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LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #1
A Gentle Introduction to Norwegian

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 1
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #1 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Ola : Hei. Jeg heter Ola.

2. Kari : Hei. Mitt navn er Kari.

3. Ola : Hyggelig.

4. Kari : Hyggelig.

ENGLISH

1. Ola : Hi. I am called Ola.

2. Kari : Hi. My name is Kari.

3. Ola : Pleased to meet you.

4. Kari : Pleased to meet you.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hyggelig pleasant (Nice to meet you) adjective

å hete to be called verb

jeg I pronoun

navn name noun neuter

mitt my adjective

å være to be verb

hei hi expression

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Bare hyggelig. Jeg heter Arne.

"My pleasure." "My name is Arne."

Heter du Olav? Jeg er ikke hjemme nå.

"Are you Olav?" "I am not at home now."

Jeg liker ikke servitøren. Jeg kjenner ikke henne.

"I don't like the waiter." "I don't know her."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #1 2

 Hva heter du? Kan du skrive ned navnet ditt?

"What's your name?" "Can you write down your name?"

Har du skiftet navn? Husker du navnet mitt?

"Have you changed your name?" "Do you remember my name?"

Er du tørst? Hva er klokken?

"Are you thirsty?" "What time is it?"

Hei, hvordan går det Maria? Hei, Maria.

"Hello, how are you Maria?" "Hello, Maria."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Heter

Norwegian is quite straightforward. There are seldom any pitfalls or complex mazes that prevent you
from using the language skillfully. That said, Norwegians tend to take the shortest route possible to
arrive at a point. Long sentences are therefore rarely found in spoken and, most often, written
Norwegian as well. To accomplish this, Norwegian has certain words that make up meanings that would
take English several words to express. A word like this is heter. In English, this would commonly
translate to "being called." We mostly only use heter for referring to people's names, as in jeg heter ("my
name is" or "I am called"). Yet, heter can also take on other meanings pretty similar to the way we use
"to be called" in English. We shall look at these uses in another lesson in a more advanced series.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is to Learn Two Ways of Conveying Your "Name."
Hei. Jeg heter Ola.
"Hi, I am called Ola."

Heter is the present form of å hete. You will rarely have to use the infinitive form of this verb, so
remembering heter is in itself enough.

Although both characters (Ola and Kari) use different greetings, there is no difference between male
and female in Norwegian speech. Thus, the only difference between jeg heter ("name") and mitt navn er
("name") is that they look and sound different. Their meaning is exactly the same.

Exclusion of "Am"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #1 3

Notice that we can directly translate mitt navn er in English as "my name is," while with jeg heter, you
would have to add a verb to make even remote sense of the phrase. In Norwegian, we do not often use
"am (adjective)" like in English. Without delving too deeply into why it is different, instead do yourself a
favor and think twice before translating any phrases such as "I am...," "you are...," and so on directly to
Norwegian.

Let's look at some concrete examples.

For Example:

1. Jeg er tørst. (with "am")

"I am thirsty." (with "am")

2. Jeg drikker. (without "am")

"I am drinking." (with "am")

Examples from This Lesson

1. Hei. Jeg heter Ola.

"Hi. I am called Ola."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Keep It Simple in Norwegian

As you can see, Norwegians like short, concise sentences. Hyggelig is one of those words that go with
every conversation, whether what is implied is "Nice to meet you," "Nice meeting you again," or "(It was)
nice of you." The best part of it is that Hyggelig is no less formal than the long version of each phrase,
making it an essential word in your dictionary. Norwegians use this all the time along with other
practical words like takk ("thank you") and jepp ("yes"/"correct"). It is these words that will, in the end,
prove most handy during your Norwegian studies.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #1 4

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #2
About the Norwegian Alphabet

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 2
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #2 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Lærer : Si etter meg. “E” “Elegant”.

2. Student : E. Elegant.

3. Lærer : Si etter meg. “G” “glad”.

4. Student : G. Glad.

ENGLISH

1. Teacher : Repeat after me. "E," "elegant."

2. Student : E. Elegant.

3. Teacher : Repeat after me. "G," "glad."

4. Student : G. Glad.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

å si to say verb

meg me pronoun

elegant elegant adjective

etter after preposition

glad happy adjective

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Han sa at han ville vente på oss. Han kunne ikke si sannheten til henne.

"He said that he would wait for us." "He couldn’t tell her the truth."

Hva sier han? Kan du se meg?

"What is he saying?" "Can you see me?"

Du er så elegant! Han ringte moren hennes etter timen.

"You're so elegant!" He called her mother after the class was over.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #2 2

 etter timen etter middag

after class after dinner

Jeg kan gå hjem etter at jeg er ferdig. Ta etter meg.

"I can go home after I've finished." "Take after me."

Han ser veldig glad ut i dag. Det glade paret klemmer på stranda.

"He looks really happy today." "The happy couple is hugging on the beach."

Jeg er så glad!

"I am so happy!"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

In contrast to English, a letter tends to only be pronounced one way no matter where in the word it is
situated. In other words, in most cases when you can pronounce a word correctly, you could apply the
same pronunciation of each letter in any new word you learn. To illustrate it, imagine an English word
like "England." The "-e" has the same phonetic as an "i" in "interesting." However, when we say "elegant,"
we pronounce the "-e" differently, actually similar to the Norwegian pronunciation.

In Norwegian, there are only one or two words where "-e" changes phonetic from the common "-e," as
in heter. In fact, I believe if you have been sharp, you would have caught that I am already setting a bad
example here. In the word hei, which you should have heard several times by now, we say haei as in the
English word "sad." Just be aware of the few words that change the common phonetics of certain
letters. Remember them and you should be just fine.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Norwegian Vowels and Consonants.
Si etter meg. "E" "Elegant"
"Say after me. "E," "elegant."

While we won't go too deep into the explanation of each vowel and consonant in Norwegian, we have
our own pronunciation series for that, which you should also take a look at. Let's only touch upon some
simple and fast shortcuts to correct pronunciation of Norwegian. We assume you already know the
English alphabet and the correct way to pronounce English letters. As explained earlier, Norwegian
rarely has more than one phonetic for a letter, compared to English, which averages three to four
phonetics per letter. With this in mind, think of how you pronounce vowels in Norwegian regardless of
their placement in a word.

When pronouncing Norwegian vowels and consonants, it is good to know that most sounds you will
hear in Norwegian will be found in English as well. In Norwegian, vowels and consonants most often
sound like they do when they're the first letter in an English word. Let's look at some examples. (First, we
list the letter we are focusing on and then an English word with the pronunciation of that letter.
Following that, we have a Norwegian word containing the letter so you can try out your pronunciation.)

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #2 3

Letter "English" Norwegian

a "arrive" Har

g "greet" Mage

i "invent" Ligge

k "kayak" Ilk

l "lie" Muskel

Just to finish off...

There are some vowels that have a slightly different sound than their English counterpart:

We pronounce -o like [oe] in the name "Joel," and we pronounce -u like [oo] in "moot."

And not to forget, -r does not at all sound like the English [r] or [are] but more like a Spanish [rr]: it's
rolling and might be a bit hard to get used to at first.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Why It's Important to Learn the Norwegian ABCs

Learning the alphabet might be a boring part of Norwegian, but imagine how it must sound to a
Norwegian if you were to use the American phonetic of every letter in the alphabet when speaking
Norwegian. Although Norwegians are quite good at understanding what we call broken Norwegian,
having a more correct pronunciation of Norwegian words creates a better sentence flow and is sure to
impress any Norwegian that listens to you speak. In fact, because of the number of immigrants in
Norway, Norwegians are quite used to hearing pronunciation that is not too good in their daily life. To
put it better, just like the English Punjabi accent or Chinese accent, Norwegian now has an array of
accents that have become common due to the number of different influences foreign language has on
Norwegian learners. It is now quite common to hear Middle Eastern accents, Polish accents, and
American accents of Norwegian. That is why when we hear a foreigner speak with a perfect Norwegian
accent, we end up somewhat revering that person for their skill.
More than any part of learning Norwegian, Norwegians tend to judge a person's skill as perfect when
they have the pronunciation right.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #2 4

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #3
More About the Norwegian Alphabet

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 3
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #3 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Ærling : Jeg liker servere, merke, og lærer.

2. Øivind : Jeg liker øre, kjøre, og løpe.

3. Åge : Jeg liker påske, sokker og måne.

ENGLISH

1. Ærling : I like the words "serve," "brand," and "teacher."

2. Øivind : I like the words "ear," "drive," and "run."

3. Åge : I like the words "Easter," "socks," and "moon."

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

måne moon noun masculine

å løpe to run verb

øre ear noun neutral

sokker socks noun

servere serve verb

merke brand noun neutral

å kjøre to drive verb

påske Easter noun masculine

lærer teacher noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

fullmåne En nymåne vil starte i morgen.

full moon A new moon will start tomorrow.

nymåne Varulver kommer ut når det er fullmåne.

new moon Werewolves come out when the moon is full.

Jeg vil til månen. Jeg liker å løpe.

"I want to go to the moon." "I like to run."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #3 2

 hull i øret Jenta tok hull i ørene da hun kjøpte øredobbene.

pierced ear The girl pierced her ears when she bought the
earrings.

høyre øre Jeg har to ører.

right ear "I have two ears."

Jeg bruker ikke sokker. Serverer du maten snart?

"I don't wear socks." "Are you serving the meal soon?"

Hvilket datamaskinmerke leter du etter? merkenavn

Which brand of computer are you looking for? brand name

Merker er ut. I Norge kjører vi på høyre side.

"Brands are out." "In Norway, we drive on the right side."

engelsklærer Læreren underviser barna i klasserommet.

English teacher The teacher is teaching the kids in the classroom.

Han er en engelsklærer på universitetet. Læreren er super!

"He is an English teacher at the college." "The teacher is great!"

Læreren skriver på tavla. Hun er forelska i læreren.

"The teacher writes on the blackboard." "She is in love with the teacher."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

In Norwegian, it is common to find a lot of words containing the last three letters of the Norwegian
alphabet, -Æ, -Ø, and -Å. However, it is also common to hear words that might sound like they contain
the last three letters in the Norwegian alphabet, but they actually don't. This makes it sometimes a bit
tricky to write Norwegian. Even Norwegians tend to miss sometimes: that is why linguists are working to
make the written language more like the spoken language.

Some of the words in the vocabulary have this characteristic: they are written with -e or -o, but they are
pronounced like -æ and -å, respectively.

Compare these:

påske

Sokker

and

Lærer

Servere

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #3 3

Merke

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is the Norwegian Vowels Æ, Ø, and Å.
Hei, jeg heter Ærling.
"Hi, I'm called Ærling."

In the last lesson, we focused on the English or Roman alphabet-part of the Norwegian alphabet. That is,
the letters from -a to -z. In this lesson, our focus will be on the last three letters unique to the Norwegian
alphabet (okay and Danish as well). The letters are, as you probably know by now:

-Æ

-Ø

-Å

Many learners feel these three letters are hard to grasp and make Norwegian language look slightly
outlandish. Well, don't despair. These three letters are all vowels. Better yet, the pronunciation of each
letter is very easy because the sounds already exist within the English sound spectrum. Let's look at
some English words that feature these three letters' sounds. They are listed by letter then example
words, with the sound highlighted in red.

-Æ

"bad"
"sad"
"mad"

-Ø

"sun"
"mud"
"shudder"

-Å

"hold"
"god"
"doll"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #3 4

See, by now you must be thinking of multiple more examples that could fit these letters.

Let's now look at some of the words that were in the vocabulary section that contain these letters.

Sample Sentences

Word Norwegian "English"

Lærer Hun er forelska i læreren. "She is in love with the teacher."

Øre Jeg har to ører. "I have two ears."

påske Påske betyr fjellet. "Easter means going to the mountain."

One last thing to help you get over your possible fear of these letters is to reassure you that no matter
in which word you find these letters, their sound will never change.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Similarities Between Norwegian and Other Languages

The -Æ, -Ø, and -Å aren't entirely exclusive to Norwegians. You will also find the -Æ, -Ø, and -Å in Danish
and a similar version of the letters in Swedish as well.
In fact, the three languages are so alike that they are for the most part mutually intelligible. Well, almost.
While Danish and Norwegian are practically the same language with only a few differences in
vocabulary, Swedish and Norwegian might seem more similar to outsiders when spoken.
The thing is, however, that although the three languages are mutually intelligible, this is mostly only the
case for the written language. Swedish speakers can understand those speaking Norwegian for the
most part, but not entirely perfectly. But Swedish speakers are almost unable to understand Danish. The
same goes for the Danish: they understand some Norwegian, but they have little to no clue about
Swedish. On the other hand, Norwegians have few problems understanding both Swedish and Danish.
The reason people with backgrounds in Norwegian have an easier time understanding what Swedish
and Danish talk about lies in the history of the Norwegian language.
Through history, Norwegian has been influenced by both Swedish and Danish through unions with both
countries. However, Sweden and Denmark have no such relationship with each other. Furthermore,
Norwegian has built upon a Swedish and Danish foundation, and the advantage lies in their
understanding of their own language.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #3 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #4
Starting your Holiday in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 4
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #4 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Flight attendant : Unnskyld, er du Kristian?

2. Mark : Nei, jeg er Mark.

3. Flight attendant : Å, beklager. Har du pass Mark?

4. Mark : Ja (Showing passport).

5. Flight attendant : Takk.

ENGLISH

1. Flight attendant : Excuse me, are you Kristian?

2. Mark : No, I am Mark.

3. Flight attendant : Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have your passport, Mark?

4. Mark : Yeah (Showing passport).

5. Flight attendant : Thank you.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

du you pronoun

å være to be verb

ja yes interjection

nei no adverb

å beklage to be sorry verb

unnskyld excuse me, I'm sorry interjection

å ha to have verb

pass passport noun neutral

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #4 2

 Er du tørst? Hva er klokken?

"Are you thirsty?" "What time is it?"

Ja, jeg røyker. Det er ikke mulig, nei.

"Yes, I smoke." "It’s not possible, no."

Jeg liker ikke fotball. Å, beklager så mye!

"I don't like soccer." "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Unnskyld, hvor går du? Unnskyld jeg har glemt det.

"Excuse me, where are you going?" "Sorry, I forgot it."

De har for mye søppel i hagen sin. Har du en katt?

"They have too much garbage in their garden." "Do you have a cat?"

pass-stempel Amerikansk pass

passport stamp American passport

Jeg har et pass. Har du et pass?

I have a passport. Do you have a passport?

pass og billett Pass og billett, takk.

passport and ticket Passport and ticket, please.

Er dette ditt pass?

"Is this your passport?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

In our vocabulary, we are encountering two words with the same meaning:

Unnskyld ("Excuse (me)") and Beklager ("to be sorry").

There is no difference between the two of these, but there is a reason for having both.

If you are using either of the words to say "excuse me," then it's better to use the other one to say "I'm
sorry" while speaking to the same person. You don't have to do this, but it sounds better.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Learning How to Talk About "I."
Jeg er Mark.
"I am Mark."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #4 3

As mentioned in lesson 1, er means "am." Using this method of introducing yourself, or just telling
someone your name (as shown in the conversation with the flight attendant), is the easiest and most
commonly used introduction in Norwegian. In lesson 1, and in many Norwegian lessons, you might find
Mitt navn er. This is a very formal way of speaking, and we rarely use it even in formal conversations. In
lesson 1, we also saw jeg heter. This is a little more formal than jeg er, but both are equally common. Just
choose the one you prefer and stick to it, as they are nearly identical in meaning.

For Example:

Mark: Hei, jeg er Mark.

Kari: Hei Mark. Jeg heter Kari.

Mark: "Hi, I am Mark."

Kari: "Hi, Mark. My name is Kari."

In this example, Mark and Kari are both introducing themselves. Both ways of saying their name are the
same, and we can use them in any situation. As mentioned, jeg heter is slightly more formal, but we can
use it in informal speech as well.

We not only use Jeg er for names, but we can apply it to almost anything. That is why it will become one
of the more important phrases you'll learn over these courses.

Using Jeg er, then adding anything from adverbs, adjectives, to nouns, is the most useful way of
expressing yourself.

You should also know that it is not only "I am" that you can say, but also, unlike English, you can use er
after any pronoun. That is, you don't change the verb like you do in English: "I am," "you are," "he/she
is," etc.

To illustrate it, let's look at some examples.

For Example:

1. Du er rar.
"You are weird."
2. Han er hjemme.
"He is at home."
3. Vi er i bilen.
"We are in the car."

As you can see, the verb does not change depending on what the subject is. Being aware of it should
make learning Norwegian a lot easier as well.

Examples from This Lesson

Mark: Nei, jeg er Mark.

Mark: "No, I am Mark."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #4 4

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Apologies in Norway

As you can see, we do apologize a lot in Norway. We sometimes apologize even if we don't have to, like
apologizing on another's behalf, or just adding it for the sake of being polite. We mainly use three ways
of excusing ourselves: Unnskyld, Beklager, and Sorry.
That's right, we have actually taken an English word and used it so much that it's become normal in
Norway as well. These three words have the exact same meaning, but we use them differently mostly
because of preference. Although beklager and unnskyld are a lot more polite than "sorry," "sorry" is
what you are most likely to hear from people. In Norwegian, people will use everyday speech even in the
most formal of situations. We do have a "higher level" of politeness when it comes to some certain
situations, but that is extremely rare.
In the conversation in the beginning of this lesson, you could see that the speakers used both beklager
and unnskyld. The only reason for the use of both is that it sounds a lot more natural than to repeat the
word the other person just said. They both mean "sorry" and "excuse me," so don't worry about which
one you choose to use when you speak. Just try to use a different one than the person you are speaking
with.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #4 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #5
Asking Directions at a Norwegian Airport

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 5
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #5 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Unnskyld, hvor er toalettet?

2. Staff : Der borte. (points to a toilet sign)

3. Mark : Takk skal du ha.

4. Staff : Bare hyggelig.

ENGLISH

1. Mark : Excuse me, where is the toilet?

2. Staff : Over there. (points to a toilet sign)

3. Mark : Thank you.

4. Staff : You're welcome.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

framover forward preposition

toalett bathroom, restroom noun

å være to be verb

borte away, over, gone adverb

der there preposition, adverb

rett straight adverb

venstre left adjective

hvor where adverb

høyre right adjective

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Bare gå rett fremover. Toalettet er der borte.

"Just go straight ahead." "The bathroom is over there."

Er du tørst? Hva er klokken?

"Are you thirsty?" "What time is it?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #5 2

 Jeg skal reise bort. Det er et offentlig toalett der borte.

"I am going away." "There is a public toilet over there."

Vennligst putt shoppingposene der. Jeg la telefonen din over der.

"Please, put the shopping bags there." "I left your phone over there."

Toalettet er der borte. Jeg gikk rett hjem i går kveld.

"The bathroom is over there." "I went straight home last night."

Kjør rett fram og så ta til venstre i andre kryss. det er på venstre hånd

Go straight, and then turn left at the second It's on the left side.
intersection.

venstre sving skilt Han skriver med venstre hånd.

left turn sign "He writes with his left hand."

Aldri snu mot venstre her. Hvor skal du imorgen kveld?

"Never turn left here." "Where are you going tomorrow night?"

Hvor skal du hen? Hvor er sjefen?

"Where are you going?" "Where is the boss?"

Sving til høyre ved neste lyskryss. Butikken ligger til høyre her.

Turn right at the next light. "The shop lies to the right here."

I Norge kjører vi på høyre side.

"In Norway, we drive on the right side."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Let's take a look at two phrases from the dialogue between Mark and "Staff":

Mark: Takk skal du ha.

Staff: Bare hyggelig.

The phrase Takk skal du ha is the Norwegian way of saying "Thank you very much." It is a lot more polite
than the normal takk, or in English "thanks."

The phrase bare hyggelig means "no problem." In previous lessons, you might have seen hyggelig by
itself. The use of both hyggelig and bare hyggelig is the same, with the only difference being that the
latter one is slightly more polite.

Also note that using Takk skal du ha in situations were a more normal takk is okay can sometimes be
mistaken for irony. Try to use it only in formal situations and when you truly are grateful.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #5 3

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask "Where Is Something?" and Use Noun Genders.
Hvor er toalettet?
"Where is the toilet?"

Hvor er...? is one of those phrases you will find immensely useful when traveling about in Norway.

It is built up quite similarly to the English equivalent of the question "Where is (noun)?"

Let's look at some examples.

For Example:

1. Hvor er bilen?
"Where's the car?"
2. Hvor er sykehuset?
"Where's the hospital?"

Noun Genders

The important part of a "where is?" question is the place or thing (noun) that you would be looking for.
After hvor er, there will always be a defined noun. Let's look at how we make defined nouns out of their
ordinary dictionary forms.

To change a noun to a defined noun, we have to add a letter to the end of the noun. The letter we add is
decided by the gender of the noun. In Norwegian, we have three genders for nouns: masculine,
feminine, and neuter. These nouns change endings when conjugated.

In Norwegian, we don't use "the"; we add letters to the end of a word instead. These letters will differ a
little depending on the word. The letters in the end will depend on whether the noun we use is
masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Let's look at some examples.

For Example:

Gender Norwegian "English"

Masculine bil, bilen "car," "the car"

Feminine trap, trappa "stairs," "the stairs"

Neuter toalett, toalettet "toilet," "the toilet"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #5 4

Note, however, that in later years, the masculine and feminine nouns were merged since there wasn't
much of a difference between them. You can say both trappa and trappen , and they have the same
meaning and are both correct. It's more of a preference now than right or wrong. There are, however,
some words that you need to be careful of since they can't possibly be feminine or the other way
around. We say bilen ("the car"), but bila makes no sense. We normally use the merge from feminine to
masculine, not the other way around.

Note also that the speaker does not affect the genders of nouns.

The following word endings are the Norwegian equivalent of "the" with nouns or defined nouns.

For Example:

Norwegian "English"

stolen "the chair"

hunden "the dog"

sola "the sun"

huset "the house"

Examples from This Lesson

1. Unnskyld, hvor er toalettet?

"Excuse me, where is the toilet?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Norwegian Survival Skills

Asking for directions for a toilet might seem like something unnecessary to study for, since there are
signs and English translations pretty much everywhere nowadays. However, sometimes it's hard to find
those signs, and sometimes you're not in an international location. Examples of this could be at a local
restaurant or simply at someone's house.
Also just asking for directions in general nowadays is becoming something slightly awkward. Today,
people can easily acquire maps from the airport, print them from the Internet, or just use a smartphone.
However, if you are in a situation where your phone has run out of battery or has no connection and you
don't have a map, being able to go up to a random person and ask for help can be a lifesaver when
abroad. Sometimes maps can be pretty hard to read as well, and if you don't have experience with them
or don't see any landmarks, you'll be happy you learned how to survive in the old way.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #5 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #6
First Encounters in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 6
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #6 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Hei, du må være Espen? Jeg er Mark.

2. Espen : Hei, det stemmer. Espen, hyggelig å møte deg.

3. Mark : I like måte.

4. Espen : La meg hjelpe deg.

5. (helps Mark with his luggage)

6. Mark : Takk skal du ha.

ENGLISH

1. Mark : Hello, you must be Espen? I'm Mark.

2. Espen : Hello, that's right. I'm Espen, nice to meet you.

3. Mark : Nice to meet you too. (Literally, "Likewise.")

4. Espen : Let me help you.

5. (helps Mark with his luggage)

6. Mark : Thank you.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

i in, to preposition

like same adjective

måte way noun

å hjelpe to help verb

å la to let verb

å møte meet verb

å stemme to be correct (correct) verb

å måtte’ have to, must verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #6 2

 Han er i bilen. De er like.

"He is in the car." "They are the same."

I like måte. Han skulle bare hjelpe til.

"Likewise." "He was just going to help."

Kan du hjelpe til? Jeg trenger hjelp her.

"Can you help out?" "I need some help here."

La meg se svar nummer to! La meg være i fred!

"Let me see answer number 2!" "Leave me alone!"

La meg introdusere deg til venninen min. Vi kan møte senere.

"Let me introduce you to my friend (female)." "We can meet later."

Kan vi ikke møtes neste helg? Hyggelig å møte deg.

"Can we meet next weekend?" "Nice to meet you."

Det stemmer det du sier. Det stemmer.

"What you're saying is correct." "That's correct."

Jeg må på do.

"I have to go to the toilet."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

I like måte

I like måte is a phrase that Norwegians often use, and they normally use it if someone is giving someone
else a compliment.

For Example:

1. A: Så fint å se deg!
"How nice to see you!"
B: I like måte!
"Nice to see you too!"

In English, it's more normal to repeat what the other person said, but in Norwegian, you normally use
this phrase instead. However, we do sometimes also repeat like in English.

For Example:

1. A: Så fint å se deg!
"How nice to see you!"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #6 3

 B: Fint å se deg også!
"Nice to see you too!"

Yet, i like måte is the most common phrase in this situation.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Basic Sentence Structure in Norwegian.
Hei, du må være Espen? Jeg er Mark.
"Hello, you must be Espen? I am Mark."

Norwegian is an SVO language. That means our sentences are normally made up of a subject, a verb,
and an object. This is (luckily) the same as English sentence structure.

Let's look at some examples.

For Example:

1. Mark: hei, du [subject] må være [verb] Espen [object]?

Mark: "Hello, you [subject] must be [verb] Espen [object]?
2. Jeg [subject] er [verb] Mark [object].
"I [subject] am [verb] Mark [object]."

As you can see, both the Norwegian and the English sentences are built the same way. If this always was
the case, that would be great, but sadly that's not the reality. Norwegian changes a bit from English if
you add an adverbial in the beginning of the sentence. When that happens, the sentence structure
changes from SVO to VSO. As you might remember from our previous lesson, one example is when the
flight attendant asks Mark, "Excuse me, are you Kristian?"

Let's dissect this sentence too like the one above.

For Example:

1. Flight attendant: Unnskyld, er [verb] du [subject] Kristian [object]?

Flight attendant: "Excuse me, are [verb] you [subject] Kristian [object]?"

2. Mark: Nei, jeg [subject] er [verb] Mark [object].

Mark: "No, I [subject] am [verb] Mark [object]."

The differences might not seem so obvious at this point, and it might even become a bit too advanced.
However, here is an easy rule of thumb. If you are stating something, you would usually use the SVO
structure: "I" "am" "hungry." However, if you want to ask a question, you would utilize the VSO structure:
"Are" "you" "hungry?"

Norwegian and English are incredibly alike in those ways.

Examples from This Lesson

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #6 4

 1. Mark: hei, du må være Espen? Jeg er Mark.
"Hello, you must be Espen? I am mark."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
How Polite Should You Be in Norway?

As you can see in the conversation at the beginning of this lesson, politeness is something that comes
naturally with the Norwegian language. It is not considered being too formal even if you are polite to
your friends and family; it's just how Norwegian is.
For example, it's not a rare thing to greet a stranger on the street, but of course, we don't greet
everyone.
Let's say you walk in the park on a Sunday afternoon and you meet one person or maybe an old couple
coming from the opposite direction. Smiling at them or just saying god dag, meaning "good day," is
perfectly natural conduct in Norway. Usually, the ones you greet will greet you back, and in some cases
comment on the weather or temperature...
A strange phenomenon that is...commenting on the weather. It's not just Norway; in many countries, it is
natural to do this.
The strangers one most commonly greets in Norway are older people. It's a sign of respect for the
elders and social conduct the elders are more used to than the youth. It is less common now than
before to greet strangers, but it's still not considered uncommon.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #6 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #7
First Encounters in Norwegian, Part 2

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 7
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #7 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Så Mark, hva driver du med?

2. Mark : Jeg jobber for Mercedes i New York.

3. Espen : Ja, jeg jobber også for Mercedes. Har du en hobby?

4. Mark : Åja, ja jeg liker å fiske. Hva med deg?

5. Espen : Jeg liker å se på fotball.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : So, Mark, what do you do?

2. Mark : I work for Mercedes in New York.

3. Espen : Yes, I work for Mercedes too. Do you have a hobby?

4. Mark : Oh, right. Yeah, I enjoy fishing. What about you?

5. Espen : I like watching football.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

å drive to do verb

hva what pronoun

å jobbe to work verb

med with conjunction, preposition

å like to like verb

å ha to have verb

så so, how adverb

å se to watch, to see, to look verb

også too adverb

å fiske to fish verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #7 2

 Hva driver du med? Hvorfor?

"What do you do for a living?" What for?

Hva snakker du om? Hva vil du gjøre?

"What are you talking about?" "What do you want to do?"

Jeg må jobbe. Vil du gå på kino med meg?

"I have to work." "Will you go to the movies with me?"

Brødskive med hva? Jeg blir med!

"A slice of bread with what?" "I'm coming with you!"

Blir du med? Den med hunden på, vær så snill.

"Are you joining?" "The one with the dog (on it), please."

Jenta liker valpene kjempegodt. Den lille jenta liker valpene kjempegodt.

"The girl really likes the puppies." "The young girl really likes the puppies."

Jeg liker tysk øl. De har for mye søppel i hagen sin.

"I like German beer." "They have too much garbage in their garden."

Har du en katt? Så fin den ser ut.

"Do you have a cat?" "How nice it looks."

Så... hva er til middag? Jeg ser alltid på dette TV-programmet.

"So... what's for dinner?" "I always watch this TV show."

Hun kunne ikke stoppe og se på skjermen. Den drua ser ganske gammel ut.

"She couldn't stop looking at the screen." "That grape looks pretty old."

Vanligvis ser jeg ikke på noen sport, men igår Ta med deg denne også.
gjorde jeg et unntak.
"Bring this one too."
Usually, I don't watch any sports but I made an
exception yesterday.

Jeg vil også dra. Jeg skal fiske.

"I also want to go." "I'm going fishing."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

We have a couple of words in the vocabulary that are essentially interjections used heavily by
Norwegians when chatting. Let's have a look at them:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #7 3

så

"so"

åja

"Oh, right"

Neither of these two are strictly necessary to have in a sentence, but they can still be good to know. They
have no grammatical point, but they can help you make a smoother and more natural sentence while
speaking with friends.

Most languages have interjections that we use as conversation fillers. Norwegian has many of these.
However, one of these two does have more uses than most other interjections. Let's take a closer look
at them both individually.

så

"So"

We use så in the start of a question in the same way as English. We often use it to "break the silence"
before starting to talk.

åja

"Oh, right"

We use åja to express a sudden understanding. For example, when Espen asks Mark what he does, Mark
answers that he is working for Mercedes in New York. Apparently, Espen wanted to know about Mark's
hobby, so he asked specifically about that. Mark then understands that Espen meant "hobby" not
"work" and responds with a "oh, right" to indicate he grasped what Espen meant.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is to Ask "What Do You Do?" in Norwegian.
Så Mark, hva driver du med?
"So, Mark, what do you do?"

In this lesson, we will take a look at how to expand your self-introduction by adding things you like to do
and also ask people about what they like to do or what they do for a living.

Let's take a look at the sentence Espen uses when asking Mark Hva driver du med? ("What do you do?")
However, when literally translated, the question becomes "What engaging you with?"

As you can see, the literal translation doesn't make much sense in English, even though the structure is
the same. We can also translate the question Hva driver du med as "What are you doing?" which makes
a lot more sense in translation. The meaning depends a lot on the context of the situation. Let's see
some examples of both.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #7 4

In one situation, Espen and Mark are talking about each other.

For Example:

1. Så Mark, hva driver du med?

"So, Mark, what do you do for a living?"

In another situation, Espen and Mark are walking around in Oslo. All of a sudden, Mark sees a pigeon in
front of him and starts running after it down the street.

For Example:

1. Mark, hva driver du med?

"Mark, what are you doing?"

In the vocabulary, we have the words å like. By adding them to an SVO or a VSO sentence, you can make
a sentence saying you like something or ask whether the other person likes something.

For Example:

1. Jeg liker deg.

"I like you."

2. Liker du meg? "Do you like me?"

If you wish to say the opposite, "I don't like," simply add ikke, meaning "not," before the object in the
sentence.

For Example:

1. Jeg liker ikke deg.

"I don't like you."
2. Liker du ikke meg?
"Don't you like me?"

Examples from This Lesson

1. Så Mark, hva driver du med?

"So, Mark, what do you do?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
How Do You Spend Your Free Time in Norway?

In this lesson, Espen is asking Mark about what he is doing during his free time. This is a pretty common
question to ask strangers since most people have spare time on their hands.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #7 5

Working hours in Norway are about eight hours a day, five days a week. Most people have spare time
from about four or five p.m. and more than enough time to enjoy their hobbies or sports. Most people
in regular jobs also have weekends off as well, so pastimes are an important part of life in Norway.
Norwegians are usually active and healthy people. During their spare time, many enjoy different sports
or go to the gym to work out. Running or walking is also a popular activity among both youth and
elders. During winter, when it's snowing and using your feet for transportation can be hazardous, many
people, especially in the countryside, tend to ski instead of walking. Most of them don't ski to the
supermarket, but of course, even those types of people do exist. Most Norwegian families are equipped
with skis, and many families also have a holiday home somewhere in the mountain ranges. Norwegians
really enjoy vacations in the mountains during winter.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #7 6

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #8
Norwegian Greetings and Farewells

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 8
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #8 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Takk for at du fulgte meg til hotellet.

2. Espen : Bare hyggelig, vi sees i morgen. God natt.

3. Mark : God natt. (Faces staff) God kveld.

4. Staff : God kveld, kan jeg hjelpe deg?

5. Mark : Ja, jeg har reservert et rom.

ENGLISH

1. Mark : Thanks for accompanying me to the hotel.

2. Espen : No problem, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night.

3. Mark : Good night. (to staff) Good evening.

4. Staff : Good evening, can I help you?

5. Mark : Yes, I have booked a room.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

bare hyggelig no problem, my pleasure expression

å følge to follow, to take someone somewhere verb

i morgen tomorrow phrase

vi sees I'll see you around phrase

reservere to reserve, book noun

god dag good day, hello expression

å kunne to be able to, to be willing to verb

for at that, for interjection

God kveld. Good evening. expression

God Morgen. Good morning. expression

å hjelpe to help verb

rom room noun neuter

God natt. Good night. expression

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #8 2

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Bare hyggelig. Kan du følge meg?

"My pleasure." "Can you keep me company?"

Jeg skulle ha sendt denne i morgen. Vi sees senere.

"I would like to send this tomorrow." "I'll see you later."

Du må reservere bord på forhånd Ha en god dag!

"You must reserve your table in advance." "Have a nice day!"

Kunne du hjulpet meg? Jeg kan komme i dag.

"Could you help me?" "I can come today."

Du kan kjøpe tannkrem på apoteket. Unnskyld meg for at jeg er sen.

"You can buy toothpaste at the pharmacy." "Excuse me for being late."

God kveld, for to, er du snill. God Morgen, hvordan går det?

"Good evening, for two people please." "Good morning, how are you?" (formal)

Han skulle bare hjelpe til. Kan du hjelpe til?

"He was just going to help." "Can you help out?"

Jeg trenger hjelp her. Rommet er støvete.

"I need some help here." "This room is dusty."

Jeg må rydde rommet mitt i kveld. Dette er mitt rom.

"I need to clean my room tonight." "This is my room."

God natt og tusen takk.

"Good night and thank you very much."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

As you can see from the vocabulary in this lesson, there are some big differences between Norwegian
and English words. Some English words have to be made from two combined words in Norwegian, and
sometimes it is the other way around. In some cases, we use different words in both languages to
describe the same meaning. Here are some examples from the dialogue.

For Example:

1. I morgen
"in the morning" (tomorrow)
2. bare hyggelig
"my pleasure" (literally, "just nice")

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #8 3

Explanation of At

As you also might have noticed, we have a few words that are shuffled around a bit in our conversation
when we translate them. Let's take a look at the word at.

For Example:

1. Mark: Takk for at du fulgte meg til hotellet.

"Mark: Thank you for following me to the hotel."

We can roughly translate at into English as "that." In this sentence, we use it to specify that you are
thankful to the other person for keeping you company. In English, "thank you" indicates very clearly who
is being thanked. In Norwegian, however, not adding at would remove all indication of who the thanks
are for, rendering the whole sentence a bit plain.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Change Verbs in the Past Tense.
Jeg har reservert et rom.
"I have booked a room."

In the dialogue, you saw two examples of verbs changed to the past tense. Can you guess which? Fulgte
("followed," "took") and reservert ("reserved," "booked"): we changed each to two different types of
past.

For Example:

1. Takk for at du fulgte meg...

"Thanks for taking me..." (showing me the way)

We changed the verb to the recent past, although it could really have been anywhere between a second
ago and "the big bang."

The second word, however, is talking about something that has already happened and is finished, done,
or looked at in retrospect.

For Example:

1. Jeg har reservert...

"I have booked..."

It might be hard to grasp it at first, and for those of you who are more familiar with linguistics, we refer
to these two types of pasts to as "simple past" and "present perfect," respectively. And luckily for you,
these behave exactly the same as in English. So no more explanation would actually be needed but for
the sake of learning:

In Norwegian, we change (conjugate) verbs by adding or changing their endings. As you might
remember, most present tense verbs would end in -er or -r. Now, the past tense is much the same.

In the simple past tense, we usually conjugate a verb by ending its dictionary form in -te, -de, -ne, -le, -et
or many other endings.
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #8 4
It might not be easy to tell which verb has which ending at first, but don't worry: it is all quite natural.

For Example:

1. kjøre becomes kjørte

2. følge becomes fulgte

3. skal becomes skulle

The ending is different for several words. However, common for all of these is that they end in an -e.

Now, for the second word. Reservert follows the same rules as English in that it needs a "have" or "has"
in front of it. In Norwegian, there is only one "has" or "have": har. You might have noticed it came before
du ("you") in the dialogue. The reason is because it is a VSO sentence, if you remember our small talk on
sentence structure. Without confusing you too much about these two, let's leave the more thorough
explanation of our present perfect way of changing words for later.

Instead, remember to look out for ways that our simple past verbs can end. As mentioned, the most
common endings are -te, -le, -de, -ne, and -et. Yet there are a lot more ways they can end.

Examples from This Lesson

1. Mark: Takk for at du fulgte meg til hotellet.

"Mark: Thanks for taking me to the hotel."
Mark: Ja, jeg har reservert et rom.
"Mark: Yes, I have booked a room."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Sending Greetings from Norway

Much like other languages, Norwegian has several greetings for different times of the day. Counting the
most used greetings, we have seven greetings. But if we count the others as well, there are over ten.
Note that these are all greetings used in everyday life, not counting dialects or regional variants.
The different greetings have their times of the day. However, this will be slightly different from person to
person since people wake up at different times and have different ideas of what is early and what is late.
An example of this is the Norwegian saying syvsover. This is said of people who sleep in and are having a
hard time getting out of bed. The direct meaning of it is "seven sleeper," meaning you are sleeping until
seven in the morning. Now this might sound early to you, but back in the day, people would be up
around five to start their daily chores.
Another example is that twelve o'clock is regarded from old times as midday in Norway; however,
especially among young people, it's now regarded as morning.
So you will have to decide which greeting to use when. Of course, this is with certain limitations: you
can't walk around telling people "good morning" at nine in the evening.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #8 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #9
Unidentified Norwegian Objects

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 9
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #9 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Mark, kom og se.

2. Mark : Hva er det?

3. Espen : Det er røkt laks.

4. Mark : Hvordan sier jeg "how much are these" på norsk?

5. Espen : "Hvor mye koster disse".

6. Mark : Takk Espen. (to shopkeeper) Unnskyld, hvor mye koster denne?

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Mark, come and look.

2. Mark : What is that?

3. Espen : It's smoked salmon.

4. Mark : How do I say "How much are these?" in Norwegian?

5. Espen : "Hvor mye koster disse."

6. Mark : Thanks, Espen. (to shopkeeper) Excuse me, how much are these?

VOCABULARY

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #9 2

Norwegian English Class Gender

laks salmon noun masculine

å røyke to smoke verb

å si to say verb

hvordan how adverb

mye much, a lot adjective

denne this pronoun

på in, on preposition

å komme to come verb

det that pronoun

disse these pronoun

hvor where adverb

å koste to cost verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Laks er født i ferskvann, flytter til salt vann, og rå laks

deretter kommer tilbake til ferskvann for å gyte.
raw salmon
Salmon are born in fresh water, move to salt
water, then return to fresh to spawn.

Muslinger, laks, reker, hummer og blekksprut er Norsk laks er den beste laksen i hele verden.
alle sjømat.
"Norwegian salmon is the best salmon in the
Clams, salmon, shrimp, lobsters, and squid are all whole world."
seafood.

Jeg fisker laks. Pipen røyket.

"I'm fishing salmon." "The pipe was smoking."

Konen min røyker ikke. Han sa at han ville vente på oss.

"My wife doesn't smoke." "He said that he would wait for us."

Han kunne ikke si sannheten til henne. Hva sier han?

"He couldn’t tell her the truth." "What is he saying?"

Hvordan sier man ... Hvordan bruker du dette?

how do you say… How do you use this?

Fortell meg hvordan man bruker fjernkontrollen. Hei, hvordan går det Maria?

"Tell me how to use the remote control." "Hello, how are you Maria?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #9 3

 Hvordan går det? Det er mye.

"How goes it?" "That's a lot."

Denne boken, vær så snill. Jeg går vanligvis tidlig hjem på fredager.

"This book, please." "I usually go home early on Fridays."

Ta på deg lua! Jeg må på do.

"Put on your hat!" "I have to go to the toilet."

Jeg venter på at posten skal komme. Jeg vet du ikke vil at jeg skal komme på festen.

"I am waiting for the post to come." "I know you don't want me to come to the party."

Jeg ville ha likt å komme igjen i morgen, om Legen kom etter en time.
mulig.
"The doctor came after an hour."
"I would like to come again tomorrow, if
possible."

Jeg kommer hjem nå. Kom over.

"I'm coming home now." "Come over."

Fire stykker kom ikke. Fikk du med deg det?

"Four people did not come." "Did you get all of that?"

Ole, jeg er lei for det. Disse skoene er mine.

"Ole, I am sorry about that." "These shoes are mine."

Hvor skal du imorgen kveld? Hvor skal du hen?

"Where are you going tomorrow night?" "Where are you going?"

Hvor er sjefen? Hvor mye koster vasen?

"Where is the boss?" "How much is that vase?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

First of all, let's list the words and sentences we are focusing on:

1. Å røyke
"to smoke"

2. Hvordan gikk det?

"Are you all right?"
3. Det
"that"/"it"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #9 4

The most important one to explain is å røyke. In this form, it means "to smoke" as in to smoke a
cigarette. But røkt means "smoked" as in smoked fish. You can also write this word as røyk, meaning
"smoke" as in smoke from a chimney.

Our next one is the sentence hvordan gikk det, meaning "Are you all right?" It literally translates as "How
went it?" which also makes sense in English, but it is not grammatically correct. It can translate to "How
did it go?" which is a better translation.

Last, we have det, meaning "it" or "that." Its meaning depends on your question, so let's see examples of
both.

For Example:

1. Hvor mye koster det?

"How much is it?"

2. Hvor mye koster det? (pointing at an object)

"How much is that?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is to Ask "What Is [Something]?" in Norwegian.
Hvordan sier jeg "how much are these" på norsk?
"How do I say "how much are these" in Norwegian?"

In this lesson, we will focus on how to ask what things are in Norwegian. This will probably become one
of the most useful tools you will ever have in learning Norwegian. Let's look at what Mark is asking
Espen: Hvordan sier jeg "how much are these" på norsk? ("How do I say 'how much are these' in
Norwegian?")

In this sentence, Mark is using jeg, but you can also ask like this: Hvordan sier man "how much are
these" på norsk? ("How do you say 'how much are these' in Norwegian?" or "How does one say 'how
much are these' in Norwegian?")

Saying på norsk at the end is optional. Both persons in the conversation will know that it is Norwegian,
and not, say, Finnish. So you can choose whether you wish to add it. The same goes for English.

This question follows the exact same structure as in English. Most questions in both English and
Norwegian normally do.

Questions in General

Now let's take a look at how question sentences are normally made. Remember, we talked about the
SVO and the VSO sentence structures in lesson 6? Asking questions in Norwegian will often follow a VSO
sentence structure. Let's see a SVO sentence being converted into a VSO sentence taking on the form as
a question.

For Example:

1. Du er en snill venn.
"You are a kind friend." (SVO)

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #9 5

 2. Er du en snill venn?
"Are you a kind friend?" (VSO)

Examples from This Lesson

Mark: Hvordan sier jeg "how much are these" på norsk?

