Introduction lesson

Free Norwegian language lesson

Do you want to learn Norwegian language? Forget boring and expensive courses - learn more effectively with NorwegianABC.com. Norwegian language courses consist of audio lessons, notes, vocabulary and video material.

Let's start with Free lesson! Norsk lett er! - Norwegian language is easy!

Note: this lesson is flagship and absolutely free, you will see all content: audio and video materials, a glossary, you can also check the pronunciation, view lesson notes and download the audio in mp3 format.

audio

Lesson audio

Audio - this is one of the most important factors in learning process. Each lesson audio clip takes about 30 minutes. You can listen directly here on website or download and listen at your convenience.

video

Lesson video - introduction   

Video complements Norwegian language classes. You will be able to improve pronunciation and spelling. You will remember everything better.

video

Lesson video - vowels   

dictionary

Dictionary   

notes

Notes   

Hello to all of you willing to learn Norwegian simply and quickly. My name is Jan. I am Norwegian, and I will teach you. It's very nice to meet you! My colleague Ema and I are going to teach you nice and proper Norwegian language! So, we greet you in Norwegian with a cheerful mood:

• - God dag!
• - God dag!

What does god dag mean? It's not difficult to guess – it means – good day. Be sure that soon, and speaking more strictly, by the very end of this lesson, you'll be able not only to say hello, but also to speak Norwegian a bit! You’re thinking, what a wonderful thing! Oh yes! Learning the Norwegian language together with norwegianABC.com is enjoyable and easy :) We, Jan and Ema, will follow you everywhere and anytime, whenever you decide to put in some time for a lesson. It doesn't matter, you can drink coffee while listening in an outdoor cafe, or while you’re sitting stuck in a traffic jam along the way to your work or studies. Or maybe you just will be lying comfortably on the couch at home – learning will definitely be simple and enjoyable with norwegianABC.com. In the norwegianABC.com site you will find all the material you need – audios lessons, vocabulary, the main grammar rules and video materials - where you’ll see new words, phrases and sentences.

We are sure that you will like norwegianABC.com. Yes, it's a perfect way to learn Norwegian!

So let's begin the lesson. First I will tell you some of the most important facts about a country famous for its countryside – Norway, and about the Norwegian language, of course. So, Norway in Norwegian will be Norge. Let's repeat this word together: Norge. Norge is a North European country, located in the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula. The population here is 4.9 million inhabitants. It's a constitutional monarchy, so it would be more correct to say “Norwegian kingdom” - Kongeriket Norge. Etymologists are constantly in debates about where the title Norge comes from. Still, many of them think that the name originates from languages of Northern Germans, and it means “northern way”.

The Norwegian language, that is norsk, let's repeat together: norsk, norsk, is put into the Western Scandinavian language group, which is a branch of the Northern Germanic language family. Sounds complicated? :) It means that if you have learned, for instance, the German language, learning Norwegian will seem even more simple. There are two official written forms in the Norwegian language. The first one is called bokmål (pronounced [ ' bu: k mo: l ]), the other – nynorsk (pronunciation – [ ' ny: no sh k ] ).

It's wonderful, that after learning one of those variations we can understand the other in a quite simple way. Still, there are some differences.We are going to learn bukmol – bokmål with norwegianABC.com, because it's much more popular in Norway. Dictionaries, vocabularies and other teaching materials are prepared with it. Well, another interesting fact about the Norwegian language: Norwegians talk in many dialects and are very proud of it!

I'm becoming so impatient and I believe that you are also. So let's begin learning Norwegian! Today we're going to have a look at the main meeting and greeting phrases. When we learn new words or phrases, Ema and I will always pronounce them a few times, and you repeat them a few or more times.

Before the very beginning, I'll reveal a secret to you: in the Norwegian language, the melody of a sentence or a phrase is relevant, so the language should sound properly to us, foreigners. And it is very important where the melody is stressed, in other words, where our voice is rising and falling when we pronounce a particular phrase or sentence. You ask, what it is like? If you had the possibility to hear Norwegians talking, then you have probably noticed, that they sound very much like they’re singing when speaking. Listen:

Humor er en mulighet hos mennesker, objekter eller situasjoner til å vekke en følelse av morskap, underholdning, moro og latter hos andre mennesker.

