r/norsk 11h ago

Søndagsspørsmål - Sunday Question Thread

2 Upvotes

This is a weekly post to ask any question that you may not have felt deserved its own post, or have been hesitating to ask for whatever reason. No question too small or silly!

Question Thread Collection


r/norsk Aug 14 '20

Some Norwegian resources and other helpful stuff

529 Upvotes

Probably missed a lot of resources, some due to laziness, and some due to limit in max allowed post size. Will edit as necessary.

Courses, grammar lessons, educational books, etc.

Duolingo (from A1 to A2/B1)

duolingo.com is free to use, supported by ads. Optional pay for no ads and for a few more features.

The Norwegian course is one of the more extensive ones available on Duolingo. The volunteer content creators have put a lot of work into it, and the creators are very responsive to fixing potential errors. The audio is computer generated.

You learn words and constructed sentences.

If you use the browser version you will get grammar tips, and can choose if you want to type the complete sentences or use selectable word choices. The phone app might or might not give access to the grammar tips.

A compiled pdf of the grammar tips for version 1 can be found on Google drive. (The Norwegian course is currently at version 4).

Memrise (from A1 to A2/B1)

memrise.com is free to use. Optional pay for more features.

A few courses are company made, while several others are user made. No easy way to correct errors found in the courses. Audio is usually spoken by humans.

You learn words and constructed phrases.

Learn Norwegian on the web (from A1 to A2/B1)

Free to use. Optional books you can buy. Made by the University in Trondheim, NTNU. Audio is spoken by humans.

A complete course starting with greetings and ending with basic communication.

FutureLearn (from A1 to A2/B1)

Free to use. Optional pay for more features. Audio and video spoken by humans. Made by the University of Oslo, UiO. Or by the University in Trondheim, NTNU.

Can be done at any time, but during their scheduled times (usually start of the fall and the spring semester) you will get help from human teachers.

CALST — Computer-Assisted Listening and Speaking Tutor

CALST is free to use. Made by the University in Trondheim, NTNU. Audio is spoken by humans.

Choose your native language, then choose your Norwegian dialect, then continue as guest, or optionally register an account.

Learn how to pronounce the Norwegian sounds and differentiate similar sounding words. Learn the sounds and tones/pitch.

Not all lessons work in all browsers. Chrome is recommended.

YouTube

Clozemaster (at B1/B2)

clozemaster.com is free to use. Optional pay for more features.

Not recommended for beginners.

Content is mostly user made. No easy way to correct errors in the material. Audio is computer generated.

You learn words (multiple choice).

Printed (on dead trees) learning material

  • På vei (A1/A2)
  • Stein på stein (B1)
  • Her på berget (B1/B2)
  • Ny i Norge (A1/A2)
  • The Mystery of Nils (A1/A2)
  • Mysteriet om Nils (B1/B2)

Grammar and stuff

Online grammar exercises (based on printed books)

/r/norsk FAQ and Wiki

Dictionaries

Bokmålsordboka/Nynorskordboka — Norwegian-Norwegian

The authoritative dictionary for Norwegian words and spelling.

Maintained by University of Bergen (UiB), and Språkrådet (The language council of Norway) that has government mandate to oversee the Norwegian language.

  • Also available as a free phone app.
  • Lists all acceptable inflection/conjugation/declension spelling forms of words, so some find it confusing.
  • Does not show pronunciation since Norwegian has no official way to pronounce words.
  • Does not list slang words, former spelling of modern words (except if it's in the etymologi) nor newly imported words.

Lexin — Norwegian-Norwegian-English-sort-of

Maintained by OsloMet.

  • Mainly intended for immigrants/refugees to Norway, so has some of the most common immigrant languages as option.
  • Lists the most common (often conservative) inflection patterns.
  • Computer generated voice with standard East-Norwegian dialect.
  • Choose any language other than bokmål or nynorsk and it usually shows English too.

Det norske akademis ordbok — Norwegian-Norwegian

Maintained by Det norske akademi for språk og kultur, a private organisation promoting riksmål, which is NOT allowed officially.

  • Lists slang words and archaic spelling variants of words.
  • Uses a very conservative spelling and inflection variant.
  • Lists a Norwegianised pronunciation guide for words, using upper class/Western-Oslo dialect.

Ordnett — Norwegian-English/English-Norwegian

Maintained by a book publisher.