Mark: "How do I say 'how much are these' in Norwegian?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
The Popularity of Fish in Norway

In our conversation with Mark and Espen, Espen wants Mark to check out some smoked salmon. Now
this has nothing to do with the language itself, but salmon is a big part of Norway and Norwegian
culture.
Salmon from Norway is known worldwide for its fine quality, and maybe the smoked salmon in
particular. Thousands of food enthusiasts visit Norway each year to get a taste of it, and it's used a lot in
Norwegian cuisine. Salmon is also, unsurprisingly I might add, one of Norway's largest exports, and
huge quantities are sent around the world, especially to Japan.
Norway is known for fish in general, and it's being joked about between the Scandinavian countries that
Norwegians eat nothing but fish. Though this is not true, parts of Norway, especially the western coast,
eat a lot of fish. There, the proportion of fish in meals will probably equal or be higher than the
proportion of meat in other parts of Norway, such as Oslo. Although people from the inland, especially
the Oslo region, aren't known for eating that much fish, they still tend to have at least two meals a week
including fish.
Recently, sushi has also brought a new interest for seafood and fish in central parts of Norway.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #9 6

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #10

How Many Beers Should we get Tonight
in Norway?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 10
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #10 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Hei Mark, hvor mange øl trenger vi?

2. Mark : Vel, hvor mange trenger du?

3. Espen : En six-pack kanskje?

4. Mark : Jeg trenger ikke så mange. Fire er OK.

5. Espen : Ti øl altså.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Hey, Mark, how many beers do we need?

2. Mark : Well, how many do you need?

3. Espen : A six-pack maybe?

4. Mark : I don't need that many. Four is OK.

5. Espen : Ten beers then.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

vi we pronoun

vel well expression

øl beer noun masculine

six-pack six-pack noun

å trenge to need verb

fire four (4) numeral

mange many adjective

ti ten (10) numeral

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Skal vi gå sammen? Vi har poteter i kjøleskapet.

"Shall we go together?" "We have potatoes in the fridge."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #10 2

 Vel... ikke egentlig... En kald øl er veldig passende i sommerværet.

"Well... not really..." "A cold beer suits the summer weather well."

Han drikker bare øl. Jeg elsker å ta en kald øl i skyggen

"He only drinks beer." "I love a cold beer in the shadow."

Er dette norsk øl? Jeg liker tysk øl.

"Is this Norwegian beer?" "I like German beer."

Kan du kjøpe en six-pack? Jeg trenger virkelig at du hører på meg.

"Can you buy a six-pack?" "I really need you to listen to me."

Jeg trenger papir. Vi trenger alle sollys for å overleve.

"I need paper." "We all need sunlight to survive."

Jeg skal være i Oslo i fire dager. Fire stykker kom ikke.

"I'll stay in Oslo for four days." "Four people did not come."

Det var mange grunner til å fortsette å skrive for Jeg har mange hester.
avisen.
"I have many horses."
"There were numerous reasons to keep writing
for the newspaper."

Jeg tar ti oliven er du snill.

"I would like ten olives please."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Let's take a look at the sentence Hvor mange er det. We can translate it into two different sentences in
English. The word det can have many meanings in Norwegian. We have already gone through many
different ways to use it, but you can still get surprised sometimes. In this situation, det can mean either
"it" or "there."

Let's also take a look at a couple of numbers that can be confusing when translating between
Norwegian and English. The reason there's up to one trillion is not to scare you off. Just for
convenience's sake, since as you can see, Norwegian and English are a bit different from one million and
upward.

Number Norwegian "English"

1,000,000,000 milliard "billion"

1,000,000,000,000 billion "trillion"

As you can see, this could become slightly confusing at some point.

GRAMMAR

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #10 3

The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Count Numbers in Norwegian.
Jeg trenger ikke så mange. Fire er OK.
"I don't need that many. Four is OK."

Here are the numbers from zero to one trillion... Well, almost all the numbers.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #10 4

Number Norwegian "English"

0 null "zero"

1 en/ett "one"

2 To "two"

3 tre "three"

4 fire "four"

5 fem "five"

6 seks "six"

7 sju/syv "seven"

8 åtte "eight"

9 ni "nine"

10 ti "ten"

11 elve "eleven"

12 tolv "twelve"

13 tretten "thirteen"

14 fjorten "fourteen"

15 femten "fifteen"

16 seksten "sixteen"

17 sytten "seventeen"

18 atten "eighteen"

19 nitten "nineteen"

20 tjue "twenty"

30 tretti "thirty"

40 førti "forty"

50 femti "fifty"

60 seksti "sixty"

70 sytti "seventy"

80 åtti "eighty"

90 nitti "ninety"

100 hundre "hundred"

1,000 tusen "thousand"

1,000,000 million "million"

1,000,000.000 milliard "billion"

1,000,000.000,000 billion "trillion"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #10 5

Counting in Norwegian and English is a very similar process. Apart from the name of the numbers, it's
almost the same system. The numbers from 11 to 19 are different from the rest in the 10 to 100
category in both languages, and the characteristics are the same in both Norwegian and English. Let's
take a look at both:

Number Norwegian "English"

11 elve "eleven"

12 tolv "twelve"

13 tretten "thirteen"

14 fjorten "fourteen"

15 femten "fifteen"

16 seksten "sixteen"

17 sytten "seventeen"

18 atten "eighteen"

19 nitten "nineteen"

The only difference here is that in English we use the same root numbers 3 to 9 in the 13 to 19 system,
but in Norwegian, the system the root numbers are altered slightly. However, in both languages you can
see that they have indications of the number 10 in the end: the Norwegian ten meaning 10, and the
English "ten" also meaning 10. Also in English, counting from 20 to 90 follows the same system, but in
Norwegian 20 is a little different from the rest:

Number Norwegian "English"

20 tjue "twenty"

30 tretti "thirty"

40 førti "forty"

50 femti "fifty"

Just like the numbers from 13 to 19, the ending of the numbers has a relation to 10, the only difference
being that it's multiplied by 10, not added to 10.

The following counting system is more or less the same in both languages, except for the big numbers
we looked at in the vocabulary section.

Let's take a look anyway though just to see it for ourselves:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #10 6

Number Norwegian "English"

41 førti en "forty-one"

52 femti to "fifty-two"

63 seksti tre "sixty-three"

Now when we get to a hundred, the systems also the same for both languages.

Number Norwegian "English"

120 (ett) hundre og tjue "(one) hundred and twenty"

250 to hundre og femti "two hundred and fifty"

775 syv hundre og syttifem "seven hundred and seventy-five"

So as you can see, except for the pronunciation of the two languages' numbers, the systems are almost
the same.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Borrowed English and Norwegian Words

As you can see in the vocabulary in this lesson, we have an English word in the Norwegian box.
Norwegian makes use of a lot of words that we borrow from English. It's not always because we don't
have words for it ourselves, but it's often more natural or cool to use the English word for something.
The linguistics department in Norway will each year ready a list of English loan words they propose to
convert to Norwegian. However, this is often met with a bit of humor, since some of the translations are
rather funny and less practical in ways. Many are worried that English will take over too much of the
Norwegian language, but the fact of the matter is that English is actually borrowing a lot of old
Norwegian or "Norse" words.
In the days of the Vikings, Norway invaded England for a short period of time. During this time, the
Vikings influenced the Anglo-Saxons' language, and some of the Norse language still remains today.
Many of these words are now words Norwegian has "loaned" from English as well, so in a way we are
not borrowing words: we are taking them back. Some examples of words that originates from
Norwegian are "bag," "father," "ski," "fjord," and "church."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #10 7

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #11

Talking Time in Norwegian

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 11
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #11 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Espen, hvor mye er klokken?

2. Espen : Den er syv.

3. Mark : Takk. Jeg drar i møte klokken halv ni

4. Espen : Det er om en og en halv time.

5. Mark : Riktig!

ENGLISH

1. Mark : Espen, what time is it?

2. Espen : It's seven.

3. Mark : Thanks. I am going to a meeting at half past eight.

4. Espen : That's in an hour and a half.

5. Mark : Right!

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hvor how pronoun

mye much, a lot adjective

klokken time (clock) noun

den that, it pronoun

å dra to leave verb

møte meeting noun neutral

halv half noun masculine

om in preposition

time hour noun masculine

riktig correct adjective

om about adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #11 2

 Hvor langt dro du? Hvor mye koster vasen?

"How far did you go?" "How much is that vase?"

Det er mye. Klokken er åtte.

"That's a lot." "It's eight o'clock."

Hva er klokken? Jeg kan ikke finne den.

"What time is it?" "I can't find it."

den skjorten vær så snill Jeg drar om en time.

"That shirt, please." "I am leaving in an hour."

møtet vil ta plass i finansedistriktet. Det er veldig uhøflig å sove under et viktig møte.

"The meeting will take place in the finance "It is very impolite to sleep during an important
district." meeting."

Skal du på møte i dag? Oppskriften ba om en og en halv teskjeer sukker.

"Are you going to a meeting today?" The recipe called for one and a half teaspoons of
sugar.

Halve brødet ligger på bordet. En halv kylling takk.

"Half the bread is on the table." "Half a chicken please."

Jeg drar om en time. Jeg kommer hjem fra jobben om en time.

"I am leaving in an hour." I’ll be home from work in an hour.

i en time Jeg sover 8 timer hver dag.

for one hour I sleep for 8 hours every day.

det er 60 minutter i en time. Jeg sov i ti timer forrige natt.

There are 60 minutes in an hour. "I slept for ten hours last night."

Det er om en time. Jeg drar om en time.

"That’s in an hour." "I am leaving in an hour."

Det er riktig. Svaret er riktig!

That is correct. "The answer is correct!"

Jeg misliker historier om bjørner. Jeg lurte på noe.

"I dislike stories about bears." "I’m curious about something."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

om
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #11 3
You might be wondering how the word om works, and fear not, as I shall explain it briefly.

Om means "in" as "in twenty minutes." But it can also mean "if," as in "if you do that, then..." These are
the two main usages for the word.

In this lesson's dialogue, you saw om used in relation to time. Let's look at some examples of this word
with the two different meanings.

For Example:

1. Jeg er der om tjue minutter.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

2. Vet du om du kan komme?

"Do you know whether you can come?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Read Time in Norwegian.
Espen, hvor mye er klokken?
"Espen, What time is it?"

In this lesson, we'll learn how to talk about the time of the day.

The most important thing is remembering how to count in Norwegian...well, at least up to sixty. Twelve
might be enough to if you are willing to round up or down to the nearest ten minutes or quarters.

To ask "What time is it?" you simply use the phrase hvor mye er klokken? It's a simple phrase that
literally means "How much is the clock?"

Now, there is another phrase that is just as common as the first one, so it doesn't at all matter which
one you use. However, the first one will give you better practice in learning Norwegian. The alternative
phrase is somewhat of a shortcut, and let me point it out early that it is also slightly grammatically
incorrect. It is hva er klokken, and it literally translates as "What is the clock?"

Obviously, the alternative is much simpler without the "how much..." part, and I guess most of you will
end up using it. Yet, I encourage you to use the original phrase from the dialogue.

Now, if you need to tell someone what time it is, there are two common ways. One in response to the
question above and another that you can use regardless of context.

The common answer to the question Hvor mye er klokken? is Den er...["the time, usually a number
between one and twelve"]. This translates as "it is...[time]."

We can use the other way of saying what time it is in any context, without any question precluding it. It is
klokken er... ("the time of the day").

Quite simple, right? You might have noticed that we do not use AM or PM or anything expressing
whether it is night or day. That is usually because it is considered already understood.

Last but not least, if you want to be slightly more punctual than whole hours, there are a few words you
can add. Let's use the example "It is ten o'clock" and modify it from there.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #11 4

For Example:

1. Klokken er ti.
"It is ten PM/AM."
2. Klokken er halv ti.
"It is half past nine" (literally, "it is half ten") (In Norwegian, we count up to the closest whole hour,
and not from it)
3. Klokken er kvart på ti.
"It's a quarter to ten."
4. Klokken er kvart over ti.
"It's a quarter past ten."

Examples From This Dialogue

1. Mark: Espen, hvor mye er klokken?

"Mark: Espen, what time is it?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Getting Time From Someone in Norway

As you might remember from an earlier lesson, Norwegians are quite social...well not in that way. Yet, at
least call us polite. We usually say hello to someone we meet on the street if there are few people
around us and generally try to seem pleasant to others.
To foreigners wanting to learn Norwegian, that is the perfect characteristic to exploit. As you learned in
this lesson to ask what time it is, the question poses the perfect phrase to confront strangers with, and
knowing Norwegians try their best to be nice, diligent people, they will usually stop to have a look at
their watch and tell you what time it is.
Learning by hearing is also the best way to learn another language. And undoubtedly you'll hear a lot of
different accents from different places in Norway, especially if you were to practice your Norwegian in
Oslo. Just remember that asking people on the street of Karl Johann, the busiest street in Oslo, might
not be as good an idea as asking someone down by the docks or somewhere less busy. Busy people
tend to care more about how much time it takes them to get from A to B than about being polite to
passers-by.
Take care of yourself and make sure you don't overdo it so much that you get on other people's nerves.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #11 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #12

A Norwegian Shopping Trip

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 12
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #12 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Hvor mye koster denne boken?

2. Shop staff : Den koster 250 kroner.

3. Mark : Det var billig.

4. Shop staff : Ja, den er på tilbud. Akkurat nå er den til halv pris.

ENGLISH

1. Mark : How much is this book?

2. Shop staff : It's 250 kroner.

3. Mark : That's cheap.

4. Shop staff : Yes, it's on sale right now. It's currently half price.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

boken the book noun

kroner Norwegian kroner (currency) noun

billig cheap adjective

tilbud on sale, discounted noun

akkurat exactly adverb

nå now adverb

pris price noun masculine

koste to cost verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Denne boken, vær så snill. Jeg har tjue kroner.

"This book, please." "I have twenty Norwegian Kroner."

Jeg leter etter et billig par sko. billige solbriller

I'm looking for a cheap pair of shoes. cheap sunglasses

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #12 2

 Masse billige klær. Alt er på tilbud.

"A lot of cheap clothes." "Everything is on sale."

Jeg kan ikke gjøre det akkurat nå. Hva vil du gjøre nå?

"I can't do it right now." What do you want to do now?

Nå, vær så snill og hør på meg. Kan du gå nå?

"Now, please listen to me." "Can you go now?"

Det går bra nå. Nå må du høre!

"It’s ok now." "Now listen to me!"

utsalgspris prislapper

retail price price tags

Hva er prisen på en Big Mac i ditt land? Prisen er en halv euro.

What's the price of a Big Mac in your country? The price is half a Euro.

Jeg liker å prute på priser. Den koster 3000 kroner.

"I like to bargain prices." "It costs 3000 kroner."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Regarding Akkurat, the use of the word is slightly hard to grasp at first. It is one of those words you
wouldn't think translated so directly from English, but that actually does.

It can be used as a confirmational interjection. Like "right!" or "Exactly!" But also like "I see." Which
suddenly makes this word very practical to know.

Apart from a standalone interjection, akkurat can mean everything from "correct" to "right," or "exactly"
followed by "now."

Another popular way of using akkurat is putting the negative ikke in front, creating ikke akkurat which
in English translates directly as "not exactly."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask the Price of Something in Norwegian.
Hvor mye koster denne boken?
"How much is this book?"

In Norwegian, asking the price of something is no harder than doing so in English. We basically build up
the sentence the same way as we do in English.

For Example:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #12 3

 1. Hvor mye koster denne.
"How much is this?"

The only difference is that in Norwegian we would use the verb koster ("to cost") instead of asking "how
much one thing is"... Understanding what the reply is shouldn't be too hard either.

The staff at the shop will usually reply to a question about price with a number. In Norwegian, like
English, there's little fuss with necessary words or formalities needed to tell simple things.

Like in the dialogue though, the staff might add den er or den er på tilbud, which means "it's on sale."

Although it was not in the dialogue, saying that you want an item is just as easy as well. Just say Jeg tar
denne, which literally means "I'm taking this." It should be sufficient to tell the seller that you want that
item.

But back to asking the price. As you can see from the dialogue above, Mark asks Hvor mye koster denne
boken? which essentially means "How much does this book cost?"

In Norwegian, you just append the name of the thing you want to ask the price of after denne and it
becomes "How much does this...cost?"

Better yet, you can also say Hvor mye koster...(defined noun)?

And it will be the same as asking "How much does the...cost?" Using this question, you don't need to be
holding or pointing at whatever you are talking about; if you know the merchant has the item in the
inventory, you can just ask the price like that.

Again, if saying you would like something, say a bun at the bakery...no, say you'd like four buns at the
bakery, a way you could phrase it is using Kan jeg få fire boller. Translated, this sentence would look like
"Can I please have four buns?"

Essentially, we build the phrase like this: Kan jeg få [number] [item in single for one or plural].

For Example:

1. Hvor mye koster denne?"How much is this?"

2. Jeg tar denne.
"I'll buy (take) this."
3. Hvor mye koster denne boken?
"How much is this book?"
4. Hvor mye koster bollene?
"How much is it for the buns?"
5. Kan jeg få fire boller?
"Can I please have four buns?"

Examples From the Dialogue

1. Hvor mye koster denne boken?

"How much is this book?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #12 4
Can You Talk Your Way Into a Bargain in Norway?

In Norway, it's not common to barter. It has more or less disappeared as a form of trade. Even at
markets you'll rarely see any bartering.
However, it is worth trying, although you'll look a bit weird to others as they aren't used to seeing
people bartering. That said, not all shop owners will accept bartering either.
It's not possible to, for example, barter a price at H&M or Zara, or, for that matter at a supermarket
when buying food. However, if you want to barter, the best places would be at markets or at privately
owned shops. Out in the countryside, it's also possible to barter.
Lately, bartering has become more prevalent online as shops and auction sites like finn.no and qxl.no
have become more prominent. For example, a lot of Norwegians trade used and new things at finn.no,
which is an online marketplace. The best place for a good barter would probably be there.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #12 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #13

Talking About Your Feelings and Opinions
in Norwegian

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 13
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #13 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Jeg er litt sulten, hva med deg?

2. Espen : Jeg er også sulten. La oss gå å spise et sted.

3. Mark : Supert, jeg er sliten av å gå.

ENGLISH

1. Mark : I'm a bit hungry, what about you?

2. Espen : I'm hungry too. Let's go eat somewhere.

3. Mark : Great, I'm tired of walking.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

sted place noun neuter

supert! Great! interjection

sliten tired, exhausted adjective

av from, of adverb

også too adverb

sulten hungry adjective

å spise eat, to eat verb

å gå to go verb

litt a bit adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Dette stedet er veldig stille. Har du funnet et sted å bo?

"This place is very quiet." "Have you found a place to stay?"

Supert at du kunne komme! Er ikke du sliten?

"Great that you could come!" "Are you tired?"

Gå av nå! Jeg har fått nok av dette!

"Get off now!" "I have had enough of this!"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #13 2

 Ta med deg denne også. Jeg vil også dra.

"Bring this one too." "I also want to go."

Gutten er sulten. sulten gutt

The boy is hungry. hungry boy

Mannen er sulten og leter etter mat. Ingen tåler deg når du er sulten!

The man is hungry and looking for food. "Nobody stands you when you are hungry!"

Kvinnen er sulten. Den sultne mannen er på jakt Jeg er sulten.

etter mat i kjøleskapet.
"I'm hungry."
"The woman is hungry. The hungry man is
looking for food in the refrigerator."

Vi burde spise minst tre ganger om dagen. Jeg spiser mye til frokost.

"We should eat at least three times a day." "I eat a lot for breakfast."

Går denne bussen til stranda? Jeg gikk til veterinæren.

"Does this bus go to the beach?" "I went to the animal hospital."

Jeg må gå snart. Jeg går på videregående.

"I have to go soon." "I am in middle school."

Jeg liker å gå i skogen. Vær så snill å gå på den andre siden av veien.

"I like to take a walk in the woods." "Please go to the other side of the road."

Jeg er litt sulten. Litt saktere, er du snill.

"I am a bit hungry." "Slow down a bit, please."

Vi er litt slitne.

"We're a bit tired."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

There are two parts of this lesson's vocabulary that might not be that easy to grasp: la oss... and Jeg er
også.

In the case of la oss..., the English equivalent has the same structure: "let us ..." or "let's ...." Like English,
la oss... is followed by a verb in dictionary form.

For Example:

1. La oss kjøre snart.

"Let's get driving soon."
2. La oss finne et sted å bo.
"Let us find a place to live."
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #13 3
On the other hand, jeg er også... has a slightly different structure than English "I am ... too." In
Norwegian, "too" comes right after "I am," which makes the resulting sentence get a whole new
meaning in English: "I am too hungry." In Norwegian, også will always follow jeg er.

For Example:

1. Jeg er også interessert!

"I am interested as well!"
2. Jeg er også helt utkjørt!
"I am exhausted too!"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Say "I am + adjective" in Norwegian.
Jeg er litt sulten...
"I'm a bit hungry."

As you have learned earlier, Jeg er is a very practical starting point of any sentence you want to say when
talking about yourself. As you may remember from earlier, we have Jeg er and a noun with its article, as
in jeg er en advokat ("I am a lawyer"), or we could use it with an adjective, as in jeg er sliten ("I am tired").
Now, let's one-up this by adding a modulator in between the pronoun jeg, han, hun and the adjective. In
this case, let's use sulten ("hungry") and tørst ("thirsty"). The modulators we will use are veldig ("very"),
litt ("a little"), ganske ("quite"), and utrolig ("incredibly"). So let's look at some examples with these
modulators.

For Example:

1. Jeg er veldig sulten.

"I am very hungry."
2. Jeg er ganske tørst.
"I am quite thirsty."
3. Jeg er litt tørst.
"I am a bit thirsty."

4. Jeg er utrolig sulten.

"I am incredibly hungry."

As you can see, there's no secret behind how this works as it's all pretty straightforward like English. You
can use any of these as they are, meaning that if you are "really hungry," you would say jeg er veldig
sulten!

Of course, you could substitute any other adjective for sulten and tørst that we would normally add
"very" "a bit" or "quite" to in English. It is that simple.

For Example:

1. Jeg er utrolig glad i deg!

"I am really fond of you!"
2. Er du litt sliten kanskje?
"Maybe you're a bit tired."
3. Han er ganske kjekk!
"He is pretty handsome!"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #13 4

 4. Hun er veldig pen!
"She is very beautiful!"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Telling Tall Tales in Norway

In Norway, it is common to use hyperbole. That means when expressing our feelings or thoughts, we
usually exaggerate a lot. It is nice to know some words that help with the exaggeration, as it will make
you sound more native! Some of the most common phrases used inmari ("incredibly"), sykt ("sick"), and
skikkelig ("really"). The usage of these isn't that hard either. Just exchange the veldig and utrolig that you
learned in this lesson with the hyperbole words, and you'll be speaking in proper Norwegian slang. For
example, writing this lesson made me sykt sliten ("sickly tired").

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #13 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #14

At A Norwegian Restaurant

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 14
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #14 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Waiter : God dag, hva skal det være?

2. Mark : Jeg vil gjerne ha en dagens suppe, takk.

3. Espen : Jeg tar en sandwich, og to øl, er du snill.

4. Waiter : Er det alt?

ENGLISH

1. Waiter : Good day, what can I offer you two?

2. Mark : I'd like to have the soup of the day, thanks.

3. Espen : I'll take a sandwich and two beers, please.

4. Waiter : Is that all?

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

suppe soup noun

dagens - of the day / today's adjective

sandwich sandwich noun

alt everything, all pronoun

å være to be verb

gjerne with pleasure / please

god dag good day, hello expression

snill kind, good adjective

å skulle to go to, will verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Vil du ha litt suppe? Er det dagens avis?

"Do you want some soup?" "Is that today's newspaper?"

En sandwich takk! Alt er på tilbud.

"A sandwich please!" "Everything is on sale."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #14 2

 I dag kan alt resirkuleres. Er du tørst?

"Today almost everything is recyclable." "Are you thirsty?"

Hva er klokken? Du må gjerne ta litt mat.

"What time is it?" "Please, feel free to eat some."

Ha en god dag! Vær snill nå.

"Have a nice day!" "Be kind now."

Det var veldig snilt av deg. Hvor skal du?

"That's very kind of you." "Where are you going?"

Skulle ikke du komme i går? Jeg skal besøke deg i morgen.

"Weren’t you supposed to come by yesterday?" "I’ll pay you a visit tomorrow."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

gjerne

The use of gjerne in Norwegian might not be entirely easy to understand. We use it quite often when
one would naturally use "please" in English. In the dialogue above, we use it right after vil "want (to)."
Translating the sentence directly would yield something like this "I want to please have today's soup,
thank you." Another time we often use gjerne is after ja ("yes"). If someone asks you "Do you want some
tea?" you'd respond ja gjerne ("Yes, please"). Let's look at some more examples.

For Example:

1. Jeg tar gjerne litt kaffe, hvis du har.

"I'll have some coffee, please, if you have it."

2. Jeg kan gjerne hjelpe deg!

"I'll help you, if you please."
3. Du må gjerne bli med hvis du vil!
"Feel free to join if you want!"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Say "I'd Like to" Using the Phrases Hva skal det være?, Jeg vil
gjerne ha..., and jeg tar...
Jeg vil gjerne ha....
"I would like...please."

What we will look at is how a waiter would usually ask "Shall I take your order?" and how to respond to
that question. In essence, there are many ways a waiter might ask "What do you want to eat?" but the
most common one is hva skal det være? ("What shall it be?") Other variations can be Hva kan jeg friste
med? ("What can I tempt you with?") and Skal du ha noe? ("Do you want anything?").

In the responses to this question, there are all degrees of politeness and length. However, the most
common way again is what we saw in the dialogue.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #14 3

Jeg vil gjerne ha... (noun).
"I would like... (noun) please." AND

Jeg tar... (noun).

"I'll take... (noun)."

Or just stating the items directly.

For Example:

1. En stekt kylling og poteter takk.

"A roast chicken and potatoes, please."

As you can see above, adding an og ("and") after each dish will connect them, just like English.

Ordering food in Norway could not be simpler than actually knowing how to pronounce the words for
the dishes you want to order; saying "that dish, that dish, and that dish, please" is more than enough
and also one of the most common ways we Norwegians order too.

When you are finished ordering, the waiter will usually ask whether you are finished ordering, to which a
nod or ja ("yes") should be enough.

For Example:

1. Jeg tar gjerne en røkt laks med gratinerte poteter.

"I'll take a smoked salmon with oven-baked potatoes."
2. Jeg vil ha en hambruger med pommes frites.
"I want a hamburger with fries."

Examples From This Dialogue

1. Jeg vil gjerne en dagens suppe takk.

"I would like the soup of the day."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Are You an Adventurous Eater?

There are a lot of interesting traditional Norwegian dishes. Some of them are more suitable for brave
people and not those faint of heart. Smalahove, blodpudding, and lungemos are three quite
extraordinary dishes that you should try, if your stomach can take it. In order, they are the smoked head
of a lamb, with eyes, ears, tongue, and brain still intact; a mash of intestines usually baked in a water
bath; and the last one is mashed lungs baked in an oven, often eaten with a cabbage stew and potatoes.
If that sounded like something you might never indulge in, then there are of course a few other dishes
that are worth trying: the ever-famous smoked salmon, meatballs in sauce, and shrimp with white
bread. If none of those suit your tastebuds, then I am not sure whether you'll like Norway at all.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #14 4

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #15

A Trip to the Norwegian Doctor

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 15
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #15 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Mark, går det bra med deg? Du ser litt blek ut...

2. Mark : Jeg har litt vondt i hodet.

3. Espen : Du burde ta en tur til legen, du er veldig varm.

4. Mark : Hva om legen ikke snakker engelsk?

5. Espen : Jeg blir med.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Mark, are you OK? You look a little pale...

2. Mark : I've got a slight headache.

3. Espen : You should go to the doctor; you're very warm.

4. Mark : What if the doctor doesn’t speak English?

5. Espen : I'm coming with you.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

å se to watch, to see, to look verb

bra good adjective

ut out preposition

blek bleak / white adjective

legen the doctor noun

vondt hurt verb

å gå to go verb

snakke to speak verb

hode head noun neutral

varm warm adjective

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #15 2

 Jeg ser alltid på dette TV-programmet. Hun kunne ikke stoppe og se på skjermen.

"I always watch this TV show." "She couldn't stop looking at the screen."

Den drua ser ganske gammel ut. Vanligvis ser jeg ikke på noen sport, men igår
gjorde jeg et unntak.
"That grape looks pretty old."
Usually, I don't watch any sports but I made an
exception yesterday.

Jeg føler meg bra. Bra du kunne komme.

"I feel good." "Good of you to come."

Jeg har det bra. Skal du gå ut?

"I'm good." "Are you going out?"

Han er blek som et spøkelse. Legen jobbet dag og natt.

"He is white as a ghost." "The doctor worked day and night."

Jeg har vondt i ribbeinet. Går denne bussen til stranda?

"My rib aches." "Does this bus go to the beach?"

Jeg gikk til veterinæren. Jeg må gå snart.

"I went to the animal hospital." "I have to go soon."

Jeg går på videregående. Jeg liker å gå i skogen.

"I am in middle school." "I like to take a walk in the woods."

Vær så snill å gå på den andre siden av veien. Jeg snakker ikke med deg lenger.

"Please go to the other side of the road." "I'm not talking to you anymore."

bruk hjelm for å beskytte hodet ditt hode og nakke

Wear a helmet to protect your head. head and neck

Ballen traff hodet hans. varm vind

"The ball hit his head." warm wind

det er allerede høst, men det er fortsatt varmt nå varmt vær

om dagen
warm weather
It's already fall, but it's still warm these days.

Du er veldig varm.

"You are very warm."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #15 3

There are a few words in the vocabulary that might need some explanation here too. ...ser ... ut, ta en
tur.

To start off with, [pro/noun] ser [adjective] ut is a phrase similar to English "[pro/noun] looks [adjective]."
In that sense, it is also pretty easy to remember. Just remember that in Norwegian, we add the ut ("out")
at the end of the sentence to give ser the meaning similar to the English "looks." Without ut, the phrase
has a totally different meaning.

For Example:

1. Jeg ser død.

"I see death."

2. Jeg ser død ut.

"I look dead."

Next, ta en tur literally means "take a trip" in Norwegian, but it actually means "to go to." It's common to
use this phrase when talking about going somewhere for a short while. Let's look at some examples.

For Example:

1. Jeg tar en tur til Spania neste uke.

"I am going on a short vacation to Spain next week."
2. Ta deg en tur ut du!
"I think you should go outside for a bit!"
3. Han tok seg en tur til butikken
"He went to the supermarket."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Say "I Have" in Norwegian
Jeg har litt vondt i hodet
"I have a small headache."

To express pain or illness in Norwegian, we use jeg har ("I have") and then an adjective like vondt ("pain")
or betennelse ("inflammation"), after which we add the preposition i ("in") and finally the place on your
body that hurts.

For Example:

1. Jeg har betennelse i foten.

"I have an inflammation in my foot."
2. Jeg har vondt i magen.
"I have a stomachache."
3. Jeg har vondt i halsen.
"My throat hurts."

Basically, any description of pain follows that pattern. For illness, you would use only the jeg har ("I
have") and then the name of illness you have.

For Example:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #15 4

 1. Jeg har feber.
"I have a fever."

2. Jeg har innfluensa.

"I have an influenza."
3. Jeg har pollenallergi.
"I have hay fever."

Finally, to explain some other symptoms like feeling warm, cold, or exhausted, we can use the pattern
we learned two lessons ago: Jeg er ("I am") and add an adjective.

For Example:

1. Jeg er varm.
"I am warm."

2. Jeg er kald.
"I am cold."
3. Jeg er sliten.
"I am exhausted."
4. Jeg er søvnig.
"I am sleepy."

Sample Sentences

1. Jeg har litt vondt i hodet.

"I have a small headache."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Do You Have to Grin and Bear It in Norway?

In Norway, we aren't that often at the hospital. And most of the time, we would be explaining our
symptoms to a friend or relative. We are inherently bad at visiting the hospital if we get sick. Instead, we
would have that friend or relative buy some painkillers and possibly a fever-reducing drug. It is definitely
a stubborn attitude, but it seems to work out fine in most cases. If you go to Norway and you find
yourself getting ill, unless it is a chronic illness or something you are familiar with, there shouldn't be
any reason to panic, as Norway does not have any deadly pandemics or tropical diseases. That said, if
you feel really ill, it is always best to go visit a doctor or the emergency department.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #15 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #16

Talking about the Weather in Norwegian

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 16
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #16 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Så fint vær det er i dag.

2. Espen : Ja, nyte det mens du enda kan.

3. Mark : Å? Hva er værmeldingen for i morgen?

4. Espen : Det skal regne en god del.

5. Mark : Igjen?

6. Espen : Jepp, det er faktisk mer regn enn sol her.

ENGLISH

1. Mark : What nice weather it is today.

2. Espen : Yeah, enjoy it while you still can.

3. Mark : Oh? What's the weather forecast for tomorrow?

4. Espen : It's going to rain quite a bit.

5. Mark : Again?

6. Espen : Yeah, there is in fact more rain than sun here.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

vær weather noun neutral

nyte to enjoy verb

mens while

enda still

værmelding (værmeldingen) weather forecast (the weather forecast) noun

regn rain noun neutral

en god del quite a bit phrase

faktisk actually/ in fact filler, adverb

sol sun noun feminine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #16 2

 sjekke værmeldingen familien nyter det gode været

check the weather report The family is enjoying the fine weather.

væropplysning I ettermiddag vil været snu.

weather bulletin In the afternoon, the weather will change.

ukentlig værmelding dagens vær er sol med skiftende skydekke

weekly weather report Today's weather is sunny with occasional clouds.

Været er forferdelig. Det er dårlig vær...

"This weather is horrible." "It's bad weather..."

Familien nyter et festmåltid. Jeg nyter den friske luften her.

"The family is enjoying a holiday meal." "I'm enjoying the fresh air here."

Vent her mens jeg går inn. Alle liker å dra på sightseeing mens man er på
ferie.
"Wait here while I go in."
"Everyone likes to go sightseeing while on
vacation."

Er du her enda? Hva er værmeldingen for i morgen?

"Are you still here?" "What is the weather forecast for tomorrow?"

fallende regn Regnet faller på gata.

falling rain The rain is falling on the street.

går hadde vi mye regn i løpet av en kort periode. Regnet faller på gata.

"Yesterday, we had a lot of rain in short period of "The rain is falling on the street."
time."

Jeg har en god del penger. Faktisk, jeg gjorde det ferdig allerede i går.

"I have quite a bit of money." "Actually, I already finished it yesterday."

Jeg er faktisk svensk. I dag skinner sola!

"I'm actually Swedish." "Today the sun is shining!"

Du er solen min.

"You are my sun." (catchphrase)

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

There isn't too much to look into in this lesson, but mentioning a little bit about a couple of things can
still be helpful. First, let's take a look at this:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #16 3

En god del

En god del is more a statement or a sentence than a word really, but picking these words apart will
make it lose all meaning. It translates as "quite a bit," or we can also directly translate it as "a good deal,"
as in the previous "quite a bit" and not "a good bargain."

Another thing worth mentioning is this word:

regn ("rain")

We used this word as a verb in the dialogue but wrote it as a noun in the vocabulary list. This is simply
for the reason that we use it in noun form more often than the dictionary form å regne ("to rain").

You simply add letters to the end of this noun to make it a verb:

1. regn
"rain"
2. (å) regne
"(to) rain"
3. regner
"raining"
4. regnet
"rained"

As you can also see here, the function of both the Norwegian and the English is very similar. Here are a
few example sentences of this.

For Example:

1. Jeg hater regn!

"I hate rain!"

2. Regner det nå?

"Is it raining now?"
3. Nei, men det regnet i går.
"No, but it rained yesterday."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Using Adjectives with Nouns.
Så fint vær det er i dag.
"What nice weather it is today."

As mentioned, we are looking at using adjectives and nouns together in this lesson. This is an important
step to further advance what you have already learned so far. We will start by listing some easy
sentences with nouns and some adjectives separately, and then join them together afterward.

Sentences with nouns:

For Example:

1. Jeg har en bil.

"I have a car."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #16 4

 2. Han er en gutt.
"He is a boy."

3. Jeg har en katt.

"I have a cat."

Adjectives:

For Example:

1. grønn
"green"
2. god
"good"
3. sort
"black"

Let's now put these together and expand the sentences and give them a more detailed description:

1. Jeg har en grønn bil.

"I have a green car."

2. Han er en god gutt.

"He is a good boy."
3. Jeg har en sort katt.
"I have a black cat."

And it's that easy. In some cases, the sentence makes no sense without adding an adjective in front of
the noun. An example of this is the sentence used in our dialogue in the beginning of this lesson: Så fint
vær det er i dag ("What nice weather it is today.").

Removing the adjective here will result in a sentence that makes no sense, so in some cases, you need to
use adjectives and nouns as a default. These cases will be about the same in both English and
Norwegian, so it's not too hard to know when you need to use an adjective and a noun together as a
rule. And also, adding adjectives will further detail the action or statement, so using it as often as
possible is a good thing.

Let's have some more examples of combining adjectives and nouns. The following examples are a little
more complicated than the above.

For Example:

1. Jeg synes det er trist med dårlig vær.

"I think it's sad with bad weather."

2. Sorte katter betyr ulykke.

"Black cats means bad luck."
3. Det er kjedelig på jobb...
"It's boring at work..."

Sample Sentences

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #16 5

Mark: Så fint vær det er i dag.

Espen: Ja, nyte det mens du enda kan.

Mark: "What nice weather it is today."

Espen: "Yeah, enjoy it while you still can."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
How to Strike Up a Conversation in Norwegian

As mentioned in lesson 6's cultural insight, a lot of small talk is based on the weather in Norway. This is
not a phenomenon only seen in Norway, it is in fact common in most countries.
So why talk about the weather? Well, regardless of whether you know the other person, the state of the
weather is something both individuals are in. Weather is also a big part of our daily life. If the weather is
good, business is also normally well. If the weather is bad, not so much. Good weather will make us
happy, and sharing the enthusiasm is nice. However, bad weather makes us uncomfortable, but we still
exchange words about it because of its heavy effect on things.
On TV, more people watch the weather than the news, so the interest is clearly high among most of us.
It's therefore safe to assume the individual you wish to speak with will also have an opinion on the
matter, so it is an easy way to "break the ice."
Weather in Norway is also often extreme. Some parts of Norway have up to 100 days straight with rain
in just one year. The coastline also has heavy storms, especially during autumn. Inland areas near
mountains sometimes have problems with landslides or floods. This happens mostly up north. Heavy
snow is also a weather phenomenon related with Norway. Parts of the northern country have snow
banks on the sides of the roads as high as five meters and higher! Cold temperatures are also a
common thing in Norway, but well-insulated houses make it very survivable. Don't let it scare you
though; Norway has a lot of nice weather as well.
A famous Norwegian proverb is also attributed to the weather in Norway: Det finnes ikke dårlig vær,
bare dårlig klær! ("There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!")

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #16 6

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #17

Experience Nature in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 17
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #17 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Så dette er Jotunheimen.

2. Espen : Det stemmer. En av norges største natur reservater.

3. Mark : For en fantastisk utsikt!

4. Espen : Noe annet enn bylandskap, eller hva?

5. Mark : Det er sikkert og visst!

ENGLISH

1. Mark : So this is Jotunheimen.

2. Espen : That's right. One of Norway's biggest nature reserves.

3. Mark : What a fantastic view!

4. Espen : Quite a change from the city landscape, huh?

5. Mark : That's for sure!

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

sikkert sure preposition

natur nature noun masculine

stor (største) large (largest) adjective

fantastisk fantastic adjective

reservat reserve noun

by city noun masculine

utsikt vantage, view noun

å stemme to be correct (correct) verb

annet other, else pronoun

landskap landscape noun

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #17 2

 Det er ikke sikkert... Det er mye natur i Norge.

"It's not for sure..." "There is a lot of nature in Norway."

Jeg er stor i Japan! Du er så fantastisk.

"I'm big in Japan!" You're so awesome.

Så fantastisk! Dette er et ulvereservat.

"How fantastic!" "This is a wolf reserve."

Denne byen er liten... Denne byen er trehundre år gammel.

"This city is small..." "This city is three hundred years old."

Utsikten her er utrolig! Fra hennes utsiktspunkt kunne hun ikke se

nøyaktig hva som skjedde.
"The view here is unbelievable!"
"From her vantage point, she could not see
exactly what happened."

Det stemmer det du sier. Det stemmer.

"What you're saying is correct." "That's correct."

Legg dokumentene dine et annet sted. Vil du bestille noe annet?

"Keep your documents somewhere else." "Do you want to order anything else?"

Jeg er en landskapsarkitekt. Landskapene var vakre, fulle av blomster og

utrolige farger.
"I'm a landscape architect."
"The landscapes were beautiful, full of flowers
and incredible colors."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

In the dialogue for this lesson, the English and Norwegian sentence pattern is almost the same, with the
exception of the last line: det er sikkert og visst ("That's for sure.").

The meanings are the same, but the sentences are a little different. If you wanted to make these the
same, you could also write Det er sikkert. The only problem is that the meaning of this sentence is more
a "it's secure/safe" than "that's for sure." Adding the og visst changes the meaning from being "safe" to
"for sure." There is no grammatical reason for this; it's more a socially decided case. It's one of the
things you need to remember as a whole and not word for word.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Decline Adjectives.
En av norges største natur reservater.
"One of Norway's biggest nature reserves."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #17 3

As you could see in the dialogue between Mark and Espen in the beginning of this lesson, the declined
version of "big" appeared. In this lesson, we are therefore going to look closer at declining adjectives for
use in different settings.

Let's first see a few adjectives and look at how they change as they get declined:

Norwegian "English"

*lang - lengre - lengst "long" - "longer" - "longest"

kort - kortere - kortest "short" - "shorter" - "shortest"

*stor - større - størst "big" - "bigger" - "biggest"

*liten - mindre - minst "small" - "smaller" - "smallest"

As you can see here, both English and Norwegian are very similar when declining adjectives. There are
some differences, but patterns are more or less the same. In the case of lang - lengre - lengst, the
second letter in stage one is different from the two others. This is simply because it sounds better. As
you can also see, there are some adjectives that we alter completely when declined in Norwegian. This is
one of the cases where you just have to remember which these are. All languages have irregular words,
and there is no way around them unfortunately.

In the case of English declension, the pattern is the same in all examples but not in Norwegian.
Norwegian sometimes makes small changes depending on what sounds best. Let's take a look at the
patterns of both languages:

Norwegian: -re/-ere, -st/-est

English: "-er" - "-est"

In the second stage, where the adjective is declined to mean "more," the English and Norwegian are just
switched around: -er becomes -re.

In the third stage, where the adjective is conjugated to mean "most," both Norwegian and English are
the same, except for some cases where Norwegian will skip the -e in -est.

The reason for this is strictly what sounds best pronunciation-wise.

You might ask yourself why there is an -e at the end of størst(e) in the dialogue but not in the
explanation?

Well, in English you don't have to add anything even if there is more after the adjective, but in
Norwegian you do. Norwegian is all about the flow, and to make this happen, we add an -e to the end of
the third stage (most of something). This is only in cases where the sentence continues after the
adjective:

For Example:

1. Jeg er størst.
"I'm the biggest."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #17 4

 2. Jeg er den største i klassen.
"I am the biggest in the class."

This is, as shown above, only in cases where the sentence continues and only for the sake of giving flow
to the sentence.

Examples From This Dialogue

Let's see a couple of sentences where we use the different conjugations:

For Example:

1. Jeg er god til å stå på ski, men bedre til å svømme.

2. "I'm good at skiing but better at swimming."

Sample Sentences

Mark: Så dette er Jotunheimen.

Espen: Det stemmer. En av norges største natur reservater.

Mark: "So this is Jotunheimen."

Espen: That's right. It's one of Norway's largest nature reserves.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Can You Hike Across Norway?

Norway is an enormous country for the amount of people. The total area of Norway is 385,252 square
kilometers, with a population that exceeded five million in 2012. This means a lot of space per citizen, but
a lot of that space is not inhabitable. Norway has a lot of mountains, so people mass together in the
cities. This results in enormous areas with few to no people living in them. Some of these are national
parks and reserves and very popular tourist attractions for both foreigners and Norwegians.
Norwegians are fond of their nature, and mountain hiking is a popular activity. In recent years, this
interest has also grown, and routes are made for hikes just about everywhere. Some of the more
famous natural reserves are Jotunheimen, Finnmarksvidda, and Hardangervidda. Access to these places
is easy to find, but it takes time to get there.
Norway is world-famous for these areas, though, and perhaps especially for the fjords. Fjords are long
canals carved by nature into the country where seawater mixes with water from the mountains. In the
case of Norway, the mountains will rise up like sharp walls on each side of the canal, giving it a
spectacular look. The great mountain planes are also a look to behold at any season. Glaciers are also a
phenomenon viewable in Norway. Though there are many, the mountains in Norway aren't that high,
where the highest is 2,469 meters over sea level. The difference, however, is that you can see mountains
rising up over one thousand meters in a steep curve from the sea.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #17 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #18

In a Norwegian Home

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 18
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #18 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Mark, dette er min søster Nora. Nora, Mark.

