? What? Where?
Greetings
Actions
Animals
Phrases
Food
Object Pronouns
Definite Forms
Plurals
Definite Plurals
Verbs: Present Tense
The Cafe
Counting
Conversation
Possessives
Personal Qualities
That and Those
Family
Location
Dates
Clothing
The Restaurant
Direction and Motion
Prepositions
This and These
Adjectives
Professions
Location 2
Qualities
Ownership
Colors
The Store
Leisure
Verbs: Present 2
Relatives
Feelings
Work
Verbs: Infinitive
Vacation
Schedule
Traits
Community
Determiners
Days
Questions
Countries and Nationalities
Verbs: Present 3
The Clock
Jobs
Conjunctions
Adverbs
Imperative
Places
Verbs: Infinitive 2
Animals 2
Demands and Requests
Time
Objects
The Home
Compound Words
Body Parts
Bedroom
Hygiene
The Farm
Shopping
Marriage
Determiners 2
People
Adverbs 2
The Office
The Year
Present 4
Nature
Verb Endings
Simple Past
Transport
Numbers
Relative Pronouns
School
Prediction
Hope
Compare
Simple Past 2
Order
The Nordic Countries
The Pharmacy
Shapes
Travel
Small Talk
Europe
Abstract Objects
Education
Simple Past 3
Reactions
Numbers 2
Computers
The News
Nightlife
Verbs
Comparison
Verbs: Present Perfect
Passive Voice
Adjectives 2
The World
Employment
Contrast
Present Perfect 2
The Garden
Presence
Industry
Thought
Theater
The Museum
Amounts
Children
Modal Verbs
Verbs: Past Perfect
Philosophy
Verbs Review
Space
Destiny
Passive Voice 2
Future
Sports
Exercise
Weather
Games
Literature
Abstract Objects 2
Religion
Music
Emergency
Art
Politics
Health
Media & Communication
Illness and Injury
Government
Online
Measurements
Conflict
Law
Present Participles
Science
Crime
Conditional
Future Perfect
Wilderness
The City
Academics
Traffic
Style
Identity
Business
Food 2
Emotions
Adverbs 3
Banking
The Body
Cooking
Tools
Romance
Wildlife
Continuous Forms
Adjectives 3
Passive Participles
Dessert
The Sea
Future Preterite
Absence
Materials
Bugs
Symbols
Fantasy
Language and Linguistics
Celebrations

Basics 2 · 2019-11-28 ^

A heartfelt welcome to the Norwegian course!

Norwegian is a language with simpler grammar than many other European languages, but it is still a gendered language with three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.

Grammatical Gender

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
en mann	ei kvinne or en kvinne	et barn
a man	a woman	a child

All feminine gendered nouns can be classified as masculine gender as well. In theory, one could treat all feminine nouns as masculine ones, but most Norwegians still use the feminine form, especially for certain words.

The choice really is up to you! Both en kvinne and ei kvinne are grammatically correct, and the tendency to use the feminine gender depends on geography and dialect. We have decided to teach it where it is most natural to use it, with words such as jente meaning girl, for example.

Pronouns

Norwegian pronouns are very straightforward and correspond well to English ones:

Singular		Plural
jeg	I	vi	we
du	you, singular	dere	you, plural
han, hun, det	he, she, it	de	they

Verbs

Conjugation couldn't be simpler. All conjugated verbs have an -r stem in the present, and verbs don't change according to the subject! How easy is that?

Singular		Plural
jeg er	I am	vi er	we are
du er	you are	dere er	you are
han, hun, det er	he, she, it is	de er	they are

Although not as common as det, den is used to mean it or that when referring to a masculine or feminine subject, and not a neuter one.

Pronunciation

As a general rule, words are spelled as they're pronounced in Norwegian. One exception is words beginning with hv, such as hva, meaning what. In this word, the h is silent.

In addition, there are several letters and letter combinations that are pronounced differently from English.

Norweg.	IPA, Notes
A	[ɑ], very open
B	[b]
C	[s] or [k] depending on word, very rare
D	[d], silent in consonant clusters
E	[e] or [ɛ], [æ] in her and der, [i] in de
F	[f]
G	[g], [j] before an i; silent before a j; silent after an i and sometimes an a or o
H	[h], silent before v
I	[i] like the e in email or ebook, [ɪ] before two consonants
J	[j], like the y in yes or yellow
K	[k]
kj, ki, ky	[ç], like the sharp h in human
L	[l]
M	[m]
N	[n]
O	[u] like the oo in soon, but longer, [ʊ] before two consonants
P	[p]
R	[ɾ], tap, like the tt in North American butter; some in Norway use [ʁ], the so-called French R
rs	[ʃ], r + s combinations produce sh sound, even between words
S	[s]
skj, ski, sky, sl	[ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell
T	[t], silent after an e sometimes, ex. det
U	[ʉ], like the ew in new, but more closed
V	[v]
Y	[y] or [ʏ], like the e in email, but more closed

Norwegian also has three special vowels, Æ, Ø and Å.

-	Similar To	IPA
Æ	the a in add or apple	[æ]
Ø	no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth	[ø] or [œ]
Å	the o in open or old	[o] or [ɔ]

Special Notes on Common Words

Norweg.	Meaning	Pronunciation
jeg	I	yai
er	am, is, are	ær, similar to English are but with tapped r
det	it, that	deh, silent t
de	they	dee

Introduction 3 · 2022-05-18 ^

A heartfelt welcome to the Norwegian course!

Norwegian is a language with simpler grammar than many other European languages, but it is still a gendered language with three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.

Grammatical Gender

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
en mann	ei kvinne or en kvinne	et barn
a man	a woman	a child

The choice really is up to you! Both en kvinne and ei kvinne are grammatically correct, and the tendency to use the feminine gender depends on geography and dialect.

Pronouns

Norwegian pronouns are very straightforward and correspond well to English ones:

Norwegian	English
jeg	I
du	you (singular)
han	he
hun	she
det	it

When referring to a neutral subject, det is used to mean it or that. However, when referring to a masculine or feminine subject, it becomes den instead.

Verbs

Conjugation couldn't be simpler. All conjugated verbs have an -r stem in the present, and verbs don't change according to the subject! How easy is that?

Singular		Plural
jeg er	I am	vi er	we are
du er	you are	dere er	you are
han, hun, det er	he, she, it is	de er	they are

Pronunciation

As a general rule, words are spelled as they're pronounced in Norwegian. One exception is words beginning with hv, such as hvem, meaning who. In this word, the h is silent.

In addition, there are several letters and letter combinations that are pronounced differently from English.

Norwegian	IPA, Notes
A	[ɑ], very open
B	[b]
C	[s] or [k] depending on word, very rare, ex. Canada
D	[d], silent in consonant clusters or at the end of certain words like med or ved
E	[e] or [ɛ], [æ] in her and der, [i] in de
F	[f]
G	[g], [j] before an i; silent before a j; silent after an i and sometimes an a or o; often silent in days of the week
H	[h], silent before v
I	[i] like the e in email or ebook, [ɪ] before two consonants, like the i in hit or fit
J	[j], like the y in yes or yellow
K	[k]
kj, ki, ky	[ç], traditionally like the sharp h in human, but more and more people now use [ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell
L	[l]
M	[m]
N	[n]
O	[u] like the oo in soon, but longer, [ʊ] before two consonants or in some exception words like tog
P	[p]
Q	[k], very rare, ex. Qatar
qu	[kv], very rare, ex. quisling
R	[ɾ], tap, like the tt in North American butter; many in Western Norway use [ʁ], the so-called French R
rs	[ʃ], r + s combinations produce sh sound, even between words
S	[s]
skj, ski, sky, sl	[ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell
T	[t], silent after an e sometimes, ex. det
U	[ʉ], like the ew in new, but more closed
V	[v]
W	[v], very rare, ex. show
X	[ks], very rare, ex. taxi
Y	[y] or [ʏ], like the e in email, but more closed
Z	[s], very rare, ex. zen

Norwegian also has three additional letters that English doesn't have!

Norwegian	IPA, Notes
Æ	[æ], like the a in mad or sad
Ø	[ø], like the o in word, but more open
Å	[o], like the o in go or low

Special Notes on Common Words

Norwegian	Meaning	Pronunciation
jeg	I	yai
det	it, that	deh, silent t

Core Vocabulary

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
er	am, are, is
hvem	who
og	and
ikke	not
jeg	I
du	you (singular)
han	he
hun	she
en	a, an
en mann	a man
en/ei kvinne	a woman
en gutt	a boy
en/ei jente	a girl

Basics 2 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Definite Forms

The definite form, the man, the woman, et cetera, is formed by attaching the indefinite article onto the end of the noun. This ending is called a postfix or a suffix.

Indefinite		Definite
en mann	a man	mannen	the man
et barn	a child	barnet	the child

For feminine-classified nouns, there is one irregularity in the definite form:

Indefinite		Definite
ei kvinne or en kvinne	a woman	kvinna or kvinnen	the woman
ei jente or en jente	a girl	jenta or jenten	the girl

Who? What? Where? 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Who? What? Where?

Confused yet? We have just the word for you...

Hva is the word for what, and also happens to be just the right thing to exclaim when you feel like you've been hit in the head with one Norwegian grammar rule too many.

In this skill, you'll also come across another question word, but you'll have to go look for it yourself, because we're not sure exactly where it went.

Plural Pronouns

You're already familiar with the singular pronouns jeg, du, han, hun and det, and now we're adding the plural pronouns into the mix.

Norwegian	English
vi	we
dere	you (plural)
de	they

Question Words

Norwegian	English
hvem	who
hva	what
hvor	where

However, we do need to differentiate ourselves somehow, and so we decided to add some extra letters to our alphabet - just to keep things interesting.

Knowing

Vet du hvor det er?
Do you know where it is?

Vet du hvem hun er?
Do you know who she is?

Three New Vowels

Norwegian has three extra vowels, Æ, Ø and Å.

Vowel	Similar To	IPA
Æ	the a in add or apple	[æ]
Ø	no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth	[ø] or [œ]
Å	the o in open or old	[o] or [ɔ]

Vocabulary
har	has
vet	knows
sitter	sits
vi	we
dere	you (plural)
de	they
i	in
hva	what
hvor	where
her	here
der	there
Norge	Norway
et	a, an
et barn	a child
et eple	an apple
en katt	a cat
brød (n)	bread
vann (n)	water

Greetings 3 · 2021-09-03 ^

Common Phrases

We've compiled a list of common phrases in the Norwegian language, for your reference.

Many of them are idiomatic, meaning that they don't translate word for word to English. You'll have to learn the entire phrase.

One example is "Ha det bra!", which literally means "Have it good!", but idiomatically translates to "Goodbye!"

Norwegian	English
Hvordan har du det?	How are you?
Hvordan går det?	How is it going?
Bare bra, takk!	Just fine, thanks!
Jeg har det bra.	I'm doing well.
Ha det bra!	Goodbye!
Vi ses!	See you later!

Norwegian Characters

By now, you're probably getting used to seeing the Norwegian vowels Æ, Ø and Å around.

Vowel	Similar To	IPA
Æ	the a in add or apple	[æ]
Ø	no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth	[ø] or [œ]
Å	the o in open or old	[o] or [ɔ]

If you're doing your lessons on the web, you can either install a Norwegian keyboard, or just click the special characters displayed below the input field when you type your response.

When you have no other option, you can use these replacement characters, but don't get into the habit of relying on them, as it will be a hard one to break.

Character	Replacement
Æ	AE
Ø	OE
Å	AA

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ha	have
unnskyld	sorry, excuse me, pardon
vær så snill	please, be so kind
takk	thank you, thanks
trenger	needs, requires
elsker	loves
ja	yes
nei	no
eller	or
kanskje	maybe, perhaps
tusen	(a) thousand
bra	good, nice
hyggelig	nice, pleasant
bare	only, just
en tur	a trip
en/ei natt	a night
en/ei helg	a weekend

Actions 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Definite Forms

The definite form, the man, the woman, et cetera, is formed by attaching the indefinite article onto the end of the noun. This ending is called a postfix or a suffix.

Indefinite		Definite
en mann	a man	mannen	the man
et barn	a child	barnet	the child

For feminine-classified nouns, there is one irregularity in the definite form:

Indefinite		Definite
ei kvinne or en kvinne	a woman	kvinna or kvinnen	the woman
ei jente or en jente	a girl	jenta or jenten	the girl

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Infinitive	Present	English Translation
å spise	spiser	eat(s), am/are/is eating
å drikke	drikker	drink(s), am/are/is drinking
å se	ser	see(s), am/are/is seeing

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
spiser	eats
drikker	drinks
leser	reads
liker	likes
ser	sees
kjøper	buys
noe	something
den	it
ei	a, an
en/ei bok	a book
et brev	a letter
ris (m)	rice
melk (m/f)	milk
gutten	the boy
jenta	the girl
mannen	the man
kvinnen	the woman
barnet	the child

Animals 9 · 2021-09-03 ^

Animals

Many animal names in Norwegian share etymological ties with English ones, but the meaning has drifted over time in one direction or another. Below are some examples.

Beware these false friends!

Norwegian	Translation	Related Word
hund	dog	hound
fugl	bird	fowl
elg	moose	elk*
dyr	animal	deer

*In British English, "elg" and "elk" are actual cognates. In American English, "elk" refers to a different animal.

The following words are true friends, meaning that the words are similar in both spelling and meaning.

Norwegian	English
katt	cat
bjørn	bear
krabbe	crab
elefant	elephant
ulv	wolf
mus	mouse

You know more Norwegian than you thought you did!

Grammatical and Biological Gender

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
et dyr	an animal
en elg	a moose
en/ei and	a duck
en hest	a horse
en hund	a dog
en fugl	a bird
en bjørn	a bear
en edderkopp	a spider
en ulv	a wolf
elgen	the moose
katten	the cat
hesten	the horse
bjørnen	the bear
hunden	the dog
dyret	the animal
fuglen	the bird
anden	the duck
edderkoppen	the spider

Phrases 12 · 2020-06-12 ^

Common Phrases

We've compiled a list of common phrases in the Norwegian language, for your reference.

Many of them are idiomatic, meaning that they don't translate word for word to English. You'll have to learn the entire phrase.

One example is "Ha det bra!", which literally means "Have it good!", but idiomatically translates to "Goodbye!"

Norwegian	English
Hvordan har du det?	How are you?
Hvordan går det?	How is it going?
Bare bra, takk!	Just fine, thanks!
Jeg har det bra.	I'm doing well.
Ha det bra!	Goodbye!
Vi ses!	See you later!

Norwegian Characters

By now, you're probably getting used to seeing the Norwegian vowels Æ, Ø and Å around.

Vowel	Similar To	IPA
Æ	the a in add or apple	[æ]
Ø	no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth	[ø] or [œ]
Å	the o in open or old	[o] or [ɔ]

If you're doing your lessons on the web, you can either install a Norwegian keyboard, or just click the special characters displayed below the input field when you type your response.

When you have no other option, you can use these replacement characters, but don't get into the habit of relying on them, as it will be a hard one to break.

Character	Replacement
Æ	AE
Ø	OE
Å	AA

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ha	have
unnskyld	sorry, excuse me, pardon
vær så snill	please, be so kind
takk	thank you, thanks
trenger	needs, requires
elsker	loves
ja	yes
nei	no
eller	or
kanskje	maybe, perhaps
tusen	(a) thousand
bra	good, nice
hyggelig	nice, pleasant
bare	only, just
en tur	a trip
en/ei natt	a night
en/ei helg	a weekend

Food 9 · 2021-09-03 ^

Cooking

In this skill, you'll learn the verb lager, which translates to make. There's no separate verb for cooking, instead, we use lager mat, literally make food.

Han lager mat.
He is cooking.

Measure Words

Remember that in Norwegian, the word for of, av, is omitted where one would normally use it in English to join a measure word with another noun.

Norwegian	English
en kopp kaffe	a cup of coffee
et glass vann	a glass of water

Neat, huh?

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å lage	to make
å lage mat	to cook
en fisk	a fish
et kjøtt	a meat
en pasta	a pasta
en/ei suppe	a soup
en kylling	a chicken
mat (m)	food
en frokost	a breakfast
en ost	a cheese
en frukt	a fruit
en tomat	a tomato
et glass	a glass
en øl	a (unit of) beer
et salt	a salt
et egg	an egg
et sukker	a sugar
en pepper	a pepper (not bell pepper!)

Object Pronouns 11 · 2020-07-09 ^

Object Pronouns

We were introduced to the Norwegian pronouns in the first skill. Let's have a look at them here:

Singular		Plural
jeg	I	vi	we
du	you (singular)	dere	you (plural)
han, hun, den/det	he, she, it	de	they

As in English, the pronouns above only pertain to subjects. The pronouns at the receiving end of a verb, in other words the object pronouns, are as follows:

Singular		Plural
meg	me	oss	us
deg	you (singular)	dere	you (plural)
ham, henne, det/den	him, her, it	dem	them

Den is used to mean it or that when referring back to a masculine or feminine subject.

Det is used to mean it or that when referring back to a neuter subject, and when introducing a brand new noun that has not yet been mentioned - regardless of the gender of that noun.

Han is an alternative form of ham, but in this course we will use "han" exclusively as a subject ("he"), and "ham" for the object form ("him").

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
viser	show
meg	me
deg	you (singular)
ham	him
henne	her
den (m/f)	it
det (n)	it
oss	us
dere	you (plural)
dem	them

Definite Forms 9 · 2019-08-29 ^

Definite Forms

Indefinite		Definite
en mann	a man	mannen	the man
et barn	a child	barnet	the child

For feminine-classified nouns, there is one irregularity:

Indefinite		Definite
ei kvinne OR en kvinne	a woman	kvinna OR kvinnen	the woman
ei jente OR en jente	a girl	jenta OR jenten	the girl

Both jenta and jenten are appropriate translations for the girl. These same endings apply to all feminine nouns.

It is also normal to use the masculine article "en" for indefinite forms, even when preferring a feminine suffix in definite. This is not considered an error!

Indefinite		Definite
en jente	a girl	jenta	the girl
en øy	an island	øya	the island

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
-en	definite suffix: the
en/ei hytte	a cabin
osten	the cheese
egget	the egg
maten	the food
vannet	the water
brødet	the bread
suppen	the soup
pastaen	the pasta
saltet	the salt
fisken	the fish
brevet	the letter
kjøttet	the meat
sukkeret	the sugar
kyllingen	the chicken
eplet	the apple
frukten	the fruit
ølen	the beer
boken	the book
risen	the rice
tomaten	the tomato
avisen	the newspaper

Plurals 7 · 2019-08-29 ^

Plurals

With few exceptions, most masculine or feminine nouns (most nouns) pluralize with -er or -r.

Norwegian	English
eple	apple
epler	apples
gutt	boy
gutter	boys
jente	girl
jenter	girls

Single-syllable neuter nouns, such as hus house and dyr animal, often do not change spelling in the indefinite plural.

Norwegian	English
hus	house or houses
dyr	animal or animals
barn	child or children

How then can you tell the difference between hus meaning house and hus meaning houses? That depends on context and adjective endings, which we will cover a bit later in the course.

One exception to these rules is the Norwegian word for "man" which pluralizes in an irregular way that's almost identical to English:

Norwegian	English
mann	man
menn	men

Here are some additional common irregular plurals, a couple of which are also irregular in English.

Singular	Plural	English Translation
and	ender	duck - ducks
bok	bøker	book - books
fot	føtter	foot - feet
hånd	hender	hand - hands
natt	netter	night - nights
tann	tenner	tooth - teeth
tre	trær	tree - trees

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
noen	some, any
flere	several, multiple, more
mange	many
en sykkel	a bicycle
katter	cats
aviser	newspapers
jenter	girls
fugler	birds
gutter	boys
hunder	dogs
ender	ducks
bøker	books
hester	horses
bjørner	bears
epler	apples
hytter	cabins
kvinner	women
kyllinger	chickens
dyr	animals
brev	letters
barn	children
menn	men
-er	indefinite plural suffix

Definite Plurals 6 · 2019-05-26 ^

Definite Plurals

With very few exceptions, all nouns can be converted to the definite plural form, i.e. the books, the cows, the dogs... by changing the -er ending on the plural form to an -ene ending:

Norwegian	English
hund	dog
hunden	the dog
hunder	dogs
hundene	the dogs

Many neuter nouns do not have to follow this rule. Instead, they can become definite plurals by adding on an -a ending. The choice is yours, but the -ene ending is somewhat more common.

Norwegian	English
brev	letter or letters
brevet	the letter
brevene or breva	the letters

Keep in mind that the word "barn" meaning "child" almost always becomes "barna" in the definite plural, although "barnene" is grammatically correct as well.

Norwegian	English
barn	child
barnet	the child
barn	children
barna	the children

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
alle	all (of)
kattene	the cats
fuglene	the birds
endene	the ducks
guttene	the boys
hestene	the horses
kyllingene	the chickens
eplene	the apples
bøkene	the books
hundene	the dogs
mennene	the men
avisene	the newspapers
hyttene	the cabins
kvinnene	the women
dyrene	the animals

Verbs: Present Tense 21 · 2020-03-09 ^

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English Translation
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

The Swizz Army Knife of Prepositions

Specifying Language

På can be used to specify what language something is said or written in. When used in this meaning, it translates to in in English.

Hva betyr det på engelsk?
What does that mean in English?

Hva heter det på norsk?
What is that (called) in Norwegian?

Plurals Ending in -E

With few exceptions, most masculine or feminine nouns (most nouns) pluralize with -er or -r.

Norwegian	English
eple	apple
epler	apples
gutt	boy
gutter	boys
jente	girl
jenter	girls

However, words that end in -er already, add an extra -e to signify the plural.

Norwegian	English
lærer	teacher
lærere	teachers
amerikaner	American
amerikanere	Americans

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
gjør	does
sover	sleeps
hører	hears
velger	chooses, selects
leker	plays
selger	sells
arbeider	works
vasker	washes, cleans
skriver	writes
venter	waits, expects
når	when
om	about
på	in
en lærer	a teacher
en amerikaner	an American
en/ei mus	a mouse
barna	the children
jentene	the girls
brevene	the letters
-ene	the (definite suffix), assorted words

The Cafe 3 · 2019-09-22 ^

Getting Your Caffeine Fix

When ordering coffee at a cafe, you can simply say:

En kaffe, takk!
A coffee, thanks!

Replace kaffe with espresso, americano, cappuccino or latte to get your coffee of choice. Loanword heaven!

Expressing Desire for Something

Jeg vil ha et eple.
I want (to have) an apple.

Later in the course, you'll come across "vil" followed by a verb in the infinitive, in which case you do not need to add "ha".

Jeg vil spise et eple.
I want to eat an apple.

The Swizz Army Knife of Prepositions

Describing Location

Vi sitter på kaféen.
We are sitting at the cafe.

Hun sitter på stolen.
She is sitting on the chair.

Specifying Language

På can also be used to specify what language something is said or written in. When used in this meaning, it translates to in in English.

Hva betyr det på engelsk?
What does that mean in English?

Hva heter det på norsk?
What is that (called) in Norwegian?

So, if you order your coffee på norsk, you're ordering it in Norwegian.

Vocabulary
vil	wants
ha	(to) have
står	stands
bestiller	orders
hvordan	how
med	with
på	on, at
utenfor	outside (of)
mer	more
en is	an ice-cream
en te	a tea
en kafé	a cafe
en brus	a soda, a pop, a fizzy drink
en drikk	a drink, a beverage
et jordbær	a strawberry
en sitron	a lemon
en stol	a chair
et bord	a table
en kaffe	a coffee
en lunsj	a lunch
en kopp	a cup
en/ei kake	a cake

Counting 7 · 2020-05-09 ^

Counting

Welcome to Counting! Norwegian numbers are very easy for English speakers to learn in comparison to other languages. There is no tricky system or crazy multiplication weirdness. The numbers sound and work in a similar way as they do in English.

The most common word for seven is sju, but you may also hear the word syv used, which is decidedly less common. Be careful not to confuse it with the word tjue, which means twenty.

One and One More

So far, you've seen the articles en (masculine) ei (feminine) and et (neuter) used to to mean a or an. These also do double duty as numbers, translating to one.

If you want more of something countable, you can use the adverb til. You then combine it with a number: en til becomes one more or another, to til becomes two more, and so on.

When specifying exactly what you want, by adding a noun, the number goes before the noun, while til goes after, like so: en kopp til (one more cup).

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
til	more
en	one
to	two
tre	three
fire	four
fem	five
seks	six
sju	seven
åtte	eight
ni	nine
ti	ten

Conversation 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Til & Fra

"Snakker du til meg?"
"Are you talking to me?"

"Vi flyr til Norge."
"We are flying to Norway."

"Jeg er fra England."
"I am from England."

"Han gir en gave til jenta."
"He gives a gift to the girl."

Vocabulary
tror	thinks, believes
sier	says
lytter	listens
ringer	calls, rings
kommer	comes
betyr	means, signifies
til	to
fra	from
nå	now
snart	soon, shortly
ofte	often
aldri	never
hallo	hello
hvorfor	why
hvordan går det	how is it going, how are you
det går ...	it is going..., I am...
en mamma	a mom
en pappa	a dad
en nabo	a neighbor
en gjest	a guest, a visitor

Possessives 6 · 2019-08-29 ^

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns change depending on the gender and number of the possessor and the possessed.

