Learn Norwegian: Complete Beginner's Guide

Why Learn Norwegian?

Norwegian (norsk) is the official language of Norway, a Scandinavian country of approximately 5.5 million inhabitants renowned for its spectacular fjords, exceptional quality of life and northern lights. Norwegian has around 5 million native speakers.

Why learn Norwegian? First, because Norway is consistently ranked among the countries with the best quality of life in the world (highest Human Development Index). Second, because Norwegian is a key that opens not one but three doors: thanks to Scandinavian mutual intelligibility, a Norwegian speaker can communicate relatively easily with Swedish and Danish speakers. That is access to a pool of 21 million people across Scandinavia.

Finally, for English speakers, Norwegian is surprisingly accessible. It belongs to the North Germanic group and is considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. Word order is similar, vocabulary shares many Germanic roots, and grammar is far simpler than German.

Table of Contents

1. History of Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk
2. Alphabet and Writing System
3. Norwegian Pronunciation
4. Basic Vocabulary — 30+ Essential Words
5. Norwegian Grammar for Beginners
6. Norwegian Culture and Traditions
7. Resources for Learning Norwegian
8. Why Choose Targumi

History of Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk

Norwegian has a unique linguistic history: it is one of the few countries in the world to have two official written forms of the same language.

Bokmål ("Book Language")

Bokmål is the most widely used written form (around 85-90% of the population). It derives from Dano-Norwegian, the written language used during the four centuries of union with Denmark (1380-1814). After independence, bokmål was gradually "Norwegianised" to distance it from Danish, but it retains a strong Danish foundation.

Bokmål is the standard in most large cities (Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim), in national media and in the majority of publications.

Nynorsk ("New Norwegian")

Nynorsk was created in the 19th century by linguist Ivar Aasen, who travelled through the Norwegian countryside documenting dialects. His goal: to create a written language that was authentically Norwegian, based on rural dialects rather than Danish. Nynorsk is used today by approximately 10-15% of the population, mainly in western Norway (Vestland, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane).

Which Norwegian Should You Learn?

For beginners, bokmål is the most practical choice:

• More learning resources available
• Used by the majority of the population
• Closer to Danish and Swedish (useful for mutual intelligibility)

This is the form we teach at Targumi and use throughout this guide.

Dialects: The Real Treasure

Norway boasts an impressive dialectal diversity. Every town, every valley, every fjord has its own variant. Norwegians are extremely proud of their dialects and use them in all situations, including on television and in Parliament. There is no official spoken standard — Norwegians speak their dialect and adapt to each other.

Alphabet and Writing System

Norwegian uses the Latin alphabet with three additional letters at the end:

The Norwegian Alphabet (29 letters)

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Æ, Ø, Å

The letters C, Q, W, X and Z are rare and appear mainly in foreign loanwords.

The Three Special Letters

These three letters are placed at the end of the alphabet. To find a word beginning with Å in the dictionary, you must go to the very end.

Norwegian Pronunciation

Norwegian pronunciation holds a few surprises, but is generally regular.

Vowels

Norwegian has 9 vowels, each of which can be short or long (length changes the meaning of the word):

Special Consonants

Tonal Accent: The Norwegian Melody

Norwegian is a tonal language (one of the few in Europe). There are two tones that can distinguish otherwise identical words:

• Tone 1 (acute, rising): bønner (beans)
• Tone 2 (grave, rising-falling): bønner (prayers)

Don't worry: context almost always resolves ambiguity. Norwegians understand foreigners who don't use the right tones perfectly well.

Basic Vocabulary — 30+ Essential Words

Greetings and Polite Phrases

Useful Phrases

Everyday Words

Numbers

Norwegian Grammar for Beginners

Word Order: V2 Rule

Norwegian follows the V2 rule (the verb is always in second position) in declarative sentences:

• Jeg spiser fisk — I eat fish (SVO)
• I dag spiser jeg fisk — Today I eat fish (complement first, verb stays in 2nd position, subject moves after)

This V2 rule is the most important grammar point to master. It is shared by all Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish, Dutch).

Genders: En, Ei, Et

Bokmål traditionally distinguishes three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. However, the feminine is optional in bokmål — you can treat feminine nouns as masculine without error. In practice, many Norwegians (especially in Oslo) use only two genders.

Like Macedonian, Norwegian places the definite article at the end of the noun.