2. Mark : Hei, jeg er Mark. Jeg er her på business reise. Hyggelig å møte deg.

3. Nora : Hei Mark. Jeg er Nora. Espen har fortalt så mye om deg. Hyggelig å møte deg også.

4. Mark : Å? Bare gode ting håper jeg? (laugh)

5. Nora : (laugh) Ja, ta det helt med ro!

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Mark, this is my sister Nora. Nora, Mark.

2. Mark : Hi, I'm Mark. I'm here on a business trip. Nice to meet you.

3. Nora : Hi Mark. I'm Nora. Espen has told me so much about you. Nice to meet you too.

4. Mark : Oh? Only good things, I hope? (laugh)

5. Nora : (laugh) Yes, don't worry!

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

ting thing, stuff noun

helt whole, completely adjective

ro ease, composure, stillness noun masculine

ta det (helt) med ro don't worry phrase

å fortelle to tell verb

reise trip, travel noun

god good adjective

mye much, a lot adjective

business business noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg samler på ting. Hele situasjonen var helt mystisk.

"I collect stuff." "The entire situation was wholly mysterious."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #18 2

 Ro deg ned! Ta det (helt) med ro, Nora!

"Take it easy!" "Don't worry, Nora!"

Fortell meg et eventyr! Jeg skal reise i morgen.

"Tell me a fairytale!" "I'm leaving tomorrow."

Det smakte godt Det er mye.

"It tasted good." "That's a lot."

Faren min eier en business. Jeg er ingen business mann.

"My dad owns a business." "I'm no businessman."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Let's first of all take a look at the family members, since it's most related to this lesson.

In Norwegian, we differentiate between male and female cousins, and we also have specific names for
grandparents whether they are on your mother's or your father's side of the family.

In the case of the grandparents, the name used for both (Bestemor/bestefar) is most commonly used,
especially by children. In fact, many children find it hard to distinguish the more distinct nicknames.

Let's also take a look at the sentence used in the dialogue: Ta det helt med ro - "Don't worry."

This sentence is meaningless taken apart, and is best remembered as a whole. If we remove helt from
this sentence, it can mean two things:

Ta det med ro - "Don't worry."/"Take it easy."

The version without helt is more aggressive if not used in similar situations to our dialogue. It is often
used if someone is too energetic, or angry.

I'm sure you also noticed the word business. The fact is that Norwegian has a lot of borrowed words
from English, and sometimes words are the same in both languages. This is also common with German
and Norwegian.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is Pronouns, and Further Introductions
Hei, jeg er Mark. Jeg er her på business reise. Hyggelig å møte deg.
"Hi, I'm Mark. I'm here on a business trip. Nice to meet you."

In this lesson, we are taking a closer look at pronouns, and work on further detail an introduction. Let's
first take a look at a list of pronouns in Norwegian and English, and have some examples of them.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #18 3

Norwegian English

Jeg I

Deg/ Du You

Vi We

Oss Us

De They

Han He

Hun She

1. Jeg er Mark.
"I am Mark."
2. Hvem er du?
"Who are you?"
3. Vi er venner.
"We are friends."

4. Er du en av oss?
"Are you one of us?"
5. Hvem er de?
"Who are they?"
6. Han er grei.
"He is kind."
7. Hun er pen.
"She is pretty."

OK, now that we have had an example of some pronouns in Norwegian, let's use these in an
introduction. Normally you would just say "I am Mark," but let's add some more to this, and have a short
introduction conversation using some different pronouns:

Norwegian:

A: Jeg er Pål, hvem er du?

B: Jeg er Arne. Kjenner du Espen?

A: Ja, vi jobber sammen.

B: Åja, han fortalte det.

English:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #18 4

A: "I am Pål, who are you?"

B: "I am Arne. Do you know Espen?"

A: "Yes, we work together."

B: "Oh right, he told me that."

Knowing the pronouns and then adding them in a conversation, makes it easier for both parts to
establish an understanding of everyone involved. In the case above, both characters knows the same
person. Using pronouns here helps us understand when they are speaking about them selves, about
the conversation partner, or the common friend. Without pronouns here, this would not be possible.

Examples From the Dialogue

Mark: Hei, jeg er Mark. Jeg er her på business reise. Hyggelig å møte deg.
Mark: "Hi, I'm Mark. I'm here on a business trip. Nice to meet you."

Extra Vocabulary

Let's also look at some typical family members:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #18 5

Norwegian English

Mor/mamma Mother/mom

Far/pappa Father/dad

(lille/store) Bror (little/big) Brother

(lille/store) Søster (little/big) Sister

Onkel Uncle

Tante Aunt

Fetter Cousin (male)

Kusine Cousin (female)

Mormor Grandmother (maternal)

Morfar Grandfather (maternal)

Farmor Grandmother (paternal)

Farfar Grandfather (paternal)

Bestemor Grandmother (both)

Bestefar Grandfather (both)

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Norwegian Family Culture

Some aspects of family life in Norway differ from other places, so let's look at these.
Marriage
In Norway, there are more unmarried than married couples living together in a shared house with
children. Due to a high divorce rate, many couples choose not to get married, ether because they see
marriage as a "jinx" to get divorced, or they just don't see the point in it. Even though Norway is viewed
as a Christian country, few people are Christians beyond having their name in the Christian book at
birth, and the rate of atheists both within the people written in the book and those not, is pretty high.
This is also a reason as to why the rate of marriage is low. You can get married without it being religious,
but few do this.

Family Members Living Together

In many countries, grandparents live together with the family, but this is a rare case in Norway. Most
elderly people live by themselves, until they can't, and get sent to an elder-care home. Families are often
made up of a mother, a father, and a number of kids often ranging from one to three. Children in
Norway will often leave the house to live alone between the age of 16 and 20. Being independent is a big
thing in Norway, and some feel the urge to live by themselves earlier than others. There are of course
families where grandparents live with the family, and children live at home until they are 30 or older, it's
just not that common.

Work

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #18 6

In Norwegian families, both parents are normally in full-time employment. Children are often at so called
"day mothers" or in kindergartens until their parents come home from work to pick them up. When a
couple has a child, the mother can take one year off work to support the baby, with a 50% salary. This
however can also be done by the father, if the mother wishes to work instead. It is often done if the
mother has a higher salary than the father, to better support the family.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #18 7

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #19

Getting Invited to a Norwegian Party

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 19
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #19 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Nora : Mark, vi skal holde hjemmefest hos Espen til helgen. Har du lyst til å komme?

2. Mark : Å, takk for invitasjonen. Det høres spennende ut. Selvfølgelig kommer jeg.

3. Espen : Husk på å ta med litt drikke selv, maten lager vi.

4. Mark : Ok. Sees på lørdag da.

ENGLISH

1. Nora : Mark, we're going to throw a home party at Espen's this weekend. Would you like to come
over?

2. Mark : Oh, thank you for the invitation. It sounds great. Why sure, count me in.

3. Espen : Remember to bring something to drink, we'll take care of the food.

4. Mark : Okay. See you on Saturday then.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

hos at preposition

hjemmefest house party noun

å ha lyst to want to, to be willing to verb

helgen weekend noun

spennende interesting, exciting adjective

invitasjonen the invitation noun

holde hold, have verb

lage make verb

å høres to sound verb

å komme to come verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Var dere hos deg? Var du på hjemmefest i går?

"Were you guys at your place?" "Did you go to a house party yesterday?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #19 2

 Har du lyst til å leke? Har dere lyst til å gå å spise?

"Do you want to play?" "Do you guys want to go eat?"

Skal du noe til helgen? Det er spennende å se på fotball.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" "It's exciting to watch soccer."

Fikk du invitasjonen min? Skal jeg holde posen for deg?

"Did you get my invitation?" "Should I carry the bag for you?"

Kokken lagde appelsinjuice. Skal jeg lage deg noe mat?

"The chef made orange juice." "Should I make you some food?"

Det høres smart ut. Det høres hyggelig ut!

"That sounds clever." "That sounds nice!"

Jeg venter på at posten skal komme. Jeg vet du ikke vil at jeg skal komme på festen.

"I am waiting for the post to come." "I know you don't want me to come to the party."

Jeg ville ha likt å komme igjen i morgen, om Legen kom etter en time.
mulig.
"The doctor came after an hour."
"I would like to come again tomorrow, if
possible."

Jeg kommer hjem nå. Kom over.

"I'm coming home now." "Come over."

Fire stykker kom ikke.

"Four people did not come."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

In Norwegian as in English we use the word da ("then") as a filler word. Like in English, da usually
intensifies the sentence a bit, and usually also provides a confirmation meaning we often append da
after a rhetorical question or a final statement.

For example:

1. Skal vi gå da?
"Are we going then?"

2. Det er bra du fikk fikset problemet da!

"It's a good thing you managed to fix the problem then!"

GRAMMAR

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #19 3

The Focus of this Lesson is How to Make an Invitation in Norwegian
Har du lyst til å komme?
"Would you like to join?"

To invite someone to something using Norwegian can be quite tricky. So let's look at the structure of
this question sentence to understand it better. Most invitations starts out with the explanation of what
is going to happen. Be it a garden party, a night out or a formal dinner, you would always start by
explaining what is happening.

In the dialogue Nora says this to Mark:

1. Vi skal holde hjemmefest hos Espen til helgen.

"We are going to host a house party at Espen's place this weekend."

Let's just break up that sentence to make more sense of it. Vi skal means "we are going to." Then comes
holde hjemmefest, which means "host/have a house party." This is followed by hos Espen, which would
translate to something like "at Espen's place." Hos is a practical word since it means "at (someone's)
place," where hos Espen becomes "at Espen's place." Finally we add til helgen, this means "this
weekend."

So for the invitations there are several ways one could ask, but a common way is saying har du lyst til å
komme? ("Would you like to come/join"). This question is based on a fixed phrase and a verb. The phrase
har du lyst til å means "do you want to" and adding a verb to the end of it would make it a question. Like
har du lyst til å gå? ("do you want to go?").

Another way of inviting someone to an event would be to say Det hadde vært fint om du vil komme. It's
a bit long so we won't go into details here, but it would translate quite directly to English as "It would be
nice if you want to come."

Let's look at some more example invitations:

1. Vi skal på kino i kveld. Har du lyst til å bli med

"We are going to the cinema tonight, would you like to join?"
2. Jeg skal spise lunsj, vil du bli med?
"I am going to eat lunch. Do you want to join?"

3. Vi skal feire bursdagen min den 20. Det hadde vært fint om du vil komme.
"We are going to celebrate my birthday the 20th. It would be lovely if you could come."

Examples From the Dialogue

1. Mark, vi skal holde hjemmefest hos Espen til helgen. Har du lyst til å komme?
"Mark, we're going to throw a home party at Espen's this week-end. Would you like to come over?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
The Average Norwegian's Week

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #19 4

Norway is a country where going out during weekends is a common pastime for citizens. Norwegians
often host weekend parties or go out for a drink on the weekends. If you don't drink there are several
other options as well. Going to a theater, a concert, an exhibition or simply visiting friends and having
lunch together or dinner is very common. However, it would most likely happen during weekends.
During weekdays Norwegians tend to go home directly after work or to a café before returning home.
Many Norwegians also go to a gym, health studio, or pool, or to do some sport after work. It is not that
common, however, to be social and relax after work during weekdays.
If you want to socialize with Norwegians, weekends are the best choice, and house parties are
something you eventually can't avoid.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #19 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #20

Taking a Trip in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 20
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #20 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Hvor skal vi hen?

2. Espen : Vi skal til Oslo.

3. Mark : Hvordan drar vi dit? Med tog?

4. Espen : Nei, vi skal ta buss. Bussen vår går fra platform 5.

ENGLISH

1. Mark : Where are we going?

2. Espen : We are going to Oslo.

3. Mark : How do we get there? By train?

4. Espen : No, we are going by bus. Our bus leaves from platform 5.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

fra from preposition

platform platform noun

dit there preposition

hvordan how adverb

tog train noun neutral

å dra to leave verb

buss bus noun masculine

hen to adverb

å gå to go verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Butikken er åpen fra klokka 9. Jeg fikk et postkort fra USA.

"The store is open from 9 AM." "I got a postcard from the U.S."

Toget står på platform 2. Vi skal dit.

"The train's at platform 2." "We are going there."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #20 2

 Hvordan kommer du deg dit? Hvordan sier man ...

"How do you get there?" how do you say…

Hvordan bruker du dette? Fortell meg hvordan man bruker fjernkontrollen.

How do you use this? "Tell me how to use the remote control."

Hei, hvordan går det Maria? Hvordan går det?

"Hello, how are you Maria?" "How goes it?"

på toget ta toget

on the train take the train

Toget er på togstasjonen. Menneskene pendler med toget.

The train is at the train station. The people are commuting by train.

sitte på et tog pendle til jobben med toget

ride a train commute to work by train

Det neste toget til London vil ankomme om 30 Bruk toget.

minutter.
"Use the train."
"The next train to London will arrive in thirty
minutes."

Toget er kjapt, men dyrt. Jeg drar om en time.

"The train is fast, but expensive." "I am leaving in an hour."

Vi drar til flyplassen med bussen. bussen er parkert på gata

We'll go to the airport by bus. The bus is parked on the street.

Hver dag tar jeg bussen til skolen. Busser i Norge er nesten aldri på busstoppet til
tiden.
"Every day I get the bus to school."
"Buses in Norway are almost never at the bus
stop on time."

Elevene kjører buss. Bussene i Oslo er røde.

"The students ride the bus." "Buses in Oslo are red."

Hvor skal du hen? Går denne bussen til stranda?

"Where are you going?" "Does this bus go to the beach?"

Jeg gikk til veterinæren. Jeg må gå snart.

"I went to the animal hospital." "I have to go soon."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #20 3

 Jeg går på videregående. Jeg liker å gå i skogen.

"I am in middle school." "I like to take a walk in the woods."

Vær så snill å gå på den andre siden av veien.

"Please go to the other side of the road."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

The Norwegian word hen can sometimes be quite confusing to newcomers. The word has no direct
translation in English, but could resemble something like "to." The thing about hen is that it's usually
only used in questions. You use hen in cases where the "place" is unknown to you. In general, it's not
essential to use hen. It can be left out of most sentences where people use it, but Norwegians tend to
use it every so often for no real reason at all.

For example:

1. Hvor er du hen?
"Where are you?"
2. Hvor drar du hen?
"Where are you going?"
3. Tiden gled hen.
"Time passed by."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is How to Use the Phrases skal til, and hvor skal
Vi skal til Oslo.
"We are going to Oslo."

The two phrases we are going to learn in this lesson are going to come handy when travelling around
Norway, especially with a companion.

The first one we are going to learn is "Where are we going?" it's quite straightforward.

Hvor skal vi?

Directly translated it would look something like "Where shall we?" Change the ending of the phrase
"We" with any other pronoun and you can ask where anyone is going.

For example:

1. Hvor skal du?

"Where are you going?"
2. Hvor skal hun?
"Where is she going?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #20 4

 3. Hvor skal dere?
"Where are you (guys) going?"

Next up we have the answer to this question. And it couldn't be simpler either.

1. Jeg skal til Oslo.

"I am going to Oslo."

Again, directly translated this would sound something like "I shall to Oslo."

The verb skal is a really practical verb since it has a lot of uses. When used in the context of travel it can
double as "shall go." "I shall go to Oslo," which makes a bit more sense in English.

For example:

1. Jeg skal til Bergen.

"I am going to Bergen."
2. Vi skal til byen.
"We are going to town."
3. Hun skal til sentrum.
"She is going to the city center."

Finally let's look at some common ways of travel. Like the dialogue we could use the above sentence
structure and say something like:

1. Jeg skal ta tog.

"I am going by train."

Or alternatively we could add the method of travel to the end of the sentence stating our destination.
That would look like this:

1. Vi tar toget til Oslo.

"We are taking the train to Oslo."
2. Han tar bussen til byen.
"He's taking the bus to town."
3. De tar fly til Namsos
"They are going to Namsos by plane"

Example From the Dialogue

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #20 5

 1. Vi skal til Oslo.
"We are going to Oslo"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
The Norwegian Transport Network

Norway is one of those countries where travelling to see the pure beauty of nature is the most common
tourist magnet. You can frequently find bus tours going to various parts of the country offering
sightseeing and cultural activities at famous tourist spots in Norway. Norway also has a railroad
connecting the whole country...well almost the whole country. The NSB (National Railroad Service) runs
trains from the southermost parts of Norway to Bodø being the northernmost terminating station.
From there, one can take buses further north or transfer to a private line going further north. In the
cities and suburbs, Norway has extensive bus transport, and in Oslo you will also find a subway service
that runs through the city and a tram service that's great for some sightseeing.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #20 6

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #21

Sightseeing in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 21
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #21 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Dette er det norske slottet. Det er i fra 1849.

2. Mark : Er det kongens garde som står rundt?

3. Espen : Det stemmer.

4. Mark : Er det mulig å ta bilde av dem?

5. Espen : Selvfølgelig, jeg kan ta bilde av deg ved siden av en om du vil?

6. Mark : Ja, gjerne!

ENGLISH

1. Espen : This is the Norwegian Royal Castle. It dates back to 1849.

2. Mark : Are those the Royal Guards?

3. Espen : That's right.

4. Mark : Is it possible to take a photo of them?

5. Espen : Of course, I can take your photo next to one of them, if you want?

6. Mark : Yes, please!

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

selvfølgelig of course

ved siden av beside preposition

kongens the king's noun

slottet castle noun

å stemme to be correct (correct) verb

garde guard noun

mulig possible adjective

dette this (neutral) pronoun

bilde picture noun neuter

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #21 2

 Selvfølgelig kan vi besøke bestemor. Selvfølgelig kan jeg hjelpe deg.

"Of course we can visit Grandma." "Of course I can help you."

stå ved siden av meg Kan jeg stå ved siden av deg?

stand beside me "Can I stand beside you?"

Har du sett kongens hund? Slottet er prektig.

"Have you ever seen the king's dog?" "The castle is incredible."

Det stemmer det du sier. Det stemmer.

"What you're saying is correct." "That's correct."

Jeg skal et år i garden. Er det mulig å være så dum?

"I'm called in for a year with the king's guard." "Is it possible to be that stupid?"

Hva er dette? Jeg har sannsynligvis millioner av bilder på

dataen min akkurat nå.
"What is this?"
"I probably have millions of pictures on my
computer right now."

Kunstneren tegner et bilde. Kan du ta bilde av meg og ungene.

"The artist draws a picture." "Could you take a picture of me and my kids?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

So let's explain two phrases here that might be a bit confusing.

Er det mulig å...is a common phrase that is similar to "is it possible to..." or "am I allowed to..." Like the
example in the dialogue: Er det mulig å ta bilde av de? ("Is it possible (allowed) to take a photo of
them?").

The other phrase is ved siden av, is the Norwegian version of "beside." It is a preposition of sorts and
can be directly translated as something like "by the side of." This would help make sense of it. Let's look
at some examples here:

1. Huset mitt er ved siden av sykehuset.

2. "My house lies beside the hospital."

3. Kan du stå ved siden av skiltet?

4. "Could you stand beside the sign there?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is Making Complex Questions in Norwegian
Er det kongens garde som står rundt?
"Are those the Royal Guard?"
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #21 3
In Norwegian an assertive question is often used when you want to have a notion confirmed or when
you are unsure whether your statement is correct. An assertive question is structured as a VSO
sentence. If you remember our earlier lessons about VSO questions, you will remember that it start with
a verb. It was in fact one of the first things you learned.

V S O

Er du Kristian?

("Are you Kristian?")

In the same way, we can use more complex assertive questions like the one in the dialogue:

Er det kongens garde som står rundt?

Directly this would translate to "Is it the Kings Guard that stands about?" In this lesson we will look at
some common structures for intermediate questions.

Let's use the two found in this dialogue for this lesson:

Firstly, Er det kongens garde som står rundt? is built up by the er det ("Is that/it"), followed by a pronoun
or noun, som ("that") and ends with a verb, preposition or adjective.

For example:

1. Er det søsteren din som sitter der?

"Is it your sister that sits there?"
2. Er det en bil som lager den lyden?
"Is it a car that makes that sound?"
3. Er det huset som du snakket om?
"Is that the house that you talked about?"

Secondly we have:

Jeg kan ta bilde av deg ved siden av en om du vil? ("I can take a picture of you standing beside one if you
want?") With this question there are essentially two parts we want to use: jeg kan ... om du vil? The
structure is a polite question resembling the English "I could ... if you'd like?"

Let's look at some examples here too:

1. Jeg kan kjøre deg til byen om du vil?

"I can drive you to town if you'd like?"

2. Jeg kan vise deg Munch museet om du vil?

"I can show you the Munch museum if you'd like?"
3. Jeg kan sjekke kartet om du vil?
"I can check the map if you'd like?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #21 4

Things to Do in Norway

As you might remember from our previous lesson, Norway's natural beauty is a large tourism magnet.
Tourists here are fascinated by the fjords, the aurora or the vast barren western steppes and mountain
ranges. There are hundreds upon hundreds of places in Norway that are worth a visit once you're here.
If you're more of a city person, Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen might offer something for you. There are
many free museums and exhibitions in all three cities, and live cafés and concerts are commonplace in
all the cities as well. If you like bars and clubs, then Oslo and Trondheim offer the best nightlife in
Northern Europe, with an international scene of musicians and DJs. If, on the other hand, you like
chamber music or the theater, Oslo offers a repertoire of interesting theaters with daily schedules and
classical concerts and opera as well. For cinemagoers, Oslo has the Colosseum, one of the largest THX
screens in Europe and definitely worth watching a blockbuster on.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #21 5

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #22

In a Norwegian Office

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 22
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #22 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Unnskyld, kunne du kopiert dette for meg?

2. Employee : Ja, så klart. Nå med en gang?

3. Espen : Ja det hadde vært fint om du kunne.

4. Employee : Så klart! Jeg leverer det til pulten din da jeg er ferdig.

5. Espen : Tusen takk skal du ha! (Mark comes in) Å hei Mark! Står til?

6. Mark : Joda, bare bra. Travel?

7. Espen : Neida, la oss gå ut for lunsj.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Excuse me, could you copy this for me?

2. Employee : Yes of course. Right now?

3. Espen : Yes, that would be great if you could.

4. Employee : Of course! I'll deliver it to your desk when I'm done.

5. Espen : Thank you so much! (Mark comes in) Oh hi Mark! You good?

6. Mark : Sure, I'm fine. Busy?

7. Espen : No no, let's go out for lunch.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

pult desk noun male

ferdig finished adverb

travel busy adjective

lunsj lunch noun masculine

så klart of course interjection

å kopiere (kopiere) to copy (copy) verb

levere to hand over, to deliver verb

(nå) med en gang right now, at once adverb

kan can, may verb

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #22 2

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Pulten hans var et realt rot, men han fant filen Hvor er John sin pult?
med en gang.
"Where is John's desk?"
"His desk was a real mess, but he found the file at
once."

Er du ferdig snart? Togstasjonen er alltid travel.

"Are you finished soon?" "The train station is always busy."

Jeg er alt for travel... En stor lunsj vil gjøre deg søvnig på
ettermiddagen.
"I'm too busy..."
A big lunch will make you sleepy in the
afternoon.

Hva vil du spise til lunsj? spise lunsj

What will you eat for lunch? eat lunch

Jeg tror det er tid for lunsj. Hva spiste du til lunsj idag?

"I think it is time for lunch." "What did you eat for lunch today?"

Jeg foretrekker å spise lunsj for meg selv i Hva er til lunsj?
parken.
"What's for lunch?"
"I prefer to eat lunch on my own in the park."

Det var hyggelig å ha lunsj sammen. Så klart jeg kan hjelpe deg!

"It was nice to have lunch together." "Of course I can help you!"

Er dette en kopi? Når leverer jeg passet mitt?

"Is this a copy?" "When do I hand in my passport?"

Stopp med en gang! Kan du lukke vinduet, vær så snill?

"Stop immediately!" "Can you close that window, please?"

Kan jeg gå å shoppe? Kan du gi meg den?

"Can I go shopping?" "Can you hand me that?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

In this lesson, the dialogue is pretty much straightforward in both English and Norwegian, but let's have
a look at the sentence (Nå) med en gang. It's the only part that really sticks out in its translation in this
lesson.

This particular sentence differs a lot in the translation between English and Norwegian. Let's see what it
is directly translated:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #22 3

 1. (Nå) med en gang
"(Now) at once."

The sentence is different, but the meaning of nå med en gang and "right now/ at once" is the same. nå
and "now" are the same, and en gang means "once." The word med in Norwegian is just to bind the
other words together, just like "at" does in the case of English. Let's see it again with this explanation:

1. Nå - (Med) - En gang
"Now - (at) - Once."

You don't have to use nå at the beginning, it just gives it a stronger meaning like "right now."

This may seem a little confusing, so it's best to just remember this as it is. At least now you know why!

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is Making Formal Inquiries and Ask for Favors
Unnskyld, kunne du ha kopiert dette for meg?
"Excuse me, could you copy this for me?"

In this lesson, we will take a closer look at how to ask someone for favors, and also look at a bit of
formality. The two subjects are very much linked in work situations, where you might need help with
something, and you have to be formal about it.

Let's first have some examples of how to ask for simple favors:

1. Kan du åpne døren for meg?

"Can you open the door for me?"

2. Kan jeg låne en paraply?

"Can I borrow an umbrella?"
3. Kan du hjelpe meg?
"Can you help me?"

As you can see in the examples above, the structure of both Norwegian and English is very similar here.
All sentences start with "can."

Now let's make these sentences a little more formal, by adding vær så snill, meaning "please."

1. Kan du være så snill å åpne døren for meg?

"Can you please open the door for me?"
2. Kan jeg vær så snill å låne en paraply?
"Can I please borrow an umbrella?"

3. Kan du være så snill å hjelpe meg?

"Can you please help me?"

Now let's first look at vær så snill. As you saw, it changed to være when refering to the other person. Not
all Norwegians use this, but it's the correct way of speaking. To understand the use of vær så snill we
must first take a closer look at the sentence. Let's see how it translates directly:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #22 4

 1. Vær så snill.
"Be so kind."

As you see, the direct translation makes a lot of sense, and you can also use "be so kind" instead of
"please" in English as well. The word "please" is just a little more normal to use. The word "please" is also
used in Norwegian, but only with friends.

In the second example, the person asking the question is referring to him or herself, "can I." In this case,
we use Vær and not være in Norwegian. This is because the sentence doesn't really make sense
grammatically in the first place, so conjugating the verb å være is not necessary here. It may sound
confusing, but when speaking, most people use vær så snill for all three cases.

Now let's see the previous sentences again, with a more direct translation:

1. Kan du være så snill å åpne døren for meg?

"Can you be so kind to open the door for me?"

2. Kan jeg vær så snill å låne en paraply?

"Can I be so kind to borrow an umbrella?"
3. Kan du være så snill å hjelpe meg?
"Can you be so kind to help me?"

As you can see here, the å in the sentence is has the same purpose as "to" in English. In situations where
you add "please" in front of a verb, you also need to add "to" between to make sence of it gramatically.
This is the same in both languages.

Let's have a few more examples, and combine something we learned earlier:

1. Jeg er tørst, kan jeg vær så snill å få litt vann?

"I'm thirsty, can i please have some water?"

2. Jeg er trøtt, kan jeg legge meg?

"I'm tired, can I go to bed?"

Example from the Dialogue

1. Espen: Unnskyld, kunne du ha kopiert dette for meg?

Espen: "Excuse me, could you copy this for me?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Business Culture in Norway

Norwegian business culture is very different from many places in the world. Norwegian workers have
the highest salaries in the world, and are some of the most productive as well. Working hours are
limited to eight hours a day for full time employees, and everything over counts as overtime. If these
rules are violated, the workers has a lot of rights protecting them and backing them up to claim it.
Workers pay a lot of tax on their salary, with a normal percentage of 36%, but insurance, health care and
retirement pensions are paid for by the government. Even part-time work in Norway has higher salaries
than elsewhere. A part-time worker in a supermarket in Norway will make about the same as a starting
salary-man in Japan.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #22 5

Business life in Norway is often very social, and many businesses offers seminars and company trips for
their employees. One thing every company has is a julebord. Julebord is a party around Christmas, often
paid for by the company. These things are organized for workers to enjoy their job, and be motivated to
do their best. Clearly it works. Some businesses in cities also have gyms, or offer gym memberships to
their employees. It was discovered that employees that work out before their working hours do a better
job than those who don't, so it caught on a few years back.
Communication during working hours will of course depend on companies, but employees usually use
standard politeness when speaking to each other. There is no special polite version of Norwegian, but
adding "thank you" and "please" is considered a polite way to speak, so apart from this, working culture
is very "down to earth."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #22 6

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #23

Celebrating Norway's National Day

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 23
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #23 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Oi, så mange mennesker!

2. Espen : Ja, det er Norges nasjonaldag i dag.

3. Mark : Riktig, du nevnte det. Espen, hva er det hun har på seg? (points at a girl)

4. Espen : Det er en bunad, en tradisjonell folkedrakt fra Norge.

5. Mark : Går folk ofte med det?

6. Espen : Nei, kun ved spesielle anledninger, som konfirmasjon, bryllup og helligdager.

7. Mark : Så flotte de er!

8. Espen : Og de er like dyre som de er fine!

ENGLISH

1. Mark : Wow, so many people!

2. Espen : Yea, it's Norway's national day today.

3. Mark : Right, you mentioned that. Espen, what is that she's wearing? (points at a girl)

4. Espen : It's a 'bunad,' a traditional folk costume from Norway.

5. Mark : Do people often wear that?

6. Espen : No, only on special occasions, like confirmation, weddings and public holidays.

7. Mark : They look great!

8. Espen : And they are as as expensive as they are fine!

VOCABULARY

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #23 2

Norwegian English Class Gender

å nevne to mention (mentioned) verb

(nevnte)

å ha på seg to wear verb

bunad traditional Norwegian clothing, decorated with embroidery and noun

silver jewelry

tradisjonell traditional adjective

folkedrakt folk-clothing (old fashion clothing), folk costume noun masculine

anledning occasion noun

konfirmasjon confirmation noun masculine

bryllup wedding noun neutral

helligdag public holiday noun

menneske people/human noun

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Du nevnte det tidligere. Hva skal jeg ha på meg?

"You mentioned it earlier." "What should I wear?"

Dette er en bunad. Liker du tradisjonell musikk?

"This is a 'bunad.'" "Do you like traditional music?"

Har ditt land folkedrakter? Dette er en bra anledning.

"Does your country have folk-clothing?" "This is a good occasion."

Det regnet på konfirmasjonen hans. Vil du komme i min konfirmasjon?

"It rained on his Confirmation. " "Do you want to come to my confirmation?"

Det er mange bryllup i Juni siden noen tror det er Jeg hater bryllup!
en lykke måned for kjærlighet
"I hate weddings!"
There are a large number of weddings in June, as
some think its a lucky month for love.

Jeg elsker helligdager! Jeg er kun et menneske!

"I love public holidays!" "I'm only a human!"

Noen mennesker har overlevd utrolige hendelser.

"Some people have survived incredible events."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #23 3

Let's have a look at the verb å ha på seg meaning "to wear."

In English, the verb is just one word, while in Norwegian it's three. There simply is no one word for
wearing something in Norwegian. let's see the direct translation:

1. Å ha på seg
"To have on oneself."

It makes sense in English, but you would never use it. It's just one of those strange cases of the
language, but this three-word verb is "to wear" in Norwegian.

Bunad doesn't really have an English translation, since it is a Norwegian item. It's traditional clothing
that's been used in Norway for hundreds of years that's made of dyed wool, impressive embroidery and
silver jewelry. Different places in Norway will have their own type of bunad, so if you know your stuff
well, you can determine where someone is from, by just looking at their bunad.

Folk-clothing is basically just a country's old-fashioned clothes. The folk-clothing of Norway is bunad, the
Scottish is the Kilt, and the Japanese is the Kimono, for example.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is How to Form Intermediate Questions
Riktig, du nevnte det. Espen, hva er det hun har på seg?
"Right, you mentioned that. Espen, what is it she's wearing?"

Heres another example:

1. Går folk ofte med det?

"Do people often wear that?"

In this lesson, we are going to take a look at how to ask more advanced questions. Being able to form
more advanced questions means we can add more detail to our question, and therefore also get a more
precise answer.

The easiest way to add more detail to a question is to ask specifically. In the case where Mark is asking
Espen "do people often wear that?" he is specifically asking if this action is normal. Mark does this by
adding "often." Although not having "often" in this sentence would be pointless since Mark can actually
see the girl is wearing it already, this is a specific question.

These types of specific questions are also often asked after an unspecific one. Let's look at an example
of this:

1. Har du en hund? Ja.

"Do you have a dog? Yes."

2. Hva slags hund er det? Det er en sort Labrador.

"What kind of dog is it? It's a black Labrador."

Here you see, that the unspecific question gets and unspecific answer, while the specific questions gets
a specific answer. In this case, we add "what kind" to the question, making it more specific.

So how do we make these specific questions then? It's quite simple. We add what we have already gone
through, like adjectives, nouns and verbs.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #23 4

Let's see some sentences where we add some of this:

1. Kan du hjelpe meg?

"Can you help me?"
2. Kan du hjelpe meg å løfte dette?
"Can you help me lift this?"

In this example, we are basically just adding a simple sentence at the end of a question, making it a more
advanced question. The answer will often be as short as in a simple question, but the person you're
talking to understands more specifically what you want, or what you need help with.

So far, we have looked at two different ways of extending our questions. One is by asking more
specifically in the beginning, like "what kind." The other is to connect the sentence to another sentence
that has to do with he question. Let's have some examples of both of these below:

1. Hva slags mat liker du?

"What kind of food do you like?"
2. Hvilken farge liker du best?
"What color do you like the best?"
3. Trenger du hjelp med oppvasken?
"Do you need help with the dishes?"
4. Skal vi gå en tur i parken?
"Shall we take a walk in the park?"

Example from the Dialogue

1. Riktig, du nevnte det. Espen, hva er det hun har på seg?

"Right, you mentioned that. Espen, what is it she's wearing?"
2. Går folk ofte med det?
"People often wear that?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
The Importance of History in Norway

Norway in a country that is very proud of its history and traditions. Norwegians are very aware of their
own history, as it's a big part of the school curriculum, from as early as elementary school. We also hold
on to a lot of old traditions. Christmas feasting originated from the Vikings, and Norwegians will still
have feasts at Christmas time, and do things others may not relate too much to Christmas. Especially the
changing of the sun is a big thing in Norway from old times. This is where both the Christmas feast and
the midsummer fires come from.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #23 5

Folk music and folk clothing is still a very popular thing in Norway. Many musicians play music from
centuries ago, and the bunad, basically the Norwegian Kimono, is owned by most. As mentioned in the
dialogue, the bunad is mostly worn at national holidays, weddings and such, but birthdays and
anniversaries are also occasions where it's taken out of the closet. Pretty much any excuse Norwegians
gets to wear it (if they own one), they will. Considering the price you pay for one, it's no wonder! These
clothing will differ in colors and patterns depending on what part of Norway you are from, and even
local districts have their own patterns.
Let's also not forget May 17th. This is the national day in Norway, or Norway's birthday. This is the day
Norway got its own constitution in 1814. This is common knowledge for most Norwegians. In fact, not
knowing the history of one's own country, and also not being up to date on the country's current state,
is forbidden by law. Though this is of course not really enforced, it says something about the importance
and pride Norwegians have for their history and society.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #23 6

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #24

Norwegian Dialects

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 24
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #24 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Mark, dette er min venn Trond.

2. Mark : Hei Trond. Hyggelig å møte deg! Jeg er Mark.

3. Trond : Hyggeleg å møte deg også, eg er Trond. Eg kjem ifrå Troms fylke, nord i landet.

4. Mark : (confused to Espen) Jeg forsto ikke helt hva han sa...

5. Espen : Hehe, ja han snakker dialekt, så det er kanskje litt vanskelig å forstå.

6. Mark : Å? Så dere snakker begge norsk men forskjellig dialekt?

7. Espen : Ja, jeg snakker sør-øst dialekt, siden jeg er fra Oslo.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Mark, this is my friend Trond.

2. Mark : Hi Trond. Nice to meet you! I'm Mark.

3. Trond : Nice to meet you too, I'm Trond. I'm from Troms county, in the north of the country.

4. Mark : (confused to Espen) I didn't completely understand what he said...

5. Espen : (Laugh) Yes, he speaks in a dialect, so it might be a little hard to understand.

6. Mark : Oh? So you both speak Norwegian but different dialects?

7. Espen : Yeah, I speak the southeast dialect, since I'm from Oslo.

VOCABULARY

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #24 2

Norwegian English Class Gender

dialekt dialect noun

Troms a county in the north of Norway noun

fylke county noun

begge both adjective, pronoun

forskjellig different noun masculine

siden since preposition

vest West preposition

øst East preposition

sør South preposition

nord North preposition

helt whole, completely adjective

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hva slags dialekt snakker du? Er du fra Troms?

"What kind of dialect do you speak?" "Are you from Troms?"

Hvilket fylke er du fra? Begge bøkene er på salg.

"What county are you from?" "Both books are on sale."

Jeg vet ikke hvilken jeg skal velge, jeg tar begge! Det er ikke plass til begge.

"I don't know which one to choose, I will take "There isn't room for both."
both!"

Vi to er forskjellige. Jeg har vært her siden.

"The two of us are different." "I’ve been here since."

Siden du er så god, kan ikke du vise meg Hele situasjonen var helt mystisk.
hvordan?
"The entire situation was wholly mysterious."
"Since you are so good, can't you show me how?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Let's cover some of the vocab that did not show up in the dialogue, namely, north, east, south, and west.
In Norwegian some, of these words sound and look quite similar, so you shouldn't have any problem
mixing these up. For the record:

"North" is nord
"East" is øst
"South" is sør, and

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #24 3

 "West" is vest

In writing, we never capitalize the first letter unless it is a proper name or the first word in a sentence. In
sentences we use the directions pretty much same as English. Let's look at some examples

1. Jeg bor nord for Hamar.

"I live north of Hamar"
2. Øst i landet sier de "Jag."
"In the eastern part of the country they say jag ("I").

3. Ta vest på motorveien.
"Take west on the highway."
4. Jeg liker meg på sørlandet.
"I like the South (country) a lot."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is Nynorsk and Norwegian Dialects
Hyggeleg å møte deg også, eg er Trond.
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Trond."

In Norway aside from the two written languages, we have a slew of dialects, and most of them sound
different. Your chances of meeting someone speaking a different dialect than the one you are used to
learning, which is most likely the Southeastern dialect or Oslo dialect, is incredibly high when you're in
Norway. For that reason, learning some of the different ways these dialects can change is a good thing.
Most people who study Norwegian encountering their foreign dialect will not immediately believe that
person speaks Norwegian. In some cases, our neighboring language Swedish sounds more Norwegian
than some of the dialects. That doesn't mean you won't be able to understand people speaking in a
different accent than what you are used to, though.

Let's start by looking at some different dialects, and how they treat different words that you have
learned up until now.

For example, let's start with the word "I." You should by now know that it is jeg in Norwegian. And that is
to say, in the official written language Bokmål, it is written j e g. In the second official language Nynorsk,
it is written e g.

In other words there are two ways you could write "I." When saying "I" however there are many
different versions. Let's look at some of the most common ones.

For example:

Northern dialects say:

Eg, Æ or Jæ

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #24 4

Western dialects say:

Eg, I, Je, or E

Southern dialects say

I, Jæi, E

And Eastern dialects say

Jeg, Je, I or Jæ

Knowing that, you should be able to recognize what most Norwegians mean when they say "I" in their
dialect.

Let's also compare some of the dialect we saw in the dialogue with the dialect we have become used to
now.

The dialogue phrase with the dialect was this one:

1. Hyggeleg å møte deg også, eg er Trond. Eg kjem ifrå Troms fylke, nord i landet.
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Trond. I'm from Troms county, in the north of the country."

Now let's note a few words that are different from the southeastern dialect you are used to.

Hyggeleg - "Nice," "Pleasure"

eg - "I"
kjem - "Come"
ifrå - "From"
(deg) - "You"

Written, you can see that some of these are significantly different. That is why it is written in Nynorsk.
The dialect in northern Norway uses Nynorsk as the written language since it is closer to the spoken
dialect there. We can compare these words with the Bokmål version to see the difference.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #24 5

 Nynorsk Bokmål

hyggeleg hyggelig

eg jeg

kjem kommer

ifrå fra

deg deg

Now you might wonder why the last one, deg ("you") is the same in both Nynorsk and Bokmål. We
added it because it is pronounced differently in different dialects.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Norway's Many Languages

In Norway we have two spoken, and three written languages. One of these is the Sami language, spoken
by the Sami people in the north, and the other is Norwegian. Within Norwegian however, we have two
written languages.
A couple of hundred years ago, Norway was under Denmark's control. During this time, Norway wanted
to speak a more Danish-inspired language than they already did, so the Bokmål was made. Bokmål is a
way of writing Norwegian, and it's the same as the spoken Norwegian in the south and west.
During this time, another person named Ivar Aasen, who in the mid-19th century wished for a more
Norwegian language than the Danish, made Nynorsk. Nynorsk, meaning "new Norwegian" was a mixed
language of different Norwegian dialects. It is not a spoken language, since it's a mix of dialects, but it is
spoken or used in 25% of all programs on the NRK, the Norwegian government supported radio and TV
station.
In Norway today, about 12% of the population use Nynorsk as their written language. It looks small, but
most of the northern parts of Norway uses Nynorsk. There are more people living down south, so that
might be the reason for the percentage of people who prefer Bokmål. All students who use Bokmål have
to study Nynorsk as well in school. It is used in a lot of official documents, and everyone is required to
have learned at least the biggest differences between Nynorsk and Bokmål.
Students using Nynorsk, however, don't get graded on their ability in Bokmål, since it's used in most of
the education already.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #24 6

LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #25

Facts about Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 25
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #25 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Mark : Hei Espen, hvorfor har vi ikke sett noen isbjørner enda?

2. Espen : Isbjørner??

3. Mark : Ja, jeg hørte at de var et vanlig syn å se her...

4. Espen : Hahaha! Nei beklager Mark, jeg tror du har blitt lurt.

5. Mark : Seriøst?

6. Espen : Ja, det finnes ikke isbjørn på fastlandet i Norge.

7. Mark : Hvor er de da?

8. Espen : Det eneste Norske territoriet du kan se isbjørn er Svalbard.

9. Mark : Åja. Det er et stykke unna...

ENGLISH

1. Mark : Hey Espen, why haven't we seen any polar bears yet?

2. Espen : Polar bears??

3. Mark : Yeah, I heard that they were a common sight here...

4. Espen : (Laughs) No, sorry Mark, I think you've been fooled.

5. Mark : Seriously?

6. Espen : Yeah, polar bears don't exist on the mainland in Norway.

7. Mark : Then where are they?

8. Espen : The only Norwegian territory where you can see polar bears is Svalbard.

9. Mark : I see. That is quite far away...

VOCABULARY

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #25 2

Norwegian English Class

isbjørn polar bear noun

vanlig common adjective

syn sight noun

å lure to trick, to fool verb

seriøst seriously adverb

å finnes to exist verb

fastland (fastlandet) mainland (the mainland) noun

territorie territory noun

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Isbjørner er ekstremt farlige! For meg er dette vanlig.

"Polar bears are extremely dangerous!" "For me, this is normal."

De norske fjordene er litt av et syn! Du lurer ikke meg!

"The Norwegian fjords sure are a sight to see!" "You're not fooling me!"

Skal du seriøst spise det der? Finnes det en doktor her?

"Are you seriously going to eat that?" "Is there a doctor here?"

Det finnes flere tusen stjerner. Jeg bor på fastlandet.

"Thousands of stars exist." "I live on the mainland."

Dette er et territorie for isbjørn.

"This is territory for polar bears."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

There are a few fixed phrases in the dialogue. A few of them can be useful for other sentences as well,
and are thus nice to learn.

Jeg tror literally means "I believe," but it is commonly used in the sense of "I think."

Some examples using jeg tror are:

1. Jeg tror ikke det går bra.

"I don't think it will be ok."
2. Jeg tror du kan kjøpe øl på vinmonopolet.
"I think you can buy beer at the Wine Monopoly."

Next we have the phrase:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #25 3

Jeg hørte... It literally means "I heard." And can be used like the English "I heard."

Some examples using jeg tror are:

1. Jeg hørte at du giftet deg.

"I heard that you got married."
2. Jeg hørte du fikk bot i går?
"I heard you got a speeding ticket yesterday?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is Making Longer Sentences
Ja, det finnes ikke isbjørn på fastlandet i Norge.
"Yeah, Polar bears don't exist on the mainland in Norway.
Det eneste Norske territoriet du kan se isbjørn på, er Svalbard.
"The only Norwegian territory were you can see polar bears is Svalbard."