My

The Definite Form

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren min	mora mi	barnet mitt	foreldrene mine
my father	my mother	my child	my parents

The above form takes the definite form of the noun and places the possessive pronoun after it. This is the more common form in colloquial Norwegian, and the one you will encounter most often.

Faren min er fargeblind.
My father is colorblind.

Another form is as follows:

The Indefinite Form

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
min far	mi mor	mitt barn	mine foreldre
my father	my mother	my child	my parents

This form takes the possessive pronoun and places it before the indefinite form of the noun. This form is considered more formal and places special emphasis on the possessor.

Mitt barn er perfekt.
My child is perfect.

Your (Singular)

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren din	mora di	barnet ditt	foreldrene dine
din far	di mor	ditt barn	dine foreldre
your father	your mother	your child	your parents

Hvem er foreldrene dine?
Who are your parents?

His

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren hans	mora hans	barnet hans	foreldrene hans
hans far	hans mor	hans barn	hans foreldre
his father	his mother	his child	his parents

Hunden hans er vennlig.
His dog is friendly.

Her

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren hennes	mora hennes	barnet hennes	foreldrene hennes
hennes far	hennes mor	hennes barn	hennes foreldre
her father	her mother	her child	her parents

Hva heter barnet hennes?
What is her child's name?

Our

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren vår	mora vår	barnet vårt	foreldrene våre
vår far	vår mor	vårt barn	våre foreldre
our father	our mother	our child	our parents

Vi elsker døtrene våre.
We love our daughters.

Your (Plural)

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren deres	mora deres	barnet deres	foreldrene deres
deres far	deres mor	deres barn	deres foreldre
your (pl.) father	your (pl.) mother	your (pl.) child	your (pl.) parents

Hvor kommer familien deres fra?
Where does your family come from?

Their

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren deres	mora deres	barnet deres	foreldrene deres
deres far	deres mor	deres barn	deres foreldre
their father	their mother	their child	their parents

Datamaskinen deres fungerer ikke.
Their computer does not work.

Notice how deres can mean your (pl.) or their. You will be able to tell the difference through context.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
eier	owns
tilhører	belongs
mi/min/mitt/mine	my, mine
di/din/ditt/dine	your, yours
vår/vårt/våre	our, ours
hans	his
hennes	her, hers
deres	their, theirs
et rom	a room
et navn	a name
en telefon	a telephone

Personal Qualities 4 · 2019-04-10 ^

Adjectives

The Indefinite Form

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En stol er stor.	A chair is big.
Feminine	Ei bok er stor.	A book is big.

So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Neuter	Et bord er stort.	A table is big.
Plural	Hus er store.	Houses are big.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en stor stol	a big chair
Feminine	ei stor bok	a big book
Neuter	et stort bord	a big table
Plural	store hus	big houses

Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.

Norwegian	English
et viktig brev	an important letter
et norsk hus	a Norwegian house

We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!

Norwegian	English
viktige brev	important letters
norske hus	Norwegian houses

The Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

Norwegian	English
Det franske akademi	The French Academy
Det hvite hus	The White House

Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Pay special attention to context, and in time, these adjective endings become second nature.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
så	so, that
kjempe-	very (prefix)

rar	strange
ung	young
pen	pretty
snill	kind, nice
fattig	poor
berømt	famous
rik	rich
slem	mean, unkind
kjekk	handsome
farlig	dangerous
perfekt	perfect
spesiell	special
gammel	old

That and Those 3 · 2019-08-29 ^

That and Those

We learned early on how to describe definite nouns with the appropriate gender- and number-specific suffixes.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	stolen	the chair
Feminine	boka	the book
Neuter	bordet	the table
Plural	husene	the houses

In order to specify further with the word that or those, all we do is add one gender- and number-specific word to the mix: den, det, or de.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den stolen	that chair
Feminine	den boka	that book
Neuter	det bordet	that table
Plural	de husene	those houses

Family 9 · 2021-02-08 ^

Family

Welcome to the family skill! Family words are some of the most common in Norwegian, but also some of the most irregular. Pay attention to how the following words pluralize.

English	Indef. Sing.	Def. Sing.	Indef. Plur.	Def. Plur.
father	far	faren	fedre	fedrene
mother	mor	moren	mødre	mødrene
brother	bror	broren	brødre	brødrene
sister	søster	søsteren	søstre	søstrene
daughter	datter	datteren	døtre	døtrene

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
en baby	a baby
en sønn	a son
en/ei datter	a daughter
en familie	a family
en forelder	a parent
en far	a father
en/ei mor	a mother
en bror	a brother
en/ei søster	a sister
en tvilling	a twin
et søsken	a sibling

Grammar focus
possession	possessive pronouns
nouns	all declensions
verbs	present

Location 5 · 2021-06-13 ^

Location

Norwegian	English
Sengen står på gulvet.	The bed [stands/is] on the floor.
Hunden ligger på gulvet.	The dog [lies/is] on the floor.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ligger	lies
mellom	between
ved	by
hjemme	(at) home
bak	behind
over	over, above
foran	in front of
under	under, below, underneath
ute	outside
inne	inside
nede	downstairs, down
blant	among
oppe	upstairs, up
et gulv	a floor
en butikk	a store, a shop
en/ei seng	a bed
en/ei øy	an island
et hus	a house
en bil	a car
et tre	a tree
en/ei bro	a bridge
et gjerde	a fence
en lekeplass	a playground

Dates 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

Below are the days of the week. The reason they're so similar to English is because English gets most of the words for the days of the week from the names of Norse gods. Keep in mind that the days of the week, unlike English, are only capitalized at the beginning of the sentence. The g at the end of these words may or may not be pronounced.

Norwegian	English
mandag	Monday
tirsdag	Tuesday
onsdag	Wednesday
torsdag	Thursday
fredag	Friday
lørdag	Saturday
søndag	Sunday

These are the months of the year, also normally in lower-case. Keep in mind the RS sound in mars makes it sound like marsh. This RS letter combination creates an SH sound in the Norwegian language.

Norwegian	English
januar	January
februar	February
mars	March
april	April
mai	May
juni	June
juli	July
august	August
september	September
oktober	October
november	November
desember	December

Clothing 7 · 2021-06-13 ^

Clothing

This lesson introduces you to clothing as well as the Norwegian word seg. This word is the reflexive pronoun for all third-person nouns, himself, herself, themselves, etc. It is used in many verbs. In fact, the reflexive is far more common in Norwegian than in English.

For clothing, one uses har på seg to describe what someone is wearing. It literally means, have on oneself and is the equivalent of the English, have on.

Hun har på seg en hatt.
She has on (herself) a hat.
She's wearing a hat.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
har på seg	wears, has on
bruker	uses, wears
klær (n)	clothes, clothing
en sko	a shoe
en/ei jakke	a jacket
briller (m)	(eye)glasses
en genser	a sweater
en/ei skjorte	a shirt
en hatt	a hat
et slips	a tie
en sokk	a sock
en frakk	a coat
en kjole	a dress
en/ei bukse	a pair of pants
et belte	a belt
en knapp	a button
en/ei lomme	a pocket
en hanske	a glove
et skjerf	a scarf
en støvel	a (rain)boot
undertøy	underwear

The Restaurant 7 · 2021-06-13 ^

The Restaurant

Hungry already, are we? Nothing like a bit of language learning to work up an appetite.

Ordering

If you're visiting Norway as a tourist, ordering food at a restaurant is a good way to practice a little Norwegian.

After having a look at the menu and working up your courage, give the waiter your most charming smile, and say any of the following:

Jeg vil (gjerne) ha X.
I would like X.

Jeg har lyst på X.
I would like X.

X, takk.
X, please/thanks.

Remember, snapping your fingers or yelling to get a waiter's attention is rude. Try to make eye contact instead. If that fails, you can say unnskyld (excuse me), perhaps accompanied by a wave.

Courses & Drinks

If you want to order a standard three-course meal, you can look at the menu and locate these three headings:

Norwegian	English
forrett	appetizer
hovedrett	main course
dessert	dessert

Water is usually free, but if you want anything else to drink you'll find the drinking menu either as the last section of the main menu or as a separate menu. The drinking age in Norway is 18 for beer and wine, but 21 for hard liquor, and it's strictly enforced.

Receiving Your Food

When your food is ready, it will likely be delivered to you with a vær så god, which is the Norwegian equivalent of here you go or dig in.

The appropriate response is either takk, tusen takk, or takk skal du ha.

Later, the waiter may stop by and ask you how your food was, but apart from that you shouldn't expect much small talk or attention. Norwegians like to be left alone to enjoy their food, so the waiter isn't ignoring you to be rude, they're just treating you like Norwegians tend to prefer being treated.

Tipping Culture

Both kitchen and waitstaff are paid decent wages in Norway, so you should never feel like you have to tip anyone. However, it's a nice gesture if you feel the meal or service was good and would like to show your appreciation. Norwegians will often round up to the nearest 100 or 50 kr, depending on how large the total was.

Tips are registered and taxed along with the rest of people's income, so whenever you tip someone you're actually also tipping the Norwegian welfare state, contributing to better healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Having dinner and saving lives - not bad for an evening's work!

Vocabulary
vær så god	here you are/go, dig in
smaker	tastes
betaler	pays
serverer	serves
til	with
nok	enough
en vin	a wine
en salat	a salad
salat (m)	lettuce
en meny	a menu
en/ei flaske	a bottle
en forrett	an appetizer
en restaurant	a restaurant
en kokk	a cook, a chef
et måltid	a meal
en pizza	a pizza
en grønnsak	a vegetable
en servitør	a waiter
en middag	a dinner
en tallerken	a plate
en olje	an oil
en/ei skje	a spoon
en kniv	a knife
en gaffel	a fork
en hovedrett	a main course

Direction and Motion 10 · 2019-09-07 ^

Direction and Motion

In Norwegian, adverbs of place that describe where something is change when they become adverbs of motion and describe where something moves. Below are some examples:

Existence	Translation	Motion	Translation
er hjemme	is at home	går hjem	goes home
er inne	is inside	går inn	goes in
er ute	is outside	går ut	goes out
er oppe	is up	går opp	goes up
er nede	is down below	går ned	goes down

Existence	Translation	Motion	Translation
er her	is here	går hit	goes here
er der	is there	går dit	goes there

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
går	walks, goes
drar	goes, leaves
løper	runs
legger	lays, puts, places
flyr	flies
svømmer	swims
hopper	jumps
hjem	home
til	to (physical direction)
hit	(to) here, hither
dit	(to) there, thither
mot	toward, against
etter	after
frem	forward
forbi	past
tilbake	back
inn	in
opp	up
ned	down
gjennom	through
ut	out
rett	straight, directly
rundt	around
et basseng	a (swimming) pool
en/ei dør	a door
et vindu	a window

Prepositions 7 · 2019-08-29 ^

Prepositions

Norwegian	English	Notes
av	of, off	Used with fractions or two-part verbs.
for	for, to	Often does not translate directly.
uten	without
unntatt	except	Literally "taken out."
i stedet for	instead of

Of course, you've already familiarized yourself with some key prepositions in earlier skills as well. Here comes a quick refresher:

Norwegian	English	Notes
i	in, inside	Used to express location
på	on, at, in	Used to express location or indicate language
til	to, for	Used to express direction and purpose
med	with	Said like meh, but in a neutral tone.

Phrasal verbs

While we won't mix them into this skill, both separable verbs and phrasal verbs are important parts of the Norwegian language.

This and These 1 · 2019-05-16 ^

This and These

We learned early on how to describe definite nouns with the appropriate gender- and number-specific suffixes.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	stolen	the chair
Feminine	boka	the book
Neuter	bordet	the table
Plural	husene	the houses

And how to specify further with the word that or those.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den stolen	that chair
Feminine	den boka	that book
Neuter	det bordet	that table
Plural	de husene	those houses

Now, we're introducing how to say this and these in Norwegian.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	denne stolen	this chair
Feminine	denne boka	this book
Neuter	dette bordet	this table
Plural	disse husene	these houses

Adjectives 9 · 2020-03-25 ^

Adjectives

The Indefinite Form

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En stol er stor.	A chair is big.
Feminine	Ei bok er stor.	A book is big.

So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Neuter	Et bord er stort.	A table is big.
Plural	Hus er store.	Houses are big.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en stor stol	a big chair
Feminine	ei stor bok	a big book
Neuter	et stort bord	a big table
Plural	store hus	big houses

Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.

Norwegian	English
et viktig brev	an important letter
et norsk hus	a Norwegian house

We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!

Norwegian	English
viktige brev	important letters
norske hus	Norwegian houses

Adjectives in the Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Pay special attention to context, and in time, these adjective endings become second nature.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
hvor	how (degree)
god	good, nice
ny	new
stor	big
kort	short
varm	warm, hot
åpen	open
vanskelig	difficult
veldig	very
fin	nice
kald	cold
lang	long
trygg	safe, secure
dårlig	bad, poor
mye	much
tung	heavy
viktig	important
skitten	dirty
ganske	rather, pretty, somewhat
ren	clean
lett	light
mulig	possible
vanlig	common, usual
forferdelig	terrible, awful
hel	whole
flott	great
hard	hard

Professions 1 · 2019-03-12 ^

Jobs

Unlike in English, Norwegian usually drops the indefinite article when describing someone's profession.

Norwegian	English
Jeg er student.	I am a student.
Hun er lege.	She is a doctor.
Han er forfatter.	He is a writer.

Be mindful that constructions such as jeg er en student are also grammatical, but they are far less common.

Two Verbs - One Job

In Norwegian, there are two very common verbs for to work, å arbeide and å jobbe.

While these are largely interchangeable, there are cases where one will be preferred to the other.

Å arbeide is the old workhorse, of Old Norse origin, and thus features in more compounds and fixed expressions.

Å jobbe is the young English apprentice, which has been adopted by the younger generations.

Both verbs are used extensively, and Norwegians will happily switch between the two within the same text or conversation.

Spelling Words of Greek Origin

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å arbeide	to work
å jobbe	to work
å selge	to sell

profesjonell	professional
et yrke	a profession
en pilot	a pilot
en arkitekt	an architect
en fotograf	a photographer
en/ei utdanning	an education
en fisker	a fisherman, a fisher
en advokat	a lawyer
en terapeut	a therapist
en politibetjent	a police officer, a policeman, a policewoman

Location 2 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Bor & Lever

In Norwegian, there are two verbs that translate to "to live", "å bo" and "å leve". However, they are rarely interchangeable with each other.

When talking about someone's place of residence, you should use the verb "bor".

When expressing that someone or something is alive, or describing their way of life, you use "lever".

Ute & Utenfor

There are several of these pairs, but the ones we'll concentrate on is "ute" (adverb) and "utenfor" (preposition).

"Ute" (out; outside; outdoors) is an adverb, and can be used without a point of reference. If you ever want to refer to the great outdoors in Norwegian, you can say "ute".

Vi liker å være ute i naturen.
We like being out in nature.

In the sentence below, there's an explicit reference point, "gjerdet".

De er utenfor gjerdet.
They are outside (of) the fence.

Hun sitter utenfor.
She is sitting outside.

In the last example, you could use "ute" as well. Either would be correct.

Same, Same, but Different

Some of the prepositions and prepositional phrases you're learning have rather similar meanings, but there are still nuances to them, and you should strive to translate them precisely.

Norwegian	English
ved	by
ved siden av	next to
nær	near, close to
i nærheten av	near, close to

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lever	lives
henger	hangs
leter	looks, searches
setter	sets, puts, places
det er	there is, there are
nær	near, close to
langs	along
ved siden av	next to
innenfor	inside (of)
bortenfor	past, beyond
herfra	from here
derfra	from there
en vei	a road
en bakke	a slope, a hill(side)
et speil	a mirror
et bilde	a picture
en vegg	a wall
en/ei lampe	a lamp
en/ei innside	an inside
en/ei grense	a border, a limit, a boundary
en utgang	an exit
en inngang	an entrance
et kjøleskap	a refrigerator

Qualities 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Adjectives in the Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Pay special attention to context, and in time, these adjective endings become second nature.

Liten

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en liten stol	a small chair
	den lille stolen	the small chair
Feminine	ei lita bok	a small book
	den lille boka	the small book
Neuter	et lite bord	a small table
	det lille bordet	the small table
Plural	små hus	small houses
	de små husene	the small houses

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

Norwegian	English
Det franske akademi	The French Academy
Det hvite hus	The White House

Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
det (m./f.)	the
den (n.)	the
de (pl.)	the
så	so, that
kjempe-	very (prefix)
rar	strange
ung	young
pen	pretty
snill	kind, nice
liten	little, small
fattig	poor
berømt	famous
rik	rich
slem	mean, unkind
kjekk	handsome
farlig	dangerous
perfekt	perfect
spesiell	special
gammel	old

Ownership 6 · 2020-11-26 ^

Ownership

Sin, Si, Sitt, & Sine

Norwegian	English
Hun elsker faren sin.	She loves her (own) father.
Hun elsker faren hennes.	She loves her (another woman's) father.
Faren hennes elsker henne.	Her father loves her.

In the last sentence, we use faren hennes instead of faren sin because her father is the subject, not the object, of the sentence.

His, Her, or Their (Own)

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
faren sin	mora si	barnet sitt	foreldrene sine
sin far	si mor	sitt barn	sine foreldre
his/her/their (own) father	his/her/their (own) mother	his/her/their (own) child	his/her/their (own) parents

Please note that you should not add "own" to your translations of si/sin/sitt/sine, it's just used here to explain the concept as clearly as possible.

Expressing Possession with a Genitive "-s"

Kvinnens bil er rød.
The woman's car is red.*

Expressing Possession with "Til"

Bilen til kvinnen er rød.
The car of the woman is red.
The woman's car is red.

Garpegenitiv

Kvinnen sin bil er rød.
The woman's car is red.

Literally, "The woman her car is red".

While this format is common in many dialects and recognized by Språkrådet as acceptable in Bokmål, it is considered informal and should not be what you turn to in formal writing.

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Vocabulary
si/sin/sitt/sine	his, her, its, their
til	of
-s	possessive s (suffix)
guttens	the boy's
jentas	the girl's
barnets	the child's
kattens	the cat's
hundens	the dog's
mannens	the man's
kvinnens	the woman's

Colors 5 · 2022-02-04 ^

Colors as adjectives

Below is a reference chart for all of the most basic Norwegian colors.

Norwegian	English
hvit	white
grå	gray
svart	black
brun	brown
rød	red
rosa	pink
oransje	orange
gul	yellow
grønn	green
blå	blue
lilla	purple

Most colors change their endings for gender and number, like most other adjectives in Norwegian.

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
en brun stol	ei brun bok	et brunt bord	brune hus
en gul stol	ei gul bok	et gult bord	gule hus
en grønn stol	ei grønn bok	et grønt bord	grønne hus

Certain colors are irregular, however, in certain situations.

The words hvit, grå and blå have an extra -t in their neuter forms, and grå and blå also have the option of omitting the plural ending.

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
en hvit stol	ei hvit bok	et hvitt bord	hvite hus
en grå stol	ei grå bok	et grått bord	grå(e) hus
en blå stol	ei blå bok	et blått bord	blå(e) hus

Unlike most adjectives, the words rosa, oransje, and lilla never change for gender or number. They always remain the same.

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
en rosa stol	ei rosa bok	et rosa bord	rosa hus
en oransje stol	ei oransje bok	et oransje bord	oransje hus
en lilla stol	ei lilla bok	et lilla bord	lilla hus

Colors as nouns

Colors can also be nouns. In that case they look a lot like the neuter form of the adjective:

Norwegian	English
hvitt	white
grått	gray
svart	black
brunt	brown
rødt	red
rosa	pink
oransje	orange
gult	yellow
grønt	green
blått	blue
lilla	purple

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
hvit	white
rosa	pink
svart	black
blå	blue
rød	red
lys	light
gul	yellow
grønn	green
fargerik	colorful
lilla	purple
oransje	orange
brun	brown
mørk	dark
en farge	a color
en blomst	a flower

The Store 4 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
koster	costs
ser ut	looks
dyr	expensive
hundre	(a) hundred
en pose	a bag (plastic/paper)
en kunde	a customer
en/ei krone	a krone, a crown
penger (m)	money
en/ei kvittering	a receipt
en matbutikk	a grocery store
en kurv	a basket
en banan	a banana
en/ei pære	a pear
en appelsin	an orange
et skjørt	a skirt
en dress	a suit
en klesbutikk	a clothing store
en sjokolade	a chocolate

Leisure 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Hos

"Hos" can be a tricky preposition to translate, as it does not have an equivalent in English. However, those of you who are familiar with French can liken it to "chez".

It's mainly used to express that you're at someone's place; in a person's home, at a company's office, etc.

De er hos oss.
They are at our place.

Vocabulary
spiller	plays
vinner	wins
taper	loses
tegner	draws
synger	sings
hviler	rests
hos	at (X's place)
fantastisk	fantastic
en hage	a garden, a yard
en gitar	a guitar
et besøk	a visit
en sport	a sport
en ball	a ball
en park	a park
en hobby	a hobby
fotball (m)	football, soccer
et spill	a game
musikk (m)	music
et band	a band
et piano	a piano
en sang	a song
et kor	a choir
en film	a movie, a film
en radio	a radio
en TV	a TV

Verbs: Present 2 17 · 2019-08-29 ^

Just One, Please!

In cases where you want to emphasize the number, you can use the following descriptors:

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
én gutt	éi jente	ett barn
one boy	one girl	one child

These will always translate to either one or a single (one). Translating them to a or an would be incorrect.

In speech, you make the distinction by putting stress on the number. The TTS voice used for this course is not great about doing that, so you need to exaggerate it a little more than she does.

Både & Begge

Norwegian	English
Vi har bare én katt.	We have only one cat.
Jeg ser bare éi and.	I see only one duck.
Det er bare ett stykke igjen.	There is only one piece left.

Liten

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en liten stol	a small chair
	den lille stolen	the small chair
Feminine	ei lita bok	a small book
	den lille boka	the small book
Neuter	et lite bord	a small table
	det lille bordet	the small table
Plural	små hus	small houses
	de små husene	the small houses

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also used in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English Translation
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lukter	smells
gir	gives
venter	waits, expects
husker	remembers
tar	takes
finner	finds
åpner	opens
takker	thanks
dør	dies
regner	rains
beklager	apologizes
leier	rents, holds hands with
kysser	kisses
én/éi/ett	one (not a/an!)
begge	both
men	but
også	also, too, as well
til	for
alltid	always
hvordan	how
langt	far
hjemmefra	from home
bare	just, only
for	too
lite	little, small

Relatives 2 · 2021-06-13 ^

Relatives

In Norwegian, each grandparent has a unique name that's very intuitive.

Norwegian	English
mormor	mother's mother
morfar	mother's father
farmor	father's mother
farfar	father's father

Bestemor is the generic term for grandmother.

Bestefar is in turn the generic term for grandfather.

Vocabulary
en onkel	an uncle
en/ei tante	an aunt
beste-	grand- (prefix)
en slektning	a relative
et barnebarn	a grandchild
lille-	little, younger, baby (prefix)
en/ei slekt	an extended family
en svoger	a brother-in-law
en morfar	a (maternal) grandfather
en/ei mormor	a (maternal) grandmother
et søskenbarn	a cousin (gender neutral)
store-	big, older (prefix)
en farfar	a (paternal) grandfather
en/ei farmor	a (paternal) grandmother
en/ei kusine	a (female) cousin
et enebarn	an only child
en/ei svigerinne	a sister-in-law
ste-	step- (prefix)
olde-	great-grand- (prefix)
en nevø	a nephew
en/ei niese	a niece
en fetter	a (male) cousin

Feelings 6 · 2021-06-13 ^

Feelings

To prepare you for the emotional roller-coaster that is the Norwegian course, this skill will supply you with vocabulary to express your basic feelings.

Irregular Adjectives

While most of the words follow patterns you've already learned, there are a couple of irregularities among the adjectives.

Glad and redd do not take a -t ending in their neuter forms.

Stakkars stays the same in all forms, no matter the gender or number of the noun it modifies.

Fixed Expressions - Love Them or Fear Them

When expressing emotions, you're going to come across a couple of fixed expressions.

å være glad i
to be fond of, to love

å være redd for
to be afraid of

Because these are fixed expressions, their adjectives, glad and redd, do not change to the plural form when used with a plural subject.

Vi er glad i deg.
We love you.

Vi er redd for ulver.
We are afraid of wolves.

Using the plural adjective is by no means a grave error, and actually quite common among natives, but if you want to impress your Norwegian teacher or ace that exam, you'll stick to the singular.

Expressing Emotions in the Cold North

Norwegians tend to be a little reserved, and, as an extension of that, rather economical with their emotions. That doesn't mean that they don't feel as strongly about things, it's just not as readily expressed. Unless we're drunk, of course.

Vocabulary
gråter	cries
ler	laughs
smiler	smiles
føler	feels
gjør	makes
hater	hates
sint	angry
glad	glad, happy
stakkars	poor
trøtt	sleepy, tired
redd	scared, afraid
sulten	hungry
trist	sad
stolt	proud
ensom	lonely
en følelse	a feeling, an emotion

Work 11 · 2019-08-29 ^

Work

Unlike in English, Norwegian usually drops the indefinite article when describing someone's profession.

Norwegian	English
Jeg er student.	I am a student.
Hun er lege.	She is a doctor.
Han er forfatter.	He is a writer.

