Norway is a beautiful and culturally rich country that should rank high on any traveler’s bucket list. Although many of it’s citizens speak English (possibly even better than you do), it’s important to learn common Norwegian words and phrases to help you get by. Although knowing Norwegian is not critical, especially when visiting the larger cities, it does make you more endearing to the locals. They will be less likely to see you as “just another tourist” and more as a visitor that is invested in learning more about their country and culture.
Luckily for you, Norwegian is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn! Many of the Norwegian words overlap with English or sound close enough that it is relatively easy to figure them out, especially when given the context of the conversation. Learning these common Norwegian words and phrases will help you easily interact with the locals!
Tip: The Norwegian words or phrases that are underlined/highlighted in the “Norwegian” category have links that will allow you to listen to the pronunciation of the word. Some of them are pronounced very quickly and may be hard to understand the first couple of times you listen to them. Take your time to listen and break down each word. Once you get a hang of the accent and pronunciations, it will make learning the Norwegian phrases much easier!
Basics Norwegian Words and Phrases
| English | Norwegian | Pronunciation (r is rolled) |
| Welcome (to a place or home) | Velkommen | Vel comen |
| Hi | Hei (informal) | Hi |
| Yes | Ja | Yah |
| No | Nei | Nye |
| Please | Vær så snill | Vaer soh sneel |
| Thank you | Takk | Tahk |
| Thank you very much | Tusen takk | Too-sen tahk |
| You’re welcome | Vær så god | Vaer soh gooh |
| Excuse me | Unnskyld meg | Oon-shyll mei |
| I do not understand | Jeg forstår ikke | Yai forced-oar ick-e |
| I am sorry | Jeg beklager | Yai beck-lager |
Norwegian Greetings
| English | Norwegian | Pronunciation (r is rolled) |
| Hello | Hallo | Ha loo |
| Goodbye | Ha det | Hah-deh |
| See you | Vi ses | V-ses |
| Good morning | God morgen | Gooh mourn or gooh mor-gehn |
| Good afternoon | God ettermiddag | Gooh ehter-meedahg |
| Good evening | God kveld | Gooh kvel |
| What’s your name? | Hva heter du? | Va het-er doo |
| My name is… | Jeg heter (your name) | Yai het-er |
| How are you? | Hvordan har du det? | Voor-dahn gor deh |
| I’m fine, thank you | Takk, jeg har det bra | Tahk, yai har deh bra |
| Nice to meet you | Hyggelig å møte deg | Hig elee o mo tee die |
| Where are you from? | Hvor er du fra? | Voor ehr doo fra |
| I’m from | Jeg er fra … or Jeg kommer fra … | Yai ehr fra or Yei commer fra |
| I only speak a little Norwegian. | Jeg snakker bare litt norsk | Yai snock-er ba-re lit norsk |
Norwegian Questions
| English | Norwegian | Pronunciation (r is rolled) |
| Do you speak English? | Snakker du engelsk? | Snock-er doo eng-elsk? or snah-kerh doo en-gelsk |
| Can you speak more slowly? | Kan du snakke saktere? | Kahn doo snakke sock-te-re |
| Where is …? | Hvor er …? | Voor ehr |
| How much does this cost? | Hvor mye koster dette? | Voor mee-eh koh ster dette |
| Do you have … | Har du … | Har doo |
| Can you help me? | Kan du hjelpe meg? | Kahn doo yelp-e mai |
| Where’s the toilet? | Hvor er toalettet? | Vor er toa-lett-e? |
Other Norwegian Words and Phrases
| English | Norwegian | Pronunciation (r is rolled) |
| Cheer! To good health! | Skål! | Skull |
| One ticket to …, please | En billett til …, takk | En billet til …. .tock |
| Train | Tog | Towg |
| Bus | Buss | Bous |
| Underground/tube/metro | T-bane | Te-ba-ne |
| Tram | Trikk | Trick |
| Airport | Flyplass | Fleeh-plaas |
Are there any common Norwegian words or phrases that you think we left out? If so, leave us a comment!
If you are interested in learning or practicing your Norwegian prior to your trip, there are several apps and programs out there to help you. Duolingo and Babble are both good apps that you can download to your phone and use whenever you have a spare minute. Additionally, companies like Pimsluer have been used by millions to help learn new languages.
For more information on traveling in Norway, check out our post on Oslo. Additionally, keep a lookout under Family Travel for future posts on Bergen, Norway in a Nutshell, Telemark, and itineraries for traveling with kids in Norway!
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