In the dialogue of this lesson, we have two very difficult and long sentences. Everything in these two
sentences has been covered throughout the 25 lessons of this series, but we are now putting things
together. Putting together sentences like this is not easy, but an important step in "sewing" together
what we have learned this far. Going through everything is too much, so we will focus on these two for
this final grammar lesson.

First, let's break the sentence down to smaller sentences.

Espen: (Ja), (det finnes ikke isbjørn) (på fastlandet i Norge.)

First of all, ja is just a word that appears at the beginning, and doesn't have much impact on the
sentence itself.

Then (Det finnes ikke isbjørn)

We have had sentences like this one before. It has the same structure as Jeg er Mark, but with a negative
before the noun. We covered this in lesson 7 with negatives mixed with SVO sentences.

Lastly (På fastlandet i Norge.) - "on the mainland in Norway."

As you can see, this sentence is similar in structure to English, except for when defining the noun. This
was covered in an earlier lesson, where we talked about the use of "the" in Norwegian.

Let's now look at the other long sentence broken down:

Espen: (Det eneste Norske territoriet) (du kan se isbjørn,) (er Svalbard.)

First was (Det eneste Norske territoriet) - "The only Norwegian territory"

This sentence is a similar sentence to one we did with adjectives before nouns in lesson 16. In this
sentence, eneste is an adjective, and Norske territoriet is the noun. Norske territoriet is two words, but
they are combined in this case, just as they would be when saying "Norwegian territory" in English.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #25 4

Next was (Du kan se isbjørn) - "You can see polar bears"

This is a very simple sentence. In lesson 23, we had the sentence kan du hjelpe meg.

It's a question, and the only difference is that du kan se isbjørn is a statement. We have also looked at
statements in earlier lessons.

Finally (...Er Svalbard) - "... is Svalbard"

This sentence is is similar to one of the earlier lessons we had, where we learned "I am Mark." In this
case however, Espen is explaining to Mark where he may see polar bears, so he ends the sentence with
"is Svalbard." This is the exact same way as it's used in English.

Example from the Dialogue

1. Ja, det finnes ikke isbjørn på fastlandet i Norge.

"Yeah, Polar bears don't exist on the mainland in Norway."
2. Det eneste Norske territoriet du kan se isbjørn på, er Svalbard.
"The only Norwegian territory where you can see polar bears is Svalbard."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Many things are said and believed about Norway. Some are true, and some are completely off target.
Let's take a look at some from both categories:
False:
Norwegians are vikings
Polar bears are a common sight
Norway is part of Sweden
Norway is like the North Pole

These are actually things people believe and hear about Norway, that are not true at all. Vikings did
come from Norway and Scandinavia, but there are none alive today. It's like the Samurai in Japan, they
were a group of soldiers that died out hundreds of years ago. However, calling a Norwegian a viking is a
nice compliment.
Polar bears as well, as mentioned in the dialogue, are not seen on the mainland of Norway, unless you
visit the zoo. This might be a confusion with Svalbard, which is also a part of Norway, but an island in the
far north.
Norway is absolutely not a part of Sweden, but we were in union from 1814-1905. Be careful not to make
the mistake of mixing Norway and Sweden to a Norwegian. It's considered insulting.
Norway has a reputation of being as cold as the North pole, but reality is far from this. It is true that
Norway gets cold, especially in winter time, but in the south of the country, temperatures have reached
35 degrees Celsius in summer, and normally stay around 25-30 degrees.

True:
Norway is one of the richest countries in the world
Norwegians are tall
Norway has a king
Norway has a native tribe

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #25 5

Norway got extremely rich after the second world war, when large amounts of oil were found in the
Northern Sea. Norway is today one of the richest countries per capita in the world.
Norwegians are rumored to be tall, and they are close to the tallest people in the world. Though shorter
people do exist, the average height is at 182cm for men, and 169cm for women.
Norway does indeed have a king, King Harald Rex the 5th. Norway is a monarchy, so the country is ruled
by the prime minister and the Storting, while the king has a more symbolic status.
Together with Sweden, Finland and parts of Russia, Norway is also home to the Sami people. They
settled north before anyone else in recorded history settled in Norway, and have their own flag and
language.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM ABSOLUTE BEGINNER S1 #25 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #1
Reviewing the Norwegian Basics

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 1
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #1 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti : Hei, jeg heter Kjersti.

2. Ole : Hei, jeg heter Ole, hyggelig.

3. Kjersti : Hyggelig å møte deg.

4. Ole : Hva gjør du her?

5. Kjersti : Jeg er på ferie.

6. Ole : Jeg er på businessreise.

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti : Hi, my name is Kjersti.

2. Ole : Hi, I am Ole; nice to meet you.

3. Kjersti : Nice to meet you.

4. Ole : What are you doing here?

5. Kjersti : I am on vacation.

6. Ole : I am on a business trip.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

gjøre do verb

hva what pronoun

businessreise business trip noun

jeg I pronoun

å hete to be called verb

du you pronoun

ferie vacation noun masculine

her here preposition

hyggelig pleasant (Nice to meet you) adjective

å være to be verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #1 2
 Jeg vet ikke hva jeg skal gjøre. Hvorfor?

"I don't know what to do." What for?

Hva snakker du om? Hva vil du gjøre?

"What are you talking about?" "What do you want to do?"

Jeg skal på businessreise. Jeg er ikke hjemme nå.

"I am going on a business trip." "I am not at home now."

Jeg liker ikke servitøren. Jeg kjenner ikke henne.

"I don't like the waiter." "I don't know her."

Jeg heter Arne. Heter du Olav?

"My name is Arne." "Are you Olav?"

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

Jeg vil ha ferie nå! Denne vinterferien skal jeg dra og stå på ski med
broren min.
"I want a vacation now!"
"This winter vacation I am going skiing with my
brother."

Jeg trenger en ferie. Ta denne asjetten her.

"I need a vacation." "Take this platter here."

Her er greia jeg pratet om. Jeg er her.

"Here's the thing I was talking about." "I'm here."

Bare hyggelig. Er du tørst?

"My pleasure." "Are you thirsty?"

Hva er klokken?

"What time is it?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Since this is the first lesson, let's go over some of the words with more ambiguous meanings.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #1 3

hyggelig
Hyggelig is an adjective, and it means "pleasant" or "nice." When we use it during a person-to-person
introduction, it takes on the meaning of Hyggelig å møte deg ("Nice to meet you"), and it's a shorter,
more casual way of greeting someone.

Casual in Norwegian does not necessarily mean informal, although you can often think of the two as the
same. That said, Norwegians tend to use casual parts of speech or phrases even in formal situations. It
depends on how you want to appear to the person you are speaking to. And hyggelig gives off a slight
note of indifference.

å hete
Å hete is a slightly tricky one since the equivalent doesn't really exist in English. The closest you get is "to
be called," but there's a difference between the two. To say jeg heter only implies "my name is." On the
other hand, "I am called" could also be followed by a nickname or a title. So be careful, only use jeg heter
when telling someone your name.

å være
Å være ("to be") is an irregular verb, so is å gjøre ("to do") too. However, å være can be a bit tricky. It
conjugates into er when in the present tense and var in the past tense.

For Example:

1. kan du være her?

"Can you stay (be) here?"
2. Jeg er her.
"I am here."

3. Jeg var her.

"I was here."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Basic Introductions.
Hei, jeg heter Kjersti. Jeg er på ferie.
"Hi, my name is Kjersti. I am on vacation."

First off, if you followed our Absolute Beginner Series, then you might already be familiar with or
remember how to introduce yourself in Norwegian.

It can be as easy as simply saying your name while shaking the other person's hand, or you can
elaborate on the introduction by adding words or phrases like Jeg er... ("I am..."), Jeg heter... ("I am
called..."), or Mitt navn er... ("My name is..."). The common way we Norwegians introduce ourselves is
simply by saying our name or using Jeg heter. Of course, adding a hei ("hi") first is always good practice.

After our name, we usually add either hyggelig å møte deg ("nice to meet you"), or the shorter form,
hyggelig ("pleasant"), to add a bit more courtesy. Norwegians don't always include this extra phrase; we
do it when we feel comfortable and like being pleasant.

For Example:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #1 4

 1. Hei, Kjersti. Hyggelig.
"Hi, Kjersti. Pleased to meet you."

2. Hei, jeg er Ole.

"Hi, I am Ole."
3. Hei, jeg heter Kjersti. Hyggelig å møte deg.
"Hi, my name is Kjersti. Nice to meet you."
4. Hei, mitt navn er Ole. Hyggelig.
"Hi, my name is Ole. Pleased to meet you."

It's fairly easy to understand how this works, and it's best to think of them as phrases, as some of these
aren't full sentences, and some words have very specific meanings applied to this context. That means
you shouldn't try to break up these sentences and use some of the words or word orders in other
sentences as it might end up not making any sense in another context. For example, a common greeting
Hei, Kjersti, heter jeg changes the whole sentence structure from what you are used to. It's like listening
to Yoda saying "Hi, Kjersti, named am I." It is perfectly OK to use this greeting, but in any other context,
this would just confuse people.

For Example:

1. Hei, Ole, heter jeg.

"Hi, Ole, named am I." ("Hi, I am called Ole.")
2. Bussjåfør er jeg.
"Bus driver am I."

The first greeting is perfectly safe when introducing yourself. The latter only makes sense in one very
specific context, which we would have to explain at a later stage. Otherwise, the latter sentence would
only sound weird to the listener.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Watch Your Tone When Speaking Norwegian

It is funny how we look at formal language and informal language in Norwegian. Most foreigners tend
to be very formal when speaking Norwegian in order to sound polite. However, most Norwegians speak
with their feelings. That isn't to say that when we're happy we become formal, but when we're angry, we
get very informal. It's partly true that Norwegian depends heavily on body language and tone when
speaking. If your tone is light, your language can still be informal but sound pleasing to the listener. And
if your tone is really condescending, not even the most formal language will please the listener. That's
why when you speak Norwegian, don't think so much of how formal your vocabulary is; instead, think of
your body language and the tone you speak in.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #1 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #2
Talking About Yourself in Norwegian, Part
1

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 2
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #2 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti : Hva driver du med?

2. Ole : Jeg er en bankinvestor.

3. Kjersti : Oi, jeg jobber som advokat, jeg.

4. Ole : Jasså, så interessant. Hva skal du på ferie?

5. Kjersti : Jeg liker å klatre, så jeg skal til Galdhøpiggen.

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti : What do you do for a living?

2. Ole : I am an investor in banks.

3. Kjersti : Wow, I work as a lawyer.

4. Ole : Is that so? Interesting. What are you doing on vacation?

5. Kjersti : I like climbing, so I am going to Galdhøpiggen.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

å klatre to climb verb

interessant interesting adjective

å jobbe to work verb

å skulle to go to, will verb

som that, which, as conjunction

å drive to do verb

med with conjunction, preposition

advokat lawyer noun masculine

bank bank noun masculine

investor investor noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #2 2

 Jeg liker å klatre. Boken virket interessant.

"I like to climb." "The book seemed interesting."

Det er interessant. Jeg må jobbe.

"That's interesting." "I have to work."

Hvor skal du? Skulle ikke du komme i går?

"Where are you going?" "Weren’t you supposed to come by yesterday?"

Jeg skal besøke deg i morgen. Hvem er det som skriker?

"I’ll pay you a visit tomorrow." "Who is screaming?"

Hvem er det som tramper på min bru? Han er blek som et spøkelse.

"Who stomps on my bridge?" "He is white as a ghost."

Hva driver du med? Vil du gå på kino med meg?

"What do you do for a living?" "Will you go to the movies with me?"

Brødskive med hva? Jeg blir med!

"A slice of bread with what?" "I'm coming with you!"

Blir du med? Den med hunden på, vær så snill.

"Are you joining?" "The one with the dog (on it), please."

firmaets advokat Jeg er ikke en advokat, men jeg håper å bli det i
fremtiden.
company lawyer
I'm not a lawyer, but I hope to be in the future.

advokaten forsvarer den kriminelle advokat i en rettssal

The lawyer is defending the criminal. lawyer in a courtroom

Advokaten står på bussholderplassen. banken er ikke åpen på søndager

"The lawyer stands at the bus stop." The bank is not open for business on Sundays.

banken er stengt gammel bank

The bank is closed. old bank

Han må finne en bank som tilbyr bedre service. Banken var stengt.

"He has to find a bank that offers a better "The bank was closed."
service."

Hvilken bank er rundt hjørnet? Han er blitt investor.

"Which bank is that around the corner?" "He’s become an investor."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #2 3

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE
In this lesson's vocabulary section, we are going to take a look at some of the words that didn't make
the vocabulary list: namely, oi, jasså, and så.

These are what we call conversation fillers. They have little value as words, but we use them to fill in
gaps in a conversation. We can also use the two former ones, oi and jasså, as reactions to statements.
Let's take a look at them individually.

oi

We commonly translate oi as "whoops" in English. However, it has a few more uses than that. We
commonly use it when we are surprised by something that happened or by something that someone
said. For example, we use oi when doing or seeing something done by accident, like dropping a cup on
the floor. We also use oi when we are surprised by something we heard, more in the sense of "wow."

jasså

Jasså also has a connotation of surprise. This time, however, it's more in wonder. It would be like a long
"ooh." We could directly translate it as "Well then." It is common to hear people use this often as when
facts come on the table during a discussion that are slightly surprising. For instance, in our dialogue, Ole
says jasså because he was slightly surprised by her being a lawyer, maybe because Kjersti was wearing
hiking gear.

så

Så is quite an ambiguous word, but it resembles perfectly the English "so" and also "then." Like in
English, we mainly use så as a filler in between sentences or statements. It can also help confirm
something, such as Så du liker blåbær? ("So you like blueberries?")

You'll often hear these three words when talking with Norwegians. They sit right behind our tongues
and pop out at every possible occasion.

For Example:

1. Oi, jeg visste ikke at du var allergisk.

"Oops (wow/oh), I didn't know you were allergic."
2. Jasså, det går bra med deg og?
"Well, you're doing fine yourself?"

3. Så, jeg dro ikke ut likevel.

"So, I didn't go out after all."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Using "I am" and "I + [verb]."
Jeg er investor i banker. Jeg jobber som advokat, jeg.
"I am an investor in banks. I work as a lawyer."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #2 4

This lesson will also serve as a more in-depth view at the use of jeg er ("I am") and Jeg + [verb] ("I +
[verb]"), which we learned in our Absolute Beginner series.

To start off, we'll look at Jeg er. It might be one of the phrases you will use the most while speaking
Norwegian. As in English, we use it when talking about ourselves, whether it be our situation, feelings,
mood, activity, wants, or thinking. In English, we use "I am" a wee bit more often than in Norwegian. In
English, you would say "I am fishing," while in Norwegian we would say jeg fisker, which could directly
translate as "I fishing." When most verbs follow a pronoun in Norwegian, we don't use "to be." Instead,
in Norwegian, jeg er is almost always followed by a noun, an adverb, or an adjective. The reason I say
almost is that it can be followed by a verb, but how we do that is something we'll save for a later level.

Let's look at some examples of how you can use jeg er.

For Example:

1. Jeg er diplomat.
"I am a diplomat."
2. Jeg er sliten.
"I am tired."

3. Jeg er litt usikker.

"I am a bit in doubt."
4. Jeg er ledig.
"I am available."

Now let's turn to the Jeg + [verb] construction. Here, the structure follows the same rules as jeg er. Here,
we simply substitute er with the verb.

For Example:

1. Jeg kjører bil.

"I am driving a car."
2. Jeg skal kjøpe mat.
"I am going to buy food."
3. Jeg har drikke.
"I have something to drink."

At the end of one of the sentences in our dialogue, I am sure you saw something that confused you a
bit: Jeg jobber som advokat, jeg.

That little jeg at the end of the sentence might throw you off a bit, but don't let it. Basically, she could say
this sentence without the jeg at the end, making it Jeg jobber som advokat. And, in both cases, we would
translate it as "I work as a lawyer." The reason we added the jeg at the end was to put stress on it being
her, just as you would say "I" with a small pause before continuing the sentence in English.

In this case, Ole didn't ask her what she did, so she wanted to stress that she was talking about herself.

Don't worry too much about using it as you can do perfectly well without it. But have it in the back of
your head when you encounter Norwegians, as we use it a lot.

CULTURAL INSIGHT

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #2 5

Be at One With Nature in Norway

Norwegians have a very romantic relationship with nature. During the spring, most of us travel into the
mountains and spend our time there in small cabins enjoying skiing or, if the snow has melted, long
walks in the forests. For example, in this lesson, Kjersti said she was going to climb Galdhøpiggen, which
is the highest mountain in Norway. Few Norwegians have actually climbed it, but many have either been
close by or seen it from a distance. For those who climb Galdhøpiggen, the climb is cold and sometimes
quite hard. It is recommended that you become well prepared before the climb and that you shouldn't
climb alone due to hazardous terrain. At the top of Galdhøpiggen, you can find a cabin where you can
rest and enjoy the view.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #2 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #3
Talking About Yourself in Norwegian, Part
2

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 3
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #3 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Ole : Hvor kommer du fra?

2. Kjersti : Jeg er fra Oslo. Og du?

3. Ole : Jeg er fra Fredrikstad, men jeg vokste opp i Oslo.

4. Kjersti : Åja, utdannet du deg ved UiO?

5. Ole : Nei, jeg gikk på BI.

ENGLISH

1. Ole : Where are you from?

2. Kjersti : I am from Oslo. And you?

3. Ole : I am from Fredrikstad, but I grew up in Oslo.

4. Kjersti : Oh, is that so? Did you graduate from UiO (University of Oslo)?

5. Ole : No, I went to BI (private business university).

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

og and conjunction

men but conjunction

å gå to go, to attend verb

hvor where adverb

i in, to preposition

å komme to come verb

opp up adverb

å utdanne to educate (oneself) verb

å vokse to grow verb

fra from preposition

ved at preposition

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #3 2

 Jeg vil ha fisk og poteter. Jeg vil og bli med.

"I want fish and potatoes." "I also want to join."

Jeg tar en brandy og to øl. Jeg er trøtt, men jeg må bli ferdig med denne
rapporten i kveld.
"One brandy and two beers please."
"I'm sleepy but I have to finish this report
tonight."

Jeg vet du er travel, men kan du ringe advokaten Jeg vil, men kan ikke.
min?
"I want to, but I can't."
"I know you are busy. But can you call my
lawyer?"

Men kan ikke du komme hit? Jeg liker deg men...

But can’t you come here? "I like you but..."

Jeg gikk ut i stad. Hvor skal du imorgen kveld?

"I went out earlier." "Where are you going tomorrow night?"

Hvor skal du hen? Hvor er sjefen?

"Where are you going?" "Where is the boss?"

Han er i bilen. Jeg venter på at posten skal komme.

"He is in the car." "I am waiting for the post to come."

Jeg vet du ikke vil at jeg skal komme på festen. Jeg ville ha likt å komme igjen i morgen, om
mulig.
"I know you don't want me to come to the party."
"I would like to come again tomorrow, if
possible."

Legen kom etter en time. Jeg kommer hjem nå.

"The doctor came after an hour." "I'm coming home now."

Kom over. Fire stykker kom ikke.

"Come over." "Four people did not come."

Han klatret opp stigen for å komme til taket. opp og ned

He climbed up the ladder to get to the roof. up and down

Skal du opp? Mannen går opp trappene.

Going up? The man is climbing up stairs.

gå opp trapper Klatre opp da!

climb up stairs "Climb up then!"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #3 3

 Jeg utdanner meg i sosiologi. Jeg har vokst mye.

"I am studying sociology." "I have grown a lot."

Butikken er åpen fra klokka 9. Jeg fikk et postkort fra USA.

"The store is open from 9 AM." "I got a postcard from the U.S."

Jeg bor ved butikken.

"I live by the (grocery) store."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

This lesson doesn't really contain any words or phrases that are hard to translate to English. However,
the conversation filler åja and the verb å utdanne deserve some attention here.

åja

We use åja to express recognition of something that's confirmed or to give a pondering nod to a
statement. We can also use it when we hear a statement and get curious or are in slight disbelief. In that
case, we swing the tone up at the last letter.

It might be a bit hard to get it right at first, as we can use åja in so many situations, but as you'll see in
our examples, it translates mostly as "oh, I see," "Oh!," "Okay?," or "Really?"

å utdanne

Å utdanne might be a bit easier to explain in this lesson's context. It directly translates as "to educate,"
but we can also use it in many contexts as "to study," even though in Norwegian we also have å studere.
The way you switch between å utdanne and å studere is different from English "to educate" and "to
study."

In Norwegian, we say å utdanne when we are talking about education in general, and we use å studere
when we are talking about the activity of "studying." We can also use å studere to refer to the activity of
"researching," and finally, when we declare a major, we also use å studere.

Let's look at some examples of the two words we talked about and also throw in one with å studere.

For Example:

1. Åja, så du studerer politikk?

"Oh okay, so you are studying politics?
2. Jeg utdanner meg som sykepleier.
"I am studying to become a nurse."
3. Hun har studert til doktorgrad.
"She has studied to get a Ph.D."

GRAMMAR

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #3 4

The Focus of This Lesson Is Using Jeg Er Fra and Simple Questions.
Hvor kommer du fra? Jeg er fra Oslo.
"Where are you from? I am from Oslo."

When meeting new people, especially if they look foreign, from a foreign country, we usually ask them
where they are from.

There are two common ways to ask this question and two common phrases with which to answer. Hvor
er du fra? and Hvor kommer du fra? In English, these translate as "Where are you from?" and "Where do
you come from?" respectively. We translated Hvor kommer du fra? in the dialogue as "Where are you
from?" purely because we use them interchangeably like in English.

The answer is equally as easy. Just say jeg kommer fra ("I come from") and the country or place you are
from. Alternatively, you may say jeg er fra ("I am from") and the country or place you come from. Like
English, these two phrases get switched about frequently and both are equally as common to hear.

If you want to be more precise in your answer and for example specify a city in a country, your answer
would just change a bit. Just say jeg kommer fra [city] i [country]. ("I come from [city] in [country]"). Of
course, we can switch kommer with er here as well.

For Example:

1. Hvor kommer han fra?

"Where does he come from?"

2. Han er fra Moskva i Russland.

"He is from Moscow in Russia."
3. Jeg kommer fra USA.
"I come from the United States."

Now over to the two other questions we saw in the dialogue.

First, I want to mention that in Norwegian, if you change a pronoun like jeg, du, han, hun, de, or vi, in
most cases you don't need to make any other changes to the sentence. So don't be afraid of changing
the pronoun in any given sentence to suit your situation.

The first question we'll look at is ...og du? We simply translate it as "...and you," and it is an easy way to
ask the other person without repeating the question.

Second, we have a yes/no question. The structure is a bit different from an English yes/no question. The
question in our dialogue was Åja utdannet du deg ved UiO? ("Oh, did you graduate from UiO?") If we
break down this question, it might be easier to comprehend the structure of it. First, we have the
interjection åja; we don't need to bother too much with it. Following it comes the verb utdannet
("educated," or in this case, "graduated"). Then we have the pronoun du ("you"). This is followed by the
indirect pronoun deg ("yourself"). And finally, we have ved UiO ("at UiO"); the preposition is best
remembered with the noun in this case. All together, word for word it translates as "Oh, graduated you
yourself at UiO?" In English, this doesn't make much sense. However, let's look at the base structure for
this sentence. It looks like this: [verb] [pronoun/noun] ([noun/preposition + noun/adjective]).

It might seem a bit hard written out like that, but it's actually quite easy. Let's look at some examples.

For Example:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #3 5

 1. Kjører pappa?
[verb + noun]
"Is daddy driving?"
2. Skal dere på kino?
[verb + pronoun + preposition + noun]
"Are you (guys) going to the movies (cinema)?"
3. Liker du rosa?
[verb + pronoun + adjective]
"Do you like pink?"
4. Har vi melk?
[verb + pronoun + noun]
"Do we have milk?

As you can see, the structure is quite simple and doesn't change whether it's a noun or pronoun,
adjective, or preposition + noun. Also notice that the verbs we used in these examples were all in the
present tense.

I suggest you take a pen and a paper and try to invent as many yes/no questions as you can. Don't make
them more advanced than these, however. You can really build on these questions and make them very
specific by just adding words to the mixture.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Is It Free to Attend a Norwegian School?

When it comes to studying in Norway, there are a lot of options for majors but few universities to
choose from. The major universities are publicly owned, and costs are subsidized to near nothing. Thus,
studying at a university in Norway is considered free. There are a few major privately owned universities
like BI, Bedriftsøkonomisk Institutt ("Norwegian Business School"). These private universities are
financed by student tuition and have semester fees. The Norwegian government also provides students
yearly with scholarships and loans to finance living costs and other study fees. The aim is to make
university education available for all Norwegians who wish to study.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #3 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #4
Helping a Norwegian Friend

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 4
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #4 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti : Trenger du hjelp, Lise?

2. Lise : Jeg må flytte sofaen. Kan du hjelpe meg å bære?

3. Kjersti : Ja, jeg skal hjelpe deg. Er det noe mer du trenger hjelp med?

4. Lise : Nei, bare sofaen.

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti : Do you need any help, Lise?

2. Lise : I have to move the sofa. Can you help me carry it?

3. Kjersti : Yes, I'll help you. Is there anything else you need help with?

4. Lise : No, only the sofa.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

bare only, just adverb

å flytte to move verb

sofa sofa noun masculine

å måtte’ have to, must verb

å trenge to need verb

å hjelpe to help verb

noe something determinative

mer more, else adverb

å bære to carry verb

du you pronoun

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg er bare ledig på søndag. Jeg er bare litt syk.

"I am only free on Sunday." "I am just a bit sick."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #4 2

 Det er bare meg. Bare gå rett fremover.

"It's only me." "Just go straight ahead."

Jeg har bare hundre kroner! etter ulykken, bestemte mange beboere seg for
å flytte til en annen by.
"I only have one hundred Kroner!"
"After the incident, many residents decided to
move to another town."

Han flyttet bordet. Vi kjøpte en sofa.

"He moved the table." "We bought a sofa."

Jeg må på do. Jeg trenger virkelig at du hører på meg.

"I have to go to the toilet." "I really need you to listen to me."

Jeg trenger papir. Vi trenger alle sollys for å overleve.

"I need paper." "We all need sunlight to survive."

Butikkansatten hjalp meg. Gustavo sier han kunne hjelpe.

"The shop assistant helped me." "Gustavo said he could help."

Hennes formål i livet var å hjelpe andre Jeg trenger hjelp her.
mennesker.
"I need some help here."
"Her purpose in life was to help other people."

Vær så snill å spis noe. Jeg vet noe ikke du vet.

"Please eat something." "I know something you don't."

Er det noe annet? Jeg vil ha mer.

"Is there something else?" "I want more."

Bærer du posen? Du er invitert.

"Can you carry the bag?" "You are invited."

Hei, hvordan har du det?

"Hi, how are you?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #4 3

There are three words that could use some slight clarification in this lesson.

The first one is mer. This word has some different meanings in English depending on the context. In our
dialogue, Kjersti asks Er det noe mer? In the dialogue, we translated this as "Is there anything else?"
although mer would actually translate as "more." So Kjersti is actually asking "Is there something
more?"

noe

Noe can mean "something" or "anything" in English, depending on the context. It would translate
directly as "something" as in jeg vil ha noe ("I want something"), but in our dialogue, since mer takes on
the form of "else," noe would more naturally translate as "anything."

å måtte

This word translates as "to have to." However, when coupled with a negative like in our sample
sentence, it would more correctly translate as "should not" or "have better not to."

Let's look at some more examples with these.

For Example:

1. Jeg vil ikke ha mer.

"I don't want more."
2. Jeg vil ha noe annet.
"I want something else."
3. Han måtte dra hjem.
"He had to go home."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Asking "Can I Help You With Something?" and Using "Can You..."
Trenger du hjelp, Lise. Kan du hjelpe meg å bære?
"Do you need any help, Lise? Can you help me carry it?"

Norwegians like to think of themselves as courteous and helpful, although that might not always be the
case. Should you want to help improve that attitude, try to be helpful yourself.

To ask whether a person needs any help, you simply ask Trenger du hjelp? ("Do you need help?") This
phrase sounds a bit urgent and is better suited if someone looks like he or she really needs help. If you
want to ask in a more casual tone, simply add noe after du. The sentence should now look like Trenger
du noe hjelp? ("Do you need any help?")

If you want to be more specific, you can add some words between hjelp and the question mark,
beginning with med ("with"), and then followed by a noun or verb and noun. Let's look at some
examples with this.

For Example:

1. Trenger du noe hjelp med bilen?

"Do you need any help with the car?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #4 4

 2. Trenger du hjelp med husvaskingen?
"Do you need help cleaning the house?"

3. Trenger du noe hjelp med kaninene?

"Do you need any help with the rabbits?"

It's not much harder than that.

Now if your friend says OK and lets you help him or her, after helping it is good courtesy to ask whether
he or she needs any more help. This is done as in the dialogue by asking Er det noe mer du trenger hjelp
med? ("Is there anything else you need help with?") We realize this is a long and heavy question, and we
can shorten it dramatically for your convenience. Simply asking Er det noe mer? is enough to get the
point through courteously, as we saw in the vocabulary explanation.

Finally, let's look at how your friends might ask you whether you could help them. You can also use this
phrase to ask someone yourself. It's quite handy.

Kan du hjelpe meg? ("Can you help me?") is all you need to say if you need help. Just like asking the other
way around, we can also modify this phrase to be more specific. Just add the same med ("with") and
follow it up with a pronoun, noun, or verb and noun. The phrase would then look like this: Kan du hjelpe
meg med...? ("Can you help me with...?")

Let's look at some examples of what you can put at the end here too.

For Example:

1. Kan du hjelpe meg med å vaske bilen?

"Could you help me clean the car?"

2. Kan du hjelpe meg med noe?

"Could you help me with something?"
3. Kan du hjelpe meg med maten?
"Could you help me with the food?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
How to Be Helpful in Norway

While it is common courtesy to ask someone who looks like he or she is in need of help whether you can
help them, in Norway. Norwegians aren't always that good at being observant and asking. However, it is
very common to ask neighbors and friends even though it doesn't seem like they actually need help.
This might not be so true of people living in the bigger cities, but get a short distance out on the
countryside, and people become more friendly. Old ladies are especially happy when a nice person asks
them whether he or she should help with carrying their shopping bags. Beware, however, that some old
ladies might be suspicious of strangers and aren't that willing to part with their shopping bags. And
asking every stranger you see on the street whether they need help might alienate you more than it
creates warmness. That said, a nice helpful attitude always gets you a long way no matter where you
are. Being able to ask whether you can help someone in that person's native language is always
practical.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #4 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #5
Meeting an Old Friend in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 5
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #5 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Lars : Hei Kjersti, lenge siden sist!

2. Kjersti : Hei, Lars! Wow, ja vi har ikke sett hverandre på år.

3. Lars : Hvordan har du det?

4. Kjersti : Takk, det går bra, og med deg? Hva driver du med?

5. Lars : Det går bra med meg. Jeg har giftet meg og har to barn.

ENGLISH

1. Lars : Hi Kjersti, Long time no see.

2. Kjersti : Hi Lars, Wow, yeah we haven't seen each other in years.

3. Lars : How are you?

4. Kjersti : I am doing well, thanks. And you? What are you doing?

5. Lars : I am doing fine. I am married and have two kids.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

å ha to have verb

ikke not, don't conjunction

bra good adjective

lenge long adjective

barn children noun

siden since preposition

hverandre each other pronoun

år years noun

å se to watch, to see, to look verb

sist last adverb

å gifte to marry verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #5 2

 De har for mye søppel i hagen sin. Har du en katt?

"They have too much garbage in their garden." "Do you have a cat?"

Jeg husker ikke hva du heter. Jeg liker ikke fotball.

"I can't remember your name." "I don't like soccer."

Fire stykker kom ikke. Jeg føler meg bra.

"Four people did not come." "I feel good."

Bra du kunne komme. Jeg har det bra.

"Good of you to come." "I'm good."

Det varte lenge. Barna skrur av strømmen.

"It lasted long." "The children turn off the power."

Jeg har vært her siden. Siden du er så god, kan ikke du vise meg
hvordan?
"I’ve been here since."
"Since you are so good, can't you show me
how?"

Vi har jo hverandre. Jeg har ikke sett deg på år!

"At least we have each other." "I haven't seen you in years!"

Jeg ser alltid på dette TV-programmet. Hun kunne ikke stoppe og se på skjermen.

"I always watch this TV show." "She couldn't stop looking at the screen."

Den drua ser ganske gammel ut. Vanligvis ser jeg ikke på noen sport, men igår
gjorde jeg et unntak.
"That grape looks pretty old."
Usually, I don't watch any sports but I made an
exception yesterday.

Hvor så du henne sist? Har du giftet deg?

"Where did you see her last?" "Did you get married?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Some of the words here could do with some short explanations.

Siden

This can have two meanings in Norwegian; one is "since" as in siden vi sist møttes - "Since the last time
we met." It can also mean "side" in definitive form, as in den ene siden eller den andre - "This side or the
other."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #5 3

Wow

This is a word that was not in the vocabulary but still deserves a bit of attention. Wow is not a Norwegian
word, but is commonly integrated into the language. So don't be afraid of using it.

We have not done too much grammar in this series, especially when it comes to introducing single and
plural nouns. As a short introduction to noun plurality, let's take a look at two nouns that don't need to
change even though they are in plural. År and barn won't change in the indefinite plural, which means if
you say barn av verden it could mean "Children of the world" or simply "Child of the world." The same
applies if you say flere år eller ett år which means "Several years or one year."

Let's look at some more examples with the words we talked about here:

1. Se på den andre siden av gjerdet

"Look at the other side of the fence"
2. Wow, er det virkelig deg?
"Wow, is it really you?"
3. Jeg har to barn på to år.
"I have two children of two years of age."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is Greetings That Are Common When Meeting Old Friends, and Questions
and Answers
Hei Kjersti, lenge siden sist!
"Hi Kjersti, long time no see!"
Hvordan har du det?
"How are you?"

This lesson's grammar point will be somewhat easy to follow. We'll first look at the most common
greeting when meeting an old acquaintance.

Lenge siden sist is the most common way to continue after having said Hei [name]. Lenge siden sist
translates as "long time no see," although this isn't a literal translation. A literal translation would sound
more like "long since last."

After one says lenge siden sist, it's common to repeat the phrase as a confirmation, and then follow up
with a Hvordan har du det? "How are you doing?" This phrase, too, isn't a literal translation. A literal
translation would be "How have you it?"

Finally the factory answer to this would be det går bra ("I am doing well"). This phrase, like the others,
cannot be literally translated, a literal translation would be "it goes well," and frankly that sounds weird.

Altogether, the conversation would look like this:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #5 4

A: Hei B! Lenge siden sist!
B: Hei A! Jo, lenge siden sist! Hvordan har du det?
A: Det går bra! og du?
B: Det går bra med meg og!

At the end here A is asking og du? ("And you?") and B is answering Det går bra med meg og! Notice the
last part here after bra. Med meg og! means "with me as well" or "with me too." So together it forms the
sentence: "I am fine as well."

You might have noticed that Kjersti says takk before answering det går bra. She also uses og med deg
instead of og du. This is merely a twist on the same question and directly translates as "and with you."

There are a slew of other ways such a reunion could go down, so let's look at a few alternative phrases.

For example:

1. Hei, lenge siden! Hvordan går det?

"Hi, it's been a long time, how are you?" Lit. ("Hi, long since! How goes it?")
2. Det går bra, takk. Hvordan går det med deg?
"I am fine thank you. How are you doing?" Lit. ("It goes well, thanks. How goes it with you?")

3. Hei, vi har ikke sett hverandre på lenge!

"Hi, we haven't seen each other in a long time!"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Greeting Friends Old and New in Norwegian

Norway is a small country, with an even smaller population, of about five million people. The chance of
you meeting people you know randomly on the street is very high, especially in larger cities. In smaller
places it is more common to meet each other more or less once or twice a week if you live in the same
place. In Oslo and Bergen however it is not always so, if you are not in regular contact. It is common to
greet friends with hei, hvordan går det? even after a week without contact. When it's been half a year or
a year or more is when we tend to use lenge siden sist! And who knows, you might even meet someone
you know who from your home country who randomly happens to be in Norway at that time! In that
case, why not try to greet each other in Norwegian!

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #5 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #6
Make Sure your Norwegian Compliments
are Sincere!

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 6
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #6 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Lars : Du ser bra ut Kjersti! Er du ofte aktiv?

2. Kjersti : Takk, jo jeg er ofte ute og jogger. Du ser godt kledt ut!

3. Lars : Jo, takk for komplimentet. Jeg er på vei til en dåp.

4. Kjersti : Åja, er det ditt barn?

5. Lars : Ja.

6. Kjersti : Nei, så nydelig.

ENGLISH

1. Lars : You look good, Kjersti! Do you keep yourself active?

2. Kjersti : Thanks, yeah, I'm often out running. You look well dressed!

3. Lars : Well, thanks for the compliment. I'm on my way to a baptism.

4. Kjersti : Oh, is it for your child?

5. Lars : Yes.

6. Kjersti : Oh, how nice!

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

ofte often adverb

aktiv active adjective

å jogge to run, to jog verb

godt nicely, well adverb

å kle to dress verb

kompliment compliment noun

å se ut to look verb

dåp baptism noun masculine

ditt your pronoun

nydelig serene, nice adjective

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #6 2
 Kommer du hit ofte? Jeg liker å være aktiv.

"Do you come here often?" "I like to be active."

Skal vi jogge? Kaken smakte godt.

"Do you wanna come running?" "The cake was delicious."

Vent, jeg skal kle på meg. Gi henne et kompliment.

"Wait, I'm just gonna get dressed." "Give her a compliment."

Det ser dårlig ut. Familie og venner kom i dåpen til den lille jenta.

"It looks bad." "Family and friends came to the little girls´
baptism."

Dåpen var i går. Hvor er huset ditt?

"The baptism was yesterday." "Where's your house?"

Kjolen var nydelig.

"The dress was beautiful."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

As you can see, we have the Åja recurring again; this time it shouldn't be that hard to guess how it works
in that line. She is simply a positively surprised by his answer and wonders whether it's his child.

We also have two other interjections in this dialogue. The first one, jo, is simply a "yes" and doesn't need
much further explanation. It's slightly more useful when confirming than ja ("yes"), which might sound a
bit weird to us Norwegians. It might be hard to figure out exactly when to use jo and when to use ja at
this point. But don't despair: you'll learn that quickly as you surround yourself with Norwegians.

The second interjection is a bit harder to understand at first. When Lars answers "yes" (it is his child
whose baptism it is), Kjersti immediately responds with a nei, which as you should know means "no."
This is an exclamation of surprise and sometimes slight disbelief. It's very similar to the English "No,
really?" or "Wow!" She immediately follows it up with så nydelig, which means "how
sweet/precious/beautiful" or any such term of endearment.

Finally, the adverb/adjective godt is a bit tricky. When one says du kler det godt, it means "it fits/suits you
well," but when you say something smaker godt, it "tastes delicious." Godt as a word in itself has a wide
range of uses when something is positively "nice or good." It is derived from the word "good," which in
Norwegian is god.

For Example:

1. Jeg likte filmen godt.

"I liked the movie a lot."

2. Åja, er det deg igjen?

"Oh, is it you again?"
3. Nei, så fin den var.
Jo, den er fin.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #6 3

 "Oh wow, how beautiful it is."
"Yeah, it's beautiful."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Compliments and Positive Adjectives.
Du ser bra ut Kjersti!
"You look good Kjersti!"
Jo, takk for komplimentet.
"Eh, well, thanks for the compliment."

When you want to give someone a compliment, the most common phrase to start off with is "you look."
In Norwegian, that is du ser. This is followed by an adjective, which is then followed by the word ut
("out"). So, the sentence would look like du ser...ut. Now for the structure itself, all you need is [pronoun]
ser [adjective] ut, and you can make any sentence that would look like "[pronoun] looks [adjective]."

To take this even further, we know that ser ("seeing/looking") is the present tense of å se ("to see"/"to
look"), which in turn, we can conjugate into the past tense as så ("saw"/"looked"). Knowing this, we can
now make compliments in present and past tense. Let's look at some.

For Example:

1. Han så flott ut.

"He looked elegant."
2. Hun ser hyggelig ut.
"She looks nice."

You can also use other pronouns like den ("that" masculine), det ("that" neuter), disse ("these"), and so
on, or of course use a noun instead.

For Example:

1. Den så kul ut.

"It looked cool."
2. Agatha ser pen ut.
"Agatha looks beautiful."

Now if you receive a compliment, how do you answer? Simple. Just say Takk for komplimentet or just
Tusen takk or takk. The longest phrase is the most polite term, and takk is more daily and common.
Using takk wouldn't necessarily inspire another compliment from the same person. If you accompany
the "thank you" with a smile, you let the other person know that you appreciated it.

As a bonus, let's go over some of the VSO questions we saw in the dialogue. You don't know what VSO
means? VSO is an abbreviation of verb-subject-object; it is talking about the order in which words build a
sentence. A VSO question starts with a verb, which is followed by a subject (usually a noun or pronoun),
which is followed by an object (which is also usually a noun or pronoun).

One of the VSO questions in the dialogue was er det ditt barn? ("Is it your child?") As you can see, VSO
questions are also common in English, as they translate word for word.

Another VSO we saw in the dialogue was er du ofte aktiv? (Literally, "Are you often active?").This one also
makes sense in English. The VSO questions we want to look at today are the ones of the last type that
consist of a verb, a pronoun, an adverb, and an adjective. Let's look at some examples.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #6 4

For Example:

1. Er hun ofte dårlig?

"Is she often sick (literally "bad")?"
2. Er du veldig sulten?
"Are you very hungry?"
3. Er han sjeldent glad?
"Is he rarely (seldom) happy?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Is That a Real Compliment?

You might find that Norwegians are not good at giving compliments that they really mean. It is quite
common to find compliments handed out between people as a form of nicety. While most Norwegians
like receiving compliments, they are also good at discerning which compliments were given as a pure
nicety and which were sincere. When giving someone a compliment in Norway, it is usually better to
refrain from complimenting if you are just trying to be nice. Instead, try to find something you actually
like about the person and compliment it at an appropriate time. The way Kjersti and Lars acted in this
dialogue is sadly how compliments usually go down, which is rather uninspiring. Try to be sincere, and if
you can't give a real compliment, just don't do it at all.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #6 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #7
Talking About Colors in Norwegian

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 7
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #7 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti : Hvilken synes du er fin?

2. Espen : Jeg liker den grønne gardinen.

3. Kjersti : Grønn er fin, men jeg synes gul er penere.

4. Espen : Hva med de røde?

5. Kjersti : Jo, jeg liker de også.

6. Espen : Ja, da tar vi dem!

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti : Which ones do you think are nice?

2. Espen : I like the green curtains.

3. Kjersti : Green is nice, but I think yellow is prettier.

4. Espen : What about the red ones?

5. Kjersti : Well, I like them too.

6. Espen : Yes, then let's take those.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

å like to like verb

grønn green adjective

rød red adjective

hvilken which pronoun

å synes to think, to believe verb

gul yellow adjective

med with conjunction, preposition

gardin curtain noun neutral

fin nice adjective

også too adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #7 2
 Jenta liker valpene kjempegodt. Den lille jenta liker valpene kjempegodt.

"The girl really likes the puppies." "The young girl really likes the puppies."

Jeg liker tysk øl. Den grønne frosken er i vannet.

"I like German beer." "The green frog is in the water."

Sauen spiser det grønne gresset. Huset vårt er rødt.

"The sheep is eating the green grass." "Our house is red."

Hvilken nøkkel skal jeg bruke? Hvilken genser liker du?

"Which key should I use?" "Which sweater do you like?"

Hva synes du? Gul er favoritten min.

"What do you think?" "Yellow is my favorite."

Bien pollinerer den gule blomsten. Vil du gå på kino med meg?

"The bee is pollinating the yellow flower." "Will you go to the movies with me?"

Brødskive med hva? Jeg blir med!

"A slice of bread with what?" "I'm coming with you!"

Blir du med? Den med hunden på, vær så snill.

"Are you joining?" "The one with the dog (on it), please."

Gardinen er møkkete. Det er fint vær idag.

"The curtain is dirty." "It is nice weather today."

Disse er fine. Ta med deg denne også.

"These are nice." "Bring this one too."

Jeg vil også dra.

"I also want to go."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Few words need much explanation this time, but let's look at some that could cause trouble.

hvilken

Hvilken means "which" or "which one" depending on the sentence it's in. In our dialogue, Kjersti says
hvilken synes du er fin? ("Which one do you think is nice?"). Here hvilken means "which one." In a
sentence like this, Hvilken bil er din? ("Which car is yours?") Hvilken now translates as "which."