Be mindful that constructions such as jeg er en student are also grammatical, but they are far less common.

Finding Your Voice

Now that you're becoming familiar with the sound of the Norwegian language, listening exercises are probably starting to become a little easier. However, speaking can still be a hurdle!

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
studerer	study
tid (m/f)	time
overtid (m/f)	overtime
en lege	a doctor, a physician
en jobb	a job
et kontor	an office
en student	a student (uni level)
en forfatter	an author
et møte	a meeting
en konferanse	a conference
en sjef	a boss
fritid (m/f)	free time, leisure
et arbeid	a work, a job
en elektriker	an electrician
en rørlegger	a plumber
en brannmann	a fireman, a firefighter
en prest	a priest
en ingeniør	an engineer
en bussjåfør	a bus driver
en telefonselger	a telemarketer, a telephone salesman

Verbs: Infinitive 7 · 2021-06-13 ^

Infinitives

To infinitives, and beyond!

Most infinitive verbs in Norwegian end in the stem -e. There are many, many exceptions, however. A few modal constructions exist that link to infinitive verbs directly, such as kan and vil.

Norwegian	English
Jeg kan spise.	I can eat.
Hun vil finne katten.	She wants to find the cat.

Norwegian	English
Det er viktig å lese.	It is important to read.
Han liker å lage mat.	He likes to cook.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å	to
kan	can, am able to
må	must
å bli	to become, to get, to be
å lage	to make
å spise	to eat
å betale	to pay
å gi	to give
å sove	to sleep
å være	to be
å gjøre	to do, to make
å danse	to dance
å kjøpe	to buy
å se	to see
å ta	to take
å få	to get, to receive
å lese	to read
å vise	to show
å synge	to sing
å si	to say
å leie	to rent, to hold hands
å høre	to hear
å velge	to choose
å tenke	to think
å prøve	to try, to test, to attempt
å fortsette	to continue

Vacation 4 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vacation

Phew! After all that work, it's finally time for a vacation. No phrasal verbs, no new prepositions, and not an irregular adjective in sight. Just sit down, relax, and enjoy the scenery.

Norwegian Vacation Habits

For Norwegians, vacation time tends to mean one of two things.

One alternative is to put on three layers of wool clothing and drive all the way up to your cabin in the mountains. This cabin may or may not have water and electricity, but that's not important; what matters is that it's koselig. If you get cold, you can always chop some wood, go on a hike, or shovel some snow.

The other, and polar opposite, is to stock up on sunscreen, put on your socks and sandals, and catch a plane to Syden. Where is this mysterious Syden, you ask? Well, it tends to be anywhere that's warm enough to feel like Norwegian summer in the winter time. Bonus points if there are cheap flights. The Canary Islands are practically overrun with Norwegian pensioners, so it might not be the worst place to go if you want to practice your Norwegian.

Norway as a Vacation Destination

Norway is a popular vacation destination due to its beautiful nature, but you're going to need a bit of spending money, because the only thing that's cheap here is the water. Food and lodging are both on the expensive side, and beer prices are outrageous.

However, if you plan ahead, it doesn't have to break the bank. Youth hostels, apartments for rent, or even your own tent or van will enable you to live on the cheap, and while the food in the grocery stores is still expensive, it's definitely less so than eating out.

Vocabulary
reiser	travels, goes
å lande	to land
et fly	a plane
et pass	a passport
et land	a country
en ferie	a vacation
en billett	a ticket
en flyplass	an airport
en bagasje	a baggage, a luggage
en/ei sol	a sun
sand (m)	sand
en turist	a tourist
et hotell	a hotel
en guide	a guide
en/ei strand	a beach

Schedule 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Times of Day

Norwegian	English
morgen	morning
formiddag	late morning (9-12 am)
ettermiddag	afternoon
kveld	evening; night (before bed)
natt	night

Familiar Prepositions, New Contexts

You're already familiar with the prepositions i, om and på from previous skills. Here, you'll meet them again, but in new contexts and with different translations.

Norwegian	English
i dag	today
i natt	tonight
i morgen	tomorrow
om dagen	at day; during the day
om morgenen	in the morning; during the morning
om en time	in an hour (from now)
på dagen	at day
på morgenen	in the morning

As you can see, both på and om can be used to express that something happens at day or in the morning.

Two Verbs - One Job

In Norwegian, there are two very common verbs for to work, å arbeide and å jobbe.

While these are largely interchangeable, there are cases where one will be preferred to the other.

Å arbeide is the old workhorse, of Old Norse origin, and thus features in more compounds and fixed expressions.

Å jobbe is the young English apprentice, which has been adopted by the younger generations.

Both verbs are used extensively, and Norwegians will happily switch between the two within the same text or conversation.

Vocabulary
å møte	to meet, to encounter
å jobbe	to work
å komme	to come
om	in, at
hver	every, each
sjelden	seldom, rarely
før	before, prior to
i dag	today
i kveld	this evening, tonight
i morgen	tomorrow
senere	later
daglig	daily
ferdig	done, finished, complete
en gang	once, one time, a time
en morgen	a morning
en ettermiddag	an afternoon
en kveld	an evening, a night
en plan	a plan
et skift	a shift
fleksitid (m/f)	flexible hours, flextime

Traits 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Liten

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en liten stol	a small chair
	den lille stolen	the small chair
Feminine	ei lita bok	a small book
	den lille boka	the small book
Neuter	et lite bord	a small table
	det lille bordet	the small table
Plural	små hus	small houses
	de små husene	the small houses

Pay special attention to context, and in time, these adjective endings become second nature.

Negative Prefixes

Just as in English, there are a few different negative prefixes that can be used to negate an adjective. In this skill you'll learn to use u-, but there are a few others as well such as a-, in-, dis-, and mis-, so we'll give examples for all of them while we're at it.

Norwegian	English
atypisk	atypical
uvanlig	unusual
umulig	impossible
utrolig	incredible
intolerant	intolerant
inkompatibel	incompatible
disharmoni	disharmony
misfornøyd	dissatisfied; unhappy

As you can see, there are plenty of cognates going around, but sometimes the choice of prefix does change from language to language, as is the case for "utrolig", which turns into "incredible".

Altfor

You've already learned the intensifying adverb "for", which translates to "too". However, in cases where you feel like that isn't quite strong enough, you can intensify the meaning further by adding the prefix alt-.

"Altfor" translates to "all too", "far too", "way too", or "much too". Note that it cannot be translated to just "too".

"Denne kjolen er altfor dyr!"
"This dress is far too expensive!"

Declining Adjectives

Need a refresher on how to decline adjectives? Have a look at the Tips & Notes for the Adjectives skill.

Vocabulary
virker	seems
altfor	all too, far too
helt	wholly, completely, totally
den lille	the little, the small
enkel	simple
streng	strict
vakker	beautiful
umulig	impossible
u-	un-, im-, a- (negative prefix)
små	small, little
lik	like, alike
alvorlig	serious
kjedelig	boring, dull
interessant	interesting
fri	free
søt	sweet, cute
vennlig	friendly
forskjellig	different

Community 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Community

Since you're here learning a language, you probably already know the importance of community and connecting with other people. Now, you'll learn the vocabulary for it as well!

Boyfriend/Girlfriend - It's All the Same to Us

The Norwegian word for boyfriend or girlfriend is kjæreste, which literally means dearest. This is gender neutral in the sense that it does not say anything about the gender of one's partner.

So, if you're queer and in the closet, you can still talk about your significant other in public.

There Are People, and Then There Are People

As in German, Norwegian has a few words that translate to the English word people. Below is a brief overview.

Norwegian	English
mennesker	most generic term
personer	emphasizes the individual
folk	emphasizes the collective

Making Friends in Norway

While Norwegians are notorious for avoiding conversation on the bus and in the elevator, you'll find them more receptive in other contexts.

If you don't have the luxury of already knowing someone who can introduce you to new people, or the option of mingling at the workplace, your best bet is to find a shared activity to bond over. This could be a hobby or interest, or just taking a walk in the woods. Norwegians actually greet strangers in the woods, true story.

Why this need for a shared activity? Well, it bypasses the need for small talk, as you'll already have something to talk about that interests both parties. You can liken it to dating: On a coffee date, you may have to work to keep the conversation going, but take your date to do some sort of activity that you both enjoy, and the hours will fly by.

So, sign up for some classes! Learn new things, enjoy nature's offerings, have fun and connect. Build your own little community. :)

Vocabulary
klemmer	hugs
å være enig	to agree
støtter	supports
å snakke	to speak, to talk
redder	saves, rescues
kjenner	knows, is familiar with
tenker	thinks
deler	shares
å hjelpe	to help
noen	someone, anyone
sammen	together
alene	alone
hjelpsom	helpful
en kjæreste	a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a significant other
et liv	a life
en venn	a friend
et ansvar	a responsibility
et menneske	a human
en/ei gruppe	a group
et medlem	a member
folk (n)	people
et språk	a language
internet (n)	internet
et kallenavn	a nickname
en nordmann	a Norwegian (person)

Determiners 9 · 2020-07-10 ^

This and These

We learned early on how to describe definite nouns with the appropriate gender- and number-specific suffixes.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	stolen	the chair
Feminine	boka	the book
Neuter	bordet	the table
Plural	husene	the houses

And how to specify further with the word that or those.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den stolen	that chair
Feminine	den boka	that book
Neuter	det bordet	that table
Plural	de husene	those houses

Now, we're introducing how to say this and these in Norwegian.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	denne stolen	this chair
Feminine	denne boka	this book
Neuter	dette bordet	this table
Plural	disse husene	these houses

Other & Second

There is only one word for other and second in Norwegian, annen. It declines irregularly, so watch out.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en annen stol	another chair
	den andre stolen	the other chair
Feminine	ei anna bok	another book
	den andre boka	the other book
Neuter	et annet bord	another table
	det andre bordet	the other table
Plural	andre hus	other houses
	de andre husene	the other houses

Både & Begge

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
alt	all, everything
andre	other, others, second
ingenting	nothing
selv	myself, yourself, herself...
egen	own
ingen	no, nobody, no-one
både	both (X and X)
annet	other, second
hverandre	each other, one another
annen	other, second
annenhver	every other, every second
et ord	a word

Days 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Weekdays

Norwegian	English
mandag	Monday
tirsdag	Tuesday
onsdag	Wednesday
torsdag	Thursday
fredag	Friday
lørdag	Saturday
søndag	Sunday

Monday through Friday are referred to as hverdager, while Saturday and Sunday are helgedager.

Since all of the days are compound nouns ending in the masculine noun en dag, they too are treated as masculine nouns.

Preposition Use

When you want to express that something's happening on a specific day, you say på mandag, on Monday.

However, if you want to say that something's happening on the weekend, it's i helgen.

Present Tense, Future Meaning

In Norwegian, you can do exactly the same. In fact, it's even more common to do so.

Vi drar på onsdag.
We are leaving on Wednesday.

Prøven er fredag.
The test is on Friday.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
mandag	Monday
tirsdag	Tuesday
onsdag	Wednesday
torsdag	Thursday
fredag	Friday
lørdag	Saturday
søndag	Sunday
en hverdag	a weekday
en/ei uke	a week
en/ei helg	a weekend

Questions 12 · 2022-02-04 ^

A heartfelt welcome to the Norwegian course!

Norwegian is a language with simpler grammar than many other European languages, but it is still a gendered language with three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.

Grammatical Gender

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
en mann	ei kvinne or en kvinne	et barn
a man	a woman	a child

The choice really is up to you! Both en kvinne and ei kvinne are grammatically correct, and the tendency to use the feminine gender depends on geography and dialect.

Pronouns

Norwegian pronouns are very straightforward and correspond well to English ones:

Norwegian	English
jeg	I
du	you (singular)
han	he
hun	she
det	it

When referring to a neutral subject, det is used to mean it or that. However, when referring to a masculine or feminine subject, it becomes den instead.

Verbs

Conjugation couldn't be simpler. All conjugated verbs have an -r stem in the present, and verbs don't change according to the subject! How easy is that?

Singular		Plural
jeg er	I am	vi er	we are
du er	you are	dere er	you are
han, hun, det er	he, she, it is	de er	they are

Pronunciation

As a general rule, words are spelled as they're pronounced in Norwegian. One exception is words beginning with hv, such as hvem, meaning who. In this word, the h is silent.

In addition, there are several letters and letter combinations that are pronounced differently from English.

Norwegian	IPA, Notes
A	[ɑ], very open
B	[b]
C	[s] or [k] depending on word, very rare
D	[d], silent in consonant clusters
E	[e] or [ɛ], [æ] in her and der, [i] in de
F	[f]
G	[g], [j] before an i; silent before a j; silent after an i and sometimes an a or o
H	[h], silent before v
I	[i] like the e in email or ebook, [ɪ] before two consonants
J	[j], like the y in yes or yellow
K	[k]
kj, ki, ky	[ç], like the sharp h in human
L	[l]
M	[m]
N	[n]
O	[u] like the oo in soon, but longer, [ʊ] before two consonants
P	[p]
R	[ɾ], tap, like the tt in North American butter; some in Norway use [ʁ], the so-called French R
rs	[ʃ], r + s combinations produce sh sound, even between words
S	[s]
skj, ski, sky, sl	[ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell
T	[t], silent after an e sometimes, ex. det
U	[ʉ], like the ew in new, but more closed
V	[v]
Y	[y] or [ʏ], like the e in email, but more closed

Special Notes on Common Words

Norwegian	Meaning	Pronunciation
jeg	I	yai
det	it, that	deh, silent t

Core Vocabulary

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
er	am, are, is
hvem	who
og	and
ikke	not
jeg	I
du	you (singular)
han	he
hun	she
en	a, an
en mann	a man
en/ei kvinne	a woman
en gutt	a boy
en/ei jente	a girl

Countries and Nationalities 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

The words for most countries and nationalities are very similar to their English equivalents, with a few notable exceptions, as shown below.

Norwegian	Etymology	English
Tyskland	Deutschland	Germany
Østerrike	Österreich	Austria
Frankrike	Frankarîki	France
Hellas	Ελλάς	Greece

In addition, several more countries' names end in -ia in Norwegian than they do in English.

Norwegian	English
Tyrkia	Turkey
Spania	Spain
Italia	Italy
Storbritannia	Great Britain

Nationalities are not that straightforward, but a base of the country name are usually found in the nationality, with the exception of "a Greek, from Greece", en greker, fra Hellas.

If the nationality adjective ends in -sk one special rule applies, it will not become -skt for neuter nouns.

En norsk mann, ei norsk dame, et norsk barn, flere norske personer.

Verbs: Present 3 12 · 2020-06-17 ^

Indefinite Pronouns

When we're not referring to a specific person, but are making a general statement, we often use an indefinite or impersonal pronoun.

English has two such pronouns, the rather formal "one", which one imagines the queen uses a fair bit more than the general population, and the less formal general "you".

In Norwegian, there are also two of these pronouns, "man" and "en". However, there is no difference in formality; they can be used freely in both the formal and informal register.

"Man kan aldri være helt sikker."
"One can never be completely certain."

Learning and Teaching

In this skill, you'll learn the verb lærer, which changes meaning depending on whether it has an indirect object or not.

If it lacks an indirect object, it translates to learn/learns/am learning/are learning/is learning.

Jeg lærer norsk.
I am learning Norwegian.

Hun lærer meg norsk.
She is teaching me Norwegian.

What about when you want to say "teach", and you don't have an indirect object? Well, then you can add the adverb "bort" to "lærer", like so:

De lærer bort norsk.
They are teaching Norwegian.

You can also use a whole other verb, which you will learn in a later skill. "Underviser" is used for teaching in a school or university context - classroom teaching.

Professoren underviser i norsk.
The professor teaches Norwegian.

To Exist or Just to Be, That is the Question

The verb finnes is an interesting one. Not only does it have the passive ending -s, but it's used much more extensively than its English counterpart, exist.

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also used in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English Translation
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lærer	learns, teaches
får	gets, receives
skjer	happens, occurs, takes place
holder	holds, is enough
foretrekker	prefers
stoler	trusts
følger	follows
ønsker	wishes
forsøker	tries, attempts
slutter	stops, quits
å fryse	to freeze, to be cold
begynner	begins, starts
finnes	exists, is
bærer	carries
stemmer	is right
kler på seg	gets dressed, puts on
man	one, you (impersonal)
godt	well
igjen	again
en tyv	a thief, a burglar
en vane	a habit

The Clock 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Telling Time

In order to ask what time it is, you may ask,

Hva er klokka?

or literally, What is the clock?

The response will be something like,

Klokka er to.

which means the clock is two, or in other words,

It's two o'clock.

AM, PM & Military Time

Norwegians are used to seamlessly jumping between using 12-hour and 24-hour time, depending on what the situation requires.

When the intended point of time should be obvious from the context, they'll use 12-hour time without specifying AM or PM.

When there is room for confusion, they will either use 12-hour time in conjunction with a time of day to specify, or they'll switch to 24-hour time, also known as military time.

12 hour	12 hour + specification	24 hour	military
to	to på/om dagen	fjorten	14:00
ni	ni på/om kvelden	tjueen	21:00

The Confusing Half Hours

When someone says halv to in Norwegian, it actually means half past one. The half hour relates to the next whole hour, rather than the previous one, which may take a little getting used to.

Norwegian	English
halv fire	half past three
halv åtte	half past seven
halv elleve	half past ten

Vocabulary
allerede	already
halv	half
kvart på	a quarter to
kvart over	a quarter past
X på	X to
X over	X past
sen	late
tidlig	early
fort	fast, quickly
en/ei klokke	a clock, a watch, (a time)
et minutt	a minute
et sekund	a second

Jobs 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Jobs

Unlike in English, Norwegian usually drops the indefinite article when describing someone's profession.

Norwegian	English
Jeg er student.	I am a student.
Hun er lege.	She is a doctor.
Han er forfatter.	He is a writer.

Be mindful that constructions such as jeg er en student are also grammatical, but they are far less common.

Two Verbs - One Job

In Norwegian, there are two very common verbs for to work, å arbeide and å jobbe.

While these are largely interchangeable, there are cases where one will be preferred to the other.

Å arbeide is the old workhorse, of Old Norse origin, and thus features in more compounds and fixed expressions.

Å jobbe is the young English apprentice, which has been adopted by the younger generations.

Both verbs are used extensively, and Norwegians will happily switch between the two within the same text or conversation.

Spelling Words of Greek Origin

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å arbeide	to work
å selge	to sell
profesjonell	professional
et yrke	a profession
en pilot	a pilot
en arkitekt	an architect
en fotograf	a photographer
en/ei utdanning	an education
en fisker	a fisherman, a fisher
en advokat	a lawyer
en terapeut	a therapist
en politibetjent	a police officer, a policeman, a policewoman

Conjunctions 4 · 2019-08-29 ^

Conjunctions

Below is a short list of some of the most common conjunctions in the Norwegian language. Four of them, og, men, fordi, and eller, you're already familiar with.

Norwegian	English
og	and
men	but
eller	or
fordi	because
at	that
om	whether, if (binary plausibility)
hvis	if (cause and effect)

Norwegian conjunctions act very similarly to English ones, with a couple of special rules.

Ikke

Keep in mind that in dependent clauses, the negation ikke gets pulled to a position in-between the subject and the main verb. This occurs with several other constructions as well. This is one weird quirk with Norwegian grammar, but it will sound natural after a while.

Norwegian	English
Hun er ikke her.	She is not here.
Jeg vet at hun ikke er her.	I know that she is not here.

Isn't that interesting?

V-2 Word Order

The V-2 Rule is a linguistic law that applies to all Germanic languages... except English. You can see a rare instance of it in English in the expression here comes the bus. This rule states that all sentences that are statements, in other words not questions, must have a verb in the second position. This allows for some flexibility in the word order for emphasis. What it essentially means is that Norwegian verbs refuse to move from the second position in statements.

The V-2 Rule applies to dependent clauses that begin sentences. In this specific situation, the whole dependent clause is treated as being in the first position, so the verb in the independent clause comes immediately after it, in the second position, followed by the subject in the independent clause.

Norwegian	English
Du (1) må (2) støtte meg.	You must support me.
Hvis du vil hjelpe meg (1) , må (2) du støtte meg.	If you want to help me, you must support me.

This may sound jarring, but this rule of inversion becomes easy enough after some exposure.

Norwegian	English
Jeg (1) snakker (2) ikke norsk.	I do not speak Norwegian.
Selv om jeg er nordmann (1) , snakker (2) jeg ikke norsk.	Even though I am Norwegian, I do not speak Norwegian.

If you think this word order is weird, try German.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
om	if, whether
at	that
så	so
når	when
mens	while
for	for, because
hvis	if
som	like, which
selv om	even if, even though, despite

Adverbs 10 · 2021-06-13 ^

Adverbs

In Norwegian, adverbs usually follow the verb.

Norwegian	English
Du snakker godt norsk!	You speak Norwegian well!

One exception is that adverbs of time often appear at the end of the sentence or clause.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.
Jeg har nå tid.	I now have time.
Nå har jeg tid.	Now I have time.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
litt	a little
godt	well
igjen	again
ennå	still
borte	gone, away, missing
dessverre	unfortunately, regrettably, sadly
til og med	even, up to and including
enn	than
heller	rather
nesten	nearly, almost
egentlig	actually, in fact
vanligvis	usually
kun	only, exclusively
svært	very
gjerne	gladly, happily, (not translated, adds politeness/willingness)
i stedet	instead
akkurat	right, just, exactly, precisely
åpenbart	obviously

Imperative 3 · 2019-04-12 ^

The Imperative

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
eat	spise	spis
read	lese	les
be	være	vær

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
believe	tro	tro
take	ta	ta
have	ha	ha

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
open	åpne	åpne or åpn
trade	handle	handle or handl

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
si	say
les	read
løp	run
spis	eat
ring	call, ring, phone
tenk	think
ta	take
tro	believe
lytt	listen
gjør	do
kyss	kiss
bruk	use
syng	sing
la	let, allow, permit
gi	give
vær	be
husk	remember
betal	pay
fortsett	continue
se	see, look
lek	play
pass (på)	watch out, look out, make sure
skriv	write
tegn	draw
bekymre	worry

Places 12 · 2019-08-29 ^

Oh the Places You'll Go...

Rural Communities

When describing rural communities in Norway, you can use either en/ei bygd or et tettsted.

Et tettsted is a very vague term, as it can refer to any congregation of houses with a number of inhabitants of 200 and upward. So, it could be a tiny village, or one of Norway's largest cities.

When talking about villages outside of Norway, or in a historic context, we use the noun en landsby instead. There's a quaintness to it.

Larger towns and cities are referred to as en by.

Gate & Vei

We observe the same distinction as in English, where en gate, a street, is bordered by houses, while en vei, a road, just has to take you from A to B.

You can use vei when referring to a street as well, but it doesn't work the other way around; gate would never be used for a country road or a highway.

Left & Right

When something is to the left of you, you can say that it's either på venstre side, på venstre hånd, or til venstre.

It works the same way for høyre, right. Take care not to get the noun for the direction, høyre, mixed up with the noun for straight or correct, rett.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
omkring	around
overfor	opposite, across from, facing
venstre	left
høyre	right
borte ved	over by
der borte	over there
en by	a town, a city
et sted	a place
et tårn	a tower
et slott	a castle
en/ei kirke	a church
jorden (m/f)	the earth
en/ei bygd	a village, a small town, a hamlet
en/ei adresse	an address
et område	an area
en/ei bygning	a building
en eiendom	a property
en/ei gate	a street
en/ei sone	a zone
en innsjø	a lake, a pond
en/ei forside	a front
en/ei side	a side
en bank	a bank
en plass	a place
nærhet (m/f)	proximity, vicinity
en hovedstad	a capital city
en planet	a planet
en måne	a moon
en/ei stjerne	a star

Verbs: Infinitive 2 2 · 2019-10-13 ^

Infinitives

To infinitives, and beyond!

Most infinitive verbs in Norwegian end in the stem -e. There are many, many exceptions, however. A few modal constructions exist that link to infinitive verbs directly, such as kan and vil.

Norwegian	English
Jeg kan spise.	I can eat.
Hun vil finne katten.	She wants to find the cat.

Norwegian	English
Det er viktig å lese.	It is important to read.
Han liker å lage mat.	He likes to cook.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
for å	(in order) to
å le	to laugh
å finne	to find
pleier	tend to, usually do
å holde	to hold
å forsøke	to try, to attempt
å begynne	to begin, to start
å tro	to believe
å åpne	to open
å endre	to alter, to change, to edit
å bruke	to use
å bestemme	to decide
å gå	to walk, to go
å dø	to die
å sitte	to sit
å leke	to play
å miste	to lose, to drop
å huske	to remember
å stenge	to close, to shut
å drikke	to drink
å bo	to live, to reside
å stå	to stand, to be
å vinne	to win
å regne	to rain, to calculate, to count (on)
å få X til å	to make X, to get X to

Animals 2 6 · 2019-08-29 ^

Animals

You've already learned the names of some of the most common animals, and in this skill you'll get to familiarize yourself with some staples of the Norwegian fauna, such as rein, mus, and ugle, as well as some løver and elefanter that seem to have escaped from the zoo.

Mostly Harmless

Among the animals native to Norway, there are few that pose a real threat to humans. Sure, there are bears and wolves, but they're few and far between, and don't actually tend to attack unless provoked. You should probably be more wary of moose and cattle.

