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Hei

'Hello' in Norwegian

Photo by John O'Nolan

Language

Norwegian

Germanic Family

Left to Right Script

Gendered Language

Norwegian, a North Germanic language, is spoken by about 5.3 million native speakers, primarily in Norway. It uses the Latin alphabet with additional characters like "æ," "ø," and "å." Norwegian has two written standards: Bokmål, influenced by Danish, and Nynorsk, based on rural dialects. Its grammar features two grammatical genders (common and neuter in Bokmål, three in Nynorsk), a simple case system, and verb conjugations that don’t vary by person. Pronunciation varies widely due to regional dialects, with a pitch accent similar to Swedish. Vocabulary derives from Old Norse, with loanwords from German, Danish, and English. As Norway’s official language, Norwegian is key to its culture and literature, with mutual intelligibility with Swedish and Danish.

Flashcards

foot

NOR Noun 457

fot

foot

The lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, on which a person stands and walks.

cost

NOR Noun 578

kostnad

cost

The price paid to buy something; the amount of money required to obtain it.

old

NOR Adjective 173

gammel

old

Having lived for a long time; not young.

cause

NOR Verb 562

forårsake

cause

To make something happen; to bring about.

Stories

Midnight Sun Wedding on the Pier

A narrator travels to a cousin’s island wedding in Lofoten and, amid small mishaps, heartfelt speeches, and a lively ...

Upper Intermediate 12 sentences

The Blue Notebook Gift

After school in a Norwegian town, Nora searches a small bookstore for a birthday gift for her best friend Ida. She ch...

Elementary 12 sentences

Rakes and Coffee in the Courtyard

During a rainy spring dugnad in an Oslo apartment courtyard, a hesitant resident meets Amir, a new neighbor; after a ...

Advanced 11 sentences

The Email She Finally Sent

On a rainy Sunday evening in Norway, Mari struggles to write an email to her former Norwegian teacher to ask for a re...

Intermediate 11 sentences

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Agents

Ingrid

Norwegian

Ingrid

Catching cod in fjords

Female

38

Oslo, Norway

Librarian

Resilient

skiing, knitting, fishing

Liv

Norwegian

Liv

Teaching Norwegian online

Female

44

Oslo, Norway

Language teacher

Supportive

fishing, reading, hiking

Harald

Norwegian

Harald

Studying Norwegian history

Male

20

Oslo, Norway

Student

Energetic

skiing, reading, hiking

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