How To Start Learning Norwegian: A Beginner's Guide
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Learning Norwegian opens up a world of beautiful culture, stunning nature, and welcoming people.
Getting started with a new language is easier than you might think.
This guide provides a clear and straightforward path to begin your Norwegian learning journey today.
You’ll learn exactly what to focus on first, from choosing a written standard to picking the best resources.
Table of Contents:
Choose between Bokmål and Nynorsk
Norwegian is unique because it has two official written forms.
These two written standards are known as Bokmål and Nynorsk.
Bokmål is the most common form and is used by roughly 85% to 90% of the population.
Nynorsk is used primarily in the western regions of Norway.
As a beginner, you should definitely start by learning Bokmål.
Almost all learning materials, dictionaries, and courses designed for foreigners are written in Bokmål.
The written standard you choose won’t restrict your ability to speak with natives.
Once you understand Bokmål, you’ll easily understand most people regardless of their regional dialect.
Learn the Norwegian alphabet
The Norwegian alphabet is identical to the English alphabet with three extra vowels added to the end.
These extra letters are æ, ø, and å.
Getting comfortable with these new sounds early on will make speaking and reading much easier.
The letter “æ” sounds very similar to the “a” in the English word “sad”.
The letter “ø” sounds somewhat like the “u” in the English word “burn”.
The letter “å” sounds like the “o” in the English word “born”.
Practice listening to the alphabet online to train your ears from day one.
Master basic greetings and phrases
Starting with simple vocabulary helps you build confidence right away.
Norwegians deeply appreciate it when you make an effort to speak their language.
You don’t need to know perfect grammar to start saying hello.
Here are a few basic phrases you should learn on your very first day.
Hei
God morgen
Hvordan går det?
Takk
Understand basic sentence structure
Norwegian grammar is surprisingly easy for native English speakers to pick up.
The basic sentence structure follows the exact same Subject-Verb-Object pattern as English.
If you want to say “I drink milk”, the word order translates directly.
Jeg drikker melk
To build these simple sentences, you’ll need to learn your basic subject pronouns.
Here’s a quick reference table for the most common pronouns in Norwegian:
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| I | Jeg |
| You (singular) | Du |
| He | Han |
| She | Hun |
| We | Vi |
| They | De |
The most important grammar rule you need to remember as a beginner is the V2 rule.
This rule states that the verb must always be the second piece of information in a main clause.
If you start a sentence with a time word like “today”, the verb still comes next.
I dag drikker jeg melk
Use the best resources to learn
Having the right tools will speed up your language progress immensely.
There are many apps and websites available for Norwegian learners today.
Here are the most effective resources to get you started on the right foot.
This is our very own comprehensive platform designed specifically for Norwegian learners.
It’s the absolute best place to start your journey.
We offer interactive lessons, native audio, and clear explanations tailored specifically to English speakers.
This is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television broadcasting company.
You can watch Norwegian shows with closed captions for free to practice your listening comprehension.
This popular app is a fun way to build your initial vocabulary.
It’s highly gamified and helps you easily build a daily study habit.
This flashcard app uses spaced repetition to help you quickly memorize new words.
It also includes helpful video clips of native Norwegian speakers saying common phrases.
This is a fantastic Norwegian news website written in simple, easy-to-read language.
It’s perfect for beginners who want to practice their reading skills with real-world news.