We have one venomous snake, huggorm (Vipera berus), which will only bite if it feels threatened. If you're bitten you should seek medical attention, but there's no need to panic; bites are seldom fatal, just painful and nauseating.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å bite	to bite
å hoppe	to jump
slapp av	relax
overalt	everywhere
en elg	a moose (US), an elk (UK)
en/ei ugle	an owl
en kanin	a rabbit
en slange	a snake
et kjæledyr	a pet
en/ei skilpadde	a turtle, a tortoise
en skog	a forest
et bur	a cage
en/ei ape	a monkey, an ape
en/ei løve	a lion
en hale	a tail
en maur	an ant
en elefant	an elephant

Demands and Requests 3 · 2022-02-04 ^

Saying Please

There are a number of ways to say please in Norwegian. Some go at the beginning of the sentence, while others are more comfortable at the very end of the sentence.

Note that vær så snill is a plea or request, while vennligst is more of a polite demand. You'll often see vennligst used on signs in stores, restaurants, and other public areas.

Norwegian	English	Placement
vær så snill (å)	please, be so kind as to	beginning
vær snill og	please, kindly	beginning
vennligst	please, kindly	beginning
takk	please, thanks	end
er du snill	please, if you please	end

The Imperative

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
eat	spise	spis
read	lese	les
be	være	vær

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
believe	tro	tro
take	ta	ta
have	ha	ha

English Verb	Norwegian Verb	Norwegian Command
open	åpne	åpne or åpn
trade	handle	handle or handl

Vocabulary
svar	answer, reply, respond
spør	ask
kom	come
hjelp	help
sett	put, place, set
vær så snill å	please
gå	walk, go
lukk	close, shut
slutt	stop, quit
vask	wash, clean
åpne	open
vennligst	please, kindly
følg	follow
møt	meet
vent	wait
hold	hold
forlat	leave, abandon
avbryt	interrupt
send	send
er du snill	please, if you please

Time 17 · 2021-06-13 ^

Time

Public transport in Norway tends to be pretty punctual as well. City buses may be late during rush hour, but trains and coaches are usually on time, as are ferries unless the weather's acting up.

Døgn

For ... Siden

When translating the English word ago, you need two words in Norwegian, for ... siden. You should place for in front of the time expression and siden after.

For fem år siden
Five years ago

Prepositions

Norwegian	English
i dag	today
i kveld	tonight
i morgen	tomorrow
i morgen tidlig	tomorrow morning
i går	yesterday
i år	this year
i fjor	last year

Wrestling With the Past

Your first encounter with the past tense will be made in this skill, in the form of var (was), hadde (had), and kom (came).

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å være	er	var	was
å ha	har	hadde	had
å komme	kommer	kom	came

Regular Past Tense Verbs

The majority of regular verbs end in either -te or -et, such as spiste and snakket, which mean ate and spoke, respectively.

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å spise	spiser	spiste	ate
å snakke	snakker	snakket	spoke

Some also end in -de or -dde.

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å prøve	prøver	prøvde	tried
å bo	bor	bodde	lived

Ordinal Numbers

With one notable exception, all adjectival ordinal numbers have the same spelling regardless of gender or number, ending in -e across the board.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en første stol	a first chair
	den første stolen	the first chair
Feminine	ei første bok	a first book
	den første boka	the first book
Neuter	et første bord	a first table
	det første bordet	the first table
Plural	første hus	first houses
	de første husene	the first houses

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
var	was
kom	came
hadde	had
fortsatt	still
i løpet av	in the course of, during
iblant	occasionally
lenger	anymore, any longer
i mellomtiden	in the meantime
siden	since
for ... siden	ago
inntil	until, up to
lenge	long
første	(the) first
neste	(the) next
siste	(the) last
klar	ready
rask	swift, quick
langsom	slow
et år	a year
et døgn	a day, a 24h period of time
et øyeblikk	a moment
en fest	a party
fortid (m/f)	past
nåtid (m/f)	present
fremtid (m/f)	future
en alder	an age
en bursdag	a birthday

Objects 15 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
selg (imperative)	sell
legg (imperative)	lay, put, place
mister	loses, drops
fyller	fills, turns
full	full
tom	empty
ekstra	extra

en mynt	a coin
en mobil	a mobile
en nøkkel	a key
en maskin	a machine
et kort	a card
en roman	a novel
en bit	a piece, a bit, a part
en/ei skål	a bowl
en ting	a thing
en kjele	a saucepan, a pot, a kettle
en/ei pakke	a package
søppel (f/m/n)	garbage, rubbish, trash
en paraply	an umbrella
et skap	a closet, a cabinet, a cupboard
et lokk	a lid
en tråd	a thread
en stein	a stone

The Home 7 · 2021-09-03 ^

Home, Sweet Home

Or hjem, kjære hjem, as it goes in Norwegian. Of course, it's difficult to make generalizations about people's homes, but don't think for a second that we're going to let that stop us from trying.

If you're Norwegian, chances are that you either live in a wooden house or in a condo building in one of the larger cities. Most households consist of either a single person or a small family; it's rare to see more than two generations living together.

For the past couple of decades, people have been very busy painting their walls white, which admittedly makes sense in a country with such dark winters. Scandinavian interior design tends to emphasize materials, wood in particular, and there's a certain minimalism to it.

Many Norwegian homes have a fireplace or an oven, to make sure everything's suitably koselig (cozy). What you won't see a lot of are wall-to-wall carpets; wooden floors with the odd rug is where it's at.

With Janteloven, the Law of Jante, still going strong, there aren't many huge or flashy houses around. Mansions are few and far between.

Mind Your Manners

When invited into someone's home, it's customary to take off your shoes as soon as you've made it inside the front door. Norwegians wear socks or slippers indoors.

If you're wearing a hat of some sort, you should leave that in the entryway with your coat and shoes as well, at least if you're visiting someone of the older generation.

So far, so good, right? From here on out, you should get by on basic courtesy, but do remember to thank your host for the food or drink if any is served. Leaving a dinner table without thanking the host or hostess for feeding you is tantamount to treason. It doesn't even matter if the food was bad - your manners have to be better.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å stryke	to iron
å låse	to lock
å rydde	to tidy (up)
å støvsuge	to vacuum
en peis	a fireplace
en/ei stue	a living room
en/ei eske	a box
et hjem	a home
en gang	a hallway, an entryway
et møbel	a piece of furniture
en/ei dørmatte	a doormat
en duk	a tablecloth
en sofa	a sofa, a couch
et teppe	a rug, a carpet
en/ei badstu	a sauna
en fjernkontroll	a remote control
et hull	a hole
en/ei hylle	a shelf
et kjøkken	a kitchen
en stikkontakt	a power socket
en fryser	a freezer
et loft	an attic
et tak	a roof, a ceiling
støv (n)	dust
en/ei trapp	a staircase
en etasje	a floor, a story, a storey
en kjeller	a cellar, a basement
en/ei leilighet	an apartment, a flat

*The vocabulary lists are not exhaustive. What you see listed are the main lexemes of each skill, but each lexeme can contain several forms of a word.

For example, a verb lexeme may contain all its conjugations, while a noun lexeme may contain all its declensions. Sometimes, a single lexeme may even comprise several word classes, provided they share the same root and translate predictably into English.

Compound Words 7 · 2020-11-29 ^

Compounds

Compound words are words built from at least two different elements, each with their own separate meaning. Together, they mean something new, but related. English has a few of these words, like "fireman", "starfish" and "windmill". It also has nouns that act like descriptors before other nouns, like "chocolate milk", "apple pie" and "grocery store".

Unlike the English phrases above, Norwegian compounds are almost always a single word, without the extra space. Just like in English, the final element in the compound is what conveys the true meaning of the word. Take the word teskje, which means teaspoon. Although it's a combination of two nouns, we recognize that the word refers to a type of spoon, and not a type of tea. In Norwegian, the word teskje behaves just like the word skje meaning spoon, simply with a te- prefix.

There are several ways to form compound nouns in Norwegian:

A noun is combined with a second noun.

te	skje	teskje
tea	spoon	teaspoon

A verb is combined with a noun.

lese	briller	lesebriller
read	glasses	reading glasses

A noun is combined with "s" and a second noun.

arbeid	s	plass	arbeidsplass
work		place	workplace

A noun is combined with "e" and a second noun.

hest	e	sko	hestesko
horse		shoe	horseshoe

Determining which way to form a compound noun is not intuitive, but there are some patterns. For example, animals, human or otherwise, will often combine with "e" to form a compound phrase, such as in the word "hestesko" above.

Compound nouns consisting of two or more nouns take on the gender of the last noun.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
en/ei teskje	a teaspoon
en/ei dagbok	a diary
en motorvei	a motorway, a highway, an expressway
en bilnøkkel	a car key
lesebriller (m)	reading glasses
en/ei stekepanne	a frying pan
en rullestol	a wheelchair
[compounds]	compounds with no combining letter
[s compounds]	compounds with "s" as a combining letter
arbeidstid (m/f)	working hours
en arbeidsgiver	an employer
en arbeidsplass	a workplace
et svømmebasseng	a swimming pool
[e compounds]	compounds with "e" as a combining letter
en hestesko	a horse shoe
en dyrehage	a zoo
en barnehage	a kindergarten
hundemat (m)	dog food

*The vocabulary lists are not exhaustive. What you see listed are the main lexemes of each skill, but each lexeme can contain several forms of a word.

Body Parts 5 · 2021-06-13 ^

Body Parts

When it comes to body parts, there are plenty of cognates to go around. Have a quick look at the vocabulary list at the bottom of the tips before you get started, and see how many of the Norwegian words resemble their English counterparts.

There are a few irregular nouns to watch out for as well: en tann, en tå, en hånd and en fot all get a vowel change in their plural forms. In the table below, you'll see their full declensions.

indefinite sl.	definite sl.	indefinite pl.	definite pl.
en tann	tannen	tenner	tennene
en tå	tåen	tær	tærne
en hånd	hånden	hender	hendene
en fot	foten	føtter	føttene

Implied Possessives

This is especially common when speaking about one's own body parts.

Vocabulary
blod (n)	blood
en/ei tå	a toe
en fot	a foot
et bein	a leg
en/ei arm	an arm
en/ei hånd	a hand
en finger	a finger
et øre	an ear
et hår	a hair
et hode	a head
et hjerte	a heart
en kropp	a body
et øye	an eye
en/ei tann	a tooth
en/ei nese	a nose
en munn	a mouth
et ansikt	a face
en/ei tunge	a tongue

*The vocabulary lists are not exhaustive. What you see listed are the main lexemes of each skill, but each lexeme can contain several forms of a word.

Bedroom 12 · 2019-08-29 ^

Getting Dressed

In the Clothing skill, you learned to use the reflexive phrasal verb å ha på seg for wearing - or having on - clothing.

In this skill, you will familiarize yourself with its two friends, å ta på seg and å ta av seg. These are also reflexive phrasal verbs, and follow the same pattern.

Norwegian	English
å ta på seg	to put on, to don
å ha på seg	to have on, to wear
å ta av seg	to take off, to doff

In case you wish to take this opportunity to revise the reflexive pronouns, we've provided a table below.

Norwegian	English
meg	myself
deg	yourself
seg	herself, himself, oneself, itself
oss	ourselves
dere	yourselves
seg	themselves

Keeping the Cold at Bay

If you live in a warmer part of the world, you may be accustomed to sleeping under just a thin quilt or blanket, but in Norway the duvet reigns supreme. The thicker the better, especially during those cold and dark winter nights.

A duvet is like a thick quilt, with either down or synthetic filling. We always put a removable duvet cover on them, which can be taken off and washed, removing the need for a top sheet.

The only time we don't rely on our trusty duvets is when we're out hiking. Then, we'll bring our extra warm soveposer, sleeping bags, instead.

A Sweet Dream or a Beautiful Nightmare

Just like in English, Norwegian makes a distinction between drømmer, which can refer to any type of dream, and mareritt, which specifically refers to nightmares.

En mare is a mare in the more sinister sense of the word, a malicious supernatural being, perhaps even a demon. This creature was traditionally thought to be riding the victim of a nightmare, and that's where the second half of the Norwegian word, ritt comes from.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å snorke	to snore
å drømme	to dream
å ta av seg	to take off
å ta på seg	to put on
å legge seg	to go to bed
å stå opp	to get up, to get out of bed
våken	awake
i søvne	in one's sleep
søvn (m)	sleep
en/ei pute	a pillow
en/ei dyne	a duvet, a doona
et laken	a bedsheet
en drøm	a dream
et mareritt	a nightmare
et soverom	a bedroom
en skuff	a drawer
en/ei/et gardin	a curtain
et klesskap	a closet (for clothing), a wardrobe
en kommode	a chest of drawers

Hygiene 8 · 2020-07-07 ^

Yes, You May Talk About Toilets

In English, you might ask someone to excuse you while you go to the bathroom, or even to powder your nose, but in Norwegian, we just say where we're actually going, på do or på toalettet.

On the topic of toilets, quite a few public toilets are actually unisex toilets. This might seem daunting to some, but you can relax. Norwegians will go about their business there just like they will on public transport: by making absolutely no eye contact and pretending you don't exist. You might as well be alone in the room!

Declining Compound Nouns

You've already learned quite a few compound nouns at this point in the course. In the Compounds skill, we looked at how they're formed, and now it's time to learn how they decline.

A compound noun will always take its cue from the last noun in the compound. That means that it takes on the grammatical gender of the last noun, and declines exactly as that noun would on its own.

So, et badekar declines like the monosyllabic neuter noun et kar, while en tanntråd declines like the masculine en tråd, and en/ei dagbok can follow either the masculine or the feminine declination just like en/ei bok.

Meanwhile, the first noun in the compound never changes. If you think about it, it works the same way in English: toothpaste doesn't become teethpastes in the plural!

indefinite sl.	definite sl.	indefinite pl.	definite pl.
et badekar	badekaret	badekar	badekarene
en tanntråd	tanntråden	tanntråder	tanntrådene
ei dagbok	dagboka	dagbøker	dagbøkene
en dagbok	dagboken	dagbøker	dagbøkene

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å pusse	to brush (one's teeth), to polish
å gre	to brush (one's hair)
å føne	to blow-dry
å vaske	to wash, to clean
å barbere	to shave
å bade	to bathe
å dusje	to shower
å tørke	to dry
fuktig	damp
en børste	a brush
en tanntråd	a dental floss
en tannkrem	a toothpaste
en tannbørste	a toothbrush
et bad	a bathroom
en balsam	a conditioner
en sjampo	a shampoo
en hårføner	a hairdryer
et skjegg	a beard
en vaskemaskin	a washing machine
en barberhøvel	a razor
en barbermaskin	an electric razor
en hud	a skin
en vask	a sink, a washbasin
en/ei såpe	a (bar of) soap
et toalett	a toilet
et toalettpapir	a toilet paper
en dusj	a shower
et badekar	a bathtub
et håndkle	a towel

The Farm 3 · 2022-02-04 ^

Vocabulary
å mate	to feed
å dyrke	to grow
på landet	in the country(side)
en/ei ku	a cow
en sau	a sheep
en gris	a pig
en gård	a farm
en bonde	a farmer
en låve	a barn
en/ei geit	a goat
en åker	a field
en potet	a potato
en/ei gulrot	a carrot

*The vocabulary lists are not exhaustive. What you see listed are the main lexemes of each skill, but each lexeme can contain several forms of a word.

Shopping 4 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
å bruke	to spend
kjøp	buy
passer	fits
stenger	closes
billig	inexpensive, cheap
kontant	(in) cash
til salgs	for sale
et salg	a sale
en/ei veske	a (hand)bag
en størrelse	a size
et prøverom	a fitting room, a changing room
en minibank	an ATM
et kjøpesenter	a shopping mall
en blomsterbutikk	a flower shop, a florist
en pris	a price
et gull	a gold
en regning	a bill, a check, an invoice
et kredittkort	a credit card
en/ei lommebok	a wallet

Marriage 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Vocabulary
forelsket	infatuated
gift	married
ekte- (prefix)	wedded, married
sviger- (prefix)	-in-law
et par	a couple
et løfte	a promise
et bryllup	a wedding
kjærlighet (m/f)	love
en ring	a ring
en/ei kone	a wife
et ekteskap	a marriage

Determiners 2 1 · 2019-05-16 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
dets	its
viss	certain
sånn	so, such, like this, like that, that way
enhver	any, anyone, everyone
enten ... eller	either ... or
få	few
eneste	(the) only
samme	(the) same
samtlige	all
slik	so, such, like this, like that, that way, thus
verken ... eller	neither ... nor

People 13 · 2020-05-09 ^

People

As in German, Norwegian has a few words that translate to the English word people. Below is a brief overview.

Norwegian	English
mennesker	most generic term
personer	emphasizes the individual
folk	emphasizes the collective

Honorifics

Titles such as "Mr", "Mrs" and "Miss" have almost completely gone out of use since the 1960s. We'll list them regardless, as you might see them on airline tickets and they are sometimes used in a joking manner, just as in English a husband may refer to his wife as "the missus".

Norwegian	English
Herr (Hr)	Mister (Mr)
Fru (Fr)	Mrs
Frøken (Frk)	Miss

Pupils used to refer to female teacher as "Frøken", but this has also gone out of use.

Herre also means Lord, so in Norway all men are lords. Perhaps it's only fair, with the word kvinne sharing the same root as queen.

All Ladies are Women, But...

Remember how the saying goes in English? Well, in Norwegian it's more like "All ladies are women, and all women are ladies too", because we don't have the same clear distinction between the words en/ei dame and en/ei kvinne.

Yes, en/ei dame can refer to a lady of noble birth or demeanor, but it can just as well be used to refer to women in general. Different dialects tend to prefer one word over the other, and use that almost exclusively.

Love, Just Not Too Strongly

You've already encountered the two verbs å elske and å være glad i, which both can translate to to love in English.

When referring to people, å elske is used sparingly. It's what you say to your significant other, and possibly your children, but it's not something to throw around lightly. Teenage girls tend to use it a little more broadly, but in general you don't want to overdo it.

The phrasal verb å være glad i can mean anything from I'm fond of you to I really, really love you. It can be said to your lover, your family, your friends, your dog, etc. It can carry as much weight as å elske, but it can also be closer to å like, to like, depending on the context.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å elske	to love
menneskelig	human, humane
hemmelig	secret
voksen	grown, grown-up, adult
sjenert	shy
personlig	personal
folk flest	most people
en eks	an ex
en herre	a gentleman, a lord, a master
en dame	a lady, a woman
en fiende	an enemy, a foe
en person	a person
et offer	a victim, a sacrifice
et forhold	a relationship
en skuespiller	an actor, an actress
en/ei befolkning	a population
allmennheten (m/f)	the (general) public
en prins	a prince
en viking	a Viking
en konge	a king
en tenåring	a teenager
en/ei dronning	a queen
en/ei prinsesse	a princess
en kronprins	a crown prince
en ungdom	a youth, a young person
et vennskap	a friendship
en pensjonist	a pensioner

Adverbs 2 7 · 2022-02-04 ^

Adverbs

In Norwegian, adverbs usually follow the verb.

Norwegian	English
Du snakker godt norsk!	You speak Norwegian well!

One exception is that adverbs of time often appear at the end of the sentence or clause.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.
Jeg har nå tid.	I now have time.
Nå har jeg tid.	Now I have time.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å gå an	to be possible
å legge an på	to hit on, to flirt with
ellers	else, otherwise
riktig	really, properly, correctly
faktisk	actually, in fact
derimot	on the other hand
i alle fall	at least
rett og slett	simply, plain and simple
plutselig	suddenly
knapt	barely
hittil	thus far, so far
tydelig	clearly, clear
straks	(very) soon, shortly, straight away
stadig	constantly, ever more, more and more
videre	further, on(ward)
samtidig	simultaneously, at the same time
altså	therefore, then
særlig	especially
likevel	still, after all
tidsnok	in time
fremover	forward, forth
temmelig	rather
på forhånd	in advance
vekk	away, gone
nylig	recently
derfor	therefore, why
engang	even
noensinne	ever
forresten	by the way
opprinnelig	originally

The Office 6 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å klippe	to cut (with scissors)
å sende	to send
å kopiere	to copy
en penn	a pen
et papir	a paper
en blyant	a pencil
en/ei mappe	a folder
et skrivebord	a desk
en/ei saks	a pair of scissors
en heis	an elevator, a lift
et batteri	a battery
et nettbrett	a tablet
en kopi	a copy
en skjerm	a screen, a monitor
en skriver	a printer
en rapport	a report
en kopimaskin	a copy machine, a xerox machine, a photocopier
en datamaskin	a computer
en teip	a tape
plast (m)	plastic
en e-post	an email
en linjal	a ruler
en binders	a paperclip
et viskelær	an eraser, a rubber
en/ei avdeling	a department

The Year 3 · 2020-05-09 ^

A Full Year of Cognates

In the table below, you'll find the twelve months of the year listed. Notice how they all share the same etymology as their English counterparts? That's right, this skill is going to be a breeze!

Keep in mind the RS sound in mars makes it sound like marsh. This RS letter combination creates an SH sound in the Norwegian language.

Norwegian	English
januar	January
februar	February
mars	March
april	April
mai	May
juni	June
juli	July
august	August
september	September
oktober	October
november	November
desember	December

For grammatical purposes, all of the months are treated as masculine nouns.

Two Types of Seasons

Preposition Use

As you already know, we use the preposition på when referring to days or times of day.

Norwegian	English
på mandag	on Monday
på morgenen	in the morning

Norwegian	English
i januar	in January, this January
i vinter	this winter
i uken	a week
i måneden	a month
i året	a year

If you're talking about something that isn't happening this winter in particular, but just generally happens in the wintertime, you would say om vinteren.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
i år	this year
januar	January
februar	February
en dato	a date
en vinter	a winter
en måned	a month
en kalender	a calendar
mars	March
april	April
mai	May
juni	June
juli	July
en vår	a spring
en sommer	a summer
august	August
september	September
oktober	October
november	November
desember	December
en høst	an autumn, a fall
en/ei årstid	a season, a time of year

Present 4 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Present

The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:

Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.

The present tense is also used in general statements that are independent of time:

Jorda er rund. The earth is round.

For things that repeat and that are still recurring:

Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.

The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:

Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.

Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).

The table below shows you how to do it:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present	English
1	-er	å vaske	vasker	wash(es), am/are/is washing
2	-er	å kjøre	kjører	drive(s), am/are/is driving
3	-r	å bo	bor	live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere)

There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
blir	becomes
klarer	is able, manages
inneholder	contains
ber	asks
antar	assumes, presumes
knuser	crushes, breaks, smashes
blander	mixes, blends
glemmer	forgets
fortsetter	continues
slår	beats, hits, strikes
håper	hopes
behøver	needs, requires
gjelder	pertains to, is about, is valid
skjærer	cuts, carves
forlater	leaves, abandons
orker	has the energy to/for
slipper	doesn't have to, is spared
sender	sends
stanser	stops, halts
handler	is about, acts
forteller	tells
tilbringer	spends (time)
overrasker	surprises
lite	little
som	that, which
fremfor	over
en/et/ei slags	a sort of, a kind of

Nature 7 · 2021-06-13 ^

Nature

Norwegians love being out in nature, and who can blame them? Wherever you turn, it's like you're in the middle of a beautiful landscape painting.

Allemannsretten

In Norway, everyone enjoys the right of access to uncultivated land in the countryside. Yes, that privilege extends to you as a tourist as well.

Of course, this means that it's also everyone's responsibility to show consideration to landowners and to respect nature. Littering in the city might earn you some angry glares, but littering in nature might just earn you a spot on someone's hit list. Whenever you leave the great outdoors, it should look as if you were never there.

Playing With Fire

In this skill, you'll learn the general term for fire as a concept and fire as a controlled resource, ild.

Later in the tree, you'll come to know two other terms for fire as well. There's en brann, which is an uncontrolled, destructive fire. Hopefully, you'll never need to, but the fire department's number is 110 in Norway.

You can also call 112 (police) or 113 (medical assistance), and they'll patch you through to the right department. 112 is actually a standard emergency number used throughout the EU states, so you might as well commit it to memory if you're planning to travel in Europe. Most mobile phones will now patch you through if you use 911 as well, so if you blank on the number, just call the one that comes to mind.

The third term for a fire is for bonfires specifically, et bål. Note that you may only make bonfires out in the woods between September 15. and April 15. This is a precaution against forest fires during the drier summer months.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å ødelegge	to destroy, to ruin, to break
å stige	to rise, to increase
å resirkulere	to recycle
å vokse	to grow, to increase
naturlig	natural
tørr	dry
et sted	somewhere
en/ei elv	a river
et hav	an ocean, a sea
en natur	a nature
et gress	a grass
en/ei plante	a plant
en himmel	a sky, a heaven
en is	an ice
et fjell	a mountain
en ild	a fire (general/controlled)
en røyk	a smoke
en vulkan	a volcano
en fjord	a fjord
en bølge	a wave
et landskap	a landscape, a scenery
et tre	a (type of) wood
en/ei luft	an air
et miljø	an environment
en ørken	a desert

Verb Endings 4 · 2019-08-29 ^

Special Endings

This Verb Looks Familiar...

Why Does This Verb End in S?

Norwegian	English
Jeg synes du er pen.	I think you are pretty. (Synes is used exclusively for personal opinions.)
Vi ses!	See you!
Du mislykkes.	You are failing.
Det føles forferdelig.	It feels terrible.