å synes

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #7 3

Å synes means "to think" or "to believe," but it's slightly more complex than that. Å synes means that you
have the impression of something. However, in this dialogue we use it as "to think."

For Example:

1. Jeg synes gul er penere.

"I think yellow is prettier."

In other words, you express your opinion of something with å synes.

da tar vi de

Da tar vi de might be a confusing phrase. It literally means "then take we those/them." We usually use a
variety of da + verb + pronoun + pronoun or noun to express a decision on something.

For Example:

1. Da gjør vi det.
"We'll do that then."
2. Hvilken film likte du?
"Which movie did you like?"
3. Jeg synes det er vansklig å tro på...
"I think it is hard to believe..."

4. Da kjøper vi rullgardinene.
"We'll buy the roller blinds then."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Talking About Colors and Preferences.
Grønn er fin, men jeg synes gul er penere.
"Green is nice, but I think yellow is prettier."
Jeg liker den grønne gardinen.
"I like the green curtain."

Norwegians like colors just as much as anyone else, although it might not be reflected that well in our
choice of fashion.

An elementary part of any language is to know the colors, although it is more common to learn them
early on for children as they are easy to relate to. You are first learning colors now because it fits with
this lesson's "I like." So first let's look at "I like."

To say "I like..." in Norwegian you simply say jeg liker. After this, you can add pretty much anything. The
most common words are nouns and colors. We can also use verbs by including the article in the
infinitive. For illustration purposes, let's just look at some examples.

For Example:

1. Jeg liker kjoler.

"I like dresses."
2. Jeg liker å arbeide.
"I like to work."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #7 4

As a bonus, we'll show you how to say "I don't like." (This is for those rebels out there who don't like
things.) It's actually fairly easy. You simply add the negative ikke ("not") after the verb liker ("like"). So it
looks like this: Jeg liker ikke... ("I don't like...").

For Example:

1. Jeg liker ikke grønn.

"I don't like green."

As you may well know by now, you can also substitute the pronoun jeg with any noun or pronoun
without needing to change the rest of the sentence. So you can easily make Hun liker kjoler or Ole liker å
arbeide.

Colors

Now let's look at colors. As mentioned, most colors have different names from English so the only way
to remember these is through practice.

Norwegian "English"

rød "red"

grønn "green"

blå "blue"

gul "yellow"

svart "black"

hvit "white"

oransj "orange"

Brun "brown"

rosa "pink"

lilla "purple"

If you want to use some adjectives to describe these colors like Kjersti does in our dialogue, you just say
[color] er [adjective]. This is the most basic structure. Add jeg synes in front of this phrase, and you make
it your own opinion.

For Example:

1. Rosa er stygt.
"Pink is ugly."
2. Jeg synes rosa er stygt.
"I think pink is ugly."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
What Color Do Norwegians Prefer?

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #7 5

Norwegians aren't especially particular when it comes to colors. However, a survey says most
Norwegians prefer white. This is easily noticed when out driving in the countryside or through hamlets
and small residential areas. A lot of the houses are colored white. It's no wonder the color is also on the
Norwegian flag, although it might not be the most prominent color. For those that know, the Norwegian
flag has three colors: rødt, hvitt og blått or "red, white, and blue" as we say in English. The white and
blue form a cross and are surrounded by red. Each color also has a meaning like the French flag: red is
for freedom, white for peace, and blue for brotherhood. But red is the most prominent color of the
three. Norwegians tend to like red too; in fact, we like all strong colors or high contrasts; blander colors
don't appeal that much to Norwegians.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #7 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #8
Taking a Shopping Trip in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 8
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #8 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Clerk : Hei, kan jeg hjelpe dere?

2. Kjersti : Vi tar denne stolen og disse gardinene i rødt.

3. Clerk : Ok, la meg ta dem bort til kassen.

4. ..

5. Clerk : Skal vi se, det blir 4,799 for stolen, pluss 2,499 for gardinene. Alt i alt 7,298.

6. Kjersti : Vi tar det på kort

ENGLISH

1. Clerk : Hi, can I help you?

2. Kjersti : We'd like this chair and these curtains in red.

3. Clerk : OK, let me bring the items to the register.

4. ..

5. Clerk : Let's see, that'll be 4,799 for the chair, plus 2,499 for the curtains. Totaling 7,298.

6. Kjersti : We'll use a card (to pay).

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

gardin curtain noun neutral

borte away, over, gone adverb

kort card noun neuter

å ta to take, to pick up verb

dere you (plural) pronoun

pluss plus noun neutral

alt everything, all pronoun

kasse register noun

stol chair noun masculine

å bli to become verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #8 2
 Gardinen er møkkete. Jeg skal reise bort.

"The curtain is dirty." "I am going away."

Det er et offentlig toalett der borte. Kan jeg betale med kort?

"There is a public toilet over there." "Can I pay by card?"

Hun sendte et kort fra Afrika. Jeg liker denne her så jeg tar den.

"She sent a card from Africa." "I like this one so I'll take it."

Kvinna tar pillene sine hver morgen før frokost. Bussen tok en time.

"The woman takes her pills every morning before "The bus took an hour."
breakfast."

Kan jeg ta med en venn? Har dere et bord for seks?

"Can I bring a friend?" "Do you have a table for six?"

En pluss en er to. Pluss og minus er det letteste i matte.

One plus one is two. "Plus and minus is the easiest in math."

To pluss to er fire. Alt er på tilbud.

"Two plus two is four." "Everything is on sale."

I dag kan alt resirkuleres. Kunden betaler ved kassa.

"Today almost everything is recyclable." "The customer pays at the register."

For en kul stol. De ble foreldre forrige uke.

"What a cool chair." "They became parents last week."

Jeg vil bli astronaut. Larven blir en sommerfugl.

"I want to be an astronaut." "The caterpillar becomes a butterfly."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

In this lesson, we'll go over a few words and expressions that you might find familiar as well as two
words from the vocabulary, starting with the words.

Bort is a slightly tricky word. It means "away," like in the phrase å ta noe bort ("to take something
away"). However, it also covers another English "over" when we use it in sentences like those in our
dialogue.

For Example:

1. Jeg tar de med bort til kassen.

"I'll bring them over to the register."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #8 3

Notice that you can use "away" in this sentence too. Actually, it is English, which is slightly weird here.

Alt is also a bit of a special word. It can mean "everything" or "all" depending on the context of the
sentence. In our dialogue, you can see that we have translated alt i alt as "all in all," and while that isn't
wrong, it's certainly not common to hear people pronounce "total" or "subtotal" like this. "All in all" is a
direct translation. Alt i alt means "summing up."

Two other phrases need explanation.

Skal vi se does have an approximate English translation: "shall we see." More commonly, however, we
translate it as "let's see." Norwegians often use the phrase skal vi se.

You might have noticed that kan jeg hjelpe dere? sounded almost exactly like something you have
learned in earlier lessons. That's true. We learned that Trenger du noe hjelp? Kan jeg hjelpe dere ("Can I
help you (guys)?") is just a variation on this phrase.

For Example:

1. Jeg reiser bort til USA i morgen.

"I am going away to the U.S. tomorrow."
2. Var det alt?
"Was that everything?"

3. Skal vi se, her er den!

"Let's see, here it is!"
4. Kan jeg hjelpe deg med noe?
"Can I help you with anything?"

GRAMMAR
This Focus of This Lesson Is Numbers, But We're Also Going to Learn to Use a Common Phrase.
Skal vi se, da blir 4,799 for stolen, pluss 2,499 for gardinene. Alt i alt 7,298.
"Let's see, that'll be 4,799 for the chair, plus 2,499 for the curtains. Totaling 7,298."
Vi tar det på kort.
"We'll use a card (to pay)."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #8 4

First off, let's go through all the numbers from 1 to 20 and from 10 to 1,000.

Elementary:
en
to
tre
fire
fem
seks
syv
åtte
ni
ti
elleve
tolv
tretten
fjorten
femten
seksten
søtten
atten

Tens:
ti
tjue
tretti
førti
femti
seksti
søtti
åtti
nitti
hundre

hundreds:
ett hundre
to hundre
tre hundre
fire hundre
fem hundre
seks hundre
syv hundre
åtte hundre
ni hundre
ett tusen

If you can't count all these, make sure to go back to our numbers lesson in our Absolute Beginner
Series.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #8 5

Now, to make a more advanced number like the ones we had in our lesson, you must combine these
numbers. This is done easily just like English. The structure looks like this: tusen, hundre, og titall, entall
("thousands, hundreds, and tens, ones").

Now remember the og ("and") is very important in this structure. If you don't include it, the number will
sound slightly weird to Norwegians. Let's try some numbers.

For Example:

1. firetusen syvhundre og nittini

"4,799"
2. totusenfemhundre og førti
"2,540"

3. syvtusen og femti
"7,050"

Notice the last one where there is no hundred; thus, after og, it jumps straight to the ten.

If you go to a shop where you have to talk to staff to order, like a restaurant or a cafe, you can say jeg
tar or Jeg har lyst på. These mean "I'll take" and "I want," respectively. It is always nice to end with a takk
at the end of an order. Now, we realize there aren't many places where you'll be able to talk to the staff
like that if it comes to supermarkets, shops, etc. If you want something in, say, a clothing shop, using the
phrase jeg tar sounds very unnatural. Instead, you can use Jeg har lyst på because you are looking for
something, not ordering anything or buying anything exactly at that point.

If you happen to find the thing you were looking for, you can show a clerk the thing you wanted and tell
him or her Jeg tar denne, and the clerk will take you to the closest open counter. And when you have
decided what you want, then you can simply bring it to the register and the clerk will ring it through for
you and tell you how much it costs.

Now jeg tar can be useful in many other cases, such as saying jeg tar det på kort, which literally
translates as "I'll take it on card," or we can more comfortably translate it as "I'll pay by card."

Let's look at some more examples of jeg tar.

For Example:

1. Jeg tar en øl!

"I'll take a beer!"

2. Vi tar en hvil, vi.

"We'll take a rest."

3. Jeg tar det du ikke har hørt Norsk før?

"I'll take it that you haven't heard Norwegian before?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
How to Get Service in Norway

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #8 6

In Norway, it isn't common for staff of a shop to approach you, so if you need any help, you'll usually
have to go ask for it yourself. A common way to initiate such a conversation is by saying Unnskyld
("Excuse me"). If you are too shy, then you can always hope for the staff to come tell you Hvis du trenger
noe hjelp så si ifra ("If you need any help, just let me know") or leter du etter noe? ("Are you looking for
something?") This is especially common to hear in apparel shops. In other shops, you'd usually have to
ask around or you'd have to stand there with a confused look until someone takes the initiative. The
same goes for restaurants in Norway: the service level isn't always at the top, and so if you enter a
restaurant and stand there waiting to be seated, it might take a while. If the waiters seem to ignore you,
just hold up your hand say Unnskyld, et bord for plus the number of guests you are.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #8 7

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #9
Finding Your Way Around a Norwegian
Airport

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 9
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #9 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti : Unnskyld, jeg skal til Tromsø med Nørwegian.

2. Information : Da er det innsjekking på J.

3. Kjersti : Hvor ligger det?

4. Information : (points behind Kjersti) Det er rett der nede på høyre side.

5. Kjersti : Ok, takk.

6. Information : Bare hyggelig.

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti : Excuse me, I am going to Tromsø with Nørwegian (airline).

2. Information : The check-in is at J.

3. Kjersti : Where is that?

4. Information : (points behind Kjersti) It's right down there on the right-hand side.

5. Kjersti : OK, thank you.

6. Information : My pleasure.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

innsjekking check-in noun

å ligge to exist, to be located at verb

side side noun

unnskyld excuse me, I'm sorry interjection

å skulle to go to, will verb

ned down adverb

høyre right adjective

rett straight, right adverb

med with conjunction, preposition

bare only, just adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #9 2
 Hvor er innsjekkingen? Butikken ligger rundt hjørnet.

"Where's the check-in?" "The shop lies around the corner."

Hagen er på venstre side av kapellet. venstre side

The garden is on the left side of the chapel. left side

siden av mini vanen Hvilken side er du på?

side of the mini van "Which side are you on?"

Huset ligger på andre siden. Unnskyld, hvor går du?

"The house lies on the other side." "Excuse me, where are you going?"

Unnskyld jeg har glemt det. Hvor skal du?

"Sorry, I forgot it." "Where are you going?"

Skulle ikke du komme i går? Jeg skal besøke deg i morgen.

"Weren’t you supposed to come by yesterday?" "I’ll pay you a visit tomorrow."

Pilen peker ned. Går ned?

The arrow points down. Going down?

går ned ned et fjell

going down down a mountain

Jeg skal ned til butikken Ikke se ned.

"I'm going down to the grocery store." "Don't look down."

Sving til høyre ved neste lyskryss. Butikken ligger til høyre her.

Turn right at the next light. "The shop lies to the right here."

I Norge kjører vi på høyre side. Jeg går helt rett.

"In Norway, we drive on the right side." "I am walking straight."

Vil du gå på kino med meg? Brødskive med hva?

"Will you go to the movies with me?" "A slice of bread with what?"

Jeg blir med! Blir du med?

"I'm coming with you!" "Are you joining?"

Den med hunden på, vær så snill. Jeg er bare ledig på søndag.

"The one with the dog (on it), please." "I am only free on Sunday."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #9 3

 Jeg er bare litt syk. Det er bare meg.

"I am just a bit sick." "It's only me."

Bare gå rett fremover. Jeg har bare hundre kroner!

"Just go straight ahead." "I only have one hundred Kroner!"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

There are a few potentially weird words here.

One is å ligge. It means "to lie down," but we can also use it as "to exist at some location." In other
words, we can use it just like the English "to lie," as in "The house lies just over there." You could
translate this directly into Norwegian as Huset ligger rett der borte.

Another word is the preposition ned. Depending on the context, this can mean a lot of different things.
One use appeared in our sample sentence kjøkkenet er nede, which translates as "The kitchen is
downstairs." If you are climbing and have left something on the ground, you could say of it that Den
ligger need ("It lies down on the ground."). The same is true of å gå ned, which could either mean "to
go"/"to climb"/"to walk down" or "to go downstairs." We could also use ned in the context of something
that should work but doesn't, such as an Internet connection that is down: we would say Internettet er
nede ("the Internet is down").

Finally, there's a phrase in the dialogue that could use some explanation. Da er det... translates as "then
it is." In this context, it means "in that case," as in da er det ikke mulig å dra ("In that case, it's impossible
to go").

Let's look at some example sentences made with these.

For Example:

1. Sykkelen ligger her need.

"The bike is down here."
2. Jeg sitter nede.
"I am sitting downstairs/under."
3. Om zombier kommer da er det beste valget å løpe.
"If zombies are coming, then the best choice is to run."

GRAMMAR
This Focus of This Lesson Is Following Directions and Asking for Directions.
Hvor ligger det?
"Where is that?"
Det er rett der nede på høyre side.
"It's right down there on the right-hand side."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #9 4

When you are in trouble and don't know where you are supposed to go, the best thing to do is to ask
someone for directions. In Norwegian, there are a few ways you can do this. To begin with, let's look at
asking where something is.

Hvor er ("where is") or Hvor ligger ("where lies") followed by the thing or place you are looking for is the
best way to start asking. Of course, an Unnskyld ("Excuse me") to catch the person's attention first is
always good manners.

Say you are at the airport and you are looking for a toilet. You would say Unnskyld, hvor er toalettet? or
Hvor ligger toalettet? Either is fine, and we can use them interchangeably. They both mean "Where is the
toilet?"

This is the case if you are looking for an unspecified thing, for example, a thing there can be many of.
Toilets can also be found in the plural. But let's say we are looking for an ATM. In that case, you would
have to add one word to these phrases. So they would become Hvor ligger det or hvor er det...? Add
"ATM" and the sentence becomes Hvor ligger/er det en minibank? Some of the nouns require that there
is an article in front of them. In the case of ATM, the article en is required since it is a masculine noun.

Let's look at some more examples so you can grasp this better.

For Example:

1. Hvor ligger det tax-free?

"Where is the duty free?"
2. Hvor er toget?
"Where's the train?"
3. Hvor er det en bank?
"Where is there a bank?"

So how would someone answer all of these questions?

Well, there are a slew of different directions. One thing they have in common is that they would either
start with det er or den er ("it is") or det ligger or den ligger ("it lies"). The difference between det and
den being whether its a neuter gender noun, det, or a masculine/feminine gender noun, den.

Let's look at some of the possible answers.

For Example:

1. Den er rett frem og til venstre.

"It is straight forward and to the left."
2. Det er rett til høyre og nedover gangen.
"It is to the right and down the corridor."
3. Den ligger på venstre side av inngangen.
"It lies on the left-hand side by the entrance."
4. Bort mot skranken og opp trappen.
"Over toward the counter and up the stairs."
5. Ned rulletrappen på høyre side.
"Down the escalator, on the right side."
6. Fortsett nedover til du ser banken på høyre side.
"Continue down until you can see the bank on the right-hand side."
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #9 5
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Do You Think You Can You Find Your Way Around Norway?

The airports in Norway are relatively small and not that hard to navigate. Most signage is in both English
and Norwegian, so you shouldn't have any problem finding what you're looking for. Still, if you don't
have time to look, being able to ask can prove very useful. That said, all staff working at the airport are
required to comprehend and be able to respond to questions in English. Nowadays, most signboards
are riddled with "easy to understand" icons instead of text so that people who can't even speak English
can navigate to a certain extent. If you ever find yourself really lost at the airport, then you most have
gone very wrong somewhere. Learning to ask directions will prove more useful in large cities like Oslo
or when inside large and complex buildings like museums or office buildings.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #9 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #10

Going for a Drive in the Norwegian
Countryside

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 10
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #10 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti : Tar vi til høyre her?

2. Espen : Nei, vent til vi er kommet til rundkjøringen.

3. Kjersti : Og etter den fortsetter vi opp E6?

4. Espen : Ja, helt til Lillehammer.

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti : Do we take a right here?

2. Espen : No, wait until we have reached the roundabout.

3. Kjersti : And after that, we’ll continue up the E6?

4. Espen : Yes, all the way to Lillehammer.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

å komme to come verb

rundkjøring roundabout noun masculine

helt all the way, fully adverb

å ta to take, to pick up verb

vi we pronoun

å fortsette to continue verb

opp up adverb

etter after preposition

vente to wait

til to, for preposition

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg venter på at posten skal komme. Jeg vet du ikke vil at jeg skal komme på festen.

"I am waiting for the post to come." "I know you don't want me to come to the party."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #10 2

 Jeg ville ha likt å komme igjen i morgen, om Legen kom etter en time.
mulig.
"The doctor came after an hour."
"I would like to come again tomorrow, if
possible."

Jeg kommer hjem nå. Kom over.

"I'm coming home now." "Come over."

Fire stykker kom ikke. Jeg hater rundkjøringer.

"Four people did not come." "I hate roundabouts."

Gikk du helt hjem? Jeg liker denne her så jeg tar den.

"Did you walk all the way home?" "I like this one so I'll take it."

Kvinna tar pillene sine hver morgen før frokost. Bussen tok en time.

"The woman takes her pills every morning before "The bus took an hour."
breakfast."

Kan jeg ta med en venn? Skal vi gå sammen?

"Can I bring a friend?" "Shall we go together?"

Vi har poteter i kjøleskapet. trykk på en knapp for å fortsette.

"We have potatoes in the fridge." "Press any key to continue."

Du kan fortsette ned her. Han klatret opp stigen for å komme til taket.

"You can continue down here." He climbed up the ladder to get to the roof.

opp og ned Skal du opp?

up and down Going up?

Mannen går opp trappene. gå opp trapper

The man is climbing up stairs. climb up stairs

Klatre opp da! Han ringte moren hennes etter timen.

"Climb up then!" He called her mother after the class was over.

etter timen etter middag

after class after dinner

Jeg kan gå hjem etter at jeg er ferdig. Ta etter meg.

"I can go home after I've finished." "Take after me."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #10 3

 Den reisende venter på toget. Toget gikk til Skien.

"The traveler waits for the train." "The train went to Skien."

Hvem er dette til? Jeg drar til Bergen.

"Who’s this for?" "I am going to Bergen."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Let's look at some of the more confusing words here.

You might remember this one being explained in earlier lessons. Tar is a word with a lot of different
uses. For example, in our dialogue, tar vi til høyre her? translates as "Do we take the right here?"
Whenever you have tar at the beginning of a sentence, you have to guess what context it is in and what
the word means. Usually, though, you would be able to use "to take" in an English translation like in our
dialogue.

For Example:

1. Ta litt av denne suppen.

"Take some of this soup."
2. Tar du femti studiepoeng i år?
"Are you taking fifty course credits this year?"

Helt doesn't have an English equivalent word but rather an English equivalent phrase. It translates as "all
the way" when we use it in words where distance would be involved. It would also translate as "fully" or
"wholly," or any other word in that essence, in other contexts.

For Example:

1. Jeg vet ikke helt hva jeg skal gjøre.

"I don't know exactly what I should do."

2. Det er helt opp til deg hva du gjør.

"It's entirely up to you what you do."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Directions and Til.
Tar vi til høyre her?
"Do we take a right here?"
Og etter den fortsetter vi opp E6?
"And after that, we'll continue up the E6?"

In this lesson, we'll focus on some directions and the use of til.

First of all, the most common directions you will hear in Norwegian, and you might remember some of
them from our previous lessons, are the following.

For Example:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #10 4

Norwegian "English"

høyre "right"

venstre "left"

rett fram "straight forward"

bakover mot "back toward"

rundt "(turning) around"

over "over"

under "under"

bortover or langsmed "along"

mot "toward"

Now there are also the four wind directions that can be quite useful to know in Norwegian.

Norwegian "English"

Nord "North"

Sør "South"

Øst "East"

Vest "West"

Knowing these words, you can follow a lot of the directions given to you should you ever need to ask.
They can also be practical when reading directions given in Norwegian on signboards in some places.

Now for the use of til. In this dialogue, you saw a lot of til, and that is because we have a lot of different
usages for it. We use just as we would use "until," "to," and "for" in different contexts in English.

Say, for example, you are going somewhere like Lillehammer. You would say Jeg skal til Lillehammer ("I
am going to Lillehammer").

If you want to say that you are waiting until someone, say, your friends, arrive, you would say Jeg venter
til vennene mine kommer ("I am waiting until my friends arrive").

And finally, someone asks you who that present is for, and you reply Den er til mamma ("It's for Mom").

Let's look at some more examples of til.

For Example:

1. Kommer du til festen i kveld?

"Are you coming to the party tonight?"
2. Kjør til venstre, til du ser et hus.
"Drive to the left until you see a house."
3. Send denne pakken til Kåre.
"Send this package to Kåre."
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #10 5
CULTURAL INSIGHT
The Rules of the Road in Norway

When driving a car in Norway, you'll find that we are driving on the right side. You'll also find that there
are a lot of roundabouts in Norway, maybe more than what is necessary. While public transport is
entirely viable in Norway, driving might be necessary if you want some freedom of travel.

There are a lot of places that can't be reached by public transport or that would take several hours to
get to by public transport. Also, when traveling in the mountains, traveling by car or motorbike gives you
the opportunity to stop along the way to enjoy the view of the beautiful scenery around you.

Traveling by car can be a bit frustrating, however, when going far away from civilization as one wrong
turn can send you in the completely wrong direction. Always have a map handy and make sure you
know where you are on the map at all times.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #10 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #11

Have you Reached Your Norwegian
Destination?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 11
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #11 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Unnskyld, fra lillehammer, hvordan kommer vi oss mot Galdhøpiggen?

2. Passerby : Da må dere svinge til høyre her, og ut på E6. Etter det er det å svinge inn på Riksvei 15
etter Otta.

3. Espen : Tusen takk.

4. Passerby : Bare hyggelig

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Excuse me, how do we get to Galdhøpiggen from Lillehammer?

2. Passerby : You'll have to take a right here and out onto the E6. After that, get onto the Riksvei
fifteen after Otta.

3. Espen : Thank you very much.

4. Passerby : My pleasure.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

her here preposition

ut out preposition

på in, on preposition

hvordan how adverb

oss us pronoun

inn in preposition

fra from preposition

å svinge to turn verb

mot towards, to adverb

å måtte’ have to, must verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Ta denne asjetten her. Her er greia jeg pratet om.

"Take this platter here." "Here's the thing I was talking about."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #11 2

 Jeg er her. Skal du gå ut?

"I'm here." "Are you going out?"

Jeg går vanligvis tidlig hjem på fredager. Ta på deg lua!

"I usually go home early on Fridays." "Put on your hat!"

Jeg må på do. Hvordan sier man ...

"I have to go to the toilet." how do you say…

Hvordan bruker du dette? Fortell meg hvordan man bruker fjernkontrollen.

How do you use this? "Tell me how to use the remote control."

Hei, hvordan går det Maria? Hvordan går det?

"Hello, how are you Maria?" "How goes it?"

Bli med oss da. Kom inn igjen.

"Come with us then." "Come back in again."

Butikken er åpen fra klokka 9. Jeg fikk et postkort fra USA.

"The store is open from 9 AM." "I got a postcard from the U.S."

Hvis du svinger til venstre her, vil du komme til en Sving rundt hjørnet.
blindvei.
"Turn around the corner."
"If you turn left here, you will come to a dead
end. "

Kjør mot Otta. Jeg må på do.

"Drive towards Otta." "I have to go to the toilet."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

bare hyggelig

Bare hyggelig is, if you remember hyggelig, a way of saying "no problem" or "my please." It means
"just/only pleasure." This is a set phrase and we cannot change it in any way without also changing the
whole meaning of the phrase.

For Example:

1. Bare hyggelig å hjelpe.

"It's my pleasure to be of help."

hvordan

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #11 3

Hvordan means "how"; however, don't confuse it with hvor in hvor mye, which means "how much." Hvor
alone means "where." There are a few words that you can couple hvor with to create new question
types for quantity, quality, or distance.

For Example:

1. Hvordan går det?

"How are you?"

etter det er det

Etter det er det is a slightly tricky and probably weird looking phrase. Directly translated it means "after
that is it." We essentially use it in explanations or statements where one first talks about something and
uses this phrase to connect the previous and next phrases. We can substitute det with den for a
different effect.

For Example:

1. Maten skal koke i fem minutter, etter det er den ferdig.

"The food should boil for five minutes; after that it's ready."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Asking "How to Get Somewhere."
...Hvordan kommer vi oss mot Galdhøpiggen?
."..How do we get to Galdhøpiggen?"
Da må dere ta til høyre her, og ut på E6.
"You'll have to take a right here, and out onto the E6."

In this lesson's dialogue, the first thing Espen does is ask "How to get to Galdhøpiggen?" He does this by
using the phrase Hvordan kommer jeg meg til... ("How do I get to..."). Now, you might have noticed the
difference here. He actually says ...vi oss... ("we ourselves") and not ...jeg meg... ("me myself"). The
reason you put both the subject and the object pronoun together is that you are actually asking "How
do I get me myself to..." if you translate it more correctly. A direct translation sounds ridiculous in
English "How come I myself to..."

When saying hvordan kommer jeg meg til, you follow it up with a place like Oslo or togstasjonen ("train
station").

For Example:

1. Hvordan kommer jeg meg til Oslo?

"How do I get to Oslo?"
2. Hvordan kommer jeg meg til togsasjonen?
"How do I get to the train station?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #11 4

If you have a map and you know where it is you want to go on the map, you can ask Hvordan kommer
jeg meg hit? while pointing at your destination. If you ask this without pointing anywhere, you are
actually asking "How do I get here?"

If you paid full attention, you will notice that I changed one more word from the original dialogue. I
changed mot ("toward") with til ("to"). Now, of course, you can use mot in this phrase, but you'll be
asking how to get to something.

For Example:

1. Hvordan kommer jeg meg mot Oslo.

"How do I get to Oslo?"

Now, as for the subject pronouns and their reflexive forms, these are the sets:

jeg - meg
"I" - "myself"

du - deg
"you" - "yourself"

hun/han/det/de - seg
"she"/"he"/"it"/"they" - "herself"/"himself"/"itself"/"themselves"

vi - oss
"we" - "ourselves"

dere - dere
"you (guys)" - "yourselves"

Let's look at a question using each of these.

For Example:

1. Hvordan kommer jeg meg hit?

"How do I get here?"
2. Hvordan kommer du deg til flyplassen?
"How do you get to the airport?"

3. Hvordan kommer hun seg hjem?

"How does she get home?"
4. Hvordan kommer vi oss bort?
"How do we get away?"
5. Hvordan kommer dere dere til kinoen?
"How do you guys get to the cinema?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #11 5

Let's also quickly look at some phrases that we saw in the dialogue.

The most common beginning phrase of an answer to this question is da må + pronoun + this and that
direction.

Now, the passer-by in this dialogue said svinge til høyre her, og ut på E6. And then å svinge inn på Riksvei
15. She mentioned two roads, but she mixes between ut ("out") and inn ("in"). There is no right or wrong
here; usually, the speaker talks from her own standpoint and thus whether "in or "out" on E6 is purely
subjective. That's why you can safely ignore that word and instead remember that you need to get
"onto" whatever comes next that the person is saying.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
How to Get Directions in Norway

It is not uncommon to ask passers-by for directions in Norway. Usually you will be lucky and find
someone who is familiar with the area who can help you. That said, people aren't usually overly
enthusiastic about it, and so you will only get the directions from a person and then he or she is likely to
walk on. While Norwegians are somewhat polite, they are generally careful with strangers, especially as
petty crime rates have inflated during the past years. When you ask for directions, it's best to be nice
and smile as people are more likely to help you if you look accommodating.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #11 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #12

Are you Getting Hungry in Norway?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 12
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #12 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Kjersti, er du sulten?

2. Kjersti : Nei, jeg er ikke så sulten.

3. Espen : Tok du med noe mat på turen?

4. Kjersti : Nei, jeg har ikke tatt med noe. Har du?

5. Espen : Nei, jeg har heller ikke mat.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Kjersti, are you hungry?

2. Kjersti : No, I am not that hungry.

3. Espen : Did you bring any food for the trip?

4. Kjersti : No, I didn't bring any food. Did you?

5. Espen : No, I don't have food either.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

mat food noun masculine

tur trip noun masculine

heller rather, either conjunction, adverb

å ta to take, to pick up verb

sulten hungry adjective

nei no adverb

er ikke is not phrase

noe something determinative

så so, how adverb

har ikke have not phrase

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #12 2

 Maurene bærer mat. Skal jeg lage deg noe mat?

"The ants are carrying food." "Should I make you some food?"

Jeg vil besøke afrika i løpet av min neste tur rundt Jeg drar på tur.
jorda.
"I am taking a trip."
"I will visit Africa during my next trip around the
world."

Jeg vet ikke svaret heller. Jeg vet heller ikke.

"I don't know the answer either." "I don’t know either."

Jeg vil heller spille spill. Jeg liker denne her så jeg tar den.

"I'd rather play games." "I like this one so I'll take it."

Kvinna tar pillene sine hver morgen før frokost. Bussen tok en time.

"The woman takes her pills every morning before "The bus took an hour."
breakfast."

Kan jeg ta med en venn? Gutten er sulten.

"Can I bring a friend?" The boy is hungry.

sulten gutt Mannen er sulten og leter etter mat.

hungry boy The man is hungry and looking for food.

Ingen tåler deg når du er sulten! Kvinnen er sulten. Den sultne mannen er på jakt
etter mat i kjøleskapet.
"Nobody stands you when you are hungry!"
"The woman is hungry. The hungry man is
looking for food in the refrigerator."

Jeg er sulten. Det er ikke mulig, nei.

"I'm hungry." "It’s not possible, no."

Jeg liker ikke fotball. Jeg er ikke morsom.

"I don't like soccer." "I am not funny."

Vær så snill å spis noe. Jeg vet noe ikke du vet.

"Please eat something." "I know something you don't."

Er det noe annet? Så fin den ser ut.

"Is there something else?" "How nice it looks."

Så... hva er til middag? Har ikke du votter?

"So... what's for dinner?" "Don't you have gloves?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #12 3

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE
tok

In the dialogue, Espen asks Kjersti Tok du med noe mat? You might not have recognized tok, which is the
past tense of å ta ("to take"). In this context, å ta is better translated as "to bring," as in Tok du med noe
mat? ("Did you bring any food?")

For Example:

1. Jeg tok med sekken.

"I brought the bag."

er ikke/har ikke

The phrases er ikke and har ikke will be explained in greater detail in the grammar section; however, er
is the present tense of å være, and har is the present tense of å ha. We can make phrases like this in past
tense like var ikke ("wasn't") and hadde ikke ("hadn't").

Our negative is ikke, which translates as "not." You'll find that the sentences made with this negative
don't necessarily need to be advanced to become quite complex or hard to put into system. In this
lesson, we'll focus on the instance where you put the verbs er and har in front of it to make the
negatives "isn't" and "hasn't."

For Example:

1. Var ikke det Johannes?

"Wasn't that Johannes?"

2. Du hadde ikke penger på deg?

"You didn't have money on you?"

heller

Heller is quite hard to explain. We usually use it in a sentence where it would translate as "rather." But
when we put in a sentence with a negative, it becomes "either."

For Example:

1. Jeg vet ikke hvor det ble av Johannes, heller.

"I don't know where Johannes went either."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Using "Isn't" and "Haven't."
Nei, jeg er ikke så sulten.
"No, I am not that hungry."
Nei, jeg har ikke tatt med noe.
"No, I didn't bring any food."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #12 4

Espen is obviously hungry, so he asks Kjersti two questions, both of which she responds negatively to.
The first question is Er du sulten? ("Are you hungry?") The second one was Tok du med noe mat...? ("Did
you bring any food...?"). You might notice that both of these are VSO questions. In other words, the
answer would be either "yes" or "no." However, she answers and expands on those answers.

Let's look at how she builds up her answers.

Nei, jeg er ikke så sulten. The sentence is an SVO. It's got a nei, which is an interjection. Then it begins
with the subject jeg, then the verb er, followed directly by the negative ikke. She then throws in an
adverb så ("so"/"that"), and finally the adjective sulten. All sentences that follow these SVO structures
are built up like this, and in almost all cases, the negative ikke is right behind the verb that is to be
negated in the sentence.

The same goes for her answer to Espen's second question: Nei, jeg har ikke tatt med noe ("No, I haven't
brought any."). Again, nei is an interjection. Jeg subject, har verb, ikke negative, tatt verb, and med noe
object. Har tatt is the perfect past tense of the verb å ta, which you might remember already "to take."
When a verb is in the present perfect tense, the negative will always lie between the Har and the verb.

Now here, we went on saying that ikke always comes after the first verb, but that is not always true.
When you are adding an adverb like heller ("either"), alltid ("always"), or nesten ("almost"), the whole
sentence will be a bit more jumbled. That's what I meant when I said that even simple sentences become
complex.

In our dialogue, Espen says Nei, jeg har heller ikke mat ("No, I don't have food either"). The easiest way
to know where these adverbs go in a negative sentence is to learn each individual adverb's position.
Heller always goes between the first verb and ikke. However, alltid will always come between ikke and
the rest of the sentence.

For Example:

1. Jeg er ikke alltid sulten.

"I am not always hungry."

Let's look at a few more examples.

For Example:

1. Jeg er ikke helt frisk.

"I am not entirely OK."

2. Du har vel ikke mat?

"You don't happen to have food?"
3. Vi er ikke sammen lenger.
"We aren't together anymore."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Be Careful Not to Offend Norwegians With Negatives

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #12 5

When using negatives, be careful that you don't sound entirely too negative. And the opposite is true
also; if something is dire, sounding too happy will throw off the person, making him or her think it's of
no importance. There is also sarcasm, which might not be that widely understood in parts of the world;
however, in Norway people use it often, and they often use negatives in such sentences. Saying "You
aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer" is an insult, but it can also be sarcastic. This means it isn't
actually an attempt at insulting someone; rather, it's sarcasm that works the other way around. It is the
tone you say it with that determines whether the other person understands it as sarcasm. In Norway,
you might find people good at understanding it and people who don't get it at all. Whatever you do, be
careful not to insult someone unintentionally by using sarcasm. By the way, the phrase above is Du er
ikke den skarpeste kniven i skuffen when we translate it to Norwegian.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #12 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #13

Why Not Stop for a Norwegian Snack?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 13
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #13 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Vil du stoppe ved en veikro?

2. Kjersti : Nei, jeg vil ikke stoppe akkurat nå.

3. Espen : Men, jeg er litt sulten. Kan vi ikke stoppe innom?

4. Kjersti : Nei, vi kan stoppe ved en bensinstasjon i stedet.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Do you want stop by a roadhouse?

2. Kjersti : No, I don't want to stop right now.

3. Espen : But I'm a bit hungry. Can't we stop by?

4. Kjersti : No, we can stop at a gas station instead.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

å stoppe to stop verb

vil ikke don’t want to phrase

kan ikke cannot (can’t) phrase

veikro roadhouse noun

ved by preposition

akkurat just / right adverb

innom by preposition

bensinstasjon gas station noun masculine

i stedet instead adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Stopp med en gang! Jeg vil ikke kjøre

"Stop at once!" "I don’t want to drive"

Jeg kan ikke spise. Jeg sitter på en veikro.

"I can’t eat." "I am sitting at a roadhouse."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #13 2

 Baggen lå ved bordet. Huset ligger ved elven.

"The bag lay by the table." "The house lies by the river."

Jeg har akkurat gjort ferdig leksene mine. Jeg kom akkurat.

"I have just finished my homework." "I just came."

Kom innom en tur da. Bensinstasjoner i Norge selger alltid pølser.

"Come by for a visit then." "Gas stations in Norway always sell hot dogs."

Vi må stoppe ved en bensinstasjon. Kom hit i stedet da.

"We have to stop by a gas station." "Come here instead then."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

ved

Ved means "by." We commonly use it in the phrase ved siden av ("beside"). We can use it to create
sentences like those that follow.

For Example:

1. Huset ligger ved elven.

"The house lies by the river."

2. Huset ligger ved siden av elven.

"The house lies beside the river."

As you can see, there's a slight nuance between the phrase ved siden av and the word ved alone.

innom

In our vocabulary, we had another word as well, however: innom. This would also translate to English as
"by," but we use it in different situations. Think of it more as "being inside somewhere for a short while."
It's slightly hard to grasp at first, but when saying innom as part of a sentence, it means that
"something/someone dropped by inside somewhere." We cannot use it in sentences like ved. For
example, it isn't possible to say Huset ligger innom elven, as this would not make sense in either
Norwegian nor English.

Instead, we often use it in sentences where we talk about someone who is/has paying/paid a visit
somewhere.

For Example:

1. Jeg var innom butikken i stad.

"I was at the shop earlier."

2. Hun kom innom på besøk.

"She came by for a short visit."
3. De kjørte innom McDonald's.
"They drove by McDonald's."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #13 3

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Using "Don't Want to" and "Can't."
Nei, jeg vil ikke stoppe akkurat nå."I don't want to stop/will not stop right now."
Kan vi ikke stoppe innom?
"Can't we stop by?"

Continuing on from our last lesson, this lesson will revolve around the negative. We will mainly focus on
the verbs å ville ("to want") and å kunne ("to be able to"). As we saw in the previous lesson, ikke always
comes after the first verb.

Let's start by first looking at and breaking down our dialogue examples in this lesson.

For Example:

1. Nei, jeg vil ikke stoppe akkurat nå.

"No I don't want to stop right now."

The first word is the negative "no," which is nei. It is followed by Jeg vil ikke. This phrase is
straightforward and simple: "I don't want." This is followed by stoppe akkurat nå ("to stop right now").
This is also fairly straightforward. After jeg vil ikke comes the verb stoppe ("to stop") and the modifier
akkurat nå ("right now"). This is the simplest way of laying out this sentence or any SVO sentence. An
easy way to remember it is that the negative will always appear somewhere between the V and the O,
verb and the object.

The next line, using kan ikke, is a bit more complex as it is a yes/no question: Kan vi ikke stoppe innom?
("Can't we stop by?") Here we start directly at kan ("can"). Then we continue with vi ("we"), after which
comes our negative ikke ("not"). And finally, this is followed by stoppe innom ("to stop by"). Luckily, this
sentence translates almost word for word into English, so even just knowing the words should be
sufficient. The difference between this sentence and the previous one, however, is that it has changed
into our familiar VSO structure, which you might remember that we use most often in questions. Kan is
the verb, vi is the subject, and the negative will appear in between the verb and the subject. It's like our
sentence above except that our verb and subject have changed place: VS + negative + O.

Let's look at a few more examples using these two.

For Example:

1. Vil du ikke spise?

"Don't you want to eat?"
2. Jeg kan ikke hjelpe til.
"I can't help."

3. Jeg vil ikke spise!

"I don't want to eat!"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Where to Eat on the Road in Norway

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #13 4

Roadhouses are a common sight when traveling the countryside in Norway. While they might be a bit
sparse in places, there is usually a roadhouse here and there that you'll bump into along the way. These
buildings are marked off by signs on the road picturing a knife and a fork. The roadhouses themselves
might look a bit unusual if you're not familiar with northern European architecture. While the ones
closer to the major cities might be futuristic-looking McDonald's or franchise roadhouses, the further
out on the countryside you get, the more unique the look and feel of these places become. They are
often small hotels combined with a restaurant or café, and in many of the more traditional ones, they
serve local dishes and other traditional Norwegian cooking. If you are out traveling the Norwegian
countryside by car, it is definitely worth stopping by one of the roadhouses you meet on the way for a
unique experience of Norwegian culture.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #13 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #14

How Many Norwegian Mountains Did You
Climb This Morning?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 14
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DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti’s mother : Hei Kjersti, hvordan hadde dere det?

2. Kjersti : Vi har hatt det kjempefint! Vi dro opp til Galdhøpiggen, og klatret opp på natten.

3. Espen : Mmm, så kom vi opp på morgenen og fikk sett soloppgangen.

4. Kjersti’s mother : Nei, men så flott da.

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti's mother : Hi, Kjersti, how was your trip?

2. Kjersti : We had a great time! We went to Galhøpiggen and climbed up during the night.

3. Espen : Mmm, then we reached the top during morning and saw the sunrise.

4. Kjersti's mother : Oh, how wonderful!

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

å få to get, to have verb

å se to see verb

soloppgang sunrise noun

flott great adjective

natt night noun male

å komme to come verb

hvordan how adverb

kjempefint very nice adjective

morgen morning noun masculine

å klatre to climb verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg vil få en ny bok. Få se på telefonen din.

"I want to get a new book." "Let me have a look at your phone."

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 Få deg en pc. Se på oss.

"Get a PC." "Look at us."

Vi skal se soloppgangen. så flott at du kunne komme

"We are going to see the sunrise." "How nice of you to come."

Hva er planene dine denne fredags natt? I går natt var det spell.

"What's your plan for this Friday night?" "Last night was rough."

Jeg venter på at posten skal komme. Jeg vet du ikke vil at jeg skal komme på festen.

"I am waiting for the post to come." "I know you don't want me to come to the party."

Jeg ville ha likt å komme igjen i morgen, om Legen kom etter en time.
mulig.
"The doctor came after an hour."
"I would like to come again tomorrow, if
possible."

Jeg kommer hjem nå. Kom over.

"I'm coming home now." "Come over."

Fire stykker kom ikke. Hvordan sier man ...

"Four people did not come." how do you say…

Hvordan bruker du dette? Fortell meg hvordan man bruker fjernkontrollen.

How do you use this? "Tell me how to use the remote control."

Hei, hvordan går det Maria? Hvordan går det?

"Hello, how are you Maria?" "How goes it?"

Huset er kjempefint søndagsmorgen

"The house is really nice" Sunday morning

Jeg jogger om morgenen. om morgenen

I jog in the morning. in the morning

morgen tåke tidlig om morgenen

morning fog early in the morning

Trafikken på motorveien er normal denne Han står opp klokka 8 hver morgen.
morgenen.
He gets up at 8 a.m. every morning.
Traffic conditions on the highway are normal this
morning.

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 dusje om morgenen Jeg hater og våkne tidlig på morgenen når jeg
ikke har planer for dagen.
shower in the morning
"I hate waking up early in the morning when I
don't have plans for the day."

De går en tur hver morgen. Våre butikker vil åpne igjen i morgen morgen.

"They go for a walk every morning." "Our stores will open again tomorrow morning."

Jeg kan i morgen tidlig Menneskene pendler om morgenen.

"I can tomorrow morning" The people commute in the morning.

Jeg gjør det en morgen. Jeg liker å klatre.

"I'll do it one morning." "I like to climb."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

hvordan

Hvordan means "how." You might remember how hvor mye means "how much." It is not possible to
combine hvordan and mye. It doesn't make sense. We can only use hvordan by itself as "how," as in
"How are you doing that?" or not to measure as in "How long will you stay?"