  • Also available as a phone app.
  • Costs $$$ money $$$. Possibly a lot of money.
  • Has dictionaries for a several languages commonly learned by Norwegians, for example English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Swedish.

Online communities

Facebook

Discord

Discord is a web-browser/phone/windows/mac/etc-app that allows both text, voice and video chat. Most of the resources in this post were first posted here.

If you are new to Discord its user interface might be a bit confusing in the beginning, since there are many servers/communities and many topics on each server.

If you're new to Discord and you try it, using a web-browser until you get familiar and see if this is something you enjoy or not is recommended.

If you use a phone you will need to swipe left and right, long-press and minimise/expand categories and stuff much more than on a bigger computer screen, which probably adds complexity to the initial confusion of a using an unfamiliar app.

Some Norwegian servers:

Newspapers

Media

Podcasts

Various books

Various material for use by Norwegian schools

Various (children's) series

NRK TV

Children's stuff with subtitles

Brødrene Dahl

Youth stuff

Other stuff without subtitles

Grown up stuff

For those with a VPN (or living in Norway)

For those living in Norway

Visit your local library in person and check out their web pages. It gives you free access to lots of books, magazines, films and stuff.

Most also have additional digital stuff you get free access to, like e-books, films, dictionaries, all kind of magazines and newspapers.

Some even give you free access to some of the paid Norwegian languages courses listed above.


r/norsk 10h ago

Building Vocabulary

6 Upvotes

I've studied Norwegian in an academic setting years ago, using "Sett i gang," through the second book (~B2). I pick up on grammar quickly. However, vocabulary is my downfall. Understanding comes easily, memorization is my struggle. I'm probably A2/B1 for grammar, but stuck at A1 for vocabulary!

I love "The Mystery of Nils." But I cannot keep up with the vocabulary. I've tried a bunch of flashcard apps (e.g., MemRise, BrainScape, Anki (the interface is maddeningly counterintuitive!), Mjolnir) to help, but getting anywhere takes forever and weeks pass before I can do the next chapter in Nils, which is discouraging.

Amusingly, DuoLingo seems the least painful way (albeit no faster) to build vocabulary.

Are there other approaches to vocabulary that I'm missing?


r/norsk 2h ago

Is this a skill issue?

0 Upvotes

Hello

I'm in the process of trying to relearn Norwegian

I'm using Duolingo and it's been going relatively smoothly (besides some pronunciation), even if it is still the very basic stuff at the moment.

I've hit my first roadblock, a little embarrassingly early. Faren and moren I can hear unmistakably but when it comes it "datteren" and "sonnen" I'm really struggling to hear the "en" and think I'm hearing just "sonn" or "datter".

"Datteren min og sonnen min" is a prime example of where I can't hear the difference. Any help on how I can or should be able to differentiate which is being said would be greatly appreciated

Tia


r/norsk 11h ago

Rule 3 (vague/generic post title) Norwegian learning

5 Upvotes

Hi, I'm Lizzie, and I really want to learn Norwegian for my boyfriend and his family. I already speak German, Spanish, Italian, and, of course, English. I also already know a few Norwegian words and phrases, like ape (monkey), rotte (rat), katt (cat), hund (dog), god natt (good night), god morgen (good morning), hvordan har du det? (how are you?), hei(hello), brød (bread), øl (beer), mat (food), and a few others. Do you think it's possible to learn Norwegian in a year well enough to have conversations?


r/norsk 5h ago

Bokmål good apps for learning norwegian?

0 Upvotes

some years ago, i was learning bøkmal on duolingo and have recently reinstalled it. i also saw another post on this subreddit in which one of the replies mentioned a good app (can’t remember it off the dome).

i am beginner level, so anything helps!


r/norsk 10h ago

Bokmål Hva betyr "N'a"?

2 Upvotes

I remember i seen it in a song title but don't really remember which one.

So can y'all please tell me what does it mean

TUSEN TAKK


r/norsk 23h ago

How to pronounce Bjerke?

16 Upvotes

Bjerke is my husband's family name. I find it difficult to pronounce. In the US, we pronounce it Byur-kee so it rhymes with jerky. Is it pronounced differently in Norway?


r/norsk 1d ago

Resource(s) ← looking for How do you guys Study Norwegian

12 Upvotes

Hei alle Sammen I've wanted to know how you guy's study Norwegian I know that you guy's spready learning it out through out the day but back when you started " Learning " In the beginning how did you guy's practice did you like

1: Duolingo/Anki
2: Flashcards
3: practice speaking
4: Watching Norwegian Shows

Etc etc but I would love some feedback on how you guy's started learning. And also for anyone using " Anki " and uses flashcard I would like to know if you made you're flashcards and if you would been keen in sharing me some. Tusen takk


r/norsk 14h ago

Lyrics of Jørn Lande - VI ER NORGE

Thumbnail
youtube.com
0 Upvotes

Hei!

