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For those learning Norwegian, there are 3 interactive exercises below.

If you are learning Norwegian, you have probably noticed that most adjectives follow a predictable pattern:

stor → stort → store

But then you meet the word for “little” or “small”, and suddenly the rules seem to fall apart.

In linguistics, this is called suppletion — when a word changes its entire root depending on how it is used.

In Norwegian, “liten” is the king of this confusion.

🔓 What you’ll find below

Below this line, you’ll get access to the full grammar lesson on liten:

• The complete text in English and Norwegian

• A clear overview of all forms (liten, lita, lite, lille, små)

👉 And most importantly:

• 3 interactive exercises:

  • Multiple choice

  • Choose the correct form

  • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

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When you subscribe, you don’t just unlock this lesson.

You get access to a growing library of articles designed to make Norwegian easier to understand — not more confusing.

📅 New lessons every week

I publish 3 times per week, including:

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• Interactive exercises

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• And much more

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Stop guessing.

👉 Start understanding how Norwegian and Norway actually works.

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Take your Norwegian to the next level!

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If you are serious about mastering the language and navigating life in Norway, you can subscribe now at the initial rate of $8/month or $80/year.

Note: The price increases to $10/month and $100/year on July 1st. Upgrade today to lock in the current lower rate for the lifetime of your subscription! Thank you for being a part of this journey.

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Klær
Clothes

Skal vi ut og handle i dag?
Shall we go shopping today?

Ja, jeg må kjøpe en del nye klær i dag.
Yes, I need to buy quite a few new clothes today.

Skal du kjøpe brukt eller nytt?
Are you going to buy second-hand or new?

Jeg tror jeg vil kjøpe litt av hvert.
I think I’ll buy a bit of both.

Det er bra for miljøet om vi kjøper brukt.
It’s good for the environment if we buy second-hand.

Er det ikke flaut å kjøpe brukt?
Isn’t it embarrassing to buy second-hand?

Nei, det er ingen som vet at jeg kjøper brukt.
No, no one knows that I buy second-hand.

Jeg trenger ikke fortelle noen at jeg kjøper brukt.
I don’t need to tell anyone that I buy second-hand.

Så ingen vet det.
So no one knows.

Hva skal du kjøpe?
What are you going to buy?

Jeg trenger ei bukse, kanskje to par bukser.
I need a pair of trousers, maybe two pairs of trousers.

Hva med denne blå genseren?
What about this blue sweater?

Den kler deg ikke. Jeg synes denne brune genseren ville kle deg mye bedre.
It doesn’t suit you. I think this beige sweater would suit you much better.

Jeg liker denne rosa skjorta.
I like this pink shirt.

OK, da har du to bukser, en genser og ei skjorte.
OK, then you have two pairs of trousers, a sweater, and a shirt.

Jeg har lyst på en grønn genser også, om jeg kan finne en.
I’d like a green sweater as well, if I can find one.

Jeg skal kjøpe et par nye t-skjorter også. Ei hvit og ei grå t-skjorte.
I’m going to buy a couple of new T-shirts as well. One white and one grey T-shirt.

Og så må jeg ha truser og sokker.
And I also need underwear and socks.

Ullsokker selger de ikke nå om sommeren.
They don’t sell wool socks now in the summer.

Det må jeg kjøpe til høsten.
I’ll have to buy that in the autumn.

Da skal jeg også kjøpe meg en ny vinterjakke.
Then I’ll also buy myself a new winter jacket.

Jeg har lyst på en svart vinterjakke.
I’d like a black winter jacket.

Hva tror du om denne dongerijakken?
What do you think about this denim jacket?

Ja, en lett sommerjakke er helt ok.
Yes, a light summer jacket is perfectly fine.

Jeg kjøper den røde jakka også.
I’ll buy the red jacket as well.

Skal du kjøpe den kåpa der?
Are you going to buy that coat there?

Ja, den står i stil med frakken til mannen min.
Yes, it matches my husband’s coat.

Hva er det du har på deg nå?
What are you wearing now?

Det er en hatt, ser du vel.
It’s a hat, can’t you see?

Jeg liker å gå med hatt.
I like wearing hats.

Se, der har de hansker også.
Look, they have gloves there as well.

Er det så kaldt at du må ha hansker?
Is it so cold that you need gloves?

Nei, men de kan være fine å ha til høsten.
No, but they can be nice to have in the autumn.

Jeg går med votter om vinteren.
I wear mittens in the winter.

Votter? Barn bruker votter.
Mittens? Children wear mittens.

Skal du kjøpe sko og undertøy også brukt?
Are you going to buy shoes and underwear second-hand as well?