Can you hear it? That is, from now we'll be learning those “songs” together :)

And so, we are learning to say hello in Norwegian! And that is easy!

Hei, Ema! Hi, Ema! Hei! Hei! The sound h should be pronounced softly. Listen to Ema:

• - Hei, hei.
• - Great! We can say hello using a word Halo also!
• - Halo, halo.

When using such words as “hei” and “halo”, you will say hello to your close friends and acquaintances.

They are translated as Hi / Hello. Very simple and universal!

Well, now let's learn some more official greetings, which you'll be able to use in greeting not only your friends, but also at work, on the street, or in a shop. When repeating words after Ema and me, try to repeat the sentence melody also.

So, in the mornings we'll say hello with a smile:

Good morning!

God morgen! [ 'gu: 'mo:əṇ ]

• - God morgen, Ema!
• - God morgen, Jan.

And now you say hello to us. We are waiting... Wonderful!

At work, meeting one of our colleagues during a coffee break, we'll say:

Good afternoon!

God dag! [ 'gu: 'da:(g) ]

• - God dag, Ema!
• - God dag, Jan.

In the evening we will greet each other:

Good evening!

God kveld! [ 'gu: 'kvell ]

• - God kveld, Ema!
• - God kveld, Jan.

And we'll say “good night” in such a simple way:

Good night!

God natt! [ 'gu: 'natt ]

• - God natt, Ema.

And if we don't know a person we meet, we ask this: Hva heter du? – [ va: 'he:tə ḍʉ ] It sounds a bit unusual to you, right? Relax, take a rest, and let's try it one more time slowly: What's your name? – Hva heter du? R should be pronounced very softly. Let's repeat this phrase together:

• - Hva heter du?

Great, you're doing it well!

When someone asks what my name is, I should answer this way: Jeg heter Jan. – My name is Jan. Translated word-by-word: “I am called Jan. Jeg – heter – Jan. Do you remember that we should pronounce R softly? Yes? Let's try: Jeg heter Jan.

• - Hva heter du?

Say what your name is: Jeg heter .... .

Well, how is it going for you? You need to give your tongue a break for a bit, right? Just release your tongue more when speaking Norwegian, and everything will go swimmingly. Agree? Great, let's go further. We have already learned to greet, to introduce ourselves and to ask for a name. Now we're going to ask how our companion is doing. Norwegians are polite people and don't usually limit themselves with greetings. They usually ask, how you are doing, even when passing on a street. We can do it in a few ways.

So we ask: Hvordan går det? Repeat: hvordan går det? Remember, that R should be pronounced softly, then the phrase itself will be pronounced more easily, won't it? Let's try it together with Ema:

• - Hvordan går det?
• - Hvordan har du det?

Listen, to which point of a sentence the melody is falling and rising: Hvordan har du det?

You're doing great! And here we have another way to greet. Listen and repeat several times: Hvordan står det til?

Oh, how many ways to greet there are! And you have learned all of them already! Great!

And how we can answer, when someone asks how we are doing? Well, here we'll have to pick up some Norwegian optimism, whether we want it or not, and say that we are doing really well! Answer this way: takk, bare bra – thank you, everything is OK. It would sound like this word-by-word: Takk – thank you. A funny and short Norwegian word “takk” - thank you. I have no doubt, that you'll learn it quickly and remember it well. Takk!

Bare – only. Bra – well. We say it word-by-word: “We're doing well” or - “Thank you, everything is fine”. Takk, bare bra.

Takk, bare bra.

Thank you, everything is OK.

Takk

thank you

Bare

only

Bra

well

• - Takk, bare bra. Bra! You're doing well!

We can also answer this way:

Det går bra, takk.

We're doing well, thank you.

And when things are not going swimmingly, we say: Ikke så verst – Not bad. Pronounce it softly, don't be tense. Listen and repeat together: Ikke så verst.

Ikke så verst.

Not bad.

And now let's go back to the beginning:

• - Hi, Jan, Hei, Jan.
• - Hei, Ema. Halo, Ema.

When asking, how our companion is doing, we'll say: And how are you doing? In Norwegian it will sound ,,Og hvordan har du det?“ Og. Try not to pronounce “g” in a hard way, soften it: “og”. Repeat it with Jan:

• - Og hvordan har du det?