I Would Like...

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
fungerer	functions, works
passerer	passes
reparerer	repairs
respekterer	respects
presenterer	presents
ses	see (each other)
føles	feels
trives	is enjoying X, thrives
synes	thinks, is of the opinion
møtes	meet (each other)
mislykkes	fails
har lyst til	would like to, wants to
gifter seg	gets married
skynder seg	hurries
oppfører seg	behaves
forbereder seg	prepares
har lyst på	would like, wants
er i ferd med	is about to, is in the process of
spiser opp	eats up
går glipp av	misses out on
skriver under	signs
kommer an på	depends on

Simple Past 8 · 2021-06-13 ^

Simple Past

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å spise	spiser	spiste	ate
å snakke	snakker	snakket	spoke

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
å være	er	var	was
å ha	har	hadde	had
å drikke	drikker	drakk	drank
å finne	finner	fant	found
å ta	tar	tok	took
å le	ler	lo	laughed
å gi	gir	ga	gave

Notice how some of the irregular verb only get a vowel change in the past tense, with no added ending?

Watch out for two verbs in particular, å se and å si, as they are ridiculously easy to confuse in the past tense. Here they are in the present tense, as a review.

Norwegian	English
Jeg ser noe.	I see something.
Jeg sier noe.	I am saying something.

Norwegian	English
Jeg så noe.	I saw something.
Jeg sa noe.	I said something.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ga	gave
fikk	got, received
spiste	ate
kysset	kissed
brukte	used
trodde	thought
så	saw
tok	took
visste	knew
elsket	loved
snakket	spoke, talked
lo	laughed
gikk	walked, went
ville	wanted
lekte	played
skrev	wrote
kjøpte	bought
valgte	chose
sov	slept
fant	found
fylte	filled, turned
kjørte	drove
takket	thanked
gjorde	did
et minne	a memory

Transport 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
å kjøre	to drive
å hente	to pick up, to fetch
med	by
et tog	a train
en trikk	a tram
en buss	a bus
en/ei reise	a travel
en t-bane	an underground train, a subway, a metro
kollektivtrafikk (m)	public transport
en båt	a boat
et skip	a ship
en/ei ferge	a ferry
en avgang	a departure
en ankomst	an arrival
en holdeplass	a stop
et hjul	a wheel
en motor	a motor, an engine
et kjøretøy	a vehicle
en motorsykkel	a motorcycle

Numbers 11 · 2020-04-25 ^

Numbers

You already know how to count to ten, but with Norwegian prices being what they are, that's just not going to cut it. Best get to work!

Writing Numbers in Running Text

Since you're here to learn Norwegian, you should always be writing out the numbers rather than just using numerals (fem, not 5). That's the only way you're going to learn to spell and pronounce them.

However, once you feel comfortable with them and are starting to produce your own texts outside of Duolingo, it's good to know the general rules for representing numbers.

In running text, the whole numbers 1-12 are usually written out in letters. For the numbers 13 and up, you're free to use numerals.

Decimal numbers are always expressed using numerals. When numbers are small and whole, but precision is important, for example when taking measurements or writing a recipe, it's also customary to use numerals.

Number Reform

The Norwegian language has seen constant changes over the past century. There have been several language reforms, which we won't go into here, but pertinent to this skill topic is the number reform of 1951.

This reform changed how the numbers between 20 and 100 were said and written, which really is quite impressive if you think of it. While the reform was a moderate success, the old way of counting is still alive and well among the older generation and in certain dialects.

We will go a little more into details about what the reform entailed in the next numbers skill, but the relevant change for this skill is that the number 20 is no longer expressed as tyve in Bokmål, but exclusively as tjue.

Norwegian	English
Jeg snakker både norsk og engelsk.	I speak both Norwegian and English.
Jeg snakker begge språk.	I speak both languages.
Jeg snakker begge to.	I speak both.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å telle	to count
pluss	plus
minus	minus
all	all
et tall	a number
et null	a zero
en sum	a sum
et stykke	a piece, a part
en mengde	an amount
et (telefon)nummer	a (phone) number
elleve	eleven
tolv	twelve
tretten	thirteen
fjorten	fourteen
femten	fifteen
seksten	sixteen
sytten	seventeen
atten	eighteen
nitten	nineteen
tjue	twenty

Relative Pronouns 2 · 2019-04-22 ^

Vocabulary
der	where
hva	what
som	that, who
det (som)	what, that (which)

School 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å lære	to learn
å forklare	to explain
å stave	to spell
å gjenta	to repeat
å fortjene	to deserve
å skrive	to write
forklarer	explains
skjønner	understands, gets
lærte	learned
klarte	managed, was able to
hysj	hush, shh
interessert	interested
en elev	a pupil, a (young) student
en time	a class
en skole	a school
en/ei tavle	a (black)board
en/ei setning	a sentence
en skolegård	a schoolyard
et klasserom	a classroom
et fag	a subject
en sjanger	a genre
en/ei lekse	homework (plurale tantum)
geografi (m)	geography
en/ei prøve	a test, an exam
en/ei klasse	a class
en/ei ordbok	a dictionary

Prediction 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Prediction

One way to talk about the future in Norwegian, is to use kommer til with the infinitve of the verb. Kommer til is a bit hard to translate directly, but the closest equivalent would be going to. Sometimes, it can also be translated as will, but never as shall, as it does not carry that degree of control and certainty.

It is often used when making predictions about what is probably going to happen. In other words, often about things that you can't control.

Jeg tror at det kommer til å regne i morgen.
I think it is going to rain tomorrow.

Hun kommer nok ikke til å like gaven. She is probably not going to like the gift.

Vocabulary
å savne	to miss
å glemme	to forget
å ordne seg	to work (itself) out , to be okay
å trenge	to need, to require
å komme til å	to be going to

Hope 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Vocabulary
å leve	to live, to be alive
å forbedre	to improve
å be	to pray
håpte	hoped
ventet	waited
å glede seg	to look forward to
å forandre	to change, to alter
å skulle ønske	to wish
håpefull	hopeful, promising
et ønske	a wish
en sjanse	a chance
en/ei løsning	a solution
en begynnelse	a beginning, a start
en/ei due	a dove, a pigeon
en/ei tro	a faith, a belief
en/ei frihet	a freedom
et håp	a hope
en gud	a god
en engel	an angel
en tvil	a doubt
en fred	a peace
en illusjon	an illusion

Compare 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Traits & Comparisons

In this skill, you'll be getting a taste of how comparisons are formed in Norwegian.

For example:

god	bedre	best
good	better	best

Just like in English, there are two ways to form comparisons in Norwegian:

A special ending is added to the adjective.

kald	kaldere	kaldest
cold	colder	coldest

The word "more" or "most" is added, particularly for longer adjectives.

religiøs	mer religiøs	mest religiøs
religious	more religious	most religious

Be careful, though, since sometimes one language has a special ending where the other language does not.

viktig	viktigere	viktigst
important	more important	most important

Keep in mind that all these comparison adjectives still behave like adjectives. This means they'll usually take an -e ending in the definite or plural forms.

Boka er viktig.
Denne boka er viktigere.
Den boka er viktigst.
Det er den viktigste boka.

Vocabulary
å ligne	to resemble
å kalle	to call
kul	cool
lat	lazy
rolig	calm
stygg	ugly
typisk	typical
tålmodig	patient
lav	short, low
høy	tall, high
dum	dumb, stupid
smart	smart, clever, bright
utrolig	incredible
ekte	real, genuine, true
bedre	better
snillere	kinder, nicer
best	best
en egenskap	a trait, a characteristic
en/ei personlighet	a personality

Simple Past 2 6 · 2021-06-13 ^

Simple Past

Although there is no conjugation in the simple past, or anywhere in Norwegian, there are several irregular past forms, but they are similar to the ones that exist in English.

Norwegian	English
var	was, were
hadde	had
drakk	drank

Watch out for two verbs in particular, å se and å si, as they are ridiculously easy to confuse in the past tense. Here they are in the present tense, as a review.

Norwegian	English
Jeg ser noe.	I see something.
Jeg sier noe.	I am saying something.

Norwegian	English
Jeg så noe.	I saw something.
Jeg sa noe.	I said something.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
het	was named
døde	died
mistet	lost, dropped
tenkte	thought
bodde	lived, resided
betydde	meant, signified
så på	watched
holdt	held
virket	seemed
kjente	knew
solgte	sold
trengte	needed
forklarte	explained
lette	looked, searched
stolte	trusted
støttet	supported
betalte	paid
inneholdt	contained, held
oppførte seg	behaved
kunne	could
stengte	closed, shut
beholdt	kept
åpnet	opened
prøvde	tried, attempted, tested
dukket opp	turned up, appeared
så	then
i tide	in time
i fjor	last year

Order 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Ordinal Numbers

With one notable exception, all adjectival ordinal numbers have the same spelling regardless of gender or number. All but one of them have an -e ending.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en første stol	a first chair
	den første stolen	the first chair
Feminine	ei første bok	a first book
	den første boka	the first book
Neuter	et første bord	a first table
	det første bordet	the first table
Plural	første hus	first houses
	de første husene	the first houses

The one exception is annen, which we introduced in the Determiners chapter as meaning second or other. Watch how it operates below.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en annen stol	a second chair
	den andre stolen	the second chair
Feminine	ei anna bok	a second book
	den andre boka	the second book
Neuter	et annet bord	a second table
	det andre bordet	the second table
Plural	andre hus	second houses
	de andre husene	the second houses

Keep in mind that annet is pronounced like the British or Boston pronunciation of the word aunt. It can also mean else, as in noe annet or something else.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
andre	(the) second
tredje	(the) third
fjerde	(the) fourth
femte	(the) fifth
sjette	(the) sixth
sjuende	(the) seventh
åttende	(the) eight
niende	(the) ninth
tiende	(the) tenth
ellevte	(the) eleventh
tolvte	(the) twelfth
trettende	(the) thirteenth
fjortende	(the) fourteenth
femtende	(the) fifteenth
sekstende	(the) sixteenth
syttende	(the) seventeenth
attende	(the) eighteenth
nittende	(the) nineteenth
tjuende	(the) twentieth
forrige	(the) previous, (the) last
et århundre	a century
en rekkefølge	an order

The Nordic Countries 3 · 2021-09-03 ^

The Nordic Countries

The Nordic Countries, Norden, are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as well as their associated territories, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands. These countries share both cultural and linguistic heritage, and their inhabitants generally get along well.

Sure, there's plenty of teasing, svenskevitser, and sibling rivalry going around, but we don't call the Swedes söta bror (sweet brother) for nothing.

Scandinavia

There may be some confusion regarding the term Scandinavia in English, but in Norwegian Skandinavia refers unequivocally to the countries Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. No, this is not up for discussion.

These three nations have a long history of unions and messy breakups, but we seem to be in a good phase currently.

Capitalization

While the names of countries and regions are considered proper nouns and capitalized accordingly, the same does not hold true for the corresponding languages, adjectives, and demonyms.

Country/Region	Language	Adjective	Demonym
Danmark	dansk	dansk	en danske
Island	islandsk	islandsk	en islending
Finland	finsk	finsk	en finne
Norden	-	nordisk	en nordboer
Norge	norsk	norsk	en nordmann
Skandinavia	-	skandinavisk	en skandinav

Vocabulary
dansk	Danish
svensk	Swedish
skandinavisk	Scandinavian
finsk	Finnish
nordisk	Nordic
Sverige	Sweden
Danmark	Denmark
Skandinavia	Scandinavia
Island	Iceland
Finland	Finland
snø (m)	snow
en rein	a reindeer
en/ei lue	a beanie, a winter hat, a toque
en vott	a mitten
et troll	a troll
en/ei stavkirke	a stave church
en brunost	a brown cheese, a brunost
en ostehøvel	a cheese slicer

The Pharmacy 3 · 2021-03-18 ^

Vocabulary
å kaste opp	to throw up, to vomit
å blø	to bleed
å være forkjølet	to have a cold
å ha vondt	to be in pain
å klø	to itch, to scratch
å hoste	to cough
syk	sick, ill, unwell
vond	painful
frisk	healthy, well, fresh
smittsom	contagious
en feber	a fever
et apotek	a pharmacy
et alternativ	an alternative
et sår	a wound, a sore
et plaster	a band-aid, a (sticking) plaster
et vitamin	a vitamin
et symptom	a symptom
en hoste	a cough
en resept	a prescription
en eksem	an eczema
et legemiddel	a medication
en fuktighetskrem	a moisturizer

Shapes 5 · 2020-03-23 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
flat	flat
rund	round
en/ei linje	a line
en form	a form, a shape
en sirkel	a circle
en vinkel	an angle
et kvadrat	a square
en/ei kurve	a curve
et hjørne	a corner
en/ei innside	an inside
en trekant	a triangle
en dimensjon	a dimension
et midtpunkt	a midpoint, a center
en kant	an edge
en bunn	a bottom
en topp	a top
en meter	a meter
en/ei høyde	a height
en/ei lengde	a length

Travel 4 · 2021-09-03 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å besøke	to visit
å fly	to fly
viste	showed, displayed
bort	away
øst	east
vest	west
sør	south
nord	north
utenlands	abroad
internasjonal	international
fremmed	foreign, alien, strange
en/ei reise	a trip, a travel
en region	a region
en koffert	a suitcase
en/ei verden	a world
en ryggsekk	a backpack, a rucksack
et kontinent	a continent
en/ei gjestfrihet	a hospitality
utland (n)	abroad
en/ei retning	a direction
en aksent	an accent
en kontakt	a contact

Small Talk 5 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
dro	left, went
likte	liked
møtte	met
spurte	asked
svarte	responded
presenterte	presented, introduced
ba	asked
antok	assumed
ringte	called
sa	said
traff	met, hit
hørte	heard
forsto	understood
skjedde	happened, occurred, took place
da	then
i sted	earlier, a little while ago
etterpå	afterwards
nettopp	just, just now, exactly
i går	yesterday
i morges	this morning
sist	last, last time
deretter	thereafter, afterwards
en samtale	a conversation
et problem	a problem
et vær	a weather
et rykte	a rumor
et tema	a topic, a subject, a theme

Europe 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

The words for most countries and nationalities are very similar to their English equivalents, with a few notable exceptions, as shown below.

Norwegian	Etymology	English
Tyskland	Deutschland	Germany
Østerrike	Österreich	Austria
Frankrike	Frankarîki	France
Hellas	Ελλάς	Greece

In addition, several more countries' names end in -ia in Norwegian than they do in English.

Norwegian	English
Tyrkia	Turkey
Spania	Spain
Italia	Italy
Storbritannia	the UK, Great Britain

Nationalities are not that straightforward, but a base of the country name are usually found in the nationality, with the exception of "a Greek, from Greece", en greker, fra Hellas.

If the nationality adjective ends in -sk one special rule applies, it will not become -skt for neuter nouns.

En norsk mann, ei norsk dame, et norsk barn, flere norske personer.

Vocabulary
tysk	German
europeisk	European
britisk	British
engelsk	English
Europa	Europe
Sveits	Switzerland
Tyskland	Germany
Nederland	the Netherlands
Polen	Poland
Russland	Russia
Østerrike	Austria
Storbritannia	the UK, Great Britain
Italia	Italia
Hellas	Greece
Spania	Spain
Portugal	Portugal
en kultur	a culture
en/ei pølse	a sausage
en union	a union
en oliven	an olive
en skikk	a custom

Abstract Objects 8 · 2021-06-13 ^

Abstract Nouns

One can often recognize an abstract noun through one of several endings. Below is a sampling of them.

Ending	Grammar Notes	Example
-ing	usually feminine	regjering government
-het	usually feminine	kjærlighet love
-sjon	usually masculine	versjon version
-else	usually masculine	beskrivelse description
-tet	usually masculine	aktivitet activity
-skap	usually neuter	vennskap friendship

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
en sort	a sort, a kind, a variety
en/ei liste	a list
en måte	a way, a manner
et signal	a signal
en grunn	a reason
en beskrivelse	a description
en type	a type
en regel	a rule
et tilfelle	a case, an occurrence
en versjon	a version
et innhold	a content
en kategori	a category
en del	a piece, a part
et sett	a set
et råd	a piece of advice
et resultat	a result, an outcome
en forskjell	a difference
en/ei blanding	a blend, a mix, a mixture
et utgangspunkt	a point of origin, a beginning
et lys	a light
en slutt	an end
en utsikt	a view
et mørke	a darkness, a dark
en stemme	a voice

Education 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
å jukse	to cheat
å misforstå	to misunderstand
å oversette	to translate
å påstå	to claim, to allege, to say
å undervise	to teach, to instruct
(til) tross (for)	in spite of, despite
ifølge	according to
et kurs	a course, a class
et notat	a note
et essay	an essay
en studie	a study
en diskusjon	a discussion
en/ei forklaring	an explanation
et eksempel	an example
en idé	an idea
en karakter	a grade, a mark
en vanske	a difficulty
en/ei oppgave	an exercise, a task
en kalkulator	a calculator
et mål	a goal, a target
en professor	a (full) professor
et universitet	a university
en/ei forelesning	a lecture
en presentasjon	a presentation
en/ei side	a page
kunnskap (m)	knowledge
et dokument	a document
en romkamerat	a roommate

Simple Past 3 4 · 2021-09-03 ^

Simple Past

Although there is no conjugation in the simple past, or anywhere in Norwegian, there are several irregular past forms, but they are similar to the ones that exist in English.

Norwegian	English
var	was, were
hadde	had
drakk	drank

Watch out for two verbs in particular, å se and å si, as they are ridiculously easy to confuse in the past tense. Here they are in the present tense, as a review.

Norwegian	English
Jeg ser noe.	I see something.
Jeg sier noe.	I am saying something.

Norwegian	English
Jeg så noe.	I saw something.
Jeg sa noe.	I said something.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lå	lay (intransitive)
sto	stood
satt	sat (intransitive)
laget	made
hang	hung (intransitive)
husket	remembered
begynte	begun, started
la	laid (transitive)
satte	sat, placed, put (transitive)
hjalp	helped
levde	lived
glemte	forgot
hengte	hung (transitive)
bestemte	decided
ble	became
fløy	flew
leide	rented
føltes	felt
tørket	dried
sluttet	stopped, quit, ceased
forsøkte	tried
lot	let, allowed, permitted
falt	fell
rakk	was enough
fulgte	followed
pleide	used to
fantes	was, existed
spilte	played
havnet	ended up

Reactions 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Vocabulary
å motstå	to resist
å reagere	to react
å skremme	to scare
å fornærme	to insult
å bry	to care, to bother
å tilgi	to forgive
å gråte	to cry
å krangle	to argue, to fight
å kaste	to throw
å angre	to regret
å hate	to hate
å bryte	to break
å nøle	to hesitate
å riste	to shake
au	ouch, ow
for	what, such
fryktelig	terribly, awfully
nervøs	nervous
lei	tired
fornøyd	content, pleased
vellykket	successful
sur	sour, grumpy
merkelig	peculiar
forståelig	understandable
en/ei sorg	a sorrow
en frykt	a fear
en tåre	a tear
en/ei glede	a joy, a happiness
et smil	a smile
en/ei forventning	an expectation
gråt (m)	crying
en latter	a laughter
en effekt	an effect
en/ei endring	a change, an alteration
en reaksjon	a reaction

Numbers 2 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Ordinal Numbers

With one notable exception, all adjectival ordinal numbers have the same spelling regardless of gender or number. All but one of them have an -e ending.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en første stol	a first chair
	den første stolen	the first chair
Feminine	ei første bok	a first book
	den første boka	the first book
Neuter	et første bord	a first table
	det første bordet	the first table
Plural	første hus	first houses
	de første husene	the first houses

The one exception is annen, which we introduced in the Determiners chapter as meaning second or other. Watch how it operates below.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en annen stol	a second chair
	den andre stolen	the second chair
Feminine	ei anna bok	a second book
	den andre boka	the second book
Neuter	et annet bord	a second table
	det andre bordet	the second table
Plural	andre hus	second houses
	de andre husene	the second houses

Keep in mind that annet is pronounced like the British or Boston pronunciation of the word aunt. It can also mean else, as in noe annet or something else.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
andre	(the) second
tredje	(the) third
fjerde	(the) fourth
femte	(the) fifth
sjette	(the) sixth
sjuende	(the) seventh
åttende	(the) eight
niende	(the) ninth
tiende	(the) tenth
ellevte	(the) eleventh
tolvte	(the) twelfth
trettende	(the) thirteenth
fjortende	(the) fourteenth
femtende	(the) fifteenth
sekstende	(the) sixteenth
syttende	(the) seventeenth
attende	(the) eighteenth
nittende	(the) nineteenth
tjuende	(the) twentieth
forrige	(the) previous, (the) last
et århundre	a century
en rekkefølge	an order

Computers 5 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å installere	to install
å oppdatere	to update
å lukke	to close
å slette	to delete
å klikke	to click
å slå på	to turn on, to switch on
å lagre	to save
å slå av	to turn off, to switch off
å trykke	to press, to push
tilgjengelig	accessible, available
en/ei fil	a file
en bruker	a user
en/ei utgave	a version, an edition
et tastatur	a keyboard
et program	a program
en konto	an account
et uhell	an accident
en/ei innstilling	a setting
hodetelefoner (m)	headphones
programmering (m/f)	programming

The News 4 · 2020-06-17 ^

Vocabulary
leste	read
reddet	saved, rescued
å spre (seg)	to spread
å påvirke	to influence, to impact, to affect
kritisk	critical
hovedsakelig	mainly
en krig	a war
en/ei nyhet	a piece of news
en debatt	a debate
en politiker	a politician
en konflikt	a conflict
en president	a president
en/ei krise	a crisis
en/ei sak	a case, a matter
en/ei kilde	a source
en/ei mening	an opinion
en journalist	a journalist
en informasjon	a piece of information
et klima	a climate
en artikkel	an article
en kanal	a channel
en/ei presse	a press
en situasjon	a situation

Nightlife 5 · 2020-06-17 ^

The Other Feminine Ending

By now, you're well aware that Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender, and also that grammatical gender is unrelated to biological gender.

However, certain nouns, the majority of which are professions, do have an optional feminine ending which takes its cue from biological gender.

We teach very few of the feminine versions in the course, as they're quickly disappearing from contemporary Norwegian in favor of their neutral (previously masculine) counterparts. In this skill, you will learn one that is still common, *en/ei venninne, the word for a female friend - a girl friend, just not in the romantic sense.

The "-inne" ending present in "venninne" is one you will recognize in other word pairs with the option to differentiate based on biological gender, a few of which have been listed below. The split is still observed for titles of nobility, but becoming obsolete for profession titles.

Neutral/Male	Female	English
bestyrer	bestyrerinne	manager
beundrer	beundrerinne	admirer
gud	gudinne*	god/godess
greve	grevinne**	count/countess
hertug	hertuginne**	duke/duchess
keiser	keiserinne**	emperor/empress
maler	malerinne	painter
sanger	sangerinne	singer/songstress
skuespiller	skuespillerinne	actor/actress

*still common
**still observed

The ending persists through all declensions of the noun:

Indef. Sing.	Def. Sing.	Indef. Plur.	Def. Plur.
en venninne	venninnen	venninner	venninnene
ei venninne	venninna	venninner	venninnene

Vocabulary
drakk	drank
smilte	smiled
sang	sang
danset	danced
å flørte	to flirt
full	drunk
bakfull	hung over
en kø	a queue, a line
en bar	a bar
alkohol (m)	alcohol
en fyr	a guy, a fellow
en klubb	a club
en drink	a drink
en taxi	a taxi, a cab
en konsert	a concert
en/ei venninne	a girlfriend, a female friend
en hamburger	a hamburger
en bartender	a bartender

Verbs 1 · 2019-05-16 ^

Vocabulary
å eie	to own
å låne	to borrow
å følge	to accompany
å bytte	to change, to exchange, to swap
å starte	to start, to begin
å passe	to fit, to suit
å vekke	to wake up
å forstå	to understand
å rulle	to roll
å gjette	to guess
å bygge	to build
å kunne	to be able, to know
å stoppe	to stop, to quit, to cease, to halt
å få til	to make (something happen)
å kjenne igjen	to recognize
å bære	to carry
å legge	to lay
å tvinge	to force
å forlate	to abandon, to leave
å advare	to warn
å stjele	to steal
å utsette	to postpone
å tømme	to empty
å dytte	to push
å forbli	to remain, to stay
å spille	to play
å stå på spill	to be at stake
å oppleve	to experience
å gjemme	to hide
å anbefale	to recommend
å være nødt til	to have to, to need to, to be required to

Comparison 4 · 2019-08-29 ^

Comparison

For example:

god	bedre	best
good	better	best

Just like in English, there are two ways to form comparisons in Norwegian:

A special ending is added to the adjective.

kald	kaldere	kaldest
cold	colder	coldest

The word "more" or "most" is added, particularly for longer adjectives.

religiøs	mer religiøs	mest religiøs
religious	more religious	most religious

Be careful, though, since sometimes one language has a special ending where the other language does not.

viktig	viktigere	viktigst
important	more important	most important

Keep in mind that all these comparison adjectives still behave like adjectives. This means they'll usually take an -e ending in the definite or plural forms.