Nei, jeg kjøper sko og undertøy på andre butikker.
No, I buy shoes and underwear in other shops.

Jeg skal kjøpe boksershorts til mannen min, og truser og bh-er til meg selv.
I’m going to buy boxer shorts for my husband, and underwear and bras for myself.

Og så kjøper jeg sokker til oss begge.
And then I’ll buy socks for both of us.

Skal han ha nye klær, kan han kjøpe dem selv.
If he wants new clothes, he can buy them himself.

Se, i vinduet på den butikken der. Der har de noen fine boots.
Look, in the window of that shop over there. They have some nice boots.

Vi går inn der og ser hva de har.
Let’s go in there and see what they have.

Vocabulary:

Årstider — Seasons

vår - spring
sommer — summer
høst — autumn / fall
vinter — winter

Klær — Clothes

klær — clothes
ei bukse — a pair of trousers / pants
to par bukser — two pairs of trousers / pants
en genser — a sweater
ei skjorte — a shirt
ei t-skjorte — a T-shirt
ei jakke — a jacket
en sommerjakke — a summer jacket
en vinterjakke — a winter jacket
en dongerijakke — a denim jacket
ei kåpe — a coat
en frakk — a coat (long coat)
en hatt — a hat
hansker — gloves
en vott — mitten
votter — mittens
sko — shoes
boots — boots
ei truse — knickers /panties (singular)
truser — knickers / panties
en boksershort — boxer shorts (singular)
boksershorts — boxer shorts
en bh (bh-er), en brystholder (brystholdere), — bra (bras)
en sokk — a sock
sokker — socks
ullsokker — wool socks
en bluse — a blouse
en sokk — a sock
en regnjakke — a rain jacket
en parkas — a parka
et skjerf — a scarf
ei lue — a beanie / a wool hat
en caps — a cap
en støvel — a boot
et par støvler — a pair of boots
et sjal — a shawl
en parkdress — a snowsuit / a winter overall
en shorts — a pair of shorts
en badedrakt — a swimsuit
en pikini — a bikini
et belte — a belt
et skjørt — a skirt

Andre ord — Other words

å handle — to shop
brukt — second-hand / used
ny / nytt / nye — new
miljø — environment
flaut — embarrassing
å kjøpe — to buy
å trenge — to need
kanskje — maybe
å tro — to think / believe
litt av hvert — a bit of everything
å kle (deg) — to suit (you)
å like — to like
å finne — to find
også — also / too
nå — now
til høsten — in the autumn
lett — light
helt ok — perfectly fine
å stå i stil — to match
å ha på seg — to wear
å gå med — to wear
kaldt — cold
fin(e) — nice / pretty
butikk — shop / store
vindu — window
der — there
å se — to see
å ha på seg — to wear
å kle på seg — to get dressed

Farger — Colours

gul — yellow
grønn — green
rød — red
blå — blue
hvit — white
svart — black
brun — brown
rosa — pink
oransje — orange
grå — gray
fiolett / lilla — violet
lyseblå — pale blue
lysegrønn — pale green
gull — gold
sølv — silver
gjennomsiktig — transparent

For grammar on adjectives, click here!
In that folder, you will find 5 articles on adjectives, with interactive exercises.

Interactive exercises:

Colours - click here!

Colours and clothes - match phrases - click here!

The Milionair Game - click here!

Clothes - click here!

Thank you for reading this article!

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Take your Norwegian to the next level!

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If you are serious about mastering the language and navigating life in Norway, you can subscribe now at the initial rate of $8/month or $80/year.

Note: The price increases to $10/month and $100/year on July 1st. Upgrade today to lock in the current lower rate for the lifetime of your subscription! Thank you for being a part of this journey.

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Jeg har ei mor og en far.
I have a mother and a father.

Pappa er like gammel som mamma.
Dad is as old as Mom.

Jeg har en bror og ei søster.
I have a brother and a sister.

Broren min heter Peter og søstera mi heter Lise.
My brother’s name is Peter and my sister’s name is Lise.

Mamma har to brødre, så jeg har to onkler.
Mom has two brothers, so I have two uncles.

Pappa har to søstre, så jeg har to tanter.
Dad has two sisters, so I have two aunts.

Jeg har ei tante som heter Anna og en onkel som heter Pål.
I have an aunt named Anna and an uncle named Pål.

Anna er søstera til pappa.
Anna is Dad’s sister.

Pål er broren til mamma.
Pål is Mom’s brother.

Jeg har fire besteforeldre.
I have four grandparents.