For Example:

1. Hvordan gjør du det?

"How are you doing that?"

kjempefint

Next, we have, kjempefint ("incredibly"/"very nice"). In Norwegian, when you are using two words
combined as "very nice," kjempe and fint, you have to concatenate them into one word. This especially
goes for nouns but also some combinations of adverbs and adjectives. It is sometimes easier to
remember these concatenations as individual words; if you end up splitting these words, the meaning
might change drastically. For example, take kjempefint: if split into two words, kjemp fint, the meaning
changes to "giant nice."

For Example:

1. Turen var kjempefin.

"The trip was really nice."

fikk sett

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In the dialogue, we have a phrase that got split in our vocabulary section: fikk sett, or in the infinitive, å
få se, means "to get to see." This phrase works pretty much the same in Norwegian as in English. We
commonly use it in scenarios like the one in our dialogue. And, the translation of our dialogue sentence
...kom vi opp på morgenen og fikk sett soloppgangen could just as well have been "...we reached the top
during morning and got to see the sunrise."

For Example:

1. Vi fikk sett sognefjorden.

"We got to see the Sogne fjord."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Using the Past Tense.
...hvordan hadde dere det?
"...how was your trip?"
Vi dro opp til Galdhøpiggen, og klatret opp på natten.
"We went to Galhøpiggen and climbed up during the night."

In this lesson's grammar point, we'll deal with the past tense. Learning the past tense can be a bit
daunting due to the number of verb endings that are irregular when conjugating in the past tense. In
this lesson and the following lesson, we'll look at what we call regular past tense: that is, the past
participle alone, which usually expresses recent past or retrospect. Like in English, we use it to talk about
events and situations that happened in the past.

First, let's break down the sentence Hvordan hadde dere det? The first word is the question word
hvordan ("how"). This is followed by hadde ("had"), then the pronoun dere ("you"), and finally det ("it"),
which is also a pronoun. Hvordan hadde dere det? Directly translated, it is "How had you it?"

Now, if we conjugate this sentence into the present tense, it looks like this: Hvordan har dere det? ("How
are you having it?")

Present tense: Hvordan har dere det?

Past tense: Hvordan hadde dere det?

In Norwegian, we only conjugate verbs in the past tense; no other part of the sentence is changed.
When a verb is conjugated into the past tense, it will either change shape or gain a tail. The most
common way is that the verb gains a different tail than the present tense form or the infinitive form.
Let's look at some common verb endings. The one we saw above was a regular verb. It is very hard to
make a distinction between regular and irregular verbs in Norway. This is because it's hard to say all
verbs ending in one way change in the exact same way. Let's look at some of the most common verb
endings.

For Example:

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Infinitive "English" Past Tense "English"

å klatre "to climb" klatret "climbed"

å kjøre "to drive" kjørte "drove"

å så "to sow" sådde "sowed"

å få "to get" fikk "got"

These are the four most common endings: -t, -te, -de, and -ikk. Out of these, by far the one you will hear
most often is -te. A lot of verbs add or change the tail into a -te. However, the easiest way is to learn each
verb by itself. When you learn a verb, make sure to pick up its past tense forms as well. How you add the
ending to the verb varies with each verb, so learning these individually is quite important.

Let's look at a few examples with these verbs in a sentence.

For Example:

1. Hun klatret Mt. Fuji i fjor.

"She climbed Mt. Fuji last year."
2. Jeg kjørte bil til Oslo.
"I drove in a car to Oslo."
3. De sådde jordbærplanter i hagen.
"They sowed strawberry plants in the backyard."
4. Fikk du tatt med deg tingene dine?
"Did you manage (to get) to bring your stuff?"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Just How Close Are Norwegian Families?

It's not common for Norwegian families to live together as an extended family, which includes the
grandparents. Although you see it from time to time, it is more common for grandparents to live in their
own place, and often this can be quite far away from where their children live.

Thus, it is common to visit parents now and then after moving out. Also larger family gatherings tend to
reunite the elder generations in the family with the younger, and they are quite common around
holidays in Norway. For (grand)parents who live in the countryside, it is common to have their children
visit when they are in that area for other reasons. For Kjersti and Espen in this lesson's dialogue, most
likely Kjersti's parents are living somewhere near where Galdhøpiggen is.

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LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #15

Make Sure You See the Fjords in Norway!

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 15
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #15 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Vi skulle dra innom Geirangerfjorden også.

2. Kjersti : Men vi rakk det ikke. Vi hadde ikke nok tid.

3. Kjersti’s Mom : Dere kunne ha dratt dit i morgen.

4. Kjersti : God idé.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : We were going to go by the Geiranger fjord as well.

2. Kjersti : But we didn't make it. We didn't have enough time.

3. Kjersti's Mom : You could go there tomorrow.

4. Kjersti : Good idea.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

idé idea noun

å ha to have verb

nok enough adverb

dit there preposition

å skulle to go to verb

også too / as well adverb

å kunne to be able to, to be willing to verb

å dra to go verb

tid time noun feminine

å rekke to make it verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Har du noen god idé? De har for mye søppel i hagen sin.

"Do you have any good idea?" "They have too much garbage in their garden."

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 Har du en katt? Er det nok?

"Do you have a cat?" "Is this enough?"

Vi skal dit. Hvordan kommer du deg dit?

"We are going there." "How do you get there?"

Jeg skulle en tur på butikken Skal du hjem?

"I was on my way to the shop" "Are you going to go home?"

Jeg vil også ha iskrem Kunne du hjulpet meg?

"I want ice cream too." "Could you help me?"

Jeg kan komme i dag. Du kan kjøpe tannkrem på apoteket.

"I can come today." "You can buy toothpaste at the pharmacy."

Jeg drar om en time. Jeg drar hjem nå.

"I’m leaving in an hour." "I'm going home now."

Vi drar på kino. Tid er penger.

"We're going to the movies." "Time is money."

Jeg har ikke nok tid. Rekker du bussen?

"I don’t have enough time." "Will you make it in time for the bus?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

å rekke

We'll cover this in our grammar section as well. However, let's just explain how this verb works in
comparison to the nonexistent English counterpart. In English, one would say something like "to make
it" or "to make it in time for." However, in Norwegian, this expression is represented by one verb, å
rekke. So whenever you would want to express "that you have time for..." or "want to make something
in time for...," you would use å rekke in Norwegian.

For Example:

1. Rekker jeg toget, tror du?

"Do you think I'll make it in time for the train?"
2. Jeg rakk ikke bussen.
"I didn't make it in time for the bus."
3. Du rekker å spise litt før vi drar.
"You'll have some time to eat before we go."

nok

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The next word is nok. It means "enough," and we usually use it like its English counterpart. However, it
can also mean "probably" and therefore help create some confusing sentences if you aren't entirely
aware of the context. Once you get used to how to use it, you'll easier distinguish between these two
meanings in a sentence. Norwegians seldom confuse the two meanings when seeing or hearing a
sentence with nok in it.

For Example:

1. Det er nok epler, ja.

"Yeah, it's probably apples."/"Yeah, that's enough apples."
2. Det er nok nok.
"That's probably enough."

The last example is actually not good Norwegian, yet Norwegians use it frequently. The reason is that
the word nok comes twice in sequence. A better way to say "that's probably enough" is det er sikkert
nok. Sikkert means "surely," but we use it interchangeably with "probably."

GRAMMAR
This Focus of This Lesson Is Conjugating Verbs in the Irregular Past Tense.
Vi skulle dra innom Geirangerfjorden også.
"We were going to go by the Geiranger fjord as well."
Men vi rakk det ikke. Vi hadde ikke nok tid.
"But we didn't make it. We didn't have enough time."

So, in our previous lesson, we covered the regular past tense and what some common verb endings
looked like. In this lesson, we'll look at some irregular verbs and learn how to conjugate them.

The main thing about irregular verbs is that there are many of them, and the way they conjugate is
unique to each individual verb. Let's look at the verbs we had in the dialogue and see how they
conjugate.

For Example:

Infinitive "English" Past Tense "English"

å skulle "to go"/"to have to" skulle "was going to"/"did have
to"

å rekke "to make it" rakk "made it"

å kunne "to be able to" kunne "was able to"

å dra "to go" dro "went"

Two of the verbs don't change from their infinitive form; we only remove the article. For the other verbs,
the letters change quite a bit. However, many of the irregular verbs end in -nne, -lle, -dde, or -tte in the
infinitive form, which doesn't change when we conjugate it in the past tense.

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There are some combinations of verbs that allow for one verb in the past tense and one in the present
or infinitive or for both verbs in the past or present tense. Common ones for both English and
Norwegian are combinations like "have done," "will do," and "should go." Or, rather, there are certain
verbs that we can combine with a range of other verbs to create more complex sentences. These verbs
are the same in both Norwegian and English, like the combinations mentioned above. In proper
grammar, these combinations are regarded as their own verb forms. However, they conjugate just as
normal verbs would in Norwegian.

Let's look at some common usages for these combinations.

For Example:

1. Jeg kunne kjøre deg hjem om du vil?

"I could drive you home if you want?"
2. Han ville finne nøklene.
"He wanted to find his keys."

3. De hadde kjørt seg fast.

"They had gotten stuck."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
You Can't "A-Fjord" to Miss This!
In Norway, the best place to experience nature is where Kjersti and Espen were going this time. The
Geiranger fjord and Jotunheimen, a mountain range most prominent for its glaciers, are incredible
wonders to behold. Also, the vast steppes of the western countryside as well as the small hamlets and
towns scattered between inlets and mountains provide for very romantic scenery. The best way to go is
definitely by car. But one can also fly or take the train to Bergen or Trondheim and rent a car there and
go. In the Geiranger fjord as well as the Sogne fjord, there are tourism ferries that take you across the
deep water. Along the coast, there is also an express ferry that can take you from southern Norway to
the northern part of the country; of course, it also stops by Bergen and takes you across the spectacular
fjords.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #15 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #16

Impress Your Norwegian Boss!

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 16
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #16 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Employer : Kjersti, kan du komme hit litt.

2. Kjersti : Ja, hva er det?

3. Employer : Jeg lurte på om du kunne dra ned på tinghuset og hente noen dokumenter.

4. Kjersti : Ja, selvfølgelig kan jeg det.

ENGLISH

1. Employer : Kjersti, could you come here for a second?

2. Kjersti : Yes, what is it?

3. Employer : I wondered whether you could take a trip down to the courthouse and bring some
documents.

4. Kjersti : Yes, of course I can.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

å lure to wonder verb

om about adverb

dokumenter documents noun

å komme to come verb

å dra to go verb

tinghus court house noun

å hente to fetch verb

ned down adverb

hit here preposition

selvfølgelig of course

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Lurer du på noe? Jeg lurte på noe.

"Are you wondering about something?" "I’m curious about something."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #16 2

 Jeg misliker historier om bjørner. Jeg lurte på noe.

"I dislike stories about bears." "I’m curious about something."

Dokumentene kastet jeg i søpla. Jeg venter på at posten skal komme.

"I threw the documents in the trash." "I am waiting for the post to come."

Jeg vet du ikke vil at jeg skal komme på festen. Jeg ville ha likt å komme igjen i morgen, om
mulig.
"I know you don't want me to come to the party."
"I would like to come again tomorrow, if
possible."

Legen kom etter en time. Jeg kommer hjem nå.

"The doctor came after an hour." "I'm coming home now."

Kom over. Fire stykker kom ikke.

"Come over." "Four people did not come."

Jeg drar om en time. Jeg drar hjem nå.

"I’m leaving in an hour." "I'm going home now."

Vi drar på kino. Dette er tinghuset.

"We're going to the movies." "This is the courthouse."

Henter du avisen for meg? Pilen peker ned.

"Can you fetch the newspaper for me?" The arrow points down.

Går ned? går ned

Going down? going down

ned et fjell Jeg skal ned til butikken

down a mountain "I'm going down to the grocery store."

Ikke se ned. Vi skal hit i dag.

"Don't look down." "We’re going here today."

Selvfølgelig kan vi besøke bestemor. Selvfølgelig kan jeg hjelpe deg.

"Of course we can visit Grandma." "Of course I can help you."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

å lure

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Å lure is a bit tricky in English, as it essentially constitutes the verbs "to wonder," "to be thinking," and
"to be curious." In English, there are a lot of verbs that are combined in the present tense with "to be,"
essentially becoming an adjective. In Norwegian, such combinations don't exist, and as such, it results in
a bunch of plain verbs, like å lure.

å hente

Another word that needs a bit of explanation is å hente. It's basically three verbs in one again: "to fetch,"
"to get," and "to bring." You can use these verbs somewhat interchangeably in English. Using the verb in
Norwegian is pretty much the same. It's basically the action of bringing something from a to b.

There's another phrase in Norwegian that expresses almost the same concept: å ta med ("to bring)."
There are subtle differences between these two, however, and sometimes å ta med. Å ta med carries the
nuance of "bringing something with you."

For Example:

1. Jeg lurte på om du kunne gå tur med bikkja?

"I was wondering whether you could take a walk with the dog?"
2. Lurte du på noe?
"Where you wondering about anything?"
3. Henter han ungene i dag?
"Is he fetching the kids today?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Using "Can" + [Pronoun] and "I Wondered."
...Kan du komme hit litt.
"...Can you come here for a second?"
Jeg lurte på om du kunne...
"I wondered whether you could..."

In this lesson, we'll go through how to use "can you" and the phrase "I wondered." Let's do that by
deconstructing the two sentences in our dialogue that contain them.

First off, let's start with the simplest one: Kan du komme hit litt? It translates as "Can you come here for
a bit?" The first word is our verb kan ("can"). It's followed by du, our pronoun "you." Next comes another
verb, which is what we are asking the person to do; in this case it's komme ("come"). This is followed by
hit ("here"), which is a preposition. Finally, we have litt; this is just an adverb that means "for a bit" or
"little." The structure here is simple. We basically ask Kan + pronoun + "verb you want done" + any extra
information necessary (place, object, adverb).

Let's look at some of the pronouns we can use.

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Norwegian "English"

du "you"

jeg "I"

dere "you" (plural)

han 'he"

hun "she"

vi "we"

de "they"

Let's look at some examples of sentences.

For Example:

1. Kan dere kjøre meg hjem?

"Can you (guys) drive me home?
2. Kan hun snakke norsk?
"Can she speak Norwegian?"

3. Kan jeg få kake?

"Can I have cake?"

There were a few different scenarios there that varied in type as well. You might also notice that we can
also use kan as "being able to," much like "can" in English.

Now for our next sentence. Jeg lurte på om du kunne... This sentence is quite long, so let's cut it here. It
translates as "I wondered if you could..." Now this sentence would continue just like the above one
continues after kan + pronoun. It's entirely the same from that point on. Notice that the verb coming
after kunne, the verb å dra, is also in the infinitive like in the above sentence. The verb after (the action
we are asking someone to take) will always be in the infinitive.

Now, let's break up the sentence. It starts with the pronoun jeg ("I"). This is followed by the verb lurte,
which is the past tense of å lure ("to wonder"). You can use the present tense in this sentence as well,
lurer, without it changing. Next, we have på om, which is best described as a phrase that resembles
"whether" or "if." Next, we have the pronoun, or the person you are asking to do the action. And finally,
we have kunne, which you might remember is the past tense of å kunne. All in all, jeg lurte på om du
kunne...? This is simply a longer version of the phrase above, but it is also softer and more common to
use when asking for something that might be a bit tedious to do. Again, you can change any pronoun in
the sentence. Just look at the table above for some of the pronouns.

For Example:

1. Jeg lurte på om dere kunne hjelpe til?

"I wondered whether you guys would help out?"

2. Vi lurte på om vi kunne sitte på?

"We wondered if we could get a ride?"
3. Han lurte på hvorfor du ikke spiser?
"He wondered why you are not eating?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #16 5

CULTURAL INSIGHT
A Prerequisite to Getting a Norwegian Job

In Norway, there is no correct way to talk to one's boss or superiors. Some people tend to speak more
softly or with more articulation, but there are no rules set in stone for this. Instead, it's common to
speak to your superiors like you would with any other friend or acquaintance. It's more common,
however, to act more positive toward one's superiors, and, like Kjersti, do what you are asked. Although
that isn't necessarily expected in the work environment, and you can safely say no without consequence
if it's outside of your contract.
There aren't that many jobs in Norway for those who don't speak Norwegian. Norway is one of the
countries where the native language is commonly used in business as well, so it is not always easy to
find a job. So learning Norwegian is always a safe bet first if you want a job in Norway.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #16 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #17

Hosting a Dinner Party In Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 17
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #17 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Lise : Hva er det du skal lage til i kveld?

2. Kjersti : Jeg har tenkt å lage lammestuing med kålrabistappe, og torsk i smørsaus.

3. Lise : Wow, det hørtes godt ut! Trenger du hjelp?

4. Kjersti : Ja, du må gjerne hjelpe til.

ENGLISH

1. Lise : What is it you're making for tonight?

2. Kjersti : I was thinking about making a lamb stew with rutabaga and cod in butter sauce.

3. Lise : Wow, that sounds delicious! Do you need any help?

4. Kjersti : Yes, please feel free to help.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

gjerne with pleasure interjection

å tenke to think verb

lammestuing lamb stew noun

å høres to sound verb

å lage to make verb

og and conjunction

torsk cod noun masculine

smørsaus butter sauce noun

kålrabistappe rutabaga noun

kveld evening noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg tar gjerne litt kake. Ikke tenk for mye på svaret.

"I’ll have some cake please." "Do not think about the answer too much."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #17 2

 Hun tenker på mye rart. Vi skal servere lammestuing.

"She thinks about a lot of weird stuff." "We are serving lamb stew."

Det høres smart ut. Det høres hyggelig ut!

"That sounds clever." "That sounds nice!"

Vi kan lage lasagne! Jeg vil ha fisk og poteter.

"We can make lasagne!" "I want fish and potatoes."

Jeg vil og bli med. Jeg tar en brandy og to øl.

"I also want to join." "One brandy and two beers please."

Er dette fersk torsk? Sender du smørsausen.

"Is this fresh cod?" "Can you pass the butter sauce?"

Jeg har kålrabistappe i fryseren. Etter middagen koser vi oss om kvelden.

"I have rutabaga in the freezer." After dinner we enjoy our evening.

hver kveld Jeg jobber hardt om dagen, så jeg slapper av om

kvelden.
every evening
I work hard during the day, so I relax in the
evening.

solnedgang om kvelden kveld i byen

evening sunset evening in the city

Tennisbanen er åpen om kvelden også. Vi spiller ofte kort på en varm sommerkveld.

"The tennis court is open in the evening, too." We often play cards on a warm summer evening.

Ha en god kveld!

"Have a good evening!"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

du må gjerne hjelpe til

The phrase du må gjerne hjelpe til is a bit complicated. If you look at it word for word, it would say
something like "you must with pleasure help to." Now, that wording is not meaningful; however, using
må ("to have to") with gjerne yields a phrase. Må gjerne or rather, [pronoun] + må gjerne means "
[pronoun] can feel free to..." This is a set phrase in Norwegian. After du må gjerne, you can put pretty
much any verb to make the phrase "feel free to (verb)." In our dialogue, this was hjelpe til, which is also
sort of hard to translate directly. It means "to help," but after the verb comes til, which means "to" as in
"going to the mall." In this case, we add til ("to") after hjelpe ("help") since it is part of a longer set
phrase, hjelpe til + [verb], or in English, "help with + [verb]." The example from our dialogue, du må
gjerne hjelpe til, is actually the short form of du må gjerne hjelpe til å lage mat ("Feel free to help with
making food."). We cut the last part "with making food" because it's already understood in the dialogue.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #17 3

Let's look at some examples to help illustrate it.

For Example:

1. Dere må gjerne ta med egen mat.

"Please feel free to bring your (plural) own food."
2. Han må gjerne hjelpe til å vaske opp.
"He can help with doing the dishes if he wants."
3. Vi skal ha dugnad. Du må gjerne hjelpe til.
"We are going to have a community clean-up. Please feel free to help."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask "What is it...?" and How You Express "I Thought of."
Hva er det du skal lage for i kveld?
"What is it you're making for tonight?"
Jeg har tenkt å lage lammestuing med kålrabistappe, og torsk i smørsaus.
"I was thinking about making a lamb stew with rutabaga and cod in butter sauce."

In this lesson's grammar point, we'll look at using hva er det and jeg tenkte. We'll use the lines from our
dialogue to help explain how these work.

First, let's look at hva er det. First of all, we can use this phrase alone. By saying hva er det? you are
asking "What is that?" In this case, you put emphasis on the last det to stress what you are talking about.
If you don't put stress on det, people would automatically expect you to continue since det can both
mean "that" and "it." In other words, it could be "What is that?" or "What is it...?" Basically, you can have
three types of stress on this sentence to make it sound different. If you put heavy stress on det it means
"that," and if you use medium stress it means "it" as in "What is it?" If you have light stress on det,
people expect you to continue the sentence.

So what if you continue the sentence? Well, you can pretty much ask about anything that would pertain
to a "what" question. In our dialogue, we saw hva er det du skal lage for i kveld? It translates as "What is
it you are going to make for tonight?" We can comfortably shorten it to hva er det du lager? ("What is it
you are making?") Again, we can shorten this phrase to hva lager du? ("What are you making?"), but that
is beyond the scope of this lesson.

So how does this work? You can make anything from a simple question to a very advanced one. After
hva er det, you usually add a pronoun like du. Then you add whatever verb you want to ask about;
usually, these verbs are accompanied by prepositions or nouns as they are fixed.

Let's look at some examples.

For Example:

1. Hva er det du hører på?

"What are you listening to?"
2. Hva er det som lager den lyden?
"What is it that makes that sound?"

3. Hva er det du sier?

"What is it you're saying?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #17 4

Now, let's look at our second phrase, jeg tenkte. Norwegians often use it when they come up with
suggestions or plans. It's quite easy to learn the workings of it as it always comes at the beginning of
the sentence. Jeg tenkte means "I was thinking," and we can use it roughly in the same way as "I was
thinking" in English.

For Example:

1. Jeg tenkte å dra på teater.

"I was thinking of going to the theater."

2. Hun tenkte å kjøre til byen.

"She was thinking of going by car to the city."
3. Han tenkte å løpe ned på butikken.
"He was thinking of running down to the shop."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Where to Enjoy a Traditional Norwegian Meal

There are several dishes in Norwegian traditional cuisine that are definitely worth a try. While it might
not be easy to find places that serve traditional cuisine in larger cities like Oslo and Bergen, they do exist.
However, your best bet would be visiting friends who are holding a dinner party or during special
occasions like confirmations, baptisms, holidays, and so on. The chances of being treated to lamb,
reindeer, or wild meat on such occasions are big and definitely a special treat in Norwegian culture.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #17 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #18

What’s Your Greatest Fear in Norway?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 18
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #18 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Lise : Hva er du mest redd for Espen?

2. Espen : Det må nok være å bli blind

3. Lise : Hva med edderkopper, eller slanger?

4. Espen : Nei, edderkopper og slanger er bare litt ekle.

5. Kjersti : Jeg er kjemperedd for edderkopper

ENGLISH

1. Lise : What are you most afraid of, Espen?

2. Espen : That has to be going blind.

3. Lise : What about spiders or snakes?

4. Espen : No, spiders and snakes are just a bit creepy.

5. Kjersti : I am really scared of spiders.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

slanger snakes noun

ekkel creepy adjective

å være to be verb

å bli to become verb

mest most adverb

redd afraid adjective

edderkopper spiders noun

eller or noun

blind blind adjective

for of adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #18 2

 Jeg har fem slanger. Maten var ekkel.

"I have five snakes." "The food was disgusting."

Vær litt mer aktiv. Du e jammen meg stor blitt.

"Be a bit more active." "You have become quite big."

Hvem vil du være? Hvem vil du bli?

"Who do you want to be?" "Who do you want to become?"

Jeg er mest sliten Salgsagenten var redd for de stigende

markedsprisene.
"I'm mostly tired."
"The sales agent was afraid of the rising market
prices. "

Er du redd for spøkelser? Jeg liker store edderkopper.

"Are you afraid of ghosts?" "I like big spiders."

Skal vi ta denne eller denne? Kommer du eller ikke?

"Should we take this or this?" "Are you coming or not?"

Jeg er blind. Den blinde mannen forsto mer enn de andre

som bodde rundt ham som kunne se.
"I am blind."
"The blind man understood more than what the
seeing people who lived around him did."

Jeg kom for kakene

"I came for the cakes "

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

mest

The word mest can be a modifier or adverb. It's similar in sound to its English counterpart "most," as in
"I am the most hungry" or "mostly." When mest comes in front of an adjective, it's not always easy to
guess whether it means "most" or "mostly." If you hear it spoken, the clue is that the -m will be stressed
if it means "most" and flat if "mostly." Such a distinction is not easy to make when reading it. When
reading, it usually helps to see the context it's placed in to understand what it means.

For Example:

1. Hun er mest søt.

"She is mostly sweet."
2. Han er mest glad i kake.
"He is most fond of cakes."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #18 3

kjemperedd

Kjemperedd is another example of a word that is actually a combination of two words. You'll often see
concatenations starting with kjempe, as combining this word with any adjective greatly increases its
strength. So kjemperedd would amount to something that's more than veldig redd ("very scared"),
"incredibly or inexplicably scared" would be more befitting. Let's look at an example.

For Example:

1. Jeg er kjempesulten!
"I am insanely hungry!"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is Talking About Fears and Using Modified Adjectives.
Hva er du mest redd for Espen?
"What are you most afraid of, Espen?"
Det må nok være å bli blind.
"That has to be becoming blind."

In this lesson we'll look at how to talk about fear in Norwegian, or not necessarily fear, but how to use
jeg er with some modified adjectives and also some other phrases that might come in handy during
casual chats.

First off, let's start with the question we saw in the dialogue. Here we see a very basic question.

For Example:

1. Hva er du mest redd for, Espen.

"What are you most afraid of, Espen?"

We can more or less directly translate this sentence into English.

So what about changing the sentence? We can, for example, easily change pronouns here. Hva er hun
mest redd for, Espen? We exchanged du ("you") with hun ("she"). Notice that we are still asking the
question of Espen, assuming that Espen knows what "she" is most afraid of. We don't necessarily need
to direct the question if there are, for example, only two people talking. This means we can shorten the
question to Hva er hun mest redd for?

Now what if we change the modifier?

For Example:

1. Hva er hun minst redd for?

"What is she least afraid of?"

These are but a few changes you can make to modify this question. You can also change the adjective,
but sometimes that also requires changing the final adverb as well.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #18 4

Now if you want to answer such a question, you can do like Espen in our dialogue. His answer is
somewhat pondering or hesitant as he answers Det må nok være å bli blind. The first part here Det må
nok være... means "That probably has to be...," indicating that he isn't entirely sure whether that is his
biggest fear. The following part of the sentence, å bli blind, is simple. It means "to become blind." A short
and decisive answer could just be this part. You could simply answer the question Hva er du mest redd
for with å bli blind ("to become blind"). You can also change the answer here to some other adjective,
such as å bli lam ("to become lame") or å bli døv ("to become deaf"). Or you can simply answer with a
verb in its infinitive form, å dø ("to die").

Moving back to det må nok være, instead of adding a verb after ...nok være, you can add a noun like
slanger ("snakes").

For Example:

1. Det må nok være slanger.

"That probably has to be snakes."

You can also respond like Kjersti did in the dialogue by saying Jeg er plus the verb redd ("afraid") and for
("of") and then whatever you are afraid of. Again, here both å bli døv, å dø, or slanger would be possible
to add after for.

Let's look at some examples using all of these.

For Example:

1. Hva er du minst glad for?

"What are you least happy about?"
2. Det må nok være eksos.
"That probably has to be exhaust."
3. å bli latterliggjort
"to be made fun of"
4. Jeg er minst glad for teite bursdagsgaver.
"I am least happy about stupid birthday presents."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Can You Make Small Talk in Norwegian?

While fear might not be the most common subject during dinner conversations with friends, you will
surely stumble upon similar conversations where answering questions about yourself is the substance
of the discussion. That said, Norwegians like to talk about anything between heaven and earth, although
many topics will revolve around current politics or news. With younger people, pop culture or likes and
dislikes might also enter conversations. If nothing else, Norwegians will end up talking about the
weather or asking what has happened lately. It's probably not so different from any other country or
culture, but learning Norwegian so you can partake in such conversation is definitely rewarding.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #18 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #19

Love At First Sight in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 19
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #19 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Lise : Når var det dere ble kjent?

2. Kjersti : Vi møttes vel på en bar i Oslo

3. Lise : Og det var kjærlighet ved første blikk?

4. Kjersti : (laughs) Nesten.

5. Espen : Jo, det var litt det da.

6. Lise : Så søtt!

ENGLISH

1. Lise : When did you first meet each other?

2. Kjersti : We met at a bar in Oslo.

3. Lise : And it was love at first sight?

4. Kjersti : (laughs) Almost.

5. Espen : Oh, come on, it was a bit like that (love at first sight).

6. Lise : How sweet!

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

søtt sweet adjective

bar bar noun masculine

kjærlighet love noun masculine

litt a bit adverb

kjent known adjective

å møtes to meet verb

blikk sight noun

nesten almost adverb

ved by, at preposition

vel well, probably adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #19 2
 Sukker er søtt. Jeg stikker på bar.

"Sugar is sweet." "I’m going to a bar."

Kjærlighet gjør blind. Jeg liker kjærlighet på pinne.

"Love makes one blind." "I like lollipops."

Jeg er litt sulten. Litt saktere, er du snill.

"I am a bit hungry." "Slow down a bit, please."

Vi er litt slitne. Er dere kjent?

"We're a bit tired." "Do you know each other?"

kan vi møtes i kveld? Vi kan møtes i morgen.

"Can we meet tonight?" "We can meet tomorrow."

Jeg liker ikke det blikket. Det var nesten!

"I don’t like that look." "That was close!"

Jeg er ved kinoen. Det er vel ikke mye.

"I'm by the cinema." "It probably isn’t much."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

vel

The word vel can be quite confusing, especially when it comes to when to use it. Vel means "well,"
"probably," or "might be." It comes from "well," and the words almost sound the same as well. However,
the uses differ. We use vel when being doubtful or uncertain of what you are saying. As such, it comes
closer in usage to "probably." You can also use it in the beginning of a sentence just as we use "well" in
English. It also has one more usage. You place it mid-sentence in a question to add a "is it?" sort of
prompt to the question.

For Example:

1. Vel, det er ikke vår feil at du gjør det dårlig.

"Well, it's not our fault that you are performing poorly."
2. Det er vel ikke dyrt?
"It isn't expensive, is it?"
3. Det var vel i går at vi spiste på brygga.
"It was probably yesterday that we ate at the docks."

jo

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #19 3

Again, don't forget how we explained jo works. In our dialogue this time, Espen uses it to express
inclination toward Lise's suggestion. By saying jo, it's almost like saying "well" or "come on." We often
use jo to deny a second opinion on something (and agree with the first one). Also, if someone says nei
("no") to a question, we often use jo to attempt to persuade the person to say yes. The way this works is
best illustrated by examples, however.

For Example:

1. Jo, bli med på turen da.

"Come on, join the trip, please."
2. Jo, jeg synes hun har rett.
"Well, I think she is right."
3. Du liker Mozart ikke sant? Nei. Jo, du kan da ikke mene det?
"You like Mozart, right? No. Oh, come on, you can't mean that, right?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Talk About Love.
Når var det dere ble kjent?
"When did you first meet each other?"
Vi møttes vel på en bar i Oslo.
"We met at a bar in Oslo."

In this lesson, we'll learn about using når and talk a bit about past tense again.

Let's start off with the question word når. When asking questions related to time, we often use this
question word. In our dialogue, we were asking about past events. In that case we used når plus the
verb var, which is a past tense of å være ("to be"). If you want to ask someone when he or she visited a
certain place, for example, you can ask når var du plus the preposition and the place. Now prepositions
can be quite a hassle in Norwegian since they are so specific to what place you are talking about. We'll
not go over prepositions in full detail in this lesson, but let's at least include the proper prepositions for
the places we are talking about. So let's say you want to ask "When were you in Oslo?" You'd simply ask
Når var du i Oslo? Or say you want to be a bit more specific; in that case, you would ask når var du på
Operaen? ("When were you at the opera?")

Now, say you want to ask "when was it" plus whatever you were wondering about. It is a bit different
from "when was." When asking for example "When was it you met?" the only way you can change that
question is to "When did you meet?" The latter sounds a lot more recent or light than the former; also,
you usually use the former to confirm something you already know or have heard. In Norwegian, the
questions would be når var det dere møttes? and når møttes dere? respectively. Let's concentrate on the
former for now. The structure of this question is pretty similar to når var ("when was"), except this time
you add det after var, making it når var det ("When was it?") It shouldn't be too hard to grasp it as we
are basically saying the same thing as we would in English. Let's look at some examples.

For Example:

1. Når var det du giftet deg?

"When was it you married?"
2. Når var det hun dro?
"When was it she left?"

3. Når var det han skulle på butikken?

"When was it he was supposed to go to the shop?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #19 4

It can sound a bit dreary translated into English, as you would hardly ever use this form; however, in
Norwegian, you will often hear these questions instead of Når skulle han på butikken? even though that
one is a lot simpler.

Let's once more go over some simple past tense. To answer such a question as the above in Norwegian,
all you have to do is use some simple past tense sentences. Take, for example, our first question. If you
remember the VSO and SVO structures, then you'll probably notice that both questions are VSO. To
answer them, just change the sentence around to an SVO. Take, for example, Når var du i Oslo. ("When
were you in Oslo?") (question word + verb subject preposition + object). To answer, simply change it
around and add the time (and of course remove the når ("when")): Jeg var i Oslo i går ("I was in Oslo
yesterday"). Here we changed over so the subject jeg came first and the verb var followed it. We also
removed the question word når and added i går, which means "yesterday." Let's look at some more
examples.

For Example:

1. Når giftet du deg?

"When did you marry?"
Jeg giftet meg i fjor.
"I married last year."
2. Når dro hun?
"When did she leave?"
Hun dro for en time siden.
"She left an hour ago."
3. Når drar han?
"When is he going?"
Han skulle dra klokken seks.
"He was going at six o'clock."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
What Pick-Up Line Should You Use in Norway?

It's not embarrassing for most Norwegians to talk about love. It's a conversation subject most people
can relate to and many will enjoy conversing about. Some people do get offended if you ask them about
their love life; however, most people are entirely fine talking about it. Digging into intimate details,
however, is something Norwegians aren't comfortable with, so you should avoid it. Instead, people
prefer to talk more about their general personal life unless you are close friends. It's not cool to walk up
to a stranger at a bar and asking whether he or she is single. This could be viewed as an attempt to woo
that person. By saying this I mean don't make love or personal life the first conversation subject as it
won't easily strike a chord with the other person. As we have mentioned countless times earlier, talking
about the weather is one of the most common and safe ice breakers.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #19 5

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #20

Will You Get to the Norwegian Meeting in
Time?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 20
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #20 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Employer : (on the phone) Kjersti, når er det du kommer inn i dag?

2. Kjersti : Jeg er på jobb om en time.

3. Employer : Vi har et internt møte klokken ti. Har du mulighet til å rekke det?

4. Kjersti : Å, ok. Det skal jeg prøve.

5. Employer : Bra, sees da.

ENGLISH

1. Employer : (on the phone) Kjersti, when are you coming in today?

2. Kjersti : I'll be at work in an hour.

3. Employer : We have an internal meeting at ten a.m. Are you able to make it?

4. Kjersti : Oh, all right, I'll try to make it.

5. Employer : Good, see you then.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

klokken o’clock phrase

mulighet possibility noun masculine

å rekke to meet, to make on time verb

å prøve to try verb

å sees to meet again verb

internt internal adjective

å møtes to meet verb

i dag today phrase

jobb work noun masculine

time hour noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #20 2

 hva er klokken? Det er i hvertfall en mulighet for oss å ha en
positiv innvirkning.
"What time is it?"
"At least there is a possibility for us to make a
positive impact. "

Jeg har ikke mulighet nå Rakk du bussen i tide?

"I don’t have the possibility now" "Did you make the bus in time?"

Han prøvde og kysse meg, men jeg løp avsted. Jeg skal prøve å huske.

"He tried to kiss me, but I ran away." "I will try to remember. "

Hun prøvde på alle klærene til søsteren sin. La oss prøve.

"She tried on all her sister's clothes." "Let’s try."

Da sees vi i morgen. Møtet er internt.

"We’ll see each other tomorrow then." "The meeting is internal."

kan vi møtes i kveld? Vi kan møtes i morgen.

"Can we meet tonight?" "We can meet tomorrow."

Paraden er i dag. Kommer du i dag?

"The parade is today." "Are you coming today?"

Jeg er på jobben. Jeg kommer hjem fra jobben om en time.

"I'm at work." I’ll be home from work in an hour.

i en time Jeg sover 8 timer hver dag.

for one hour I sleep for 8 hours every day.

det er 60 minutter i en time. Jeg sov i ti timer forrige natt.

There are 60 minutes in an hour. "I slept for ten hours last night."

Det er om en time. Jeg drar om en time.

"That’s in an hour." "I am leaving in an hour."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

klokken

While klokken is also the definitive form of the noun klokke ("clock"), we also use it as a phrase to
express the same concept that "o'clock" or "a.m."/"p.m." does in English. In English, "o'clock" and
"a.m."/"p.m." are always found after the stated time, and they are sometimes left out. In Norwegian,
klokken comes first when stating the time and last when asking it. When stating the time, you can leave
it out and simply state the time itself.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #20 3

For Example:

1. Hva er klokken?
"What time is it?"
2. Klokken er elleve.
"It's eleven o'clock."
3. Den er elleve.
"It's eleven."

mulighet

Mulighet means "possibility," but as a concept you use it in situations where you ask someone whether
he or she is "able" to do something: in other words, whether he or she "has time" or whether there is a
"possibility of something." Therefore, it substitutes for a few different phrases in English.

å sees

Å sees is another slightly abstract verb. It means to "meet" or "see" one another again. We use it in
various scenarios, and it is quite a handy word.

For Example:

1. Har du mulighet til å komme over?

"Are you able to come over?"
2. Vi kan sees en annen gang?
"Can we meet another time?

3. Har du mulighet til å sees?

"Are you able to meet up?"

GRAMMAR
This Focus of This Lesson Is Talking About Work and Time.
Kjersti, når er det du kommer inn i dag?
"(on the phone) Kjersti, when are you coming in today?"
Jeg er på jobb om en time.
"I am at work in an hour."

In this lesson, we are going to talk a bit about time and continue talking about how to use når, this time
with present tense verbs.

Let's start with når once again. We use når with present tense verbs to ask when something will happen.
Again, this isn't much different than with English, which shares roots with Norwegian. In other words,
the structure is pretty much the same as the one we'd use in English. Take, for example, our dialogue
sentence.

For Example:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #20 4

 1. Når er det du kommer inn i dag?
"When are you coming in today?"

We learned this in our previous lesson in the past tense. We could change this question to the one we
learned in the previous lesson by phrasing it like this: Når var det du skulle komme inn i dag? You would
essentially be asking the entirely same thing as the present tense version above, just phrasing it
differently. For this lesson, let's look at a slightly different way of phrasing the same question in present
tense. Changing to the past tense is also possible in this way of phrasing it, as we saw in our previous
lesson. So let's use når er det du kommer inn i dag. It is a VSO question built up like this: Conjunction +
verb + pronoun, subject, verb, adverb + object. It might look confusing, and that is because there is
some redundancy here. We can easily cut this to conjunction + verb, subject, adverb + object. In
Norwegian, that would be Når kommer du inn i dag? ("When are you coming in today") As we mentioned
in the previous lesson, this has a much lighter feel and might indicate that the asker doesn't know the
answer (as opposed to not remembering it).

Let's look at some examples using this sentence structure.

For Example:

1. Når får vi bilen?

"When are we getting the car?"
2. Når kommer bussen?
"When is the bus coming?"
3. Når blir det mørkt i dag?
"When does it get dark today?"

There are several ways we can answer these questions. We saw some of them in our previous lesson. In
this lesson, we'll take a closer look at how those answers can be structured.

In our dialogue Kjersti answers her boss Jeg er på jobb om en time ("I'm at work in an hour"). The
important part of this sentence that we want to pull out is essentially om en time ("in one hour"). In
Norwegian, en means both "an" and "one," so as not to confuse you. That means you can increase the
number of hours or the number of minutes, seconds, days, weeks, months, or years. All this requires is
changing the nouns from singular to plural and changing the number for masculine or neuter gender in
the case of en ("one"). For example, minute is neuter gender, so en ("one") becomes ett, still "one." Let's
look at some examples using this.

For Example:

1. Bilen for vi om tre uker.

"We'll get the car in three weeks."
2. Bussen kommer om to timer.
"The bus arrives in two hours."
3. Det blir mørkt om førti minuter.
"It's getting dark in forty minutes."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
How Much Work Do People Do in Norway?

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #20 5

Being on time at work is just as important as it is in other countries. It is common for office workers to
work normal office hours, nine to five. However, the majority of the workforce in Norway is working in
more practical jobs, and their work hours can be quite varied. While working is important, Norwegians
value their spare time more than anything. Their spare time is sacred and a top priority to them. Thus,
when it comes to time and work, Norwegians are trying to work fewer hours and increase their leisure
time. Last year, a suggestion was passed through the legislation system that would make daily work
hours five hours per day as compared to eight hours, which it is now. However, the legislation is not
decided on yet.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #20 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #21

Where in Norway Are You Going?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 21
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #21 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Hvor skal vi gå hen?

2. Kjersti : Jeg vet ikke hvor. Hva med La Barca?

3. Espen : Hvor ligger den?

4. Kjersti : Jeg tror Lise vet hvor den ligger.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : Where should we go?

2. Kjersti : I don't know where. What about La Barca?

3. Espen : Where is that?

4. Kjersti : I think Lise knows where it is.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

å ligge to lie verb

å tro to think, to believe verb

det it noun

hen to, by adverb

ikke not interjection

hvor where adverb

å skulle to go to verb

med with conjunction, preposition

å vite to know verb

å gå to go, to walk verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Kan hun ligge i sofaen? Ligg rolig ned

"Can she lie on the sofa?" "Lie down slowly."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #21 2

 Ligger du behagelig? De tror at vi ikke vet planene dems.

"Are you lying comfortably?" "They think that we don't know their plans."

Jeg tror på deg. det må være det dummeste jeg har hørt.

"I believe in you." "It’s got to be the stupidest thing I've heard."

Katten gikk dit hen. Han hadde ikke tid.

"The cat went over there." "He didn’t have time."

Er ikke du sliten? Hvor skal du imorgen kveld?

"Are you tired?" "Where are you going tomorrow night?"

Hvor skal du hen? Hvor er sjefen?

"Where are you going?" "Where is the boss?"

Jeg skulle en tur på butikken Skal du hjem?

"I was on my way to the shop" "Are you going to go home?"

Vil du gå på kino med meg? Brødskive med hva?

"Will you go to the movies with me?" "A slice of bread with what?"

Jeg blir med! Blir du med?

"I'm coming with you!" "Are you joining?"

Den med hunden på, vær så snill. Vi vil sannsynligvis aldri få vite opphavet til denne
vanen.
"The one with the dog (on it), please."
"We will probably never know the origins of this
habit."

Det er vansklig å vite. Hun går med hunden hver dag.

"It’s hard to know." "She walks the dog every day."

Vi går en tur.

"We’re going for a walk."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

hen

The word hen is the equivalent of "hen" or "hence" in Old English. So it's a bit different from the "hence"
we use today. It means "further" or "away." We usually add it to sentences where we use prepositions
that are vague or when using the adverb hvor. We usually place it at the end of a sentence to indicate
that we are talking about a "place" and not something else. You don't need to add this word to any
sentence because it's basically redundant. Still, Norwegians often use it.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #21 3

For Example:

1. Jeg skal dit hen.

"I am going somewhere around there."

å vite

Å vite means "to know." However, there are two "to knows" in Norwegian. The other one is å kjenne. For
those who know French, this may sound familiar. In Norwegian, we use different words for "knowing as
in wisdom and knowledge" and "knowing someone or something." We use å vite when we possess
knowledge or information about something, while we use å kjenne when we recognize something or
someone.

For Example:

1. Jeg vet om mange som liker blodpudding.

"I know about a lot of people who like blood pudding."

å tro

In Norwegian, like in English, we switch between "to believe" and "to think." Å tro means "to believe,"
and we use it in situations where we are talking about trust, belief, convictions, and so on. On the other
hand, we use å tenke, which means "to think," when talking about opinions, ideas, general thinking, and
so on. That said they do overlap in some cases. So if you are unsure of which one to use, then go with
your gut feeling; you might have hit on a situation where both would apply.

For Example:

1. Tror du at du kunne hjulpet meg?

"Do you think you could help me?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask Questions Using Hvor ("Where") and How to Answer Them.
Hvor skal vi gå hen?
"Where should we go?"
Jeg vet ikke hvor. Hva med La Barca?
"I don't know where. What about La Barca?"