Verbs: Scandinavian Simplicity

Norwegian verb conjugation is a dream compared to French or Spanish: verbs do NOT change according to person.

One form for all persons. The same applies to ALL verbs. No more endless conjugation tables.

Main tenses:

Adjectives

Adjectives agree in gender and number, and change form depending on whether the noun is definite or indefinite:

• en stor by — a big city (indefinite masculine)
• et stor*t hus* — a big house (indefinite neuter)
• den stor*e byen* — the big city (definite)

Norwegian Culture and Traditions

Friluftsliv: The Art of Outdoor Living

The concept of friluftsliv (FREE-loofts-leev, literally "open-air life") is at the heart of Norwegian identity. Norwegians spend considerable time outdoors in all seasons: hiking in summer, cross-country skiing in winter, berry-picking in autumn. The right of access to nature (allemannsretten) guarantees everyone the right to roam, camp and forage in nature, even on private land.

The Fjords

Norway's fjords are among the planet's most spectacular natural wonders. The Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Sognefjord, Norway's longest (204 km), reaches 1,308 metres deep.

Norwegian Cuisine

Norwegian cuisine is shaped by climate and sea:

• Brunost: brown caramelised cheese, a true national institution
• Fårikål: lamb and cabbage stew — the national dish
• Gravlaks: raw salmon cured with dill
• Lefse: soft potato flatbread
• Rakfisk: fermented fish (not for the faint-hearted!)
• Kvikk Lunsj: iconic chocolate bar taken on hikes
• Kaffe: Norway is one of the world's top coffee consumers

Hygge and Kos

While the Danes have hygge, Norwegians have kos (koohs). This concept describes a moment of comfort, warmth and cosiness: lit candles, wool blankets, hot chocolate by the fireplace while snow falls outside. Kos is essential for surviving the long, dark winters.

The Vikings

Viking heritage is omnipresent in Norway. The Norse sagas, the stave churches (wooden churches), place names and days of the week (torsdag = Thor's day, onsdag = Odin's day) recall this civilisation of navigators and explorers that shaped Europe between the 8th and 11th centuries.

Norwegian Proverbs

• "Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær." — "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." (The most famous Norwegian proverb.)
• "Øvelse gjør mester." — "Practice makes the master."
• "Den som venter på noe godt, venter ikke forgjeves." — "He who waits for something good does not wait in vain."

Resources for Learning Norwegian

Online

• Targumi: structured courses with native Norwegian teachers and interactive exercises
• NRK (Norsk Rikskringkasting): Norwegian public broadcasting, excellent for language immersion
• Klar Tale: newspaper in simplified Norwegian, perfect for beginners

Books

• "Stein på stein": the reference method for Norwegian as a foreign language
• "På vei": beginner's method widely used in integration courses in Norway
• "The Mystery of Nils": progressive bilingual Norwegian-English learning novel, fun and engaging

Cultural Immersion

• Watch SKAM, the cult Norwegian series that conquered the world
• Listen to Norwegian music: artists like Aurora, Sigrid, Kygo and A-ha sing in English, but also discover artists who sing in Norwegian
• Read Jo Nesbø's novels (Harry Hole series) in the original for advanced levels

Why Choose Targumi to Learn Norwegian

At Targumi, we offer a complete path to learn Norwegian (bokmål):

• Native Norwegian teachers from Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim
• Live small-group classes for conversation and pronunciation practice
• Vocabulary with audio recorded by native speakers
• Structured progression from beginner to advanced
• Integrated cultural context: friluftsliv, cuisine, traditions, idiomatic expressions

Norwegian is an accessible Germanic language with simplified grammar and a gateway to the entire Scandinavian world. Learning it is an investment in a linguistic skill that will serve you across three countries.

Start learning Norwegian with Targumi

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Essential Expressions Summary

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Article written by Erik Johansen, Norwegian language teacher and Targumi collaborator.

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Sources and References

• Norwegian — Ethnologue: Norwegian Bokmål is spoken by approximately 5 million native speakers. Language family: Indo-European, North Germanic branch.
• Wikipedia — Norwegian: encyclopedic information on the language, its two written forms and dialects.
• Targumi — Learn Norwegian: courses with certified native teachers.

Further Reading

• Learn Norwegian on Targumi — courses with native teachers
• Learn Swedish on Targumi — neighbouring Scandinavian language
• All languages available on Targumi — 106 languages taught