Boka er viktig.
Denne boka er viktigere.
Den boka er viktigst.
Det er den viktigste boka.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lignet	resembled, was alike
mer	more
enda	even
jo ... jo ...	the [comparative] the [comparative]
like	alike, similar
yngre	younger
større	bigger
lettere	lighter
varmere	warmer
færre	fewer
nyere	newer
lengre	longer
mindre	smaller
kaldere	colder
verre	worse
eldre	older, elder
penere	prettier
tidligere	earlier, previously
-ere	comparative suffix

Verbs: Present Perfect 3 · 2019-08-06 ^

Present Perfect

Present perfect is used to talk about the past when the time is uncertain.

Jeg har bodd i Oslo.
I have lived in Oslo.

It is also used to talk about actions or states that started in the past, that have not completed and that stretch into the present and/or the future.

Jeg har bodd her i tre år.
I have lived here for three years.

Finally, it is used when talking about the future when one action ends before another begins.

Når jeg har spist, skal jeg ringe deg.
When I have eaten, I will call you.

What we have to do to express present perfect in Norwegian, is to create a form of the verb, called the past participle. Then we combine this with the present form of ha, which is har.

Du har vasket hendene. (You have washed your hands.)
De har kjørt bil. (They have driven a car.)
Hun har levd lenge. (She has lived a long time.)
Jeg har solgt henne en avis. (I have sold her a newspaper.)
Jeg har bodd i et hus i Oslo. (I have lived in a house in Oslo.)

This probably looks complicated, and to be perfectly honest, it is. There are three different basic ways to construct present perfect in Norwegian, and they look like this:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present Perfect	English Translation
1	-et/-a	å vaske	har vasket/vaska	have washed
2	-t	å kjøre	har kjørt	have driven
	-d	å leve	har levd	have lived (as in being alive)
3	-dd	å bo	har bodd	have lived (as in making one's home somewhere

Group 1

This group is easy which is good since most of the verbs in Norwegian belong to it. The past participle is the same as the simple past.

Group 2

This is the other big group. The past participle is formed by adding a -t. If the stem ends in v, g or a diphthong (ai, au, ei, oi, øy) we use a -d.

Group 3

In this group we find single syllable words such as tro, så, nå, bry og spå. They get the ending -dd or -tt such as ha.

Keep in mind when forming the present perfect that there are no built-in progressive forms in Norwegian. The present perfect covers both the progressive and non-progressive meanings of the verb.

Norwegian	Eng. Non-Progressive	Eng. Progressive
Jeg har lest boken.	I have read the book.	I have been reading the book.
Han har spist for mye.	He has eaten too much.	He has been eating too much.

All the difficulties aside, good luck learning the Norwegian present perfect skill!

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
har	have
tatt	taken
fått	received
hatt	had
blitt	become
hørt	heard
gitt	given
lest	read
sett	seen
ringt	called, phoned, ringed
spist	eaten
dratt	gone, left
bodd	lived, resided
gått	walked, gone
sagt	said
vært	been
gjort	gone
sendt	sent
begynt	begun, started
skrevet	written
satt	set, put, placed
spurt	asked
ligget	lain
mistet	lost, dropped
stengt	closed, shut
snakket	talked, spoken
kommet	come

Passive Voice 5 · 2019-08-29 ^

The Passive Voice

There are two ways to form the passive voice in Norwegian:

Norwegian	English
Eplet blir spist.	The apple is eaten.

The other way to form the passive is with an -s ending on a verb. This method is more abstract, more formal, and more likely to appear in written texts.

Norwegian	English
Eplet spises.	The apple is eaten.

Either passive form can be combined with future constructions (and the bli-form with past constructions) to change the tense of the passive verb.

Norwegian	English
Eplet ble spist.	The apple was eaten.
Eplet skal bli spist.	The apple will be eaten.
Eplet skal spises.	The apple will be eaten.

Vocabulary
å bli	to be
å flyttes	to be moved
å velges	to be chosen
å brukes	to be used
å stoppes	to be stopped
å repareres	to be repaired
å ses	to be seen
å leses	to be read
å kalles	to be called
å bygges	to be built
-s	passive suffix
av	by
ranet	robbed
tegnet	drawn
påkjørt	run over, hit (by a vehicle)
stoppet	stopped
skadet	hurt, harmed, injured
fjernet	removed
mottatt	received
erstattet	replaced
behandlet	treated

Adjectives 2 7 · 2019-08-29 ^

Adjectives

The Indefinite Form

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En stol er stor.	A chair is big.
Feminine	Ei bok er stor.	A book is big.

So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Neuter	Et bord er stort.	A table is big.
Plural	Hus er store.	Houses are big.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en stor stol	a big chair
Feminine	ei stor bok	a big book
Neuter	et stort bord	a big table
Plural	store hus	big houses

Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.

Norwegian	English
et viktig brev	an important letter
et norsk hus	a Norwegian house

We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!

Norwegian	English
viktige brev	important letters
norske hus	Norwegian houses

The Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

Norwegian	English
Det franske akademi	The French Academy
Det hvite hus	The White House

Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
lur	clever
sann	true
kjent	famous, (well-)known
klar	clear
forsiktig	careful
død	dead
stille	silent
gyldig	valid
ordentlig	proper
sjelden	rare, uncommon
nødvendig	necessary
gal	crazy
flink	good (at something)
mett	full, satiated
skarp	sharp
rotete	messy, untidy
populær	popular
våt	wet
myk	soft
vant	used (to something)
tørst	thirsty
ryddig	tidy
favoritt	favorite
u-	assorted negative adjectives

The World 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Nations & Nationalities

The words for most countries and nationalities are very similar to their English equivalents, with a few notable exceptions, as shown below.

Norwegian	Etymology	English
Tyskland	Deutschland	Germany
Østerrike	Österreich	Austria
Frankrike	Frankarîki	France
Hellas	Ελλάς	Greece

In addition, several more countries' names end in -ia in Norwegian than they do in English.

Norwegian	English
Tyrkia	Turkey
Spania	Spain
Italia	Italy
Storbritannia	Great Britain

Nationalities are not that straightforward, but a base of the country name are usually found in the nationality, with the exception of "a Greek, from Greece", en greker, fra Hellas.

If the nationality adjective ends in -sk one special rule applies, it will not become -skt for neuter nouns.

En norsk mann, ei norsk dame, et norsk barn, flere norske personer.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
forent	united
Tyrkia	Turkey
Israel	Israel
Egypt	Egypt
Palestina	Palestine
Sør-Afrika	South Africa
Saudi-Arabia	Saudi Arabia
Asia	Asia
Iran	Iran
Kina	China
India	India
Japan	Japan
Korea	Korea
Brasil	Brazil
Canada	Canada
Mexico	Mexico
Amerika	America, USA
[city names]	A selection of capital cities
en stat	a state
mais (m)	corn, maize
en pyramide	a pyramid
en vårrull	a spring roll
et krydder	a spice, a seasoning

Employment 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å søke	to apply
å tjene	to earn, to serve
å forfremme	to promote
jobbet	worked
midlertidig	temporary
arbeidsledig	unemployed
komplisert	complicated
et byrå	a bureau
en vikar	a temporary worker
en referanse	a reference
en/et CV	a CV, a résumé
en evne	an ability
en søker	an applicant
en attest	a letter of recommendation
et forslag	a suggestion
en søknad	an application
et intervju	an interview
en ordre	an order, a command
en pause	a pause, a break
en/ei stilling	a position

Contrast 3 · 2021-09-03 ^

Comparison

For example:

god	bedre	best
good	better	best

Just like in English, there are two ways to form comparisons in Norwegian:

A special ending is added to the adjective.

kald	kaldere	kaldest
cold	colder	coldest

The word "more" or "most" is added, particularly for longer adjectives.

religiøs	mer religiøs	mest religiøs
religious	more religious	most religious

Be careful, though, since sometimes one language has a special ending where the other language does not.

viktig	viktigere	viktigst
important	more important	most important

Keep in mind that all these comparison adjectives still behave like adjectives. This means they'll usually take an -e ending in the definite or plural forms.

Boka er viktig.
Denne boka er viktigere.
Den boka er viktigst.
Det er den viktigste boka.

Vocabulary
å sammenligne	to compare
aller	(the) very (superlative adjective)
nest	(the) second (superlative adjective)
forholdsvis	relatively
ulik	unlike, different
størst	biggest, largest
færrest	fewest
varmest	warmest, hottest
-est	-est, most (superlative suffix)
flest	most (countable nouns)
minst	least
penest	prettiest
kaldest	coldest
eldst	oldest, eldest
yngst	youngest
fremst	foremost, in the front
annerledes	different
en/ei sammenligning	a comparison

Present Perfect 2 4 · 2020-03-25 ^

Present Perfect

Present perfect is used to talk about the past when the time is uncertain.

Jeg har bodd i Oslo.
I have lived in Oslo.

It is also used to talk about actions or states that started in the past, that have not completed and that stretch into the present and/or the future.

Jeg har bodd her i tre år.
I have lived here for three years.

Finally, it is used when talking about the future when one action ends before another begins.

Når jeg har spist, skal jeg ringe deg.
When I have eaten, I will call you.

What we have to do to express present perfect in Norwegian, is to create a form of the verb, called the past participle. Then we combine this with the present form of ha, which is har.

Du har vasket hendene. (You have washed your hands.)
De har kjørt bil. (They have driven a car.)
Hun har levd lenge. (She has lived a long time.)
Jeg har solgt henne en avis. (I have sold her a newspaper.)
Jeg har bodd i et hus i Oslo. (I have lived in a house in Oslo.)

This probably looks complicated, and to be perfectly honest, it is. There are three different basic ways to construct present perfect in Norwegian, and they look like this:

Group	Suffix	Infinitive	Present Perfect	English Translation
1	-et/-a	å vaske	har vasket/vaska	have washed
2	-t	å kjøre	har kjørt	have driven
	-d	å leve	har levd	have lived (as in being alive)
3	-dd	å bo	har bodd	have lived (as in making one's home somewhere

Group 1

This group is easy which is good since most of the verbs in Norwegian belong to it. The past participle is the same as the simple past.

Group 2

This is the other big group. The past participle is formed by adding a -t. If the stem ends in v, g or a diphthong (ai, au, ei, oi, øy) we use a -d.

Group 3

In this group we find single syllable words such as tro, så, nå, bry og spå. They get the ending -dd or -tt such as ha.

Keep in mind when forming the present perfect that there are no built-in progressive forms in Norwegian. The present perfect covers both the progressive and non-progressive meanings of the verb.

Norwegian	Eng. Non-Progressive	Eng. Progressive
Jeg har lest boken.	I have read the book.	I have been reading the book.
Han har spist for mye.	He has eaten too much.	He has been eating too much.

All the difficulties aside, good luck learning the Norwegian present perfect skill!

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
sittet	sat
laget	made
tenkt	thought
smakt	tasted
truffet	met, hit
forsøkt	tried, attempted
lagt	laid
stått	stood
fulgt	followed
kjøpt	bought
betalt	paid
forlatt	left, abandoned
valgt	chosen
villet	wanted
hengt	hung, hanged
fortalt	told, said
hoppet	jumped
tvunget	forced
solgt	sold
tillatt	permitted, allowed
åpnet	opened
bestilt	ordered
skjedd	happened, occurred
stanset	stopped, halted
presentert	presented
stilt	put, set, placed, asked
kjent	known
burde	should
antatt	assumed, presumed
sluttet	quit, stopped, ceased
vasket	washed, cleaned
drukket	drunk

The Garden 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Vocabulary (Tree 4)
å vanne	to water
å plante	to plant
å plukke	to pick
å så	to sow
moden	ripe
en/ei bie	a bee
et bær	a berry
en/ei rose	a rose
en kompost	a compost
et blomsterbed	a flowerbed
et frø	a seed
en port	a gate
en busk	a bush
en spade	a shovel
en gartner	a gardener
et bringebær	a raspberry
en/ei urt	an herb
en bukett	a bouquet
et drivhus	a greenhouse
en basilikum	a basil
en sommerfugl	a butterfly

Presence 1 · 2019-03-12 ^

Adjectives of Presence

The adjective ending -full is used to indicate the presence of a quality or thing. It's a component of words like smakfull, tasty, håpefull, hopeful, and verdifull, valuable.

It has a direct equivalent in the English -ful, but as you can see from the examples above, it doesn't always translate that way.

Vocabulary
betydningsfull	meaningful
hatefull	hateful
smakfull	tasty
verdifull	valuable
håpefull	hopeful
talentfull	talented
smertefull	painful

Industry 4 · 2021-06-13 ^

Oljeeventyret

Oljeeventyret, literally the petroleum fairy tale, is a word used to describe how we struck oil and the fairy-tale-like effect it had on what was then a country still rebuilding its economy after wartime. 1969, the year when the first oil well was found in Norwegian territory, is but a generation ago.

Important Industries

While it's been in decline for a few years already, the oil and gas industry is still Norway's most lucrative industry by far. Another important industry is the fishing industry, closely followed by the metal industry. All told, a little over 230,000 people work in the industry sector. Not a huge number, at less than 10% of the country's total workforce, but the value created is substantial.

Vocabulary (Tree 4)
bygger	build
produserer	produce
arbeidet	worked
å øke	to increase
å utvikle	to develop
elektrisk	electric, electrical
automatisk	automatic
fornybar	renewable
et metall	a metal
en fabrikk	a factory, a plant
en ressurs	a resource
en industri	an industry
en arbeider	a worker
en energi	an energy
et produkt	a product
et kraftverk	a power plant
en leverandør	a supplier
en fase	a phase
et system	a system
en prosess	a process

Thought 5 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å illustrere	to illustrate
å lyve	to lie
å foreslå	to suggest
å oppfinne	to invent
å ombestemme seg	to change one's mind
å tåle	to tolerate, to bear, to put up with
å late som	to pretend
å våkne	to wake up

utenkelig	unthinkable
omtenksom	considerate
mystisk	mysterious, mystical
uvitende	ignorant
en tanke	a thought
et minne	a memory
en/ei mening	a meaning
en verdi	a value
en årsak	a reason
en/ei mulighet	an opportunity
en forståelse	an understanding
et formål	a purpose
en/ei enighet	an agreement
et samhold	a unity, a togetherness, a camaraderie
en fremgang	a step forward, a success
en/ei beslutning	a decision
et emne	a topic, a subject
en hjerne	a brain
en opplysning	a piece of information

Theater 2 · 2019-09-04 ^

Vocabulary
kreativ	creative
dramatisk	dramatic
latterlig	ridiculous
morsom	funny
en scene	a stage, a scene
et teater	a theater
en tragedie	a tragedy
et skuespill	a play
en dramatiker	a dramatist, a playwright
underholdning (m/f)	entertainment
oppmerksomhet (m/f)	attention
en kino	a cinema, a movie theater
en/ei rolle	a role
et drama	a drama
en regissør	a director
en vits	a joke
en humor	a humor
en komiker	a comedian, a comedienne
en komedie	a comedy

The Museum 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Vocabulary
å samle	to collect
å høre til	to belong
historisk	historic, historical
original	original
klassisk	classical, classic
middelalderen	the Middle Ages
vikingtiden	the Viking Age
en samling	a collection
et museum	a museum
en gjenstand	an object
en opprinnelse	an origin, a source
en vakt	a guard
en statue	a statue
et galleri	a gallery
et maleri	a painting
en/ei utstilling	an exhibition
et kunstverk	an artwork, a work of art
en arkeolog	an archaeologist
en original	an original
et armbånd	a bracelet
en vase	a vase

Amounts 6 · 2021-06-13 ^

Amounts

Since the words relating to numbers and amounts are often confused, we've compiled a small list for you:

tall = the generic word for (cardinal) numbers
siffer = digit, not the kind you have on your hands
antall = number of something; quantity of countable noun
mengde = an amount of something; a quantity of an uncountable noun,
nummer = used for a number in an order, and for identification numbers, phone numbers, etc.
ordenstall = ordinal number with ordinal ending

Context Examples

Hva er yndlingstallet ditt?
What is your favorite number?

Tallet hadde fem siffer.
The number had five digits.
It was a five-digit number.

Et firesifret tall
A four-digit number

Et stort antall studenter
A large number of students

Antallet må økes.
The number must be increased.

Nedbørsmengden er stabil.
The amount of precipitation is stable.

Han er nummer fire.
He is number four.

Husnummeret vårt er 86.
Our house number is 86.

Vi trenger ditt fødselsnummer.
We need your social security number.

Hun kom på fjerdeplass.
She came in fourth place.

"Fjerde" er et ordenstall.
"Fourth" is an ordinal number.

Large Numbers

There are a couple of things to pay attention to when expressing large numbers. Firstly, when translating "five million" or "eight billion" to Norwegian, you need to use the plural: fem millioner and åtte milliarder respectively.

Another thing to note, is that a comma is used to separate decimals in Norwegian, 5.2 becomes 5,2. So, if you're looking to make large numerals more easily readable, you need to use spacing for that instead.

Norwegian	10^X	Numeral
million	10^6	1 000 000
milliard	10^9	1 000 000 000
billion	10^12	1 000 000 000 000
billiard	10^15	1 000 000 000 000 000

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å begrense	to limit
å gjenstå	to remain
å legge til	to add
å trekke fra	to subtract
per	per
delvis	partially, in part
hundrevis	hundreds
tusenvis	thousands
halv	half
dobbel	double
verdt	worth
halvveis	halfway
til sammen	in total
et antall	a number (of something)
en million	a million
en milliard	a billion
et flertall	a majority
en halvpart	a half
et mindretall	a minority
et gjennomsnitt	an average
en rest	a rest, a leftover, a remainder

Children 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Vocabulary
å adoptere	to adopt
å krype	to crawl
å sovne	to fall asleep
å ta vare på	to take care of, to look after
lekt	played
sovet	slept
Xåring	X-year-old
gravid	pregnant
det var en gang	once upon a time
en bleie	a diaper
en/ei barnevogn	a baby carriage/stroller/buggy/pram
et lam	a lamb
en leke	a toy
en valp	a puppy
en kattunge	a kitten
en/ei dokke	a doll
en/ei barnebok	a children's book

Modal Verbs 2 · 2020-12-04 ^

Modal Verbs

Below are four modals from previous lessons:

Norwegian	English
kan	can, be able to
vil	want to, will (willing to)
må	have to, need to, must
la	let, allow

And here are the new modals introduced in this chapter:

Norwegian	English
skal	shall, will (regardless of willingness)
bør	should, ought to
får	may, get to, be allowed to
tør	dare to

All of the modal verbs above also have forms in the simple past, as shown below:

Norwegian	English
kunne	could, was able to
ville	wanted to, was going to (willing to)
måtte	had to, needed to
skulle	should, was going to (regardless of willingness)
burde	should have, ought to have
fikk	got to, was allowed to
lot	let, allowed
turte	dared to

One of These Verbs Is Not Like the Other...

The first rule of Modal Club is that a modal is followed by a bare infinitive, i.e. an infinitive without the infinitive marker "å".

Jeg vil danse.
Hun må dra.
Vi skal gifte oss.

However, the verb tør is the exception to that rule. The infinitive marker is optional following tør.

Han tør ikke (å) bli med.

Verbs: Past Perfect 3 · 2019-08-29 ^

Past Perfect (aka Pluperfect)

The challenge is to know when to use it. The past perfect is used to talk things that happened before some other thing in the past.

Da jeg hadde spist, gikk jeg på skolen.
When I had eaten, I went to school.

The past perfect is also used in indirect speech, when someone said something about the past in the past. That sounds confusing, but hopefully the following example will help:

Hun sa at hun hadde gått på skolen.
She said that she had gone to school.

Du sa at du hadde vasket hendene. (You said that you had washed your hands.)
Hun visste at de hadde kjørt bil. (She knew that they had driven a car.)
Da hun døde, hadde hun levd lenge. (When she died, she had lived for a long time.)
Da jeg hadde solgt henne en avis, gikk hun. (When I had sold her a newspaper, she left.)
Før det hadde jeg bodd i Oslo. (Before that, I had lived in Oslo.)

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
hadde	had
gått	walked, gone
hørt	heard
ringt	called
kommet	come
gitt	given
tatt	taken
klart	managed, been able to
skåret	cut, carved
funnet	found
skrevet	written
visst	known
levd	lived
dødd	died
trodd	believed
glemt	forgot, forgotten
oppdaget	discovered

Philosophy 4 · 2019-08-29 ^

Philosophy

Livsløgn

Philosophy is not a science for the faint of heart.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å diskutere	to discuss
å innse	to realize
å misbruke	to abuse
å lure	to wonder, to trick
klok	wise
ærlig	honest
fornuftig	reasonable
vis	wise (a little more profoundly than "klok")
ærlig talt	honestly
en teori	a theory
en filosofi	a philosophy
en erfaring	an experience
en/ei løgn	a lie
en filosof	a philosopher
en fornuft	a reason, a common sense
en/ei sannhet	a truth
en eksistens	an existence
menneskeheten (m/f)	humanity
en/ei makt	a power, a might
et faktum	a fact
en/ei virkelighet	a reality
en/ei samvittighet	a conscience
en vilje	a will
et sinn	a mind
en kraft	a power
en bevissthet	a consciousness

Verbs Review 12 · 2019-08-29 ^

What is Verbs Review?

Verbs Review is a set of action words using all the constructions and tenses introduced thus far. It is a grammatical review for the intermediate learner.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
da	then
den	the one, (impersonal) he
under	during, in
uten at	without (that)
noen gang	ever
på grunn av	because of, due to
å snu	to turn around
å treffe	to meet, to hit
å skifte	to change
å kjenne	to know, to feel, to be familiar with
å innføre	to introduce, to put into place, to import
å erstatte	to replace
å like	to like
å anta	to assume, to presume
å tillate	to allow, to permit
å sjekke	to check
å unngå	to avoid
å avbryte	to interrupt
å forvente	to expect
å lytte	to listen
å vare	to last
å spare	to save
å godta	to accept
å bevege (seg)	to move
å mangle	to lack, to miss
å senke	to lower
å dekke	to cover, to deck
å blande	to blend, to mix
å forberede	to prepare
å distrahere	to distract
å inneholde	to contain
å gjøre ferdig	to finish, to complete

Space 4 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å utforske	to explore
å etablere	to establish
å lyse	to illuminate, to light (up)
ytre	outer
uendelig	endless, neverending
utenomjordisk	alien, extraterrestrial
enorm	enormous
beboelig	habitable
et univers	a universe
en galakse	a galazy
en bane	an orbit
en satellitt	a satellite
et teleskop	a telescope
et solsystem	a solar system
astronomi (m)	astronomy
tyngdekraft (m/f)	gravity
verdensrommet	space
et romskip	a spaceship
en astronaut	an astronaut
et mysterium	a mystery
en romstasjon	a space station
en base	a base

Destiny 7 · 2020-11-07 ^

Destiny

Welcome to what's arguably the gloomiest skill of the Norwegian course. Whether you're looking to acquire a mild depression or a full-blown existential crisis, we've got you covered!

Jokes aside, there's probably a reason the term Nordic noir exists. It's cold, dark, and inhospitable here for half of the year, and when you haven't seen the sun for two months, you might be forgiven if you start pondering the meaning of life. Norwegians are also an earnest people; we don't like to sugarcoat things, and darker subjects are less of a taboo around these parts than in many other western countries.

Suicide Prevention

Each year, between 500 and 600 people commit suicide in Norway. That's between 500 and 600 people too many.

Never be afraid to reach out, neither for help nor to help.

The suicide hotlines listed are open 24/7 and can be called free of charge from Norway. In case of emergency, you can also call 113 for immediate medical assistance.

Organization	Phone Number
Mental Helse	(+47) 116 123
Kirkens SOS	(+47) 22 40 00 40

To Kill a Mocking Bird, To Murder a Man

In English, a distinction is made between to kill and to murder. A similar distinction can be made in Norwegian, but it's not as strict.

Å drepe is the general word for to kill. It can be used for killing animals, for accidental human deaths, but also for premeditated murder.

Å myrde is the equivalent to to murder, only used for premeditated or intentional murder of another human being.

The corresponding nouns are et drap and et mord. Unless you're dealing with a compound that requires one or the other, you can't go wrong when using å drepe or et drap, as these cover the entire spectrum.

Vocabulary (Tree 4)

Norwegian	English
å drepe	to kill
å lide	to suffer
å bringe	to bring
å begrave	to bury
å våge	to dare
å sørge	to mourn
å ende	to end
å avslutte	to finish, to close, to conclude
evig	eternal
endelig	final
tilfeldig	random
lykkelig	happy
heldig	lucky, fortunate
en/ei ære	an honour
en ende	an end
en død	a death
en/ei grav	a grave
et drap	a kill, a murder
en skjebne	a destiny, a fate
et selvmord	a suicide
et tap	a loss
en/ei sjel	a soul
en begravelse	a funeral
en skatt	a treasure
en/ei lykke	a luck, a happiness
en tilfeldighet	a coincidence

Passive Voice 2 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

The Passive Voice

There are two ways to form the passive voice in Norwegian.

Norwegian	English
Eplet blir spist.	The apple is eaten.

The other way to form the passive is with an -s ending on a verb. This method is more abstract, more formal, and more likely to appear in written texts.

Norwegian	English
Eplet spises.	The apple is eaten.

Either passive form can be combined with future constructions (and the bli-form with past constructions) to change the tense of the passive verb.

Norwegian	English
Eplet ble spist.	The apple was eaten.
Eplet skal bli spist.	The apple will be eaten.
Eplet skal spises.	The apple will be eaten.