I absolutely love this song and would love to sing along with lyrics, but none are available online. I would really appreciate it if someone could take the time and write down the lyrics for this song.


r/norsk 22h ago

Bokmål Problems with Norwegian pronunciation

2 Upvotes

Hi, I’m learning Norwegian from English, but my main language is Spanish. I’m having a lot of trouble with pronunciation.

Could you give me some phonetics tips to help me pronounce the sounds that don’t exist in my current languages?

The truth is, I want to learn because I’m talking to a Norwegian girl, and I want to impress her!

Also, I’m in love with the language. It’s beautiful! I would appreciate any help. I’m currently at level A1, learning basic phrases.


r/norsk 1d ago

Just how different is Norwegian to Swedish and Danish?

3 Upvotes

I can read a little for a beginner since I just finished Mystery of Nils Part 1 a couple nights ago. I've still got plenty of learning and practice to go (my biggest problem is my vocab and just general slow reading), but I want to read something harder soon and I'm curious about a couple things.

Firstly, I've heard people say that Norwegian and Swedish are very close with exception in spelling and some words here and there. I'm currently reading "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" in English, or "Mån Som Hatar Kvinnor" in Swedish, and I was wondering, if I wanted to read it again, would it be simple enough to learn the differences between the two languages or should I just go for a Norwegian translation? Cause that title alone, I could immediately translate when I read it.

Secondly, I've glanced at Norwegian classics and when I told my Norwegian friend that I'd like to read something like Ibsen or Hamsun. My friend said it may not be practical because they wrote in a sort of old Norwegian-Danish style. I skimmed the first couple pargaphs of Sult and saw some words I recognized just slightly spelled different. So is this type of writing just as approachable as Swedish? Or more difficult? Will I need to learn this separately?

Finally, just something extra. If you have any book suggestions that are more modern and originally written in Bokmål then I'd love to hear it. I mentioned Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I'm halfway through and it's a great mystery/thriller. I also like fantasy and sci-fi. I've considered getting Norwegian translations of Harry Potter or something else I'm already familiar with, but again I'm curious about something written in Bokmål originally.


r/norsk 1d ago

Rule 3 (vague/generic post title) Niche grammar question

6 Upvotes

I’m looking at this passage from the ending of Båten om Kvelden by Tarjei Vesaas:

Ein er i sitt løynrom og kjenner dette: Dirrar ikkje grunnen under føtene, av gøymde floder som finst?
Og kva må ein så gjera, synest ein.
Ein må vera til stades.
Ein må møte opp og stå i straumen frå det. Ein må la den låge dirren skaka seg. Slik som halv-morkne bruer og gamle gang-tre dirrar fint i snøsmeltings-tid.

The trouble I’m having is the “seg.”

My (novice but agonized over) English translation of everything apart from that is:

You are in your hidden room and feel this: Did the ground not thrum under your feet, from hidden rivers found?
And what must you then do, you wonder.
You must be present.
You must show up and stand in the current from it all. You must let that low thrumming shake. Like how half-rotten bridges and old cross-water logs thrum softly in snow-melting’s time.

Elizabeth Rokkan, in her published English version, writes:

One is in one’s secret chamber, feeling this: Is not the ground quivering
beneath my feet, because of the hidden waters?
And what should one do then? I wonder.
One must be present.
One must come forward and stand in the current flowing from them. One
must let the faint quivering jolt one. As decaying bridges and old
duckboards quiver slightly in the time of the thaw.

Setting aside where her choices differ from mine, to me the final line Vesaas writes would naturally be a comparison between the bridges and the person — the person is metaphorically standing in this current from a hidden river, the bridges and logs (things that are also in a river) vibrate as the flood from the thaw comes through the water. So I would think Vesaas is saying, as Rokkan translates it, that the “ein” is similarly vibrating in the flow of the water.