In this lesson, we'll look at using hvor, meaning "where," in different parts of a sentence to ask a
question and also how to answer such a question. We'll do this by going through and breaking down
some of the sentences from the dialogue and seeing how they function.

Let's start with the first question in our dialogue. Hvor skal vi gå hen? First off, the translation in our
dialogue is slightly adapted. Word for word, this question would translate as "Where are we going to go
to?" or "Where should we go to?" The way it works is that it's built up by the adverb hvor, which always
comes first. Then skal ("should or going to") followed by vi ("we"), gå ("go"), and finally hen ("to"). Let's
focus on the three first parts of this sentence which form a set phrase, hvor skal + [pronoun] followed
by a verb and additional necessary words if any.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #21 4

Next up, we have another easier question: hvor ligger + [noun or pronoun]. This essentially means
"where is [pronoun/noun]." This question couldn't be simpler. So let's look at some examples of the two.

For Example:

1. Hvor skal du spise hen?

"Where are you going to eat?"
2. Hvor skal dere hen?
"Where are you going?"
3. Hvor ligger kinoen?
"Where is the cinema?"

Now if we are going to answer these questions, it is pretty easy. Since all of these questions essentially
have the VSO structure, all you have to do is change the word order. For a question like Hvor skal han
hen? "Where is he going?" you simply change around the word order like this: Han skal, then you add til,
which means "to," and then where "he" is going. It's as simple as that. The same goes for Hvor ligger
butikken: you simply change it around so that it becomes Butikken ligger plus the appropriate
preposition for the place where the shop lies.

For Example:

1. Butikken ligger i Oslo.

"The shop is in Oslo."

Let's take this one step further, however, and look at how the speaker answered this question in our
dialogue. In our dialogue, we used the phrase Jeg vet ikke hvor, which simply means "I don't know
where." We shortened it from Jeg vet ikke hvor vi skal gå hen ("I don't know where we should go to"). We
can effectively cut that. However, this is a set phrase, and we can't change it much. Another set phrase is
Hva med ("What about?") plus whatever place or thing you are suggesting. This is as simple as it can be.
If you have an idea for where to go, simply say hva med and your suggestion.

Finally, let's look at the last sentence Kjersti says: Jeg tror Lise vet hvor den ligger. ("I believe Lise knows
where it is.") Here we start the sentence with Jeg tror ("I believe" or "I think"). It is followed by [name] vet
("[Name] knows." Hvor den ligger is the final part here and is basically the set phrase reply for hvor
ligger den? You may notice that den has moved places to change from VSO to SVO.

Let's now look at some examples of answers for the questions we posed above.

For Example:

1. Jeg skal spise på MacDonald's.

"I am going to eat at McDonald's."
2. Jeg vet ikke hvor, hva med teater?
"I don't know where; what about the theater?"

3. Jeg tror jeg vet hvor den ligger.

"I think I know where it is."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
What's on the Menu in Norway?

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #21 5

Going out in Norway is often safe enough when it comes to the quality of the food or beverages that
you get. There are strict food quality guidelines that the official food safety authority often checks. As
for the food offered in Norway, especially in Oslo, the most common restaurants serve mixed menus.
There are also many more specialized restaurants; however, many of these tend to focus on exotic or
foreign cuisines. Of the most common foreign cuisines you'll find in Oslo and other larger cities, sushi,
Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Thai/Vietnamese restaurants dominate the scene. There are also Italian,
French, and, of course, Norwegian cuisine restaurants, but these tend to vary their menus a lot more.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #21 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #22

A Chance Meeting in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 22
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #22 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Ole : Kjersti! Er det ikke deg?

2. Kjersti : Å, Ole, ikke sant?

3. Ole : Ja, så tilfeldig å møte deg igjen her.

4. Espen : Hvem er Ole?

5. Kjersti : En jeg møtte på toget for litt siden.

ENGLISH

1. Ole : Kjersti! Isn't it you?

2. Kjersti : Oh, Ole right?

3. Ole : Yeah, how random to meet you again here.

4. Espen : Who is Ole?

5. Kjersti : A person I met on the train some time ago.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

igjen again adverb

her here preposition

for for preposition

ikke sant right phrase, interjection

tilfeldig by coincidence adjective

en one numeral

tog train noun neutral

hvem who pronoun

å møte meet verb

siden since preposition

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #22 2

 Jeg vil møte deg igjen. Kan du si det igjen?

"I want to meet you again." "Could you say that again?"

Hva var navnet ditt igjen? Ta denne asjetten her.

"What was your name again?" "Take this platter here."

Her er greia jeg pratet om. Jeg er her.

"Here's the thing I was talking about." "I'm here."

Hva er dette for noe? Det var for litt siden.

"What sort of thing is this?" "It was a while ago."

Du kjenner han, ikke sant? Du kommer ikke sant?

"You know him, right?" "You are coming right?"

Jeg så deg tilfeldig i går. Jeg trenger en jakke.

"I saw you by chance yesterday." "I need a jacket."

på toget ta toget

on the train take the train

Toget er på togstasjonen. Menneskene pendler med toget.

The train is at the train station. The people are commuting by train.

sitte på et tog pendle til jobben med toget

ride a train commute to work by train

Det neste toget til London vil ankomme om 30 Bruk toget.

minutter.
"Use the train."
"The next train to London will arrive in thirty
minutes."

Toget er kjapt, men dyrt. Jeg bryr meg ikke om hvem som ringer, du kan
ikke bruke telefonen her.
"The train is fast, but expensive."
"I don't care who is calling, you cannot use the
phone here."

Jeg vet ikke hvem han er. hvem var det?

"I don’t know who he is." "Who was that?"

Vi kan møte senere. Kan vi ikke møtes neste helg?

"We can meet later." "Can we meet next weekend?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #22 3

 Hyggelig å møte deg. Jeg har vært her siden.

"Nice to meet you." "I’ve been here since."

Siden du er så god, kan ikke du vise meg hvordan?

"Since you are so good, can't you show me how?"

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

ikke sant

Ikke sant is a phrase we have explained a bit before, but it helps to remind you of its usage. That's
because this is a phrase Norwegians use very often, and if you end up understanding it literally, then
you're in danger of confusing yourself. Ikke sant means "not true." However, we use it to confirm a
statement or assumption. You can understand it as "Isn't it true?" However, we can best translate it as
"right," as this is similar in usage to English.

For Example:

1. Du er singel ikke sant?

"You are single, right?"

tilfeldig

Tilfeldig is deployed in sentences a bit differently than "by coincidence" or "by chance" in English. It's a
single word and deployed alone, just like that in sentences, meaning you won't see it coupled with
modifiers or prepositions or articles or anything of that sort in sentences. It's very simple to deploy in
sentences where you want to say "by coincidence" or by chance." Do not confuse it with tilfeldigvis,
which is similar to "coincidentally."

For Example:

1. Vi møttes tilfeldig på gaten.

"We met by chance on the street."

å møte

Å møte ("to meet") can easily be confused with å møtes ("to meet together"). The difference only being
an -s can lead to some confusion. Å møte is "to actually meet"; it's a direct action. But å møtes is more
indirect, meaning "to happen upon each other." The difference between the two can be complex just like
the difference between å se ("to see") and å sees ("to see each other").

For Example:

1. Da møtes vi senere.
"We'll meet later."

GRAMMAR

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #22 4

The Focus of This Lesson Is the Question "Who" and How to Answer.
Hvem er Ole?
"Who is Ole?"
En jeg møtte på toget for litt siden.
"A person I met on the train some time ago."

In this lesson we'll look at a few things. First off, let's look at some of the things we aim to only give
some short explanations of.

You might remember that we discussed the VSO questions in our Absolute Beginner series. In our
dialogue, Ole uses one of the examples we had from the very first lessons on that.

For Example:

1. Er det ikke deg?

"Isn't it you?"

It is asking for confirmation just like our flight attendant asked Mark Er du Kristian? "Are you Kristian?"
You can see that these are essentially the same structure: er ("are") + pronoun + noun (or pronoun) or
verb - subject - object.

Next, when you want to ask who someone is, you have to use hvem ("who") in Norwegian. Hvem er Ole?
is a very simple question. What we want to look at here in terms of sentence structure is simply the
ability to change the noun or pronoun. In other words, exchange Ole with det, for example, and you'll
get Hvem er det? ("Who's that?") Here you can really substitute for any of han, hun, det, de, du, jeg, vi,
dere, or any personal names. Put any common noun in here or the masculine pronoun den and the
question becomes a bit weird.

For Example:

1. Er det Hans-Olav?
"Is that Hans-Olav?"
2. Hvem er dere?
"Who are you (guys)?"

3. Hvem er han der?

"Who is he (that guy) over there?"

So imagine we were asked these questions and we wanted to answer them. Let's also assume that we
know who it is and we want to explain where we know the person from. What is so easy about this is
that we can translate all the answers directly to English, word for word. So, there is no real hocus-pocus
here. Looking at the sentence from our dialogue En jeg møtte på toget for litt siden ("Somone I met on
the train some time ago"), we can deduce that this sentence is meaty. There are many things we can
alter to make this structure viable to answer almost any question. Let's break it down first. En means
"one" or "someone," after which comes the pronoun, in this case jeg ("I"). Then we have the verb møtte
("met"). This is followed by på toget ("on the train"). Which is followed by for litt siden ("a while ago"). If
we want to alter this sentence into something that could answer any of the questions above, then we
could change the verb, the pronoun, and of course the two last phrases. Let's look at some examples of
how this is done.

For Example:

1. Ja, vi møtte han i går.

"Yes, we met him yesterday."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #22 5

 2. Noen dere var ute med for litt siden.
"Someone you (guys) were out with some time ago."
3. En vi traff her om dagen.
"Someone we met the other day."

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Is It Friday Yet?

It's common for Norwegians to go out drinking during weekends. This is because they usually work
during weekdays and it's more common to spend time at home or for pastime activities during those
days. That doesn't mean that bars and clubs are empty on weekdays. However, they are more likely to
be crowded on weekends. For a Norwegian, the weekend starts after work on Friday. There's an
expression that is called the fredagspils or "Friday pint (pilsner)." It refers to the common activity of
going out with friends on Friday evening for some beer (or beverages in general). If you are curious as
to how Norwegians relax and celebrate the weekends, then the fredagspils would be the best occasion
to go to.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #22 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #23

Following Proper Mountain Etiquette in
Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 23
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #23 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Espen : Hva er viktig å passe på i fjellet?

2. Guide : Det viktigste er at du trår forsiktig og er våken. Det er også viktig at du har med deg riktige
klær og vann og mat.

3. Espen : Hva med førstehjelpsutstyr?

4. Guide : Det kan være lurt så lenge det ikke blir for tungt.

ENGLISH

1. Espen : What is important to remember while hiking in the mountains?

2. Guide : The most important thing is to tread carefully and be alert. It is also important to bring the
right clothing and water and food.

3. Espen : What about first-aid kits?

4. Guide : It is very useful as long as it is not too heavy to bring.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

førstehjelpsutstyr first aid kit noun

tungt heavy adjective

å trå to step, to tread verb

forsiktig careful, carefully adjective

viktig important adjective

å passe to take care, to watch verb

riktig right, correct adverb, adjective

klær clothes noun neutral

våken awake adjective

fjell mountain noun neutral

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Du har ikke førstehjelpsutstyr? Det blir for tungt!

"You don’t have a first aid kit?" "This is too heavy!"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #23 2

 Du må trå varsomt i skogen. forsiktig nå!

"You have to tread carefully in the woods." "Careful now!"

Det er viktig at du følger med. Kan du passe på ungen?

"It’s important that you follow." "Can you watch the kid?"

Svaret er riktig! Det er helt riktig

"The answer is correct!" "That’s correct!"

Klærne på gulvet er møkkete. rene klær

The clothes on the floor are dirty. clean clothes

I dag skal jeg kjøpe nye klær. Jeg tror ikke du har plass til mer klær i det
skapet.
"Today I will buy new clothes."
"I don't think you can fit more clothes in that
closet."

Har du med nok klær? Paret kjøper klær.

"Do you have enough clothes?" "The couple buys clothes."

Er du våken? Jeg klarer ikke å holde meg våken.

"Are you awake?" "I can’t keep myself awake."

Det er snø på toppen av fjellet. Mannen sykler på sykkelen sin ned fjellet.

There is snow on top of the mountain. The man is riding his bike down the mountain.

Jeg klatret et fjell kalt Fuji i løpet av turen min til For noen svære fjell!
Japan.
"What enormous mountains!"
"I climbed a mountain called Fuji during my trip
to Japan."

Mannen hopper på toppen av fjellet.

"The man jumps on top of the mountain."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

å passe

Å passe means "to watch." This is in the sense of "to watch over something" and does not refer to
watching TV or anything else.

When using it in this sense, you commonly have to add på ("on") after passe to make sense of the
sentence. This is somewhat a set phrase. It's similar to "to guard" in meaning. Å passe can also have
another meaning tied to this concept. One can say å passe seg, which means "to move out of the way,"
essentially meaning "guarding oneself" from whatever might have happened if one didn't move. In that
sense, we can also command Pass deg! which translates into English as "Watch out!"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #23 3

forsiktig

Next, we have forsiktig. Depending on the sentence, this is either an adjective or an adverb. In most
cases, where one uses vær followed by forsiktig, meaning "be careful," it is the adjective "careful."
However, one can also say Legg den forsiktig fra deg. ("Put it down carefully."), where it is an adverb.

You might have noticed by now that some adjectives change slightly sometimes, most often by the
addition of a -t. This is due to the gender of the noun it applies to. You can either say dette er tungt
("This is heavy"), which is the neuter gender pronoun "this" plus the adjective tungt, or you can say
denne er tung, which also means "this is heavy"; however, this time, we are using the male gender
version.

For Example:

1. Pass på klokken din.

"Take care of your clock/watch."
2. Vær forsiktig med vasen.
"Be careful with the vase."

3. Denne ballen er tung.

"This ball is heavy."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is What's Important and What They Might Answer.
Hva er viktig å passe på i fjellet?
"What is important to remember while hiking in the mountains?"
Det viktigste er at du trår forsiktig og er våken.
"The most important is that you tread carefully and stay alert."

In this lesson, we'll look at how to ask what is important when doing something. We are also going to
look at how people might answer such questions.

As usual, let's start with the question. Hva er viktig å passe på i fjellet? ("What is important to remember
or watch out for while hiking in the mountains?")j The question itself might make some sense, but it is
some of the words that might make it a bit hard. Like we explained in our vocabulary explanation, passe
på can have many different translations in English, but all of them stem into one concept: "to take care
of," "to watch out for," or "to have in mind." Now that we have that out of the way, the phrase we want
to learn here is Hva er viktig å... ("What is important to...") The last "to" here is actually a part of the verb
that comes after this phrase, but since it is always part of the phrase, it's better to remember it this way.
After hva er viktig å, you can place any verb you like.

For Example:

1. Hva er viktig å se i Oslo?

"What is important to see in Oslo?"

Here we put the verb se ("see") and i Oslo, the preposition i and the place noun Oslo. When saying "in
Oslo," it will always be i Oslo; no other preposition can be coupled with Oslo.

In the question hva er viktig å, we can also change the adjective to whatever we like.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #23 4

For Example:

1. Hva er fint å se i Oslo?

"What's nice to see in Oslo?"

You can see that it changes the question slightly.

Now just as a small mention. There was one other question using hva in our dialogue: Hva med... ("What
about...") Remember it from two lessons ago? It's very simple, just put any noun or pronoun after hva
med and you get the English equivalent "What about?"

For Example:

1. Hva er viktig å få med seg i Juni?

"What's important to experience in June?"
2. Hva er kult å gjøre på Bali?
"What's cool to do in Bali?"
3. Hva med denne bilen?
"What about this car?"

So now you know how to ask, but what about the answers you'll get? Let's focus on one sentence from
our dialogue and see how we can change it to fit different answers.

For Example:

1. Det viktigste er at du trår forsiktig og holder deg våken.

"The most important is to tread carefully and stay alert."

Let's cut this sentence down a bit as the last part from og is sort of redundant when explaining the
structure. We'll have another lesson sometime describing all the functions of og ("and").

So the root phrase in this sentence is det viktigste er... ("The most important is..."). Again, you can add
whatever is "important" after the phrase, and you can also change the verb into something else, like we
did with the question. Let's look at some of the examples.

For Example:

1. Det viktigste er at du drar på stranda!

"The most important thing is that you go to the beach!"
2. Det kuleste er å surfe!
"The coolest thing is to surf!"

3. Den beste bilen er den der!

"The best car is that one!"

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Find Out How to Be Safe in the Norwegian Mountains

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #23 5

The tips that we saw in our dialogue are all valid tips when out hiking in the mountain. In Norway, there
are guidelines for hiking that are developed for your own safety. Of course, whether you follow these
guidelines is up to you. However, it is strongly recommended that you do. Every year several people
disappear in the Norwegian mountain areas for no surprising reason. Hiking can be nice and enjoyable,
but it is always important to take precautions. One of the most dangerous things in the Norwegian
mountain areas is the weather, so always watch the weather forecast before attempting to do any
hiking. This is especially important during winter, when snowstorms kill several unlucky people every
year. For more information and for the guidelines themselves, visit
http://english.turistforeningen.no/index.php?fo_id=3622. (The guidelines are listed under the post called
"The Norwegian Mountain Code.")

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #23 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #24

An Emergency in Norway

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 24
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #24 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kjersti : (Knekk) Espen, hjelp!

2. Espen : Hva er det?

3. Kjersti : Au! Jeg tror jeg har bristet leggen.

4. Espen : Ligg stille, jeg skal ringe ambulansen.

5. Kjersti : Kan du finne aspirinen i førstehjelpsutstyret?

6. Espen : Ja.

ENGLISH

1. Kjersti : (Crack) Espen, help!

2. Espen : What is it?

3. Kjersti : Ouch! I think I have fractured my shin.

4. Espen : Lie still, I'll call an ambulance.

5. Kjersti : Could you find the aspirin in the first aid kit?

6. Espen : Yes.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

stille still adjective

å ringe to call, to ring verb

ambulanse ambulance noun masculine

å finne to find verb

aspirin aspirin noun masculine

legg shin noun

å ligge to lie verb

å hjelpe to help verb

Au! Ouch! interjection

å briste to fracture verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #24 2
 Stå stille Pass på at du har sporingsnummeret klart når
du ringer postkontoret.
"Stand still."
"Make sure to have the tracking number ready,
when you are calling the post office. "

Hvor dyrt er det å ringe fra Italia til Spania? Jeg ringer deg senere, etter jeg er ferdig med
leksene mine.
"How expensive is calling from Italy to Spain?"
"I will call you later after I'm done with my
homework."

Ringte det i stad? Du kan jo ringe meg, kanskje?

"Did the phone ring earlier?" "You could call me, maybe?"

Ring ambulansen! Var du i stand til å finne veien til akademiet?

"Call the ambulance!" "Were you able to find your way to the
academy?"

Hun fant ikke nøkkelen. Jeg må finne nummeret først

"She couldn’t find the key." "I have to find the number first."

Har du noe aspirin? Hva har skjedd med leggen din?

"Do you have any aspirin?" "What has happened to your leg?"

Kan hun ligge i sofaen? Ligg rolig ned

"Can she lie on the sofa?" "Lie down slowly."

Ligger du behagelig? Han skulle bare hjelpe til.

"Are you lying comfortably?" "He was just going to help."

Kan du hjelpe til? Jeg trenger hjelp her.

"Can you help out?" "I need some help here."

Au! Det gjorde vondt. Jeg bristet håndleddet

"Ouch! That hurt." "I fractured my wrist."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Au!

Au! Is an exclamation. We only use it as onomatopoeia, and it doesn't really mean anything in that sense.
Native Norwegian speakers will almost regardless say au when they hurt themselves, just like native
English speakers say "ouch."

For Example:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #24 3

 1. Au! Ikke tråkk på foten min!
"Ouch! Don't step on my foot!"

legg

Legg means "shin." Norwegians use it commonly to refer to the "leg." While the English "leg" might
sound like legg, the appropriate Norwegian word for "leg" is bein. If you go out on bars in Norway and
you are young or look quite young, you might end up being asked for leggen at the door. This doesn't
mean that they want to see your "shin," although such jokes frequently appear. This is actually a slang
for legitimasjon, which means "ID" in good English. So when the bouncers ask you to show them your
legg in Norway, show them your ID.

For Example:

1. Få se på leggen din.
"Let me look at your shin."/"Let me see your ID."

stille

Finally, stille means "still." But like in English, stille or "still" can also mean "silent." Vær stille translates as
"be silent," while ligg stille as we saw earlier means "lie still." In other words, "don't move." There's a
logical connection between the two as standing or lying still would imply that you shouldn't make a
sound.

For Example:

1. Sitt helt stille ved bordet.

"Sit entirely still by the table."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Convey Important Information.
Au! Jeg tror jeg har bristet leggen.
"Ouch! I think I have fractured my shin."
Kan du finne aspirinen i førstehjelpsutstyret?
"Can you find the aspirin in the first aid kit?"

In this lesson's grammar point, we'll look at how to convey some important information about your
situation. Luckily, it isn't that hard. First off, let's start by introducing the question that would lead to
your explanation. If you indicate that you are hurting by, for example, doing like Kjersti in our dialogue
and saying Au! ("Ouch!"), then you are likely to get back the question hva er det? ("What is it?") We
learned about this question in an earlier lesson, if you remember. It's a set phrase and pretty
straightforward. Hva er det? ("What is it?")

Now, what we want to focus on in this lesson is the answer to this or in general just conveying your
situation. You can do this like an example we saw in the dialogue.

For Example:

1. Jeg tror jeg har bristet leggen.

"I think I have fractured my shin."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #24 4

In this sentence, there are two phrases that prove useful. The first one, jeg tror, is simply "I think" or "I
believe." Putting it first in a sentence like this simply implies that you are not sure whether it is the case.
The more important phrase in this sentence is jeg har ("I have"). Jeg har coupled with a verb in the
perfect past participle makes us able to use the perfect past tense.

For Example:

1. Jeg har funnet noe.

"I have found something."

This is essentially an all new way for us to conjugate verbs, so instead of going into how we conjugate
different verbs, let's just present you with some examples of practical verbs conjugated in the perfect
past tense.

For Example:

1. Jeg tror jeg har brukket ribbeinet.

"I think I have broken my rib."
2. Jeg har mistet en tann.
"I have lost a tooth."
3. Jeg har kuttet meg i fingeren.
"I have cut myself in the finger."

As you can see, the structure is fairly easy to comprehend. With a dictionary and this understanding, you
can create the correct sentence for pretty much any situation. All you need is to know the past participle
of the verb. Below there's a chart of the most common verbs in such situations in their infinitive form
and the perfect past tense.

For Example:

Present Tense Past Tense "English Infinitive"

å brekke har brukket "to snap"/"to break"

å miste har mistet "to lose"

å kutte har kuttet "to cut"

å briste har bristet "to fracture"

å skade har skadet "to hurt"

å skalle har skallet "to hit (your head)"

å dunke har dunket "to crash"/"to hit"

Kan Du ("Can Do")

For our second grammar point, we want to take a look at the phrase kan du ("can you") again.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #24 5

In our dialogue, Kjersti says Kan du finne aspirinen i førstehjelpsutstyret? ("Can you find the aspirin in
the first aid kit?") The last part here, i førstehjelpsutstyret, is somewhat redundant as it just tells where
the aspirin is. The interesting part is kan du finne as this means "can you find." You might remember the
kan du hjelpe... ("Can you help...") phrase that we learned earlier. This builds on the same base. After kan
du finne, you simply put any noun, just like you would after "can you find" in English. You can also
substitute the verb, but that requires a bit more proficiency as you would have to know what fits after
the new verb.

For Example:

1. Kan du finne bandasjen?

"Can you find the bandage?"

2. Kan du finne nål og tråd?

"Can you find a needle and thread?"
3. Kan du finne et plaster?
"Can you find a band aid?"

That should help you at least convey some of your problems in a disaster. You can also check back at our
lesson for when you are going to the doctor in our Absolute Beginners Series. There, we detail a few
other ways of talking about symptoms.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Contacting the Authorities

When in an emergency in Norway, the best thing is to call 112. This is the emergency number to the
police, and you should call it no matter whether it's an ambulance or a fire truck that you need. If you
are not in an emergency, then the local police department, fire department, and hospital also have office
lines that you can find in any telephone book. In Norway, we have several of these phone number
databases online, something which is both practical and also concerning when it comes to privacy. If you
ever need to know the phone number of the local police station, hospital, or for that matter anything or
anyone else in Norway, simply look up gulesider or telefonkatalogen or 1881 online, or you can call the
last number for the same service. Norwegians often use these services.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #24 6

LESSON NOTES

Lower Beginner S1 #25

Can You Understand Norwegian Dialects?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 25
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #25 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Trond : Hei Kjersti, håssen står e til?

2. Kjersti : Hei Trond, takk, bare bra.

3. Trond : Det e lenge sia enn har sjått inaen!

4. Kjersti : Jo, det er en stund siden nå.

5. Trond : Eg hørte du har blitt sammen med han Espen?

6. Kjersti : Jo, det stemmer!

ENGLISH

1. Trond : Hi, Kjersti, how are you?

2. Kjersti : Hi, Trond, I'm fine, thanks.

3. Trond : Long time no see!

4. Kjersti : Yes, it's been a while now.

5. Trond : I heard you are engaged to Espen.

6. Kjersti : Yes, that's correct.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

sia since adjective

enn one pronoun

han him pronoun

håssen how adverb

å være to be verb

stund while noun

eg I pronoun

inaen each other pronoun

lenge long adjective

å stemme to be correct (correct) verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #25 2
 Kor lenge sia var det? Enn kan sjå på det fra to sider.

"How long since was it?" "One can see it from two sides."

han tok lua. Håssen går det med deg?

"He took the hat." "How are you doing?"

Vær litt mer aktiv. Du e jammen meg stor blitt.

"Be a bit more active." "You have become quite big."

Hvem vil du være? Det har vært en stund nå.

"Who do you want to be?" "It’s been a while now."

Eg skal bli med. Vi har ikkje sett inaen enda.

"I’ll join." "We haven’t met each other yet."

Det varte lenge. Det stemmer det du sier.

"It lasted long." "What you're saying is correct."

Det stemmer.

"That's correct."

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

å være

There are many verbs that have the same infinitive form in dialects but end up with different present
tense or past tense conjugations. Å være ("to be") is one of those verbs. In our vocabulary list, it is listed
in the infinitive, but in our dialogue we conjugate it as e.

For Example:

1. Eg e tørst.
"I am thirsty."

lenge sia

The phrase lenge sia or lenge siden is equivalent to the English "long time since..." The phrase lenge sia
sist translates as "long time since last time... " However, alone it can mean "long time no see."

The same goes for the word stund, meaning "while" as in "a while." One can say en stund sia sist. This
essentially means the same as lenge sia sist and translates as "a while since last time." You might notice
that the "time" part is missing in the Norwegian sentence; this is because you can include or omit it at
your own discretion. If you include it, the above sentence would be en stund sia sist gang. Here gang
means "time."

GRAMMAR
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #25 3
The Focus of This Lesson Is Dialects.
Hei Kjersti, håssen står e til?
"Hi Kjersti, how are you?"
Det e lenge sia enn har sjått inaen!
"Long time no see!"

In this lesson's grammar point, we'll talk about dialects and look at some of the key elements that make
the differences so daunting.

In our dialogue, we had Trond, who speaks with the Gjerstad dialect. It's a dialect in southern Norway;
however, it does not sound like many of the other dialects in southern Norway as much as it sounds like
it belongs somewhere in western Norway. Non-native speakers this might be indifferent to this;
however, it is a great example of how diverse Norwegian dialects can be. The sentence Hei Kjersti,
håssen står e til? ("Hi Kjersti, how are you?") is not an accepted written form. If they were to write in
Gjerstad, they would use the bokmål form even though their dialect sounds much more close to
nynorsk. The difference between bokmål and nynorsk would deserve its own lesson series as it is just as
complex as bokmål. However, to make an easy distinction between the two written languages, bokmål is
the most common official written language, and it has its roots in Danish, while nynorsk is less common
but still an official language, and we can trace its roots back to the different dialects of Norway not
spoken in or near the capital. That is why most dialects end up sounding more like nynorsk than bokmål.

Now, let's get back to the sentence above. If we were to compare this with the dialect we have already
learned, we'd see that there are some major differences in vocabulary.

Compare Hei Kjersti, håssen står e til to Hei Kjersti, hvordan går det? or Hei Kjersti, hvordan står det til?
The former is more common in the Oslo dialect than the latter; however, we can use both, and the latter
is word for word how Trond said it in his dialect. We can see that the words håssen and hvordan, as well
as e and det, are different. The hardest part of any Norwegian dialect is the changing vocabulary. It
makes it difficult for even Norwegians to understand some dialects as they are uninitiated to the
vocabulary used. E and det, on the other hand, are just a matter of slang. You can find often that
Norwegians contract a lot of the words in a sentence in to one seemingly long word. Saying ståretil is
much quicker and efficient than saying står det til. Unfortunately, this makes it very hard for foreigners
trying to learn Norwegian.

Besides learning the vocabulary of a dialect, there isn't much one can do to increase one's
understanding of it. However, there is some slang that is common to most dialects, and it doesn't
involve learning new words necessarily but rather how we contract them to make quicker sentences. In
the second sentence that Trond says, he is using two of these slang words.

For Example:

1. Det e lenge sia enn har sjått inaen!

"Long time no see!"

This is not a direct translation; it would sound more like "It's a long time since one has seen each other."
Now, the words that we use as slang in this sentence are e ("is") and sia ("since"). You will even find
people in Oslo using this slang. To compare them with the bokmål version, e is er and sia is siden. Let's
look at some more examples of slang that you'll find both in remote dialects and the Oslo dialect that
you are so familiar with.

For Example:

1. Hvoran gåre? - Hvordan går det?

"How are you?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #25 4

 2. Skarru blimepå kino? - Skal du bli med på kino?
"Do you want to go to the cinema?"

3. Jeg ække så gladiræ - Jeg er ikke så glad i deg.

"I am not that fond of you."

Now, most of these would have some vocabulary changes if you were to translate them into some of the
more extreme dialects. Often, we replace jeg ("I") by eg or æ for example, and ikke ("not") with ikkje. But
these ways of contracting sentences to make them more easy and quick to pronounce is something that
most dialects have in common.

CULTURAL INSIGHT
The Dialects of Norway

In Norway, when we talk about dialects, we usually split them into four main groups: northern
Norwegian, trondersk, western Norwegian, and eastern Norwegian. Under these four main groupings
we have about 250 to 500 dialects, depending on your definition. The commonly believed reason for this
large number of dialects is the geographical shape of Norway along with the large number of
mountainous areas that would split many communities in terms of communication. This theory is
further strengthened by the observing dialects that sound entirely different but exist only with a
mountain ridge between them geographically. However, when learning Norwegian, it is not that
important to understand each dialect, but understanding that Norwegian consists of many dialects will
help understanding the irregularity found in some parts of the language.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM LOWER BEGINNER S1 #25 5

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #1
Self Introduction

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 1
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #1 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hei, jeg heter Anne.

2. Hyggelig.

3. God dag, jeg heter Anne Hansen.

4. Hyggelig å møte deg.

ENGLISH

1. Hi, I'm Anne.

2. Nice to meet you.

3. Hello, I'm Anne Hansen.

4. Nice to meet you.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

hei hi expression

jeg I pronoun

heter am, are called verb

Anne Anne pronoun

god dag good day, hello expression

hyggelig nice adjective

å møte to meet verb

deg you noun

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hei, hvordan går det Maria? Hei, Maria.

"Hello, how are you Maria?" "Hello, Maria."

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #1 2

 Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Ha en god dag!

"I don't know her." "Have a nice day!"

Han var en hyggelig mann. Det var hyggelig å ha lunsj sammen.

"He was a polite man." "It was nice to have lunch together."

Vi kan møtes på stasjonen. Jeg ville ha likt å møte foreldrene dine.

"We can meet at the station." "I would love to meet your parents."

Jeg møter deg klokka ti foran stasjonen. Åja, det er deg.

I will meet you at 10 PM in front of the station. "Oh, it’s you."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Introduce Yourself

Learn four key phrases to introduce yourself:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hei, jeg heter Anne. Hi, I'm Anne.

Word 1 hei hi

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 heter am

Word 4 Anne Anne, person's first name

Phrase 2 God dag, jeg heter Anne Hansen. Hello, I'm Anne Hansen.

Word 1 god dag good day

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 heter am

Word 4 Anne Hansen Anne Hansen, person's full name

Phrase 3 Hyggelig. Nice to meet you.

Word 1 hyggelig nice

Phrase 4 Hyggelig å møte deg. Nice to meet you.

Word 1 hyggelig nice

Word 2 å møte to meet

Word 3 deg you

CULTURAL INSIGHT

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #1 3

While hyggelig å møte deg is slightly more formal than just hyggelig, you don't need to worry too much
about which one you choose to use. If you use either one of these sentences with Norwegian people,
they're definitely going to be impressed!

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #1 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #2
Greetings

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 2
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #2 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hei.

2. God dag.

3. Ha det.

4. Ha det bra.

ENGLISH

1. Hi.

2. Good day.

3. Bye.

4. Goodbye.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

Hei. Hi. interjection

god good adjective

dag day noun masculine

ha to have

det it noun

bra good adjective

god dag good day, hello expression

Ha det bra. Goodbye. expression

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Denne maten var veldig god! Denne er god!

"This dish was very delicious." "This is good!"

hele dagen Hvilken dag er det idag?

all day long "What day is it today?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #2 2

 Ha en god dag! Jenta har en sparegris.

"Have a nice day!" The girl has a piggy bank.

det må være det dummeste jeg har hørt. Jeg føler meg bra.

"It’s got to be the stupidest thing I've heard." "I feel good."

Bra du kunne komme. Jeg har det bra.

"Good of you to come." "I'm good."

Ha en god dag!

"Have a nice day!"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Greet Someone When You Arrive and When You Leave

Learn four key phrases to greet someone when you arrive and when you leave:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hei. Hi.

Word 1 hei hi

Phrase 2 God dag. Good day.

Word 1 god good

Word 2 dag day

Phrase 3 Ha det. Bye.

Word 1 ha have

Word 2 det it

Phrase 4 Ha det bra. Goodbye.

Word 1 ha have

Word 2 det it

Word 3 bra good

CULTURAL INSIGHT
In this lesson we introduced God dag, but be careful because if you use it you could come across as very
reserved or wanting to keep your distance. In general, Hei is better, and you can also use it with your
boss or when you meet someone for the first time. God dag is more appropriate for public speaking or
highly formal situations.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #2 3

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #3
Manners

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 3
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #3 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Takk.

2. Tusen takk.

3. Mange takk.

4. Takk skal du ha.

ENGLISH

1. Thank you.

2. Thank you very much.

3. Thanks a lot.

4. Thank you very much.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

mange many adjective

tusen one thousand number

skal shall noun

du you pronoun

ha to have

Mange takk Many thanks expression

Tusen takk. Thank you very much. expression

Takk. Thank you. sentence

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Det var mange grunner til å fortsette å skrive for Jeg har mange hester.
avisen.
"I have many horses."
"There were numerous reasons to keep writing
for the newspaper."

Jeg fant ettusen kroner. Det finnes flere tusen stjerner.

"I found one thousand kroner!" "Thousands of stars exist."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #3 2

 Skal jeg lage deg noe mat? Du er invitert.

"Should I make you some food?" "You are invited."

Hei, hvordan har du det? Jenta har en sparegris.

"Hi, how are you?" The girl has a piggy bank.

Mange takk, Siv!

"Many thanks, Siv!"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Thank Other People in Various Ways

Learn four key phrases to thank other people in various ways:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Takk. Thank you.

Word 1 takk thanks

Phrase 2 Tusen takk. Thank you very much.

Word 1 tusen thousand

Word 2 takk thanks

Phrase 3 Mange takk. Thanks a lot.

Word 1 mange many

Word 2 takk thanks

Phrase 4 Takk skal du ha. Thank you very much.

Word 1 takk thanks

Word 2 skal shall

Word 3 du you

Word 4 ha have

CULTURAL INSIGHT
If you're not sure about whether to use takk or tusen takk, keeping it simple is always your safest bet.
You don't have to worry about formal or informal situations; takk can be used with just about anyone,
anywhere, and at any time!

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #3 3

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #4
Asking How Someone Is

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 4
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #4 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hvordan går det?

2. Hvordan har du det?

3. Det går bra, takk.

4. Ikke så bra.

ENGLISH

1. How are you?

2. How are you?

3. I'm fine. Thank you.

4. Not so well.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

hvordan how adverb

har have verb

du you pronoun

det it noun

bra good, well adjective

Takk. Thanks. expression

ikke not, don't conjunction

så so, how adverb

går go verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hvordan sier man ... Hvordan bruker du dette?

how do you say… How do you use this?

Fortell meg hvordan man bruker fjernkontrollen. Hei, hvordan går det Maria?

"Tell me how to use the remote control." "Hello, how are you Maria?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #4 2

 Hvordan går det? Når har du bursdag?

"How goes it?" "When do you have birthday?"

Hei, hvordan har du det? Du er invitert.

"Hi, how are you?" "You are invited."

Hei, hvordan har du det? det må være det dummeste jeg har hørt.

"Hi, how are you?" "It’s got to be the stupidest thing I've heard."

Jeg husker ikke hva du heter. Jeg liker ikke fotball.

"I can't remember your name." "I don't like soccer."

Fire stykker kom ikke. Så fin den ser ut.

"Four people did not come." "How nice it looks."

Så... hva er til middag? Denne bussen går til Stavanger.

"So... what's for dinner?" "This bus goes to Stavanger."

Hvordan går det?

"How goes it?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask and Answer the Question 'How Are You?'

Learn four key phrases to ask and answer the question 'How are you?':

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #4 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hvordan går det? How are you?

Word 1 hvordan how

Word 2 går goes

Word 3 det it

Phrase 2 Hvordan har du det? How are you?

Word 1 hvordan how

Word 2 har have

Word 3 du you

Word 4 det it

Phrase 3 Det går bra, takk. I'm fine. Thank you.

Word 1 det it

Word 2 går goes

Word 3 bra well

Word 4 takk thanks

Phrase 4 Ikke så bra. Not so well.

Word 1 ikke not

Word 2 så so

Word 3 bra well

CULTURAL INSIGHT
There's a slight difference between Hvordan går det? and Hvordan har du det?.
The first one, Hvordan går det?, is very common and casual, and the answer will likely be short and
sweet, while Hvordan har du det? sounds a bit more personal and invites the other person to open up
and share a bit more. Use the second one with people you have met at least a few times.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #4 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #5
Making Apologies

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 5
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #5 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Unnskyld.

2. Unnskyld meg.

3. Unnskyld, det var ikke meningen.

4. Jeg beklager så mye.

ENGLISH

1. Sorry.

2. Excuse me.

3. Sorry, I didn't mean it.

4. I'm so sorry.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

meg me pronoun

det it noun

var was verb

ikke not, don't conjunction

jeg I pronoun

mening opinion noun masculine

beklager sorry interjection

mye much adjective

så so, how adverb

unnskyld excuse me, I'm sorry interjection

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Kan du se meg? det må være det dummeste jeg har hørt.

"Can you see me?" "It’s got to be the stupidest thing I've heard."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #5 2

 Jeg var hjemme i går. Jeg husker ikke hva du heter.

"I was at home yesterday." "I can't remember your name."

Jeg liker ikke fotball. Fire stykker kom ikke.

"I don't like soccer." "Four people did not come."

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Beklager, jeg kan ikke gå med deg.

"I don't know her." "Sorry, I can't go with you."

Beklager. Så fin den ser ut.

"I am sorry." "How nice it looks."

Så... hva er til middag? Unnskyld, hvor går du?

"So... what's for dinner?" "Excuse me, where are you going?"

Unnskyld jeg har glemt det.

"Sorry, I forgot it."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Apologize and Say That You Didn't Do It on Purpose or You Are
Sorry

Learn four key phrases to apologize and say that you didn't do it on purpose or you are sorry:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #5 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Unnskyld. Sorry.

Word 1 unnskyld sorry

Phrase 2 Unnskyld meg. Excuse me.

Word 1 unnskyld excuse

Word 2 meg me

Phrase 3 Unnskyld, det var ikke meningen. Sorry, I didn't mean it.

Word 1 unnskyld sorry

Word 2 det it

Word 3 var was

Word 4 ikke not

Word 5 meningen the intention

Phrase 4 Jeg beklager så mye. I'm so sorry.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 beklager apologize

Word 3 så mye so much

CULTURAL INSIGHT
In Norway, if you accidentally bump into someone, you might not get any response. But to be polite, you
should either say unnskyld or beklager. It is also common to use the exclamation å! before apologizing.
Å! beklager.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #5 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #6
Refusing Politely

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 6
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #6 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Nei takk.

2. Nei, men ellers takk.

3. Beklager, men jeg har allerede lovt meg bort.

4. Jeg har veldig lyst, men jeg kan ikke.

ENGLISH

1. No, thank you.

2. No, but thank you.

3. Sorry, I already have plans.

4. I really want to, but I can't.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

nei No. interjection

men but conjunction

ellers otherwise conjunction

beklager sorry interjection

jeg I pronoun

har have verb

allerede already adverb

takk thanks verb

kan ikke cannot (can’t) phrase

veldig very adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg er trøtt, men jeg må bli ferdig med denne Jeg vet du er travel, men kan du ringe advokaten
rapporten i kveld. min?

"I'm sleepy but I have to finish this report "I know you are busy. But can you call my
tonight." lawyer?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #6 2

 Jeg vil, men kan ikke. Men kan ikke du komme hit?

"I want to, but I can't." But can’t you come here?

Jeg liker deg men... Ellers, er det kanskje bedre å ikke oppmuntre
han for mye.
"I like you but..."
"Otherwise, it might be better not to encourage
him too much."

Beklager, jeg kan ikke gå med deg. Beklager.

"Sorry, I can't go with you." "I am sorry."

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Når har du bursdag?

"I don't know her." "When do you have birthday?"

Hei, hvordan har du det? Den var allerede fire på ettermiddagen.

"Hi, how are you?" "It was already four in the afternoon."

Takk, Kari! Jeg kan ikke spise.

"Thanks, Kari!" "I can’t eat."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Refuse Politely An Invitation

Learn four key phrases to refuse politely an invitation:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #6 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Nei takk. No, thank you.

Word 1 nei no

Word 2 takk thanks

Phrase 2 Nei, men ellers takk. No, but thank you.

Word 1 nei no

Word 2 men but

Word 3 ellers otherwise

Word 4 takk thanks

Phrase 3 Beklager, men jeg har allerede lovt meg bort. Sorry, I already have plans.

Word 1 beklager, men sorry, but

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 har have

Word 4 allerede already

Word 5 lovt meg bort promised me away

Phrase 4 Jeg har veldig lyst, men jeg kan ikke. I really want to, but I can't.

Word 1 jeg har veldig lyst I really want to

Word 2 men but

Word 3 jeg kan ikke I can't

CULTURAL INSIGHT
In more casual and impersonal situations, for example if you are offered a flyer on the street, you can
refuse by just shortling saying: Nei takk.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #6 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #7
Do You Speak English?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 7
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #7 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Snakker du engelsk?

2. Ja, litt.

3. Ja, det gjør jeg.

4. Nei, det gjør jeg ikke.

ENGLISH

1. Do you speak English?

2. Yes, a little.

3. Yes, I do.

4. No, I don't.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

snakker speak verb

du you pronoun

engelsk English noun masculine

ja yes interjection

litt a little adverb

det that pronoun

gjøre do verb

jeg I pronoun

nei No. interjection

ikke not interjection

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #7 2

 Kan du oversette fra engelsk til kinesisk for meg? Herr Suzuki lærer engelsk.

Can you translate from English to Chinese for Mr. Suzuki teaches English.
me?

Alle bør lære seg engelsk for å kommunisere Han snakker engelsk.
med andre.
"He speaks English."
"Everybody should learn English to communicate
with others. "

Ja, jeg røyker. Fikk du med deg det?

"Yes, I smoke." "Did you get all of that?"

Ole, jeg er lei for det. Jeg har så mye jobb å gjøre.

"Ole, I am sorry about that." I have so much work to do!

å gjøre alt Jeg gjør lekser hver dag etter skolen.

to do it all I do homework every day after school.

Kvinnen gjorde husarbeid. Kvinnen gjør husarbeid.

The woman did housework. The woman does housework.

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Han hadde ikke tid.

"I don't know her." "He didn’t have time."

Er ikke du sliten?

"Are you tired?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask and Answer the Question 'Do You Speak English?'

Learn four key phrases to ask and answer the question 'Do you speak English?':

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #7 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Snakker du engelsk? Do you speak English?

Word 1 snakker speak

Word 2 du you

Word 3 engelsk English

Phrase 2 Ja, litt. Yes, a little.