Mammas foreldre er mormor og morfar, men jeg kaller dem bestemor og bestefar.
Mom’s parents are my maternal grandmother and grandfather, but I call them grandma and grandpa.

Farmor og farfar er foreldrene til pappa.
My paternal grandmother and grandfather are Dad’s parents.

Mora til mormor lever ennå. Hun er oldemora mi.
My grandmother’s mother is still alive. She is my great-grandmother.

De andre oldeforeldrene mine er døde.
My other great-grandparents are dead.

Jeg kan fortsatt huske oldefar, faren til bestemor.
I can still remember my great-grandfather, my grandmother’s father.

Han var en snill gammel mann.
He was a kind old man.

Tante Anna har to barn. Så jeg har to søskenbarn.
Aunt Anna has two children, so I have two cousins.

Det er en gutt og ei jente, så jeg har en fetter og ei kusine.
There is a boy and a girl, so I have one male cousin and one female cousin.

Jeg vil gjerne ha flere fettere og kusiner.
I would like to have more cousins.

Interactive exercises at the bottom!

Vocabulary:

ei mor – a mother
en far – a father
ei mamma – a mom
en pappa – a dad

en bror – a brother
ei søster – a sister
brødre – brothers
søstre – sisters
en familie – a family

en onkel – an uncle
ei tante – an aunt

besteforeldre – grandparents
ei bestemor – a grandmother
en bestefar – a grandfather

ei mormor – a maternal grandmother
en morfar – a maternal grandfather
ei farmor – a paternal grandmother
en farfar – a paternal grandfather

foreldre – parents

ei oldemor – a great-grandmother
en oldefar – a great-grandfather
oldeforeldre – great-grandparents

et barn – a child
barn – children
søsken – siblings
søskenbarn – cousins
en fetter – a male cousin
ei kusine – a female cousin
ei datter - a daughter
en sønn - a son

et navn – a name

å hete – to be called
å ha – to have
å være – to be
å kalle – to call

gammel – old
snill – kind
død – dead
levende – alive

ei mor – mother
mora – the mother
mødre – mothers
mødrene – the mothers

en far – father
faren – the father
fedre – fathers
fedrene – the fathers

en bror – brother
broren – the brother
brødre – brothers
brødrene – the brothers

ei søster – sister
søsteren – the sister
søstre – sisters
søstrene – the sisters

🟦 Norwegian – English (Question words)

Hvem – Who
Hva – What
Hvor – Where
Hvordan – How
Hvorfor – Why
Når – When
Hvilken – Which (masculine/feminine singular)
Hvilket – Which (neuter singular)
Hvilke – Which (plural)
Hvor mye – How much
Hvor mange – How many

Examples:

Hvem er det? – Who is it?
Hva heter du? – What is your name?
Hvor bor du? – Where do you live?
Hvordan kommer jeg meg til sentrum? – How do I get to the city center?
Hvorfor bor du i Norge? – Why do you live in Norway?
Når kom du hit? – When did you come here?
Hvilken dag er det i dag? – Which day is it today?
Hvilken jakke skal jeg velge? – Which jacket should I choose?
Hvilket hus bor du i? – Which house do you live in?
Hvilke dager jobber du? – Which days do you work?
Hvor mye koster eplene? – How much do the apples cost?
Hvor mange epler skal jeg kjøpe? – How many apples should I buy?

Questions to the text:

1. Hvor mange foreldre har personen i teksten?

2. Hvem er like gamle?

3. Hvor mange søsken har personen?

4. Hva heter broren?

5. Hva heter søsteren?

6. Hvor mange onkler har personen?

7. Hvor mange tanter har personen?

8. Hvem er Anna?

9. Hvem er Pål?

10. Hvor mange besteforeldre har personen?

Answers:

1. Personen har to foreldre.

2. Pappa og mamma er like gamle.

3. Personen har to søsken.

4. Broren heter Peter.

5. Søsteren heter Lise.

6. Personen har to onkler.

7. Personen har to tanter.

8. Anna er tanta.

9. Pål er onkelen.

10. Personen har fire besteforeldre.

Interactive exercises:

Family words - click here!

The Milionair Game - family words - click here!

Question words - match matrix - Click here!

Question words - multiple choice - click here!

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Jeg er hjemme i dag. Det er lørdag, og jeg har fri.
Jeg vil gjøre noe, men jeg vet ikke hva.

I am at home today. It is Saturday, and I am off.
I want to do something, but I don’t know what.

Jeg kan lese ei bok, eller jeg kan se på TV.
Jeg kan også gå en tur, men jeg er litt trøtt.