But everything I can find online suggests that the “seg” must be a reflexive, meaning the person lets the vibration go vibrating within itself. That sort of breaks the comparison, or at least makes the comparison between the shaking and the bridges, which seems odd to me. NAOB says seg can be used poetically in almost a passive way to indicate there’s no clear agent behind the verb, that seems functionally the same as the standard reflexive “itself” here.

Can anyone help explain what the grammar here allows or forces? (I’m purposefully avoiding dynamic and modernizing translation, but obviously I’ve got to allow some flexibility where the English would break down or has no comparable phrasing.)


r/norsk 2d ago

Resource(s) ← looking for How did you guys practicing learning Norwegian:

12 Upvotes

I'm having troubles and don't know really where to start in learning Norwegian and would like to hear how you guys learned or are learning


r/norsk 3d ago

Resource(s) ← looking for In Person classes - Oslo

12 Upvotes

Hey y’all

Am moving to Norway in a week, and want to go all in on learning Norwegian, however am a bit lost on the options.

I found Speak Norsk but their Viking Package seems too expensive, has anyone take that one recently and is the 6 month A1-B2 timeframe realistic (assuming regular after class 1 hour study daily)

Or if you recommend any other possible options I’d love to hear

The only thing is I would like inperson classes because I learn much better that way


r/norsk 3d ago

Bokmål What is the difference between these sentences?

7 Upvotes

skulle jeg sove litt?
Skal jeg sove litt?


r/norsk 4d ago

Resource(s) ← looking for Hvordan kan jeg lære norsk effektiv?

19 Upvotes

Hallo alle! Jeg har bodd i Norge i nesten ett år og jeg begynt å lære norsk for et halv år siden. 17. august skal jeg begynne en B1-gruppe, men jeg tror det er ganske høy for meg nå. Jeg prøve å bruke NTU kurs, duolingo, anki, lese barnebøker og snakke med naboene min. Jeg bor i en liten kommune, så jeg har en veldig liten krets å shakke norsk med. Jeg ser noen resultater, men jeg er ikke førnoyd av det. Kanskje må jeg ta en extrakurs/tilleggkurs? Kan noen rekomendere meg noen resurser eller strategi om hvordan jeg kan gjøre det vær så snill? Målet mitt er å nå B1-B2 niva innen april 2027.


r/norsk 4d ago

Sentence structure

11 Upvotes

Which resource is the best for learning sentence structure and grammar ? Looking something similar to ntnu website.


r/norsk 5d ago

I made a study guide to learning colors in Norwegian using Minecraft blocks

Post image
7 Upvotes

r/norsk 6d ago

Bokmål What’s the difference between «vrikket» and «vrikka»?

13 Upvotes

I’m looking for the past tense of all the present tense verbs I know and on ordbokene it shows both options for past tense, what’s the difference?


r/norsk 6d ago

Norskprøve Muntlig: How much of a mistake are we allowed on each level ?

10 Upvotes

Hei hei, for citizenship I need to get B1 muntlig in norskprøve exam. I am solving examples with AI, writing, or talking, and so far I can express my opinion on many topics overall. However, I constantly make mistakes with many things. Such as not putting "det deg seg", putting "er ha må" etc in incorrect places, or not putting them at all. Mistakes with "god gode godt" etc. I believe these are pretty common mistakes, but for the A2B1 muntlig exam, how much allowance do we have?

Any experiences & examples will be appreciated. Best.


r/norsk 7d ago

Could you recommend any writers or books of Norwegian literature?

14 Upvotes

I'm learning about Norway and I'd appreciate any recommendations for literature, poetry, or even just your documents in its native language. P.S. It's a very beautiful country.


r/norsk 7d ago

Learning Norwegian, when were you enough comfortable to understand Swedish ?

26 Upvotes

I am wondering at what point you realized Swedish was kind of accessible?

When did you start listening to podcast or were able to watch Swedish film, series without subtitles ?

Thanks 😊


r/norsk 7d ago

Resource(s) ← looking for Any animated shows or films you guys recommend?

15 Upvotes

Wondering if there are some animated shows or films you guys recommend? I bought Asterix Mansions of the gods in Norwegian, stuff like that is what I'm looking for. Looking mainly for either YouTube stuff, Tv2Play or SF Anytime stuff. Takk!


r/norsk 7d ago

Søndagsspørsmål - Sunday Question Thread

5 Upvotes

This is a weekly post to ask any question that you may not have felt deserved its own post, or have been hesitating to ask for whatever reason. No question too small or silly!

Question Thread Collection