Vocabulary
å økes	to be increased
å elskes	to be loved
å nektes	to be denied
å trykkes	to be printed
å kritiseres	to be criticized
[s]	assorted passive verbs
født	born
elsket	loved
avhørt	questioned
trykket	printed
produsert	produced

Future 3 · 2019-08-29 ^

Future

Let's talk about the future. There are three different ways to express future in Norwegian.

The Present Tense

The present tense can be used to talk about the future, especially when it is certain. To make sure it is about the future we include some adverb specifying the time. For example:

Jeg reiser i morgen.

I am leaving tomorrow.

Although the same kind of constructions exist in English they are a bit more common in casual Norwegian.

Skal & Vil

Jeg skal ta eksamen til våren.

I shall take the examination this spring.

Det vil snø i fjellet.

It will snow in the mountains.

This construction can be used "modally" as well to express desire and obligation.

Du skal gjøre leksene dine først.

You shall do your homework first.

Jeg vil ikke gå!

I do not want to go!

Kommer til

Jeg tror at det kommer til å regne i morgen.

I think it is going to rain tomorrow.

Hun kommer nok ikke til å like gaven.

She is probably not going to like the gift.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
skal	shall, am going to
vil	will, am going to
å følge	to follow
å bestille	to order
å skynde seg	to hurry
å skje	to happen
å lete	to search, to look
å henge	to hang
å fungere	to work, to function
å hvile	to rest
å gifte (seg)	to marry, to get married
å slutte	to stop, to quit
å oppnå	to achieve
å påvirke	to influence, to impact, to affect
å invitere	to invite
overmorgen	the day after tomorrow
en/ei stund	a while

Sports 7 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
vant	won
tapte	lost
å delta	to participate, to take part
å sparke	to kick
å dykke	to dive
et lag	a team
en idrett	a sport
en spiller	a player
en vinner	a winner
en kamp	a match, a fight
en trener	a coach, a trainer
volleyball (m)	volleyball
basketball (m)	basketball
golf (m)	golf
tennis (m)	tennis
ishockey (m)	ice hockey
en bane	a field, a pitch, a track
en/ei turnering	a tournament
en deltager	a participant
en/ei ski	a ski
et løp	a race
et steg	a step
en verdensmester	a world champion

Exercise 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Vocabulary
svømt	swum
løp	ran
å trene	to exercise, to train, to work out
å svette	to sweat
å løfte	to lift
å tøye	to stretch
aktiv	active
svett	sweaty
sterk	strong
sliten	tired
svak	weak
en aktivitet	an activity
trening (m/f)	exercise, training
en garderobe	a locker room
et treningssenter	a gym
styrke (m)	strength
en øvelse	an exercise
en muskel	a muscle

Weather 4 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
regnet	rained
å blåse	to blow
å varsle	to forecast
å skinne	to shine
å snø	to snow
mild	mild
ekstrem	extreme
solbrent	sunburned
glatt	slippery, smooth
en sky	a cloud
en vind	a wind
et regn	a rain
en regnbue	a rainbow
kulde (m/f)	cold
varme (m)	warmth
et værvarsel	a weather forecast
et termometer	a thermometer
en meteorolog	a meteorologist
et lyn	a lightning
hagl (n)	hail
en/ei tåke	a fog
nedbør (m)	precipitation
et uvær	a storm, a bad weather
en torden	a thunder
en frost	a frost
en/ei tørke	a drought
en/ei hetebølge	a heatwave
en temperatur	a temperature
en istapp	an icicle
et snøskred	an avalanche
en snøstorm	a snow storm

Games 4 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å slå	to beat
å tape	to lose
vunnet	won
å beseire	to defeat, to beat
å trekke	to pull, to draw
å nå	to reach
en tur	a turn, a go
et nivå	a level
flaks (m)	luck
en terning	a die
sjakk	chess
et kortspill	a card game
et brettspill	a board game
en alv	an elf
en dverg	a dwarf
et skjold	a shield
et oppdrag	a quest, a task
et videospill	a video game
en/ei belønning	a reward
en/ei øks	an axe
en bue	a bow
et sverd	a sword
en ridder	a knight
et rollespill	a role-playing game
en trollmann	a vizard

Literature 3 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å rime	to rhyme
å beskrive	to describe
norrøn	(Old) Norse
uleselig	illegible, unreadable
et sitat	a quote
en serie	a series
en tittel	a title
en litteratur	a literature
en bestselger	a bestseller
en helt	a hero
en figur	a figure, a character
en/ei myte	a myth
en skurk	a villain, an antagonist, a bad guy
en/ei fortelling	a story, a tale
et dikt	a poem
en/ei gåte	a riddle
en leser	a reader
en/ei novelle	a short story
en tegneserie	a comic
en tekst	a text
en kritikk	a criticism, a critique, a review
en dialog	a dialogue
et kapittel	a chapter
en hovedkarakter	a main character

Abstract Objects 2 6 · 2021-09-03 ^

Abstract Nouns

One can often recognize an abstract noun through one of several endings. Below is a sampling of them.

Ending	Grammar Notes	Example
-ing	usually feminine	regjering government
-het	usually feminine	kjærlighet love
-sjon	usually masculine	versjon version
-else	usually masculine	beskrivelse description
-tet	usually masculine	aktivitet activity
-skap	usually neuter	vennskap friendship

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
en	one, you (indefinite pronoun)
en fordel	an advantage, a plus
et tillegg	an addition
en hensikt	an intention
en respekt	a respect
en/ei ulempe	a disadvantage, a drawback, a minus
en bevegelse	a movement
en innflytelse	an influence
et unntak	an exception
en orden	an order
en mangel	a lack, a shortage, a shortcoming
en/ei handling	an act, an action
en interesse	an interest
en konsekvens	a consequence
en hemmelighet	a secret
en/ei plikt	a duty
en hendelse	a happening, an occurrence
en oppførsel	a behavior, a conduct
en/ei utfordring	a challenge
en påminnelse	a reminder
en overraskelse	a surprise
en ro	a calm
tilgang (m)	access
et forsøk	an attempt
en skygge	a shadow
en/ei taushet	a silence
en/ei svakhet	a weakness
et hensyn	a consideration
en opplevelse	an experience

Religion 5 · 2021-06-13 ^

Religion

Norway is a country with an interesting religious history. It is a society that was Christianized relatively late in comparison to the rest of Western Europe, beginning in the 11th century with the martyrdom of St. Olaf.

Along with Denmark, Sweden, and large swaths of Northern Germany, Lutheranism became the state religion of Norway in the first half of the 16th century, and most Norwegians remain nominally Lutheran to this day.

Even though Lutheranism dominates Norwegian religious history, most Norwegians are somewhat if not entirely secular, with a sizable percentage of the population subscribing to atheism or agnosticism. The unaffiliated make up the second largest religious group after Lutheran Protestants.

Islam and Roman Catholicism each are practiced by about 2.5% of the Norwegian population. There are many houses of worship for these religions and for several smaller communities as well, including from the Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Bahá'í, and Jewish religious traditions.

Capitalization

Yep, you guessed it, we don't capitalize religions either, nor are the adjectives derived from them capitalized.

Norwegian	English
kristendom	Christianity
en kristen	a Christian
kristen	Christian

Gud will be capitalized when referring directly to God in the Abrahamic religions, such as in passages of the Bible or Quran, as it's then used as a proper noun, a name. However, gud should not be capitalized when referring to gods in general or to god as a concept.

The Other Feminine Ending

By now, you're well aware that Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender, and also that grammatical gender is unrelated to biological gender.

However, certain nouns, typically profession names, do have an optional feminine ending which takes its cue from biological gender.

We teach very few of the feminine versions in the course, as they're quickly disappearing from contemporary Norwegian in favour of their neutral (previously masculine) counterparts. In this skill, you get to learn one of the few pairs whose gendered forms still stand strong: "gud" (gender neutral, previously reserved for male deities) and "gudinne" (strictly for female deities).

The "-inne" ending present in "gudinne" is one you will recognise in other word pairs with the option to differentiate based on biological gender, and we will list a few below. The split is still observed for titles of nobility, but becoming obsolete for profession titles.

bestyrer - bestyrerinne
beundrer - beundrerinne
gud - gudinne (still common)
greve - grevinne (still observed)
hertug - hertuginne (still observed)
keiser - keiserinne (still observed)
maler - malerinne
sanger - sangerinne
skuespiller - skuespillerinne
venn - venninne (still common)

The ending persists through all declensions of the noun:

en sangerinne - sangerinnen - sangerinner - sangerinnene

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
Tor	Thor
Odin	Odin
Frøya	Freyja
hellig	holy
jødisk	Jewish
religiøs	religious
muslimsk	Muslim
hinduistisk	Hindu
buddhistisk	Buddhist
kristen	Christian
katolsk	Catholic
protestantisk	Protestant
åndelig	spiritual
ateistisk	atheist
en/ei bønn	a prayer
et tempel	a temple
en religion	a religion
en/ei gudinne	a goddess
en moské	a mosque
en synagoge	a synagogue
en pave	a pope
en synd	a sin
et helvete	a hell
en kirkegård	a graveyard, a churchyard
en djevel	a devil
en mytologi	a mythology

Music 7 · 2019-08-29 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å øve	to practice
å inspirere	to inspire
å begeistre	to thrill, to excite, to enthuse
å imponere	to impress
sunget	sung
musikalsk	musical
en lyd	a sound
en fiolin	a violin
et instrument	an instrument
en/ei fløyte	a flute
en sanger	a singer
en/ei tromme	a drum
et publikum	an audience
et verk	a piece, a work, an opus
et bidrag	a contribution
en melodi	a melody
en rytme	a rhythm
et vers	a verse
et refreng	a refrain
en komponist	a composer
en sal	a hall
en symfoni	a symphony
et orkester	an orchestra
et volum	a volume
en tilhører	a listener
en musiker	a musician
en/ei begeistring	an excitement, an enthusiasm
[assorted genres]	jazz, rock, opera, funk, blues...

Emergency 6 · 2019-08-29 ^

Emergency

Fire!

You've already learned the general term for fire as a concept and a controlled resource, ild

In this skill, you'll be learning en brann, which is an uncontrolled, destructive fire. Hopefully, you'll never need to, but the fire department's number is 110 in Norway.

Police!

As mentioned above, the police department emergency number is 112. Norwegian police officers do not carry firearms outside of severe crisis situations, and police brutality is almost unheard of, so you should never be afraid to seek help or make contact.

Medical Assistance!

Should you ever need urgent medical assistance while in Norway, the emergency number is 113. As much as we'd love for you to practice your Norwegian, you can absolutely switch to English when making an emergency call, if that's more comfortable for you.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å rope	to yell
å brenne	to burn
å brekke	to break (in two)
å krasje	to crash, to collide
galt	wrong
svimmel	dizzy
en nød	an emergency, a (dire) need
en/ei hjelp	a help
en skade	an injury, a damage
en/ei bremse	a brake
en/ei ulykke	an accident
en sykebil	an ambulance
et sykehus	a hospital
en brann	a fire
en kontroll	a control
en brannbil	a fire engine, a fire truck
en nødutgang	an emergency exit
et lik	a corpse
en fare	a danger
et behov	a need
en katastrofe	a catastrophe
et jordskjelv	an earthquake
et hjerneslag	a stroke
en omstendighet	a circumstance

Art 5 · 2020-05-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å skape	to create
å tegne	to draw
å male	to paint
kunstig	artificial, fake
talentfull	talented
briljant	brilliant
kunstnerisk	artistic
en kunst	an art
en kunstner	an artist
håndverk (n)	handiwork, crafts
en tusj	a marker
en prikk	a dot
en/ei tegning	a drawing
et mønster	a pattern
en detalj	a detail
en pensel	a paint brush
et design	a design
et geni	a genius
en dans	a dance
en/ei maling	a paint
et kamera	a camera
en/ei ramme	a frame
en bakgrunn	a background

Politics 8 · 2021-06-13 ^

Politics

Parliamentary Parties of Norway

The following is a list of parties that are currently represented in the Storting, also called the Norwegian Parliament.

Norwegian	English	Ideology
Arbeiderpartiet	Labour Party	Social Democracy
Høyre	Conservative Party (lit. Right)	Liberal Conservatism
Fremskrittspartiet	Progress Party	Right-Wing Populism
Kristelig Folkeparti	Christian Democratic Party	Christian Democracy
Senterpartiet	Centre Party	Centrism
Venstre	Liberal Party (lit. Left)	Social Liberalism
Sosialistisk Venstreparti	Socialist Left Party	Democratic Socialism
Miljøpartiet De Grønne	Green Party	Green Politics
Rødt	Communist Party (lit. Red)	Marxism & Socialism

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å fatte	to get, to make (a decision)
å bidra	to contribute
å representere	to represent
å føre	to lead
å samarbeide	to cooperate, to collaborate
å styre	to steer, to govern
å forsvare	to defend
å planlegge	to plan
politisk	political
ansvarlig	responsible
en tale	a speech
et parti	a party
et valg	an election
en stemme	a vote
et samfunn	a community
en motstander	an opponent
en streik	a strike
en strategi	a strategy
et fremskritt	a progress
et hat	a hate
et mangfold	a diversity
en nasjon	a nation
politikk (m)	politics

Health 10 · 2021-06-13 ^

Implied Possessives

This is especially common when speaking about one's own body parts

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å nyse	to sneeze
å spytte	to spit
å kutte	to cut
å svelge	to swallow
å puste	to breathe
å reise seg	to stand up, to get up, to rise
døv	deaf
blind	blind
tykk	thick, fat
sunn	healthy
tynn	thin, skinny
fysisk	physical, physically
en hals	a throat, a neck (front)
en/ei helse	a health
en tannlege	a dentist
et syn	a sight, a vision
et kne	a knee
en/ei linse	a (contact) lens
en pasient	a patient
en sykepleier	a nurse
en mage	a belly, a stomach
en rygg	a back
en operasjon	an operation
en menstruasjon	a period, a menstruation

Media & Communication 6 · 2019-12-24 ^

Mixed Messages

In this course, you will learn no less than three different nouns that translate to a message. Hopefully, this brief overview will help nuance their usage for you.

Et budskap is the actual message you're trying to communicate - the point you want to get across. For example, a film might seemingly be about a budding romance in 18th century France, but the message the director is trying to get across could be deeper and more universal. Perhaps the film is really about how we project our own insecurities onto others?

En beskjed is the more mundane sort of message. On a train, you may hear Dette er en beskjed til alle passasjerer, this is a message/notice for all passengers, over the calling system. It can also be written down, on a post-it note you leave for your spouse on the kitchen counter, for example. Å gi beskjed is to give notice - to let someone know.

En melding holds more or less the same meaning as en beskjed, but it's also the word we use specifically for text messages. Send meg en melding"means text me.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å bekrefte	to confirm
å fylle	to fill
å motta	to receive
å foregå	to be going on, to be happening, to take place
å gjelde	to pertain to, to deal with, to be a matter of
å høres	to sound
å fjerne	to remove
å abonnere	to subscribe
kontroversiell	controversial
et søk	a search
et medium	a medium
en tilstand	a condition
en talsperson	a spokesperson
en post	a post
et skjema	a form
en beskjed	a message
et frimerke	a postage stamp
en/ei underskrift	a signature
et postkort	a postcard
en/ei postkasse	a mailbox
et postkontor	a post office
en lytter	a listener
en plakat	a poster
en kommentar	a comment
en kjendis	a celebrity
et inntrykk	an impression
en/ei melding	a message
et blad	a magazine
en/ei spalte	a column
en reklame	an advertisement, a commercial
en brosjyre	a brochure
en/ei tekstmelding	a text message

Illness and Injury 10 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å gro	to heal, to grow
å hovne	to swell
å røyke	to smoke
å slite	to suffer, to struggle
å forårsake	to cause
å besvime	to pass out, to faint
sårbar	vulnerable
kvalm	nauseous, sick
smittsom	contagious, catching
brukket	broken
smertefull	painful
giftig	poisonous, venomous, toxic
dødelig	deadly, lethal
skadelig	harmful
psykisk	mental, psychological
kronisk	chronic
en sykdom	a disease, an illness
en smerte	a pain
et blåmerke	a bruise
en kur	a cure, a remedy
en kreft	a cancer
en/ei behandling	a treatment
en/ei gift	a poison, a venom, a toxin
en/ei motgift	an antidote
en medisin	a medicine
et rusmiddel	a drug, a narcotic, an intoxicant
en angst	an anxiety, an angst
en lidelse	an illness, a suffering
en/ei bedring	an improvement
en depresjon	a depression
en infeksjon	an infection
et virus	a virus
en bakterie	a bacterium
et hjerteinfarkt	a heart attack

Government 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
å stemme	to vote
Stortinget	the Norwegian Parliament
en/ei regjering	a government
en/ei styreform	a form of government
et demokrati	a democracy
en statsminister	a prime minister
en leder	a leader
en kandidat	a candidate
et diktatur	a dictatorship
en diktator	a dictator
en republikk	a republic
et kongerike	a kingdom
et parlament	a parliament
en myndighet	an authority
en/ei grunnlov	a constitution

Online 2 · 2019-09-01 ^

Optional Latin Plurals

Some Norwegian words of Latin root have optional plural endings, much like in English. An example from this skill is et forum, a forum, which becomes either fora, fora, or foraer, forums in the indefinite plural.

The table below shows the three possible declension patterns for the word. Note the bolded forms which retain the Latin plural -a.

Indefinite Sing.	Definite Sing.	Indefinite Plur.	Definite Plur.
et forum	forumet	forumer	foruma
et forum	forumet	forumer	forumene
et forum	forumet	fora	foraene

Vocabulary
å logge	to log
å laste ned	to download
å redigere	to edit
å kommentere	to comment
et passord	a password
en blogg	a blog
et forum	a forum
en/ei nettside	a website
en/ei nettadresse	an internet address, a URL
en profil	a profile
en/ei lenke	a link
et vedlegg	an attachment
et innlegg	a post, an entry
et nettverk	a network
en nettleser	a browser
en søkemotor	a search engine
en/ei dekning	a coverage, a reception

Measurements 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
å måle	to measure
å veie	to weigh
omtrent	around, roughly
overfladisk	superficial
et mål	a measurement
en avstand	a distance
en/ei hastighet	a speed
et kilo	a kilo
en/ei vekt	a weight
en masse	a mass
en/ei overflate	a surface
en grad	a degree
en dybde	a depth
en bredde	a width, a breadth
en/ei virkning	an effect, an influence, an impact
en centimeter	a centimeter

Conflict 4 · 2021-09-03 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å kreve	to demand
å kjempe	to fight, to battle, to struggle
å falle	to fall
å hindre	to hinder, to prevent, to obstruct
å skyte	to shoot
å herske	to rule
å nekte	to deny
å bombe	to bomb
å beskytte	to protect
å spionere	to spy
å undertrykke	to oppress
å frigjøre	to liberate
å angripe	to attack
å invadere	to invade
å gjennomføre	to carry out, to go through with, to implement
i hjel	to death
modig	brave
kynisk	cynical
motsatt	opposite
et våpen	a weapon
sikkerhet (m/f)	security, safety
en hær	an army
en seier	a victory
en soldat	a soldier
en hevn	a revenge
en kriger	a warrior
et gevær	a rifle
et skytevåpen	a firearm
en flyktning	a refugee
en borgerkrig	a civil war
en revolusjon	a revolution

Law 5 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å dømme	to judge
å anklage	to accuse
å mistenke	to suspect
å grunnlegge	to found
å skjule	to hide
å innrømme	to admit
å få/ha lov til	to be allowed, to have permission
i etterkant av	after, in the wake of
ulovlig	illegal
selvstendig	independent
uskyldig	innocent
troverdig	credible, believable
en lov	a law
en/ei rettighet	a right
en dommer	a judge
en/ei skyld	a blame, a guilt
en trussel	a threat
en rett	a right
et bevis	a proof, a piece of evidence
en tillatelse	a permission
en dom	a verdict, a judgement
en domstol	a court
en/ei unnskyldning	an apology
en/ei straff	a punishment
et vitne	a witness

Present Participles 3 · 2019-08-30 ^

Present Participles

Present participles are adjectives and adverbs that end in -ing in English and -ende in Norwegian. Remember: these are adjectives and adverbs, not verbs. As such, they describe nouns and verbs.

Present participles never change spelling in Norwegian. They always end in -ende. Remember that the D is silent, so the ending sounds like eneh.

Norwegian	English
døende fisk	dying fish
en gående mann	a walking man
den sovende babyen	the sleeping baby
han snakker flytende	he speaks fluently

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
levende	living
sittende	sitting
liggende	lying
forvirrende	confusing
svømmende	swimming
overraskende	surprisng
døende	dying
løpende	running
sovende	sleeping
nåværende	current
kommende	coming, -to-be
underholdende	entertaining
flytende	fluent, fluently, in flux
lignende	similar
snakkende	talking
avgjørende	decisive, crucial
gjenværende	remaining
imponderende	impressive
givende	giving, rewarding, fruitful
passende	suitable, fitting, apt
utelukkende	exclusively
tilsynelatende	seemingly, apparently
deprimerende	depressing

Science 4 · 2020-06-18 ^

Vocabulary	Tree 4
å utvikle	to develop
å teste	to test
å undersøke	to examine, to research
å bestå	to consist of, to comprise
å oppdage	to discover
effektiv	effective, efficient
en ekspert	an expert
en forsker	a scientist, a researcher
en vitenskap	a science
en teknologi	a technology
matematikk (m)	mathematics
fysikk (m)	physics
en teknikk	a technique
en konklusjon	a conclusion
en/ei oppdagelse	a discovery
et laboratorium	a laboratory
en enhet	a unit
biologi (m)	biology
en metode	a method
en beholder	a container, a canister
en forbindelse	a connection
en gass	a gas
en/ei væske	a liquid, a fluid
forskning (m/f)	research
kjemi (m)	chemistry
elektrisitet (m)	electricity
en oppfinnelse	an invention

Crime 4 · 2021-06-13 ^

Passive Participles

Passive participles are past participles that act like adjectives. That means that unlike past participles, they are declined for gender, number, and definite or indefinite form.

Norwegian	English
en stengt dør	a closed door
den stengte døren	the closed door
stengte dører	closed doors

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å true	to threaten
å skade	to hurt, to harm, to injure
å begå	to commit
å pågripe	to arrest
å sjokkere	to shock
å overvåke	to surveil
å straffe	to punish, to discipline
å merke	to notice
å rømme	to escape
kriminell	criminal
et politi	a police
en forbrytelse	a crime
kriminalitet (m)	criminality
et gissel	a hostage
en morder	a murderer
vold (m)	violence
en fange	a prisoner, a captive
et fengsel	a prison

Conditional 3 · 2019-08-30 ^

The Conditional Mood

As with many aspects of Norwegian grammar, the conditional gives the speaker several opportunities to express subtleties through linguistic options. There are two ways that the conditional may be expressed in Norwegian. There is no single word for "would", however.

Ville (+ Ha) + Past Participle

The modal verb "ville" plays a role in the first way to express the conditional, alongside (ha and) the past participle. Although this form is in the conditional perfect tense, and hence in the past, it can refer to hypothetical situations at any point on the timeline. Let's look at how it works.

Norwegian	English
Han ville ha spist lunsj med henne.	He would [eat/have eaten] lunch with her.
Ville du ha skrevet det samme brevet?	Would you [write/have written] the same letter?

Note that in spoken and colloquial Norwegian, the word ha is quickly disappearing from the conditional altogether. The sentences above may be expressed without the word entirely.

Han ville spist lunsj med henne.
Ville du skrevet det samme brevet?

Modal + The Infinitive

One may also express the conditional using one of several modal verbs introduced earlier in the course, combined with the infinitive form. These modals include ville, skulle, kunne, burde, and måtte. See how they operate below.

Norwegian	English
Var hun rik, skulle hun kjøpe et stort hus.	Were she rich, she would buy a big house.
Jeg kunne spise frokost om jeg hadde mer tid.	I [could/would] eat breakfast if I had more time.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
ville	would
gitt	given
blitt	become
spist	eaten
vært	been
svart	answered, replied
skrevet	written
var	were
lest	read
ringt	called, phoned, rung
gjort	done, made
kunne	could
endret	altered, changed
skadet	hurt, harmed, injured

Future Perfect 1 · 2018-10-25 ^

The Future Perfect

The Norwegian future perfect is formed by combining the helping verb vil or kommer til å with the present perfect, which is ha in addition to the past participle. Take a look at some examples, which translate directly word-for-word.

Norwegian	English
Jeg vil ha spist.	I will have eaten.
Du vil ha lest.	You will have read.
Hun vil ha funnet boken.	She will have found the book.

Wilderness 6 · 2021-06-13 ^

Wilderness

One seldom has to walk very far to reach what feels like untouched wilderness in Norway. However, unless you're high up in the mountains, chances are that you're actually standing on what was once someone's field, pasture, hunting grounds, or source of peat or firewood.

Originally, most of the woods in Norway consisted either of pine trees or of deciduous trees. The large areas of spruce that now dominate, and look like they've always been there, were actually planted by humans just a few generations back.

Come Warm Yourself by the Fire

By now, you've already learned the general term for fire as a concept and a controlled resource, ild. You're also familiar en brann, which is an uncontrolled, destructive fire, as well as with the number for the fire department in Norway, 110.

