Basic Norwegian Words and Phrases for Beginners (With Pronunciation)

The basic Norwegian words to learn first are hei (hi), ha det (bye), takk (thanks), unnskyld (excuse me), ja and nei, plus survival phrases like Snakker du engelsk? and Hvor er toalettet? Add numbers to twenty, a few nouns with en, ei or et, and one habit: Norwegians say takk where English says please.

How Norwegian sounds: a cheat sheet for English speakers

Norwegian spelling is fairly regular, but a few letters surprise English readers. Hints here follow the East Norwegian pronunciation heard around Oslo.

The r changes most from region to region. Around Oslo and in the north it is a quick tap, like the tt in an American "kitty". In the west and south, including Bergen and Stavanger, many people use a throaty r closer to French. Both are correct.

Greetings and goodbyes

Two traps: God natt is only for parting at night, never a greeting, so even after dark you walk in with hei. And Hvordan går det? is a real question between people who know each other, not a passing nicety for strangers. A friendly answer is Takk, bare bra (thanks, just fine). More in our greetings phrases.

Thank you, please and sorry: the politeness trap

The big one: Norwegian has no everyday word for please. Vær så snill exists, but it can sound like pleading, so don't attach it to every request the way English does. Ask with Kan jeg få ...? (Can I have ...?) and end with takk: Kan jeg få regningen, takk? (Can I have the check, please?). That is polite, not curt.

After a meal in someone's home, say Takk for maten (thanks for the meal); skipping it is considered rude. Next time you meet, say Takk for sist (thanks for last time). Use unnskyld to get attention; beklager is only for apologizing. And use du for you with everyone: the formal De has more or less disappeared.

Survival phrases for travel

Many Norwegians will switch to English; if you want to practice, say so and they will usually keep going in Norwegian. More lines are in the restaurant phrases and travel phrases.

Question words

Every hv word starts with a plain v sound. Watch hvem: it looks like "when" but means who. When is når.

Numbers one to twenty, then the tens

Zero is null. The tens are tretti, førti, femti, seksti, sytti, åtti and nitti, then hundre. Modern counting puts the tens first, as English does: tjuefem is twenty-five. Some older speakers count ones first, as in en og tyve (one-and-twenty). Seven has two accepted forms, sju and syv. And fire means four.

Everyday nouns with en, ei or et

Every Norwegian noun has a gender, shown by the word for a: en (masculine), ei (feminine) or et (neuter). In Bokmål, any feminine noun may also take en, so a beginner can get by with en and et. For the, Norwegian adds an ending instead of a separate word: en mann (a man) becomes mannen (the man), and et hus (a house) becomes huset (the house).

Gender can't be guessed from meaning (et barn, a child, is neuter), so learn the article with the noun. One thing is easier than in English: verbs don't change for the person. Jeg snakker, du snakker and vi snakker (I speak, you speak, we speak) all use the same form.

False friends that catch English speakers

Bokmål, Nynorsk and dialects

Norwegian has two official written standards. Bokmål, used in this guide, is written by about nine in ten Norwegians. Nynorsk is strongest in the rural west, and it spells some basics differently: eg for jeg (I) and kva for hva (what). Neither is a spoken standard: Norwegians, news reporters included, speak their own dialects in every setting, so expect the words above in many accents.

Say this today: five sentences

When these feel easy, the Norwegian stories show the same words in context. Saying them out loud is what makes them stick, so practice them with Polly, the PollyStop tutor, until they come out without thinking.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most basic Norwegian words to learn first?

Start with hei, ha det, takk, tusen takk, unnskyld, ja and nei, the question words hva, hvor and hvor mye, and the numbers one to twenty. Then learn Kan jeg få ...? (Can I have ...?), which covers most ordering and shopping.

How do you say please in Norwegian?

The dictionary answer is vær så snill (be so kind), but it can sound like pleading in everyday requests. Norwegians usually ask with Kan jeg få ...? and end with takk, as in Kan jeg få regningen, takk?

How do you say thank you in Norwegian?

Takk is thanks, tusen takk is thanks a lot, and takk skal du ha is a warmer, personal thank you. After a meal in someone's home, say takk for maten. The reply to a thank you is vær så god or bare hyggelig.

Is Norwegian pronunciation hard for English speakers?

Most of it is regular once you learn a few rules: hv sounds like v, hj and gj like y, sj and skj like sh, and d is often silent after a long vowel, as in god. The r and the pitch melody vary by region, and you will be understood without perfecting either.