Word 1 ja yes

Word 2 litt a little

Phrase 3 Ja, det gjør jeg. Yes, I do.

Word 1 ja yes

Word 2 det that

Word 3 gjør do

Word 4 jeg I

Phrase 4 Nei, det gjør jeg ikke. No, I don't.

Word 1 nei no

Word 2 det that

Word 3 gjør do

Word 4 jeg I

Word 5 ikke not

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Some Norwegians' English skills—especially some elderly people—are at quite a rudimentary level. Just
see it as a chance to practice your Norwegian skills!

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #7 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #8
Talking About Your Age

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 8
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #8 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hvor gammel er du?

2. Jeg er førtifem. Og du?

3. Jeg fyller atten år om en måned.

4. Det har jeg ikke lyst til å si.

ENGLISH

1. How old are you?

2. I'm forty-five. And you?

3. I turn eighteen in a month.

4. I prefer not to say.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hvor how pronoun

gammel old adjective

er is, am, are verb present tense

du you pronoun

jeg I pronoun

og and conjunction

om in preposition

det that pronoun

ikke not, don't conjunction

år year noun neutral

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hvor langt dro du? Hvor mye koster vasen?

"How far did you go?" "How much is that vase?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #8 2

 Jeg kastet vekk gamle leker i søpla. Jeg begynner å bli gammel.

"I threw away old toys in the garbage." "I am starting to get old."

Eg er trøytt. Er du vaken?

"I am tired." "Are you awake?"

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Jeg vil ha fisk og poteter.

"I don't know her." "I want fish and potatoes."

Jeg vil og bli med. Jeg tar en brandy og to øl.

"I also want to join." "One brandy and two beers please."

Jeg drar om en time. Fikk du med deg det?

"I am leaving in an hour." "Did you get all of that?"

Ole, jeg er lei for det. Jeg husker ikke hva du heter.

"Ole, I am sorry about that." "I can't remember your name."

Jeg liker ikke fotball. Fire stykker kom ikke.

"I don't like soccer." "Four people did not come."

Jeg har holdt på i flere år.

"I've done this for several years."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask Someone's Age and to Say Yours

Learn four key phrases to ask someone's age and to say yours:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #8 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hvor gammel er du? How old are you?

Word 1 hvor how

Word 2 gammel old

Word 3 er are

Word 4 du you

Phrase 2 Jeg er førtifem. Og du? I'm forty-five. And you?

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 er am

Word 3 førtifem forty-five

Word 4 og and

Word 5 du you

Phrase 3 Jeg fyller atten år om en måned. I turn eighteen in a month.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 fyller turn

Word 3 atten år eighteen years

Word 4 om in

Word 5 en måned a month

Phrase 4 Det har jeg ikke lyst til å si. I prefer not to say.

Word 1 det that

Word 2 har have

Word 3 jeg I

Word 4 ikke not

Word 5 lyst want

Word 6 til å si to say

CULTURAL INSIGHT
In Norway, most people don't consider it rude to ask someone's age, but some older people might not
agree. However, if it's somehow relevant to the situation or the person is quite young, you should not
have a problem!

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #8 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #9
Using Adjectives

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 9
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #9 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Jeg er norsk.

2. Du er amerikansk.

3. Vi er russiske.

4. De er filippinske.

ENGLISH

1. I'm Norwegian.

2. You're American.

3. We are Russian.

4. They are Filipino.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

jeg I pronoun

er is, am, are verb present tense

norsk Norwegian noun masculine

du you pronoun

amerikansk American noun, adjective

vi we pronoun

de they pronoun

russisk Russian noun masculine

filippinsk Filipino noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Eg er trøytt.

"I don't know her." "I am tired."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #9 2

 Er du vaken? Er dette norsk øl?

"Are you awake?" "Is this Norwegian beer?"

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

I dag virker det som amerikanske fabrikker Skal vi gå sammen?

legges ned i hundrevis.
"Shall we go together?"
"Today it seems that American factories are
shutting down by the hundreds."

Vi har poteter i kjøleskapet.

"We have potatoes in the fridge."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Use Adjectives in Simple Sentences

Learn four key phrases to use adjectives in simple sentences:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Jeg er norsk. I'm Norwegian.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 er am

Word 3 norsk Norwegian

Phrase 2 Du er amerikansk. You're American.

Word 1 du you

Word 2 er are

Word 3 amerikansk American

Phrase 3 Vi er russiske. We are Russian.

Word 1 vi we

Word 2 er are

Word 3 russiske Russian

Phrase 4 De er filippinske. They are Filipino.

Word 1 de they

Word 2 er are

Word 3 filippinske Filipino

CULTURAL INSIGHT

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #9 3

Unlike English, nationalities are written with a lowercase letter in Norwegian. The rule for the plural is
very simple, you just add -e at the end of the singular form. The same goes for other types of adjectives
for example søt, "sweet," in the plural becomes søte.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #9 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #10

Asking How Much Something Costs

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 10
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #10 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hvor mye koster det?

2. Er denne på salg?

3. OK, jeg tar den.

4. Nei takk. Det er for dyrt.

ENGLISH

1. How much does it cost?

2. Is this on sale?

3. OK, I'll take it.

4. No, thanks. It's too expensive.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hvor mye how much phrase

koster cost verb

det it noun

er is verb

denne this pronoun

på in, on preposition

salg sale noun neutral

OK OK adverb, interjection

jeg I pronoun

den that, it pronoun

for too adverb

dyrt expensive adjective

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #10 2

 Hvor mye koster vasen? det må være det dummeste jeg har hørt.

"How much is that vase?" "It’s got to be the stupidest thing I've heard."

Er du norsk? Denne boken, vær så snill.

"Are you Norwegian?" "This book, please."

Jeg går vanligvis tidlig hjem på fredager. Ta på deg lua!

"I usually go home early on Fridays." "Put on your hat!"

Jeg må på do. Butikken har alt på salg.

"I have to go to the toilet." "The store has everything on sale."

Jeg kjøpte genseren på salg. Ok, jeg går.

"I bought the sweater on sale." "OK, I'll go."

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Jeg kan ikke finne den.

"I don't know her." "I can't find it."

den skjorten vær så snill Han har for mye lekser å gjøre denne uka.

"That shirt, please." "He has too much homework to do this week."

Jeg er for syk til å dra på jobb, i dag. Bilen ser veldig dyr ut.

"I'm too sick to go to work today." "The car looks very expensive."

Det er dyrt å bo i Tokyo. I Norge er livet så dyrt.

"It is expensive to live in Tokyo." "In Norway life is so expensive."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask How Much Something Costs

Learn four key phrases to ask how much something costs:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #10 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hvor mye koster det? How much does it cost?

Word 1 hvor mye how much

Word 2 koster costs

Word 3 det it

Phrase 2 Er denne på salg? Is this on sale?

Word 1 er is

Word 2 denne this

Word 3 på on

Word 4 salg sale

Phrase 3 OK, jeg tar den. OK, I'll take it.

Word 1 OK OK

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 tar take

Word 4 den it

Phrase 4 Nei takk. Det er for dyrt. No, thanks. It's too expensive.

Word 1 Nei takk. No, thanks.

Word 2 det it

Word 3 er is

Word 4 for too

Word 5 dyrt expensive

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Price tags are usually attached to the item or on the shelf in all kinds of stores in Norway. If it's not,
however, it's fine to ask the person in charge using the sentence you just learned: Hvor mye koster det?

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #10 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #11

How to Read Prices

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 11
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #11 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Ti kroner.

2. Fem kroner og femti øre.

3. Syv hundre kroner.

4. Tjuefem, femti.

ENGLISH

1. Ten kroner.

2. Five kroner and fifty øre.

3. Seven hundred kroner.

4. Twenty-five and fifty.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

ti ten numeral

kroner Norwegian kroner (currency) noun

og and conjunction

femti fifty (50)

syv seven numeral

hundre hundred (100) numeral

tjuefem twenty-five (25) numeral

fem five numeral

øre cent noun

tjue twenty (20) numeral

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg kan telle fra en til ti på kinesisk. ti ting

I can count from one to ten in Chinese. ten things

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #11 2

 nummer ti ti grader

number ten ten degrees

Denne bygningen har ti etasjer. Min sønn er ti år gammel.

This building has ten floors. My son is ten years old.

Dette er 300 yen for ti stykker. ti stykker

This is 300 yen for ten pieces. ten pieces

Jeg har tjue kroner. Jeg vil ha fisk og poteter.

"I have twenty Norwegian Kroner." "I want fish and potatoes."

Jeg vil og bli med. Jeg tar en brandy og to øl.

"I also want to join." "One brandy and two beers please."

Moren min er femti år gammel. det er syv dager i hver uke

"My mother is fifty years old." There are seven (7) days in every week.

syv dager i en uke nummer syv

seven days a week number seven

syv grader Jeg skal møte vennen min klokken 7 på kvelden.

seven degrees I'm going to meet my friend at 7 p.m.

syv ting Jeg har bare hundre kroner!

seven things "I only have one hundred Kroner!"

Jeg er tjuefem. Tjueseks kroner og 50 øre.

"I am 25." "26 kroner and 50 cents."

Jeg har tjue kroner.

"I have twenty Norwegian Kroner."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Read Prices

Learn four key phrases to read prices:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #11 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Ti kroner. Ten kroner.

Word 1 ti ten

Word 2 kroner kroner

Phrase 2 Fem kroner og femti øre. Five kroner and fifty øre.

Word 1 fem fem

Word 2 kroner kroner (Norwegian currency)

Word 3 og and

Word 4 femti fifty

Word 5 øre øre (Norwegian currency)

Phrase 3 Syv hundre kroner. Seven hundred kroner.

Word 1 syv seven

Word 2 hundre hundred

Word 3 kroner kroner

Phrase 4 Tjuefem, femti. Twenty-five and fifty.

Word 1 tjuefem twenty-five

Word 2 femti fifty

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Øre also means "ear," but when reading prices øre indicate the money. There is one hundred øre in one
krone. The coin with the least value in circulation today, is one krone, but you will still pay the exact
decimal amount when paying with a card. When paying in cash instead, prices are rounded down to the
nearest number.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #11 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #12

Asking What Someone Is Doing

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 12
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #12 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hva gjør du?

2. Hva driver du med?

3. Jeg leser.

4. Ikke noe spesielt.

ENGLISH

1. What are you up to?

2. What are you doing?

3. I am reading.

4. Nothing special.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

hva what pronoun

du you pronoun

med with conjunction, preposition

jeg I pronoun

ikke not interjection

noe anything pronoun

gjøre do verb

lese read verb

spesielt especially adverb

drive to operate verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hvorfor? Hva snakker du om?

What for? "What are you talking about?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #12 2

 Hva vil du gjøre? Du er invitert.

"What do you want to do?" "You are invited."

Hei, hvordan har du det? Vil du gå på kino med meg?

"Hi, how are you?" "Will you go to the movies with me?"

Brødskive med hva? Jeg blir med!

"A slice of bread with what?" "I'm coming with you!"

Blir du med? Den med hunden på, vær så snill.

"Are you joining?" "The one with the dog (on it), please."

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Han hadde ikke tid.

"I don't know her." "He didn’t have time."

Er ikke du sliten? Kan jeg by på noe?

"Are you tired?" "Can I treat you to something?"

Jeg har så mye jobb å gjøre. å gjøre alt

I have so much work to do! to do it all

Jeg gjør lekser hver dag etter skolen. Kvinnen gjorde husarbeid.

I do homework every day after school. The woman did housework.

Kvinnen gjør husarbeid. Moren leser for datteren sin.

The woman does housework. The mother is reading to her daughter.

lese et blad Kvinnen leser et blad.

read a magazine The woman is reading a magazine.

lese avisa Skru av TV-en, og les ei bok.

read the newspaper Turn off the television, and read a book.

Mora leser for dattera si. lese for dattera si

The mother reads to her daughter. read to one's daughter

lese en bok for dattera si Mora leste en bok for dattera si.

read a book to one's daughter The mother read a book to her daughter.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #12 3

 Mora leste for dattera si. Mora leser en bok for dattera si.

The mother read to her daughter. The mother reads a book to her daughter.

Moren leser for datteren sin.

The mother reads to her daughter.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask and Answer the Question 'What Are You Doing?'

Learn four key phrases to ask and answer the question 'What are you doing?':

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hva gjør du? What are you up to?

Word 1 hva what

Word 2 gjør do

Word 3 du you

Phrase 2 Hva driver du med? What are you doing?

Word 1 hva what

Word 2 driver "do", operate

Word 3 du you

Word 4 med with

Phrase 3 Jeg leser. I am reading.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 leser read

Phrase 4 Ikke noe spesielt. Nothing special.

Word 1 ikke not

Word 2 noe anything

Word 3 spesielt especially

CULTURAL INSIGHT
You can use Hva driver du med? also when inquiring about what someone does for a living.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #12 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #13

Who Is It?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 13
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #13 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hvem er det?

2. Hvem er det der?

3. Det er meg.

4. Det er vennen min.

ENGLISH

1. Who is it?

2. Who is that?

3. It's me.

4. It's my friend.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hvem who pronoun

er is verb

det it noun

der there preposition, adverb

meg me pronoun

min my pronoun

venn friend noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg bryr meg ikke om hvem som ringer, du kan Jeg vet ikke hvem han er.
ikke bruke telefonen her.
"I don’t know who he is."
"I don't care who is calling, you cannot use the
phone here."

hvem var det? Er du norsk?

"Who was that?" "Are you Norwegian?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #13 2

 det må være det dummeste jeg har hørt. Vennligst putt shoppingposene der.

"It’s got to be the stupidest thing I've heard." "Please, put the shopping bags there."

Jeg la telefonen din over der. Toalettet er der borte.

"I left your phone over there." "The bathroom is over there."

Kan du se meg? Bagen min er for tung.

"Can you see me?" "My bag is too heavy."

Hun var en venn av meg inntil jeg fikk Han har vært vennen min i tjue år.
forfremmelsen i stedet for henne.
"He has been my friend for twenty years."
"She was a friend of mine until I got the
promotion instead of her."

Bestevennen min og jeg går over alt sammen. Han har veldig mange venner.

"My best friend and I go everywhere together." "He has a lot of friends."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask Who It Is

Learn four key phrases to ask who it is:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #13 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hvem er det? Who is it?

Word 1 hvem who

Word 2 er is

Word 3 det it

Phrase 2 Hvem er det der? Who is that?

Word 1 hvem who

Word 2 er is

Word 3 det it

Word 4 der there

Phrase 3 Det er meg. It's me.

Word 1 det it

Word 2 er is

Word 3 meg me

Phrase 4 Det er vennen min. It's my friend.

Word 1 det it

Word 2 er is

Word 3 vennen the friend

Word 4 min my

CULTURAL INSIGHT
In Norway, if someone rings or knocks at your door, you go and open it right away. People don't often
use a peephole, as the level of trust in Norwegian society is high, and you rarely have anything to fear
from the person on the other side of the door. However, if you feel safer asking first, use the sentence
we just learned Hvem er det?

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #13 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #14

When Are You Leaving?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 14
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #14 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Når drar du?

2. Drar du i kveld?

3. Jeg drar om to timer.

4. Jeg drar neste uke.

ENGLISH

1. When are you leaving?

2. Are you leaving tonight?

3. I leave in two hours.

4. I leave next week.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

når when adverb

du you pronoun

i kveld tonight expression

jeg I pronoun

om in preposition

to two numeral

neste next adjective masculine

uke week noun feminine

dra leave

time hour noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Når starter fotballkampen? Jeg trener hver morgen når jeg står opp.

"When does the football game start?" "I am exercising every morning when I wake up."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #14 2

 Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

Jeg skal ut i kveld. Jeg er ikke hjemme nå.

"I'm going out tonight." "I am not at home now."

Jeg liker ikke servitøren. Jeg kjenner ikke henne.

"I don't like the waiter." "I don't know her."

Jeg drar om en time. nummer to

"I am leaving in an hour." number two

Nummeret to er favorittnummeret mitt. to grader

The number two is my favorite number. two degrees

Jeg har to (2) armer og to (2) ben. Gi meg to billetter, vær så snill.

I have two (2) arms and two (2) legs. Give me two tickets, please.

Vinterferien er to uker lang. to uker lang

Winter vacation is two weeks long. two weeks long

to billetter Bursdagen min er neste uke.

two tickets "My birthday is next week."

Sving til høyre rundt neste hjørne. Det er syv dager i en uke

"Please turn right at the next corner." There are seven days in a week.

Administrasjonsansvarlige drar med en kollega. Jeg kommer hjem fra jobben om en time.

The company executive leaves with a colleague. I’ll be home from work in an hour.

i en time Jeg sover 8 timer hver dag.

for one hour I sleep for 8 hours every day.

det er 60 minutter i en time. Jeg sov i ti timer forrige natt.

There are 60 minutes in an hour. "I slept for ten hours last night."

Det er om en time. Jeg drar om en time.

"That’s in an hour." "I am leaving in an hour."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask When Someone Is Leaving

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #14 3

Learn four key phrases to ask when someone is leaving:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Når drar du? When are you leaving?

Word 1 når when

Word 2 drar leave

Word 3 du you

Phrase 2 Drar du i kveld? Are you leaving tonight?

Word 1 drar leave

Word 2 du you

Word 3 i kveld tonight

Phrase 3 Jeg drar om to timer. I leave in two hours.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 drar leave

Word 3 om in

Word 4 to two

Word 5 timer hours

Phrase 4 Jeg drar neste uke. I leave next week.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 drar leave

Word 3 neste next

Word 4 uke week

CULTURAL INSIGHT
Using the same pattern, you can ask when someone is doing something, for example, Når kommer du?
which means "When are you arriving?" or Når kommer toget? which means "When is the train arriving?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #14 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #15

Where Are You Going?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 15
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #15 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hvor skal du?

2. Skal du hjem?

3. Jeg skal bare på butikken.

4. Jeg drar på jobb nå.

ENGLISH

1. Where are you going?

2. Are you going home?

3. I'm just going to the store.

4. I'm leaving for work now.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hvor where adverb

skal shall noun

du you pronoun

hjem home noun neutral

jeg I pronoun

bare only, just adverb

jobb work noun masculine

nå now adverb

på at pronoun

butikk store noun masculine

dra leave

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hvor skal du imorgen kveld? Hvor skal du hen?

"Where are you going tomorrow night?" "Where are you going?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #15 2

 Hvor er sjefen? Skal jeg lage deg noe mat?

"Where is the boss?" "Should I make you some food?"

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

komme hjem tidlig Kvinnen kommer hjem.

return home early The woman is returning home.

familien flyttet til et nytt hjem nytt hjem

The family moved to a new home. new home

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Jeg er bare ledig på søndag.

"I don't know her." "I am only free on Sunday."

Jeg er bare litt syk. Det er bare meg.

"I am just a bit sick." "It's only me."

Bare gå rett fremover. Jeg har bare hundre kroner!

"Just go straight ahead." "I only have one hundred Kroner!"

Jeg er på jobben. Hva vil du gjøre nå?

"I'm at work." What do you want to do now?

Nå, vær så snill og hør på meg. Kan du gå nå?

"Now, please listen to me." "Can you go now?"

Det går bra nå. Nå må du høre!

"It’s ok now." "Now listen to me!"

Jeg går til butikken for å kjøpe litt melk og egg. butikk for herreklær

I'm going to the store to buy some milk and eggs. menswear store

hjørnebutikk Administrasjonsansvarlige drar med en kollega.

corner store The company executive leaves with a colleague.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask Where Someone Is Going

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #15 3

Learn four key phrases to ask where someone is going:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hvor skal du? Where are you going?

Word 1 hvor where

Word 2 skal shall

Word 3 du you

Phrase 2 Skal du hjem? Are you going home?

Word 1 skal shall

Word 2 du you

Word 3 hjem home

Phrase 3 Jeg skal bare på butikken. I'm just going to the store.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 skal shall

Word 3 bare just

Word 4 på to

Word 5 butikken the store

Phrase 4 Jeg drar på jobb nå. I'm leaving for work now.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 drar leave

Word 3 på for

Word 4 jobb work

Word 5 nå now

CULTURAL INSIGHT
The question we just learned Hvor skal du? can be used in different contexts, for example, when asking
about someone's vacation plans or when someone gets ready to leave, and you want to know where
they're off to.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #15 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #16

Asking Directions

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 16
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #16 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hvor er stasjonen?

2. Gå rett frem.

3. Ta til høyre.

4. Ta til venstre.

ENGLISH

1. Where is the station?

2. Go straight.

3. Turn right.

4. Turn left.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hvor where adverb

er is verb

gå go verb

rett straight adverb

ta take verb

til to preposition

høyre right adjective

venstre left adjective

stasjon station noun masculine

frem forward adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hvor skal du imorgen kveld? Hvor skal du hen?

"Where are you going tomorrow night?" "Where are you going?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #16 2

 Hvor er sjefen? Er du norsk?

"Where is the boss?" "Are you Norwegian?"

Jeg går på skole i byen. gå rett fram

I go to school in the city. go straight ahead

Jeg gikk rett hjem i går kveld. Menneskene tar jordbærene.

"I went straight home last night." The people take the strawberries.

Sving til høyre ved neste lyskryss. Butikken ligger til høyre her.

Turn right at the next light. "The shop lies to the right here."

I Norge kjører vi på høyre side. Kjør rett fram og så ta til venstre i andre kryss.

"In Norway, we drive on the right side." Go straight, and then turn left at the second
intersection.

det er på venstre hånd venstre sving skilt

It's on the left side. left turn sign

Han skriver med venstre hånd. Aldri snu mot venstre her.

"He writes with his left hand." "Never turn left here."

Jeg drar alltid til stasjonen på mopeden. Stasjonen er langt herifra.

I always go to the station by moped. The station is far from here.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask and Understand Basic Directions

Learn four key phrases to ask and understand basic directions:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #16 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hvor er stasjonen? Where is the station?

Word 1 hvor where

Word 2 er is

Word 3 stasjonen the station

Phrase 2 Gå rett frem. Go straight.

Word 1 gå go

Word 2 rett straight

Word 3 frem forward

Phrase 3 Ta til høyre. Turn right.

Word 1 ta take

Word 2 til to

Word 3 høyre right

Phrase 4 Ta til venstre. Turn left.

Word 1 ta take

Word 2 til to

Word 3 venstre left

CULTURAL INSIGHT
It's easy to get lost when you don't know your way around a new place. Even though Norwegians are
known to be somewhat private and shy, most will also be happy to help you out. So go ahead and ask
for the place you're trying to find.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #16 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #17

Why?

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 17
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #17 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hvorfor er du sen?

2. Fordi jeg mistet toget.

3. Hvorfor er du sliten?

4. Fordi jeg har jobbet mye.

ENGLISH

1. Why are you late?

2. Because I missed the train.

3. Why are you tired?

4. Because I have worked a lot.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

hvorfor why adverb

er is, am, are verb present tense

du you pronoun

sen late verb

fordi because conjunction

jeg I pronoun

sliten tired, exhausted adjective

mye much, a lot adjective

tog train noun neutral

jobbe to work verb

miste loose verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hvorfor står lampen her? Eg er trøytt.

"Why is the lamp in that position?" "I am tired."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #17 2

 Er du vaken? Du er invitert.

"Are you awake?" "You are invited."

Hei, hvordan har du det? Han er alltid sen for klassen.

"Hi, how are you?" "He is always late for class."

Unnskyld meg for at jeg er sen. Fordi det var ikke plass noe annet sted.

"Excuse me for being late." "Because there was not any space elsewhere."

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Er ikke du sliten?

"I don't know her." "Are you tired?"

Det er mye. på toget

"That's a lot." on the train

ta toget Toget er på togstasjonen.

take the train The train is at the train station.

Menneskene pendler med toget. sitte på et tog

The people are commuting by train. ride a train

pendle til jobben med toget Det neste toget til London vil ankomme om 30
minutter.
commute to work by train
"The next train to London will arrive in thirty
minutes."

Bruk toget. Toget er kjapt, men dyrt.

"Use the train." "The train is fast, but expensive."

Jeg jobber på sykehuset.

"I work at the hospital. "

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask and Answer Why

Learn four key phrases to ask and answer why:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #17 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hvorfor er du sen? Why are you late?

Word 1 hvorfor why

Word 2 er are

Word 3 du you

Word 4 sen late

Phrase 2 Fordi jeg mistet toget. Because I missed the train.

Word 1 fordi because

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 mistet missed

Word 4 toget the train

Phrase 3 Hvorfor er du sliten? Why are you tired?

Word 1 hvorfor why

Word 2 er are

Word 3 du you

Word 4 sliten tired

Phrase 4 Fordi jeg har jobbet mye. Because I have worked a lot.

Word 1 fordi because

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 har jobbet have worked

Word 4 mye a lot

CULTURAL INSIGHT
You can use Hvorfor ikke? which means, "Why not?" to accept an invitation you are not so keen to accept
—if it was not planned in advance. So, for example, if a friend suddenly invites you to the movies, you
can answer Hvorfor ikke?

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #17 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #18

Possession

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 18
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #18 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Har du en penn?

2. Ja, det har jeg.

3. Hvor mange penner har du?

4. Jeg har tre penner.

ENGLISH

1. Do you have a pen?

2. Yes, I do.

3. How many pens do you have?

4. I have three pens.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

har have verb

du you pronoun

en a, an article

penn pen noun masculine

ja yes interjection

det that pronoun

jeg I pronoun

Hvor mange? How many? phrase

tre three numeral

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Når har du bursdag? Hei, hvordan har du det?

"When do you have birthday?" "Hi, how are you?"

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #18 2

 Du er en god venn. Det var en lang vei.

"You are a good friend." "It was a long road."

Jeg tar notater med en penn for den er lett å bruk en kulepenn med svart blekk for å skrive
skrive med. under på disse papirene

I take notes with a pen, because it's easy to write Use a ballpoint pen with black ink to sign these
with. papers.

Pennen brakk i to. Ja, jeg røyker.

"The pen broke in half." "Yes, I smoke."

Fikk du med deg det? Ole, jeg er lei for det.

"Did you get all of that?" "Ole, I am sorry about that."

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Hvor mange av dere drar?

"I don't know her." "How many of you are going?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Talk about Possession

Learn four key phrases to talk about possession:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #18 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Har du en penn? Do you have a pen?

Word 1 har have

Word 2 du you

Word 3 en a

Word 4 penn pen

Phrase 2 Ja, det har jeg. Yes, I do.

Word 1 ja yes

Word 2 det that

Word 3 har have

Word 4 jeg I

Phrase 3 Hvor mange penner har du? How many pens do you have?

Word 1 hvor mange how many

Word 2 penner pens

Word 3 har have

Word 4 du you

Phrase 4 Jeg har tre penner. I have three pens.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 har have

Word 3 tre three

Word 4 penner pens

CULTURAL INSIGHT
To make a tag question, all you have to do is add the phrase ikke sant at the end of the sentence. For
example, Du har hund, ikke sant? means "You have a dog, right?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #18 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #19

Using Negation

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 19
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #19 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Jeg har ikke penger.

2. Jeg har ikke tid.

3. Jeg vet ikke.

4. Jeg forstår ikke.

ENGLISH

1. I don't have money.

2. I don't have time.

3. I don't know.

4. I don't understand.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

jeg I pronoun

har have verb

ikke not interjection

penger money noun common

tid time noun

forstår understand verb

Jeg vet ikke. I don't know. sentence

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Når har du bursdag?

"I don't know her." "When do you have birthday?"

Hei, hvordan har du det? Han hadde ikke tid.

"Hi, how are you?" "He didn’t have time."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #19 2

 Er ikke du sliten? Jeg har begynt å spare penger.

"Are you tired?" "I have started saving money."

Elevene forstår spørsmålet. Jeg forstår poenget.

"The elementary school students understand the "I got the point."
question."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to State Essential Negative Statements

Learn four key phrases to state essential negative statements:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Jeg har ikke penger. I don't have money.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 har have

Word 3 ikke not

Word 4 penger money

Phrase 2 Jeg har ikke tid. I don't have time.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 har have

Word 3 ikke not

Word 4 tid time

Phrase 3 Jeg vet ikke. I don't know.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 vet know

Word 3 ikke not

Phrase 4 Jeg forstår ikke. I don't understand.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 forstår understand

Word 3 ikke not

CULTURAL INSIGHT
If you want to refuse an invitation, by saying that you don't have time, instead of just saying Jeg har ikke
tid, you can add the word dessverre, which means "unfortunately," and make your refusal less direct. All
together, "Unfortunately I don't have time" is Jeg har dessverre ikke tid.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #19 3

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #20

Talking about Your Likes

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 20
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #20 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Liker du sjokolade?

2. Ja, det gjør jeg.

3. Liker du norsk mat?

4. Ja, jeg elsker det.

ENGLISH

1. Do you like chocolate?

2. Yes, I like it.

3. Do you like Norwegian food?

4. Yes, I love it.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

liker like verb

du you pronoun

sjokolade chocolate noun masculine

ja yes interjection

det that pronoun

jeg I pronoun

norsk Norwegian noun masculine

mat food noun masculine

elsker love verb

det it noun

gjøre do verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Du er invitert. Hei, hvordan har du det?

"You are invited." "Hi, how are you?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #20 2

 Noen personer kan bare ikke leve uten sjokolade. Kjæresten min elsker sjokolade.

"Some people just can't live without chocolate." "My girlfriend loves chocolate."

Ja, jeg røyker. Fikk du med deg det?

"Yes, I smoke." "Did you get all of that?"

Ole, jeg er lei for det. Jeg er ikke hjemme nå.

"Ole, I am sorry about that." "I am not at home now."

Jeg liker ikke servitøren. Jeg kjenner ikke henne.

"I don't like the waiter." "I don't know her."

Er dette norsk øl? Maurene bærer mat.

"Is this Norwegian beer?" "The ants are carrying food."

Skal jeg lage deg noe mat? det må være det dummeste jeg har hørt.

"Should I make you some food?" "It’s got to be the stupidest thing I've heard."

Jeg har så mye jobb å gjøre. å gjøre alt

I have so much work to do! to do it all

Jeg gjør lekser hver dag etter skolen. Kvinnen gjorde husarbeid.

I do homework every day after school. The woman did housework.

Kvinnen gjør husarbeid.

The woman does housework.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask And Talk About What You Like

Learn four key phrases to ask and talk about what you like:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #20 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Liker du sjokolade? Do you like chocolate?

Word 1 liker like

Word 2 du you

Word 3 sjokolade chocolate

Phrase 2 Ja, det gjør jeg. Yes, I like it.

Word 1 ja yes

Word 2 det that

Word 3 gjør do

Word 4 jeg I

Phrase 3 Liker du norsk mat? Do you like Norwegian food?

Word 1 liker like

Word 2 du you

Word 3 norsk Norwegian

Word 4 mat food

Phrase 4 Ja, jeg elsker det. Yes, I love it.

Word 1 ja yes

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 elsker love

Word 4 det it

CULTURAL INSIGHT
When it comes to sweets, you should know that Norwegians love licorice, from the sweet kind to those
that burn in your mouth. You can even find licorice ice cream! However, if this is not your cup of tea,
make sure you try melkesjokolade, which is "milk chocolate," a real Norwegian delicacy!

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #20 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #21

Talking about Your Dislikes

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 21
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #21 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Jeg liker ikke dette.

2. Jeg liker ikke å vente.

3. Jeg hater dette.

4. Jeg hater å vente.

ENGLISH

1. I don't like this.

2. I don't like waiting.

3. I hate this.

4. I hate waiting.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

jeg I pronoun

liker like verb

ikke not interjection

dette this pronoun

å vente to wait verb

Jeg hater dette. I hate this. sentence

hate hate verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Han hadde ikke tid.

"I don't know her." "He didn’t have time."

Er ikke du sliten? Hva er dette?

"Are you tired?" "What is this?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #21 2

 Kan du vente på fakturaen din et par dager til? Jeg liker ikke venting.
Jeg har den nesten klar.
"I don't like waiting."
"Can you wait for your invoice a couple of days
more? I have it almost ready."

Jeg hater å vente på deg i flere timer! Jeg liker ikke å vente på folk.

"I hate waiting for you for hours!" "I don't like waiting on people."

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Say That You Don't Like Something

Learn four key phrases to say that you don't like something:

Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Jeg liker ikke dette. I don't like this.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 liker like

Word 3 ikke not

Word 4 dette this

Phrase 2 Jeg liker ikke å vente. I don't like waiting.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 liker like

Word 3 ikke not

Word 4 å vente to wait

Phrase 3 Jeg hater dette. I hate this.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 hater hate

Word 3 dette this

Phrase 4 Jeg hater å vente. I hate waiting.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 hater hate

Word 3 å vente to wait

CULTURAL INSIGHT
When talking about your dislikes in Norwegian, you can add the words så godt at the end of the
sentence. Together, they make the phrase "so much." Using this will help you sound less direct or like
you are completely against something. For example Jeg liker ikke dette så godt. means "I don't like this
very much."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #21 3

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #21 4
LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #22

Ordering at a Restaurant

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 22
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #22 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kan jeg få se menyen?

2. Hva anbefaler du?

3. En kaffe, vær så snill.

4. Jeg tar en kaffe.

ENGLISH

1. May I see the menu?

2. What do you recommend?

3. A coffee, please.

4. I'll have a coffee.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

kan can verb

jeg I pronoun

se see verb

en a, an article

kaffe coffee noun masculine

Vær så snill. Please. expression

å få to get, to have verb

meny menu noun masculine

Hva anbefaler du? What do you recommend? sentence

å ta take

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #22 2

 Jeg kjenner ikke henne. se på en film

"I don't know her." watch a movie

Hun kan ikke se noen ting uten brillene sine. Jeg skal se et teaterstykke på søndag.

She cannot see anything without her glasses. I'll see a play on Sunday.

se noe se en solnedgang

see something see a sunset

Turistene så solnedgangen. Turistene ser på solnedgangen.

The tourists saw the sunset. The tourists see the sunset.

Du er en god venn. Det var en lang vei.

"You are a good friend." "It was a long road."

Kan jeg få en vanlig, svart kaffe, takk. jeg kan ikke starte dagen uten kaffe.

"Can I have a normal, black coffee please." "I can't start the day without coffee."

Jeg vil få en ny bok. Få se på telefonen din.

"I want to get a new book." "Let me have a look at your phone."

Få deg en pc. middagsmeny

"Get a PC." dinner menu

Kan jeg få se menyen takk? Kunden ser på menyen.

Can I see the menu please? The customer is looking at the menu.

velge fra menyen Kan jeg ta den?

select from the menu "Can I take that?"

Kan jeg ta med en venn?

"Can I bring a friend?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Order at a Restaurant or Coffee Shop

Learn four key phrases to order at a restaurant or coffee shop:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #22 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Kan jeg få se menyen? May I see the menu?

Word 1 kan can

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 få get to

Word 4 se see

Word 5 menyen the menu

Phrase 2 Hva anbefaler du? What do you recommend?

Word 1 hva what

Word 2 anbefaler recommend

Word 3 du you

Phrase 3 En kaffe, vær så snill. A coffee, please.

Word 1 en a

Word 2 kaffe coffee

Word 3 vær så snill please

Phrase 4 Jeg tar en kaffe. I'll have a coffee.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 tar take

Word 3 en a

Word 4 kaffe coffee

CULTURAL INSIGHT
There are many cafes and coffee shops in Norway, especially in the big cities. Norwegians are fans of
anything casual, and cafes are just like that—a relaxed place to hang out and meet up with new and old
friends and acquaintances.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #22 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #23

Asking for the Bill

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 23
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #23 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Kan jeg få regningen, takk?

2. Jeg vil gjerne betale.

3. Jeg fikk igjen feil beløp.

4. Behold resten.

ENGLISH

1. Can I have the check, please?

2. I'd like to pay, please.

3. I got the wrong amount back.

4. Keep the change.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

kan can verb

jeg I pronoun

gjerne gladly, with pleasure, please adverb

betale pay

fikk get (got) verb

feil wrong noun masculine

å få to get, to have verb

regning check noun feminine

takk thanks verb

vil want to (do something) verb

igjen again adverb

beløp amount noun neutral

beholde keep verb

rest rest noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #23 2

 Jeg er ikke hjemme nå. Jeg liker ikke servitøren.

"I am not at home now." "I don't like the waiter."

Jeg kjenner ikke henne. Du må gjerne ta litt mat.

"I don't know her." "You must take some food."

Kunden betaler ved kassa. Takk for gaven jeg fikk.

"The customer pays at the register." "Thanks for the gift you gave me."

Fikk du med deg det? Jeg fikk meg en hund.

"Did you get all of that?" "I got myself a dog."

Jeg tok feil. Jeg vil få en ny bok.

"I was wrong." "I want to get a new book."

Få se på telefonen din. Få deg en pc.

"Let me have a look at your phone." "Get a PC."

Jeg betaler regningen. Takk, Kari!

"I'll pay the bill." "Thanks, Kari!"

Jeg vil møte deg igjen. Kan du si det igjen?

"I want to meet you again." "Could you say that again?"

Hva var navnet ditt igjen?

"What was your name again?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Ask for the Bill and Check the Change

Learn four key phrases to ask for the bill and check the change:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #23 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Kan jeg få regningen, takk? Can I have the check, please?

Word 1 kan can

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 få get

Word 4 regningen the check

Word 5 takk please

Phrase 2 Jeg vil gjerne betale. I'd like to pay, please.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 vil want

Word 3 gjerne please

Word 4 betale pay

Phrase 3 Jeg fikk igjen feil beløp. I got the wrong amount back.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 fikk got

Word 3 igjen back

Word 4 feil wrong

Word 5 beløp amount

Phrase 4 Behold resten. Keep the change.

Word 1 behold keep

Word 2 resten the rest

CULTURAL INSIGHT
You don't have to give tips when eating at restaurants in Norway, as the waiters have a fixed salary. But if
you're extra happy with the service, it's also not uncommon to give 10 to 15% in tips.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #23 4

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #24

Offering an Invitation

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 24
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #24 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Har du planer fredag kveld?

2. Vil du komme på lunsj?

3. Jeg skal på kino.

4. Vil du bli med?

ENGLISH

1. Do you have plans on Friday night?

2. Would you like to come over for lunch?

3. I'm going to the movies.

4. Will you join?

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class Gender

har have verb

fredag Friday noun masculine

kveld evening noun masculine

komme come verb

lunsj lunch noun masculine

skal shall noun

kino cinema noun masculine

bli become verb

med with conjunction, preposition

plan plan noun masculine

vil want to (do something) verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Når har du bursdag? Hei, hvordan har du det?

"When do you have birthday?" "Hi, how are you?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #24 2

 Skriv planene for Fredag på kalenderen. Mandag, tirsdag, onsdag, torsdag og fredag er
ukedager.
Write the plans for Friday on the calendar.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday are weekdays.

Etter middagen koser vi oss om kvelden. hver kveld

After dinner we enjoy our evening. every evening

Jeg jobber hardt om dagen, så jeg slapper av om solnedgang om kvelden

kvelden.
evening sunset
I work hard during the day, so I relax in the
evening.

kveld i byen Tennisbanen er åpen om kvelden også.

evening in the city "The tennis court is open in the evening, too."

Vi spiller ofte kort på en varm sommerkveld. Ha en god kveld!

We often play cards on a warm summer evening. "Have a good evening!"

Kom fort! Bra du kunne komme.

"Quick, come!" "Good of you to come."

Supert at du kunne komme! En stor lunsj vil gjøre deg søvnig på

ettermiddagen.
"Great that you could come!"
A big lunch will make you sleepy in the
afternoon.

Hva vil du spise til lunsj? spise lunsj

What will you eat for lunch? eat lunch

Jeg tror det er tid for lunsj. Hva spiste du til lunsj idag?

"I think it is time for lunch." "What did you eat for lunch today?"

Jeg foretrekker å spise lunsj for meg selv i Hva er til lunsj?
parken.
"What's for lunch?"
"I prefer to eat lunch on my own in the park."

Det var hyggelig å ha lunsj sammen. Skal jeg lage deg noe mat?

"It was nice to have lunch together." "Should I make you some food?"

Jeg er på kino. Larven blir en sommerfugl.

"I am at the cinema." The caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #24 3

 Larven ble en sommerfugl. bli en sommerfugl

The caterpillar became a butterfly. become a butterfly

Vil du gå på kino med meg? Brødskive med hva?

"Will you go to the movies with me?" "A slice of bread with what?"

Jeg blir med! Blir du med?

"I'm coming with you!" "Are you joining?"

Den med hunden på, vær så snill. Selskapet annonserte den nye planen og alle ble
sjokkert.
"The one with the dog (on it), please."
The company announced the new plan, and
everyone was shocked.

stor plan

big plan

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Invite Someone Out

Learn four key phrases to invite someone out:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #24 4

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Har du planer fredag kveld? Do you have plans on Friday night?

Word 1 har have

Word 2 du you

Word 3 planer plans

Word 4 fredag Friday

Word 5 kveld evening

Phrase 2 Vil du komme på lunsj? Would you like to come over for lunch?

Word 1 vil will

Word 2 du you

Word 3 komme come

Word 4 på for

Word 5 lunsj lunch

Phrase 3 Jeg skal på kino. I'm going to the movies.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 skal shall

Word 3 på to

Word 4 kino cinema

Phrase 4 Vil du bli med? Will you join?

Word 1 vil will

Word 2 du you

Word 3 bli become

Word 4 med with

CULTURAL INSIGHT
While in many cultures, it's common to refuse and insist when offering something, in Norway, a refusal
is usually accepted quickly and not seen as rude. So make sure to accept right away when you are
interested in an offer!

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #24 5

LESSON NOTES

3-Minute Norwegian #25

On the Phone

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Norwegian
Main
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

# 25
NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #25 1
DIALOGUE - NORWEGIAN
MAIN

1. Hallo?

2. Dette er Anne som ringer.

3. Kan jeg få snakke med Daniel?

4. Jeg ringer igjen senere.

ENGLISH

1. Hello? (answering the phone)

2. This is Anne calling.

3. May I talk to Daniel?

4. I'll call again later.

VOCABULARY

Norwegian English Class

hallo hello interjection

dette this pronoun

er is verb

som that, which, as conjunction

kan can, may verb

med with conjunction, preposition

Senere! Later! phrase

ring call verb

snakke talk verb

igjen again adverb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hallo, jeg heter Espen. Hva er dette?

"Hello, My name is Espen." "What is this?"

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #25 2

 Er du norsk? Hvem er det som skriker?

"Are you Norwegian?" "Who is screaming?"

Hvem er det som tramper på min bru? Han er blek som et spøkelse.

"Who stomps on my bridge?" "He is white as a ghost."

Kan du lukke vinduet, vær så snill? Kan jeg gå å shoppe?

"Can you close that window, please?" "Can I go shopping?"

Kan du gi meg den? Vil du gå på kino med meg?

"Can you hand me that?" "Will you go to the movies with me?"

Brødskive med hva? Jeg blir med!

"A slice of bread with what?" "I'm coming with you!"

Blir du med? Den med hunden på, vær så snill.

"Are you joining?" "The one with the dog (on it), please."

Ring ambulansen! Kvinnene snakker på utendørskafeen.

"Call the ambulance!" The women are talking at the outdoor cafe.

snakke om historie La oss snakke.

talk about history Let's talk.

Operatøren snakker med en kunde. snakke med en kunde

The operator talks with a customer. talk with a customer

Operatøren snakket med en kunde. Telefonekspeditøren snakker med en kunde.

The operator talked with a customer. The operator talks with a customer.

Jeg vil møte deg igjen. Kan du si det igjen?

"I want to meet you again." "Could you say that again?"

Hva var navnet ditt igjen?

"What was your name again?"

GRAMMAR
The Focus of This Lesson Is How to Understand the Basic Vocabulary on the Phone

Learn four key phrases to understand the basic vocabulary on the phone:

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #25 3

 Norwegian English

Phrase 1 Hallo? Hello? (answering the phone)

Word 1 hallo hello

Phrase 2 Dette er Anne som ringer. This is Anne calling.

Word 1 dette this

Word 2 er is

Word 3 Anne Anne

Word 4 som that

Word 5 ringer calls

Phrase 3 Kan jeg få snakke med Daniel? May I talk to Daniel?

Word 1 kan may

Word 2 jeg I

Word 3 få snakke talk

Word 4 med with

Word 5 Daniel Daniel

Phrase 4 Jeg ringer igjen senere. I'll call again later.

Word 1 jeg I

Word 2 ringer call

Word 3 igjen igjen

Word 4 senere later

CULTURAL INSIGHT
On the phone, some Norwegians tend to talk quite fast—try to listen for keywords, and if you still find it
too hard to understand the conversation, you could just ask them to switch over to English. Most
Norwegians are quite comfortable with this, and some are even happy to get a chance to speak English.

NORWEGIANCLASS101.COM 3-MINUTE NORWEGIAN #25 4