So, we ask: Og hvordan har du det? Or: Og hvordan går det med deg?

If you feel that the pronunciation doesn't come to you right away, don't become upset. Repeat it many times together with us. I have no doubt that you are really going to make it! :) Yes, great! Let's repeat the entire conversation:

• - Hi, Jan. Hei, Jan.
• - Hei, Ema. Halo, Ema.
• - How are you doing? Hvordan går det?
• - Takk, det går bra.
• - And how are you doing? Og hvordan har du det?
• - Takk, veldig bra.

Veldig bra!

very good

Great!

Well, we have talked a bit, so let's say goodbye:

Ha det!

goodbye!

It’s a very short and simple answer, you'll remember it easily. Ha det!

Ha det. Or: Vi sees! It means: See you!

Vi sees! Norwegians also say: Vi høres, it means: We'll listen up. Funny, right? Vi høres.

We can also say: På gjensyn. It means “So long!” This phrase is used in more official surroundings, let's say, when in a bank we meet a neighbor we don't like. Listen to the pronunciation attentively: På gjensyn.

Ha det!

See you!

Vi sees!

See you!

Vi høres

We'll listen up

På gjensyn

So long

God natt!

Good night!

In the evening we'll say: God natt! Good night, or Have a good night! God natt. Let's repeat together.

• - Ha det bra.
• - Ha det. Vi sees.

• - På gjensyn, Ema.
• - Ha det bra.

• - God natt, Ema.
• - God natt.

• - Ha det, Ema.
• - Vi sees.

Congratulations! You already know how to greet someone, to ask how your companion is doing, and to say goodbye! Time has passed undetected, and you have learned so much already! Veldig bra! Very good! Now I can praise you in such a way: Fint! Listen and pronounce “i” longer: ,,Fint!”. It means: Good! Don't forget to give yourself a cup of tea as a present. While tasting it you can continue listening to our lesson and learn more :)

And now it's time to go into the Norwegian alphabet. It has twenty nine letters. The Norwegian alphabet is different from the common Latin alphabet by three letters: æ, ø, å. And, the letters c, q, w, x, z can be seen only in international, not Norwegian words.

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Norwegian alphabet - Det norske alfabetet   

Now let's talk about each letter separately. We spell all the letters in Norwegian order, and you repeat:

I, as a teacher, will have to underline, that the alphabet must be learned by heart, whether you want to or not. It's not difficult at all! Try to learn the letters singing, counting them together with paperclips or sweets on your table, bricks on a sidewalk, or when enjoying fresh air on an evening walk. Try to do this in a way you like. You will need to know the letter names for sure. When introducing yourself, you'll say your name and surname, which may not be understood by the foreign person you’re talking to, so you may have to spell it out. So, if you will be asked what your name is, do you remember, how to ask this? Yes, ,,Hva heter du?“, pronounce R softly, like this: Hva heter du? You'll respond in such a way: Jeg heter Jan. Jeg heter ... (say your own name). A Norwegian person probably won’t understand it, and will ask you to spell it out literally, this way: Kan du stave det?

So, let's get ready to introduce yourself and spell your name out.

E M A. Jeg heter E M A. And now try to say your own name. Concentrate, don't hurry. Write it down, so it could be easier, and try to spell it. Did you do it? Try once more. Well? Great!

Learn to spell the names of your friend, husband, wife, children, even pets or neighbours you don't like. Veldig bra! Very good! You're really good :)

Now we will talk about each vowel separately. Listen carefully to advice on how to pronounce them, and don't be shy to practice in front of a mirror. Don't give up if you don't do it the first time, it's really normal in the beginning of learning a new language. Listen and repeat, repeat and repeat once again :)

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Can be long, as in a word “car”:

Far

father

Or short, as in a word ”farm” :

Arm

arm

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Vowel e in a stressed position is pronounced like the words “learn, hear ”. This syllable is special enough, but you listen to it well and repeat it:

Lese

to read

Reparere

to repair

Hete

to be called

TV

TV

This vowel will be pronounced more openly before letter r, like “share”:

Er

I am

  Her

here

Verre

worse

In an unstressed sentence we pronounce e like in the word “weather”:

Hete

to be called

Hilsen

greeting

Or similarly to the word “get”:

Elg

elk

Lett

easy

Norsk er lett!