Camping

As mentioned in the Nature skill, everyone enjoys the right of access to uncultivated land in the countryside. This means that you can also camp pretty much anywhere you want to in the woods and mountains. Just leave the spot like you found it.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å grave	to dig
å kartlegge	to map
å klatre	to climb
vill	wild
dyp	deep
underjordisk	underground, subterranean
en dal	a valley, a dale
en/ei eng	a field
en foss	a waterfall
et blad	a leaf, a blade
en/ei gren	a branch
en/ei villmark	a wilderness
en sti	a path
en/ei eik	an oak tree
en/ei rot	a root
en/ei furu	a pine tree
et ekorn	a squirrel
en stamme	a trunk
en/ei felle	a trap
et spor	a track
en hjort	a deer
en jeger	a hunter
en/ei stillhet	a silence
en rev	a fox
en/ei søle	a mud
en/ei hule	a cave
et nordlys	polar lights (plurale tantum)
en leir	a camp
et bål	a bonfire
ved (m)	firewood
en fyrstikk	a match
en solnedgang	a sunset

The City 4 · 2019-08-30 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å parkere	to park
å levere	to deliver
offentlig	public
lokal	local
Oslo	capital city, Eastern Norway
Bergen	city, Western Norway
Trondheim	city, Central Norway
Stavanger	city, South-West Norway

et torg	a square, a plaza
et marked	a market
et nabolag	a neighborhood
en/ei rulletrapp	an escalator
en brannstasjon	a fire station
en fontene	a fountain
et sentrum	a city center, a downtown
en/ei beliggenhet	a location
et vandrerhjem	a hostel
en jernbanestasjon	a train station
en benk	a bench
en garasje	a garage
en innbygger	an inhabitant
en politistasjon	a police station
et minnesmerke	a memorial
avfall (n)	waste
et rådhus	a city hall
en ordfører	a mayor
en parkeringsplass	a parking lot, a parking spot

Academics 5 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å forske	to research
å studere	to study
å definere	to define
å løse	to solve
å analysere	to analyze
å fokusere	to focus
grunnleggende	fundamental, basic
akademisk	academic
obligatorisk	obligatory, mandatory
et begrep	a concept, a term
en analyse	an analysis
et prosjekt	a project
et akademi	an academy
en formel	a formula
et semester	a semester, a term
en definisjon	a definition
en suksess	a success
et seminar	a seminar
en eksamen	an exam
psykologi (m)	psychology

Traffic 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
å gå	to run (used about engines etc.)
å svinge	to swing, to turn
å krysse	to cross
å rekke	to make in time, to reach
flygende	flying
gående	walking, pedestrian
bensin (m)	gas, petrol
et dekk	a tyre
et drivstoff	a fuel
en fart	a speed
en tunnel	a tunnel
en/ei rundkjøring	a roundabout, a rotary
forurensning (m/f)	pollution
et sete	a seat
et trafikklys	a traffic light
en passasjer	a passenger
en overgang	a transition
en bensinstasjon	a gas station
en/ei fartsgrense	a speed limit
et fortau	a sidewalk
en syklist	a cyclist
en snarvei	a shortcut
et gatelys	a streetlight
en fotjenger	a pedestrian
et førerkort	a driver's license
et fotgjengerfelt	a pedestrian crossing

Style 6 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å krympe	to shrink
løs	loose
trang	tight
rutete	checkered
stripete	striped, stripy
elegant	elegant
en mote	a fashion
en frisør	a hairdresser
en/ei krølle	a curl
sminke (m/f)	make-up
et utseende	a look
en hårklipp	a haircut
en stil	a style
en kvalitet	a quality
et smykke	a piece of jewelry
en/ei skjønnhet	a beauty
en bart	a mustache
skinn (n)	leather, hide

Identity 3 · 2020-06-19 ^

Vocabulary
å oppkalle	to name
å respektere	to respect
felles	common, mutual
moderne	modern
tradisjonell	traditional
gammeldags	old-fashioned
selvsikker	confident
selvsikkert	confidently
en dialekt	a dialect
en borger	a citizen
en identitet	an identity
en/ei maske	a mask
et morsmål	a mother tongue, a native language
et etternavn	a surname, a last name
en legitimasjon	an identification
-fil	-phile, -sexual
et press	a pressure
en same	a Sámi person
et kjønn	a gender, a sex
en fordom	a prejudice
en vegetarianer	a vegetarian
et individ	an individual
en åpenhet	an openness
et hjemland	a home country, a motherland
likestilling (m/f)	equality
en innvandrer	an immigrant
et borgerskap	a citizenship
en tradisjon	a tradition
en/ei holdning	an attitude

Business 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å avlyse	to cancel
å minke	to reduce
å importere	to import
å avslå	to reject
travel	busy
frivillig	voluntary
verdifull	valuable
en skatt	a tax
en/ei gjeld	a debt
et tilbud	an offer
en prosent	a percent, a percentage
et selskap	a company
et budsjett	a budget
en disk	a counter, a till
et kjøp	a purchase
en/et kjede	a chain
en handel	a transaction
en tjeneste	a service
et varemerke	a brand
en konkurranse	a contest
en/ei lønn	a salary, a wage
en kontrakt	a contract
en etterspørsel	a demand
forretningsfolk (n)	businesspeople
et skilt	a sign
en ansatt	an employee
et samarbeid	a cooperation, a collaboration
en rabatt	a discount
en kostnad	a cost
et monopol	a monopoly
korrupsjon (m)	corruption

Food 2 11 · 2021-06-13 ^

Cooking

In this skill, you'll learn the verb lager, which translates to make. There's no separate verb for cooking, instead, we use lager mat, literally make food.

Han lager mat.
He is cooking.

Measure Words

Remember that in Norwegian, the word for of, av, is omitted where one would normally use it in English to join a measure word with another noun.

Norwegian	English
en kopp kaffe	a cup of coffee
et glass vann	a glass of water

Neat, huh?

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å lage	to make
å lage mat	to cook
en fisk	a fish
et kjøtt	a meat
en pasta	a pasta
en/ei suppe	a soup
en kylling	a chicken
mat (m)	food
en frokost	a breakfast
en ost	a cheese
en frukt	a fruit
en tomat	a tomato
et glass	a glass
en øl	a (unit of) beer
et salt	a salt
et egg	an egg
et sukker	a sugar
en pepper	a pepper (not bell pepper!)

Emotions 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
savnet	missed
å nyte	to enjoy
å trøste	to comfort
å skuffe	to disappoint
sjokkerende	shocking
behagelig	comfortable
rasende	furious
hatefull	hateful
engstelig	anxious, worried
ubeskrivelig	indescribable
irriterende	annoying
koselig	cozy
fredelig	peaceful
skuffende	disappointing
gøy	fun, funny
pinlig	embarrassing, awkward
følsom	sensitive
takknemlig	thankful, grateful
et sinne	an anger
moro (m/f)	fun
en anelse	an inkling, an idea
en/ei stemning	a mood, an atmosphere
en klem	a hug

Adverbs 3 4 · 2019-08-30 ^

Adverbs

In Norwegian, adverbs usually follow the verb.

Norwegian	English
Du snakker godt norsk!	You speak Norwegian well!

One exception is that adverbs of time often appear at the end of the sentence or clause.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.

Norwegian	English
Jeg har tid nå.	I have time now.
Jeg har nå tid.	I now have time.
Nå har jeg tid.	Now I have time.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å gå an	to be possible
å legge an på	to hit on, to flirt with
ellers	else, otherwise
riktig	really, properly, correctly
faktisk	actually, in fact
derimot	on the other hand
i alle fall	at least
rett og slett	simply, plain and simple
plutselig	suddenly
knapt	barely
hittil	thus far, so far
tydelig	clearly, clear
straks	(very) soon, shortly, straight away
stadig	constantly, ever more, more and more
videre	further, on(ward)
samtidig	simultaneously, at the same time
altså	therefore, then
særlig	especially
likevel	still, after all
tidsnok	in time
fremover	forward, forth
temmelig	rather
på forhånd	in advance
vekk	away, gone
nylig	recently
derfor	therefore, why
engang	even
noensinne	ever
forresten	by the way
opprinnelig	originally

Banking 2 · 2019-08-30 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å undervurdere	to underestimate
å anslå	to estimate
å akseptere	to accept
å sløse	to waste, to squander
å veksle	to exchange
å finansiere	to finance
grådig	greedy
privat	private
konkurs	bankrupt
et styre	a board
en/ei rente	an interest
en formue	a fortune
en økonomi	an economy
en/ei forsikring	an insurance
en fattigdom	a poverty
en investering	an investment
et lån	a loan
en avtale	a deal, an agreement, an appointment
en organisasjon	an organization
en regnskapsfører	a bookkeeper
en børs	a stock exchange
en aksje	a stock
et overskudd	a surplus, a profit
et underskudd	a deficit, a loss
en/ei avgift	a fee, a tax
en valuta	a currency

The Body 5 · 2019-09-03 ^

Implied Possessives

This is especially common when speaking about one's own body parts

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
naken	naked
et bein	a bone
et ledd	a joint
en negl	a nail
en albue	an elbow
en/ei skulder	a shoulder
en tommel	a thumb
et håndledd	a wrist
et kinn	a cheek
en/ei rynke	a wrinkle
en/ei leppe	a lip
en/ei panne	a forehead
en/ei fregne	a freckle
et øyelokk	an eyelid
et øyenbryn	an eyebrow
et lår	a thigh
et arr	a scar
en hæl	a heel
en nerve	a nerve
et ribbein	a rib
et skjelett	a skeleton
en ryggrad	a spine
en/ei/et nyre	a kidney
en/ei lever	a liver
et bryst	a chest, a breast
en/ei lunge	a lung
tannkjøtt (n)	gums

Cooking 6 · 2020-10-17 ^

Vocabulary
å koke	to boil
å steke	to fry
å krydre	to season, to spice (up)
å smelte	to melt
fersk	fresh
smakfull	tasty, delicious, tasteful
spiselig	edible, eatable
rå	raw, uncooked
et mel	a flour
en smule	a crumb
en sopp	a mushroom
en/ei kokebok	a cookbook
en/ei oppskrift	a recipe
en ingrediens	an ingredient
en ovn	an oven
en/ei bønne	a bean
en mikrobølgeovn	a microwave oven
en/ei nøtt	a nut
en eddik	a vinegar
en hvitløk	a garlic
et krydder	a spice, a seasoning

Tools 4 · 2019-09-03 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
praktisk	practical
en/ei sag	a saw
en skrue	a screw
en/ei kasse	a crate
en spiker	a nail
et redskap	a tool
en hammer	a hammer
en drill	a drill
en stige	a ladder
et utstyr	a piece of equipment
et verktøy	a tool
en snekker	a carpenter, a joiner
en skrutrekker	a screwdriver
strøm (m)	power (electrical)
en lader	a charger
en/ei ledning	a power cord
en/ei lyspære	a light bulb

Romance 3 · 2019-08-30 ^

Vocabulary
å kose	to cuddle
å kysse	to kiss
å forlove seg	to get engaged
å lengte	to long
å overnatte	to sleep over, to stay the night
å skille	to divorce
å avvise	to reject
å slå opp	to break up
å være utro	to cheat, to be unfaithful
giftet	married
romantisk	romantic
intens	intense
sjalu	jealous
utro	unfaithful
kjær	dear
attraktiv	attractive
et blikk	a glance, a look
en/ei tiltrekning	an attraction
en partner	a partner
en lidenskap	a passion
en samboer	a cohabitant, a live-in partner

Wildlife 3 · 2021-06-13 ^

Vocabulary
å jage	to chase, to hunt
å fange	to catch
å jakte	to hunt
en/ei fjær	a feather
en vinge	a wing
en pingvin	a penguin
en/ei flaggermus	a bat
en art	a species
en tiger	a tigre
en frosk	a frog
en/ei padde	a toad
et pattedyr	a mammal

Continuous Forms 2 · 2019-03-04 ^

Continuous Forms

Thus far, we have learned that the Norwegian present tense covers both the English simple present (e.g. 'I eat') and the English present continuous ('I am eating'). While this is correct, we are going to nuance this a little bit.

In Norwegian, there are certain constructions emphasizing a continuous action - and that correspond to the English present continuous (i.e. the -ing form).

holder på is used when the continuity is strong and we want to emphasize this. It can be followed by an infinitive or by the present tense.

Jeg holder på å lære meg norsk. 'I am (in the process of) learning Norwegian.'

If the emphasis is less strong, but the markedness is still desired, we can use one of the verbs sitter/ligger/står together with another present tense verb. This is equal to the English present continuous, but different in the sense that not only does it mark continuity, it also marks the position of the subject.

Jeg ligger og leser. I am (lying) reading.

Jeg sitter og ser på tv. I am (sitting) watching television.

Jeg står og lager mat akkurat nå. I am (standing) cooking right now

Vocabulary
står	is standing
sitter	is sitting
ligger	is lying
driver	is in the process of (continuous)
holder på	is in the process of (continuous)

Adjectives 3 8 · 2019-08-30 ^

Adjectives

The Indefinite Form

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En stol er stor.	A chair is big.
Feminine	Ei bok er stor.	A book is big.

So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Neuter	Et bord er stort.	A table is big.
Plural	Hus er store.	Houses are big.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	en stor stol	a big chair
Feminine	ei stor bok	a big book
Neuter	et stort bord	a big table
Plural	store hus	big houses

Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.

Norwegian	English
et viktig brev	an important letter
et norsk hus	a Norwegian house

We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!

Norwegian	English
viktige brev	important letters
norske hus	Norwegian houses

The Definite Form

The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.

Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen	the big chair
Feminine	den store boka	the big book
Neuter	det store bordet	the big table
Plural	de store husene	the big houses

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

Norwegian	English
Det franske akademi	The French Academy
Det hvite hus	The White House

Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	den store stolen min	my big chair
Feminine	den store boka mi	my big book
Neuter	det store bordet mitt	my big table
Plural	de store husene mine	my big houses

Gender	Norwegian	English
Masculine	min store stol	my big chair
Feminine	mi store bok	my big book
Neuter	mitt store bord	my big table
Plural	mine store hus	my big houses

Vocabulary	Tree 4
nær	near, close
smal	narrow
kraftig	strong, powerful
grusom	gruesome, terrible
selvfølgelig	obvious, of course
bred	wide
fjern	far
barnslig	childish, immature
grei	okay, passable
opptatt	occupied, taken, busy
avhengig	dependent
utmerket	exquisite, remarkable
ytre	outer
høflig	polite
nysgjerrig	curious
beskjeden	modest, reserved, shy
[-lig]	adjective ending + assorted adjectives
frekk	rude
indre	inner
sosial	social
nyttig	useful
middelmådig	mediocre, middling

Passive Participles 2 · 2019-03-04 ^

Passive Participles

Welcome to another lesson in the magical world of participles!

Passive participles are past participles that act like adjectives. That means that unlike past participles, they are declined for gender, number, and definite or indefinite form.

Norwegian	English
en stengt dør	a closed door
den stengte døren	the closed door
stengte dører	closed doors

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
spist	eaten
åpnet	opened
stjålet	stolen
forsinket	delayed
involvert	involved
overrasket	surprised
stengt	closed, shut
invitert	invited
forbudt	illegal
forvirret	confused
imponert	impressed

Dessert 4 · 2019-08-30 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å bake	to bake
en/ei lefse	a lefse
en/ei kjeks	a cookie, a cracker
en kanel	a cinnamon
en dessert	a dessert
en pai	a pie
en bolle	a bun
en fløte	a cream (dairy)
en krem	a (whipped) cream
en baker	a baker
en smultring	a doughnut
et lag	a layer
en deig	a dough
en vaffel	a waffle
et bakeri	a bakery
et godteri	a piece of candy, a sweet
en honning	a honey

The Sea 2 · 2019-08-30 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å fiske	to fish
å svømme	to swim
å seile	to sail
å drukne	to drown
å synke	to sink
å omkomme	to perish, to die
ombord	on board, aboard
en hai	a shark
en laks	a salmon
en hval	a whale
en torsk	a cod
en manet	a jellyfish
en/ei sjøstjerne	a starfish
en sel	a seal
en finne	a fin
en/ei gjelle	a gill
en/ei måke	a seagull
en/ei krabbe	a crab
saltvann (n)	saltwater
en blekksprut	an octopus
en/ei sild	a herring
en/ei reke	a shrimp
et skjell	a shell
et blåskjell	a (blue) mussel
et akvarium	an aquarium
et kamskjell	a scallop
en kyst	a coast
en/ei havn	a port
en marine	a navy
en lugar	a cabin
et isfjell	an iceberg
en kaptein	a captain
et mannskap	a crew
Stillehavet	the Pacific Ocean
Atlanterhavet	the Atlantic ocean

Future Preterite 2 · 2019-03-04 ^

Future Preterite

The future preterite is used about time and also modally.

About time it is used about something in the past that is going to happen after something else also in the past.

Etter at de hadde stått opp, skulle de spise frokost. After they had woken up, they were going to eat breakfast.

Similarly, it is used modally in hypothetical statements:

Hvis han vant, ville han reise jorden rundt. If he won, he would travel around the world.

And also when expressing wishes and polite speach:

Jeg skulle ønske det virket I should wish it worked.

The future preterite is expressed using the auxillary verbs skulle and ville and the infinitive. That's right, the same as in the future tense except our friends skal og vil are in the past.

Vocabulary
skulle	should
gått	gone, walked
spist	eaten
gjort	done, made

Absence 2 · 2019-08-30 ^

Adjectives of Absence

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
håpløs	hopeless
hjelpeløs	helpless
grenseløs	boundless, limitless
maktesløs	powerless
forsvarsløs	defenseless
tidløs	timeless
trådløs	wireless, threadless
verdiløs	worthless
fargeløs	colorless
smakløs	tasteless, bland
målløs	speechless
søvnløs	sleepless
hjemløs	homeless
tankeløs	thoughtless
bevisstløs	unconscious

Materials 3 · 2020-06-17 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å sy	to sew
å strikke	to knit
å smi	to forge, to smith
en/ei ull	a wool
en silke	a silk
et stoff	a fabric
et bomull	a cotton
et materiale	a material
et stål	a steel
et jern	an iron
et sølv	a silver
et kobber	a copper
et grunnstoff	an element
en/ei leire	a clay
en papp	a cardboard
et pulver	a powder
et mineral	a mineral
en diamant	a diamond
et kvikksølv	a quicksilver, a mercury

Bugs 5 · 2020-07-07 ^

Vocabulary (Tree 4)
å stikke	to sting
en/ei flue	a fly
en/ei bille	a beetle
et insekt	an insect
en/ei humle	a bumblebee
en/ei marihøne	a ladybug, a ladybird
en øyenstikker	a dragonfly
en/ei lus	a louse
en flått	a tick
en veps	a wasp
en mygg	a mosquito
en/ei loppe	a flea

TEST 0

Test
Test

TEST 1

1. Test
2. Test

TEST 2

1. Test
2. Test

TEST 3

-1. Test
-2. Test

TEST 4

Test

Test

TEST 4

1. Test
2. Test

TEST 4

1. Test
2. Test

Symbols 3 · 2019-08-30 ^

Punctuation

While the punctuation system in Norwegian is, thankfully, very similar to that of English, there are a few notable exceptions.

Firstly, Oxford commas are not used. If you're genuinely afraid you'll be misunderstood, you're free to add one, but if it's just a stylistic choice you have to let it go.

Norwegian	Oxford English
Hun brukte et spørsmålstegn, et utropstegn og et punktum.	She used a question mark, an exclamation mark, and a period.

Punctuation in Numbers

Norwegian uses a comma ("et komma") rather than a decimal point to separate a whole number from a decimal.

Norwegian	Pronunciation	English
25,3	tjuefemkommatre	25.3

The Golden Rule

Punctuation is there to make the text more easily readable. It either separates distinct units of text or represents a pause that would be present in speech. Use it in a way that serves the text.

Parenthesis or Parentheses?

In Norwegian, one would say that (this word) står i parantes, using the singular noun, as we think of the two brackets as forming one parenthesis.

In English, one would say that (this word) is in parentheses, using a plural noun, as English counts each bracket as one separate parenthesis.

Keep this in mind when translating from Norwegian to English and vice versa.

Vocabulary (Tree 4)
en/ei pil	an arrow
en mur	a wall
et kors	a cross
et tegn	a sign
et symbol	a symbol
en metafor	a metaphor
en bokstav	a letter
en/ei skrift	a writing
et alfabet	an alphabet
en parentes	a parenthesis, parentheses
et punktum	a period, a full stop, a point
et utropstegn	an exclamation mark
et spørsmålstegn	a question mark

Fantasy 3 · 2019-08-30 ^

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å forsvinne	to disappear, to vanish
å sveve	to levitate, to float (in air)
å forestille (seg)	to imagine
å forvandle (seg)	to transform, to turn into
å forutse	to predict
ond	evil, wicked
usynlig	invisible
mektig	mighty, powerful
udødelig	immortal
en/ei heks	a witch
en magi	a magic
en tryllestav	a wand
en fe	a fairy
en ånd	a spirit
en drage	a dragon
en vampyr	a vampire
et spøkelse	a ghost
et vesen	a being
et uhyre	a monster
en lyssabel	a lightsaber
en varulv	a werewolf
en fantasi	a fantasy, an imagination
en kjempe	a giant
en/ei havfrue	a mermaid
en skapning	a creature

Language and Linguistics 6 · 2021-09-03 ^

We Heard You Like Languages, So...

Finally! Now you can geek out about languages in your learning language. It doesn't get much better than that.

Mixed Messages

You've already learned two words that translate to a message, en beskjed and en/ei melding.

En/ei melding holds more or less the same meaning as en beskjed, but it's also the word we use specifically for text messages. Send meg en melding means text me.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å greie	to manage, to be able to
å motsi	to contradict
å uttrykke	to express
å overdrive	to exaggerate
å hilse	to greet, to say hi
å tolke	to interpret
å prate	to chat, to talk
å klage	to complain
å uttale	to pronounce
å nevne	to mention, to name
å mestre	to master
å kommunisere	to communicate
formell	formal
tospråklig	bilingual
bokstavelig	literal
skriftlig	written
muntlig	oral, verbal
offisiell	official
tvetydig	ambiguous, equivocal
gjensidig	mutual
et tegnspråk	a sign language
et kroppsspråk	a body language
et fremmedspråk	a foreign language
en forkortelse	an abbreviation
en vokal	a vowel
en skrivefeil	a writing error, a typo
en kontekst	a context
et ordforråd	a vocabulary
en grammatikk	a grammar
et uttrykk	an expression
et budskap	a message
en kommunikasjon	a communication
en kode	a code
et synonym	a synonym
en oversettelse	a translation

Celebrations 8 · 2022-02-04 ^

Gratulerer!

You have reached the summit of our course mountain. We hope the view from here is wonderful, and we wish you a pleasant trip skiing down.

Please keep learning!

Med vennlig hilsen,

Aleksander, Andreas, Andrew, Gry, Leon, Linn, and Madeline

Uppercase Letters Get No Holidays

Holidays such as jul, Christmas, and påske, Easter are not capitalized in Norwegian. This also holds true for other days of note or celebration, like morsdag, Mother's Day, farsdag, Father's Day, and kvinnedagen, Women's Day.

That's right, the lowercase letters get all the fun.

Vocabulary	(Tree 4)
å feire	to celebrate
å invitere	to invite
å pynte	to decorate
å gratulere	to congratulate
å underholde	to entertain
nasjonal	national
gyllen	golden
edru	sober
en/ei jul	a Christmas
en/ei påske	an Easter
et nyttår	a New Year
en/ei gave	a present
en ballong	a balloon
en festival	a festival
et fyrverkeri	a firework, fireworks
en invitasjon	an invitation
et arrangement	an event
en skål	a toast
et hurra	a hooray, a hurrah, a yay
en sjampanje	a champagne

179 skills with tips and notes

JonathanJo926090

Jonathan

418434 XP#94970 1385#225233 3652 9884

Learning Norwegian (Bokmål) from English

Skills

Norwegian (Bokmål) Skills by StrengthCrownsNameOriginal Order

A heartfelt welcome to the Norwegian course!

Grammatical Gender

Pronouns

Verbs

Pronunciation

Special Notes on Common Words

Core Vocabulary

Who? What? Where?

Plural Pronouns

Question Words

Knowing

Three New Vowels

Definite Forms

Present

Animals

Grammatical and Biological Gender

Common Phrases

Norwegian Characters

Cooking

Measure Words

Object Pronouns

Definite Forms

Plurals

Definite Plurals

Present

The Swizz Army Knife of Prepositions

Specifying Language

Plurals Ending in -E

Getting Your Caffeine Fix

Expressing Desire for Something

The Swizz Army Knife of Prepositions

Describing Location

Specifying Language

Counting

One and One More

Til & Fra

Possessive Pronouns

My

The Definite Form

The Indefinite Form

Your (Singular)

His

Her

Our

Your (Plural)

Their

That and Those

Location

Direction and Motion

Prepositions

Phrasal verbs

This and These

Adjectives

The Indefinite Form

Adjectives in the Definite Form

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Bor & Lever

Ute & Utenfor

Same, Same, but Different

Adjectives in the Definite Form

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Liten

Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names

Ownership

Sin, Si, Sitt, & Sine

His, Her, or Their (Own)

Expressing Possession with a Genitive "-s"

Expressing Possession with "Til"

Garpegenitiv

Combining Possessive Pronouns with Adjectives

Hos

Just One, Please!

Både & Begge

Liten

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1385#225233

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