Norwegian is easy!

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is pronounced long [i:] like in the word “cheese”:

  Like

like

As short [i] in a word “kiss”:

Ting

thing

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Pronounce it long [u:] like in the word “loose”:

Koselig

cozy

Rosa

rose

Sometimes it is pronounced like short [u] in the word “put”:

Fort

fast

Rom

room

We can also pronounce it like in the word “fox ”:

Sommer

summer

Oss

to us, us

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This vowel can be pronounced in a long way, opening mouth very little, like in the word “you”. Try it before a mirror. I repeat: we say it like I and U, “you”, opening mouth very little.

Hus

house

Tur

tour

Another way of pronunciation: short IU, opening mouth very little: iu iu iu, like in the word “menu”:

Munn

mouth

Sulten

hungry

We can also pronounce U like in the word “look”:

Dum

dummy

Tung

difficult

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We should pay special attention to a vowel y. It’s similar, for instance, to the word “feel”, but we'll pronounce it in an unusual way. Stand facing a mirror, put your lips like saying a sound u, but say y. Stretch your lips forward. Repeat it several times. Y, y, y, y.

So, there are few ways to pronounce this strange sound.

It can be pronounced like a long iu/y:

By

pale

Dyr

animal

Or it can be pronounced as a short iu/y, stretching your lips forward. Don't forget my advice, try to learn facing a mirror, repeat: iu/y:

Kryss

crossing

Tysk

German, Germanic, German language (this word has many meanings)

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Æ is pronounced like in the word “bag”. This Æ can be long, open. So open your mouth fearlessly when pronouncing this:

Lærer

teacher

An important word, right? Let's pronounce it: Lærer.

It's me, Ema, a Norwegian teacher.

Jeg er

I am

Jeg er norsk.

I am Norwegian.

Lærer

teacher

Jeg er norsk lærer. You're doing great! Let's continue. So, we really succeeded in pronouncing the long Æ. Fint! Great!

This vowel can also be short in Norwegian, as in this case:

Færre

less

Can you hear the difference? Lærer – is pronounced in a long way. Færre – shortly. Lærer – teacher, færre – less. Færre. Færre. Great! Bra!

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Ø is pronounced a bit closer than in the word “hot”:

Gjøre

to do

Kjøre

to drive

Spørre

to ask

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Å is pronounced in two ways:

In a long way, as in the word “thought”:

År

years

Or a bit shorter than in the word “clock”:

Hånd

hand

Åtte

eight

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So we have just finished vowel pronunciation! Veldig bra! Very good!

There are few specific cases of consonant pronunciation left.

Here is the first one:

A combination of consonants

In kj and tj we pronounce j very softly, as in the word “echo” or in the German word “ich”: it should sound like something between “sh” and “ch”.

In a long way, as in the word “thought”:

Kjole

a dress

Can you hear, how we pronounce it? Just don't say SHIULE, Kjole.

Kjære

dear, loved

Tjue

twenty

Listen, how my colleague pronounces those words, and you repeat and try to remember what they mean.

Letter K before i and y will be pronounced in the same way:

Kysse

to kiss

What a beautiful word, and it sounds so nice, let's repeat it: kysse.

Kino

cinema

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Uff, we're tired, right? In the next lesson we're going to learn more nice and proper Norwegian language. And now you still can learn one short, but very important rule of sentence forming. Ready? Let's begin:

The word order is very strict in Norwegian. For instance, we say: I am studying Norwegian. Jeg studerer norsk. In Norwegian a verb, which we use to describe a particular action, always goes in the second place in a sentence: I am studying Norwegian. In such a way. Jeg studerer norsk.

Learn this sentence well. And you'll be able to announce to everyone that you have started learning Norwegian with norwegianABC.com! Jeg studerer norsk. Veldig bra! Very good!

It's a bit sad that we already have to say goodbye today. Do you remember, how we say goodbye in Norwegian? Think a bit, I'm waiting. Yes! Ha det!

• - Ha det bra!
• - See you next time! We're waiting to hear from you. So we'll listen up! Vi høres!