I can read a book, or I can watch TV.
I can also go for a walk, but I am a little tired.

Venninna mi ringer meg. Hun vil finne på noe.
Hun spør: “Hva skal vi gjøre i dag?”

My friend calls me. She wants to find something to do.
She asks: “What are we going to do today?”

Jeg svarer: “Jeg vet ikke, men vi kan møtes.”
Vi skal møtes i byen klokka to.

I answer: “I don’t know, but we can meet.”
We are going to meet in the city at two o’clock.

Jeg må dusje og kle på meg først.
Jeg vil ikke komme for sent.

I have to shower and get dressed first.
I don’t want to be late.

Jeg kan ta bussen, eller jeg kan gå.
Jeg vil gå, fordi det er fint vær.

I can take the bus, or I can walk.
I want to walk because the weather is nice.

Når jeg kommer til byen, ser jeg venninna mi.
Hun er glad, og hun vil spise noe.

When I arrive in the city, I see my friend.
She is happy, and she wants to eat something.

Vi kan gå på kafé, eller vi kan kjøpe is.
Jeg sier: “Vi kan kjøpe is.”

We can go to a café, or we can buy ice cream.
I say: “We can buy ice cream.”

Etterpå skal vi gå en tur i parken.
Vi snakker og ler.

After that, we are going to walk in the park.
We talk and laugh.

Det er en fin dag, og jeg er glad.
Jeg vil gjøre dette igjen i morgen.

It is a nice day, and I am happy.
I want to do this again tomorrow.

Vocabulary:

jeg – I
er – am / is / are
hjemme – at home
i dag – today
det – it
er lørdag – it is Saturday
har fri – am off / have free time

vil – want / will
gjøre – do
noe – something
men – but
vet – know
ikke – not

kan – can
lese – read
ei bok – a book
eller – or
se på TV – watch TV

også – also
gå – go / walk
en tur – a walk / go for a walk
litt – a little
trøtt – tired

venninna mi – my friend (female)
ei venninne - a female friend
vennen min - my friend (male)
en venn - a male friend
ringer – calls
meg – me
hun – she
finne på – find / come up with
spør – asks
hva – what
skal – shall / going to
vi – we
i dag – today

svarer – answers
vi kan – we can
møtes – meet (each other)
byen – the city
klokka to – at two o’clock

må – must / have to
dusje – shower
kle på meg – get dressed
først – first
vil ikke – do not want
komme for sent – be late

ta bussen – take the bus
fordi – because
fint vær – nice weather

når – when
kommer – come / arrive
ser – see
glad – happy
spise – eat

gå på kafé – go to a café
kjøpe – buy
is – ice cream

etterpå – after that
tur – walk / trip
parken – the park
snakker – talk
ler – laugh

fin dag – nice day
igjen – again
i morgen – tomorrow

Norwegian Modal Verbs (A1) – Simple and Useful

Modal verbs are very important in Norwegian. They help you say what you can do, must do, or want to do.

Important rule

After a modal verb, we usually use a second verb (without “å”).

Examples:

• Jeg kan snakke
  (I can speak)

• Jeg må jobbe
  (I must work)

NOT:

• Jeg kan å snakke ❌

1. Å kunne (can)

The verb 'å kunne' covers both 'to know how to' and 'to be able to.' It describes acquired knowledge and skills, but also the physical or situational capacity—essentially, everything a person is capable of doing.

Examples:

• Jeg kan lese
  (I can read)

• Kan du hjelpe meg?
  (Can you help me?)

2. Å måtte (must / have to)

The verb 'å måtte' denotes an absolute necessity or an unavoidable obligation. Unlike a piece of advice, it describes a situation where there is no other choice—it is something you must do because it is mandatory or inevitable.

Examples:

• Jeg må gå
  (I must go)

• Du må jobbe
  (You have to work)

3. Å ville (want to / will)

The verb 'å ville' primarily expresses desire or want, rather than a factual future. In Norwegian, if you are stating what will happen as a matter of plan or certainty, you use 'skal'—using 'vil' strictly highlights the subject's intention or wish.

Examples:

• Jeg vil spise
  (I want to eat)

• Jeg vil lære norsk
  (I want to learn Norwegian)

4. Å skulle (going to / will)

In Norwegian, the verb 'skulle' goes beyond a simple future tense; it implies that something is planned, scheduled, or intended—conveying that this is how things are 'meant to be' according to a prior arrangement.

Examples:

• Jeg skal reise
  (I am going to travel)

• Vi skal spise
  (We are going to eat)

5. Å burde (should)

The verb 'burde' (ought to/should) is used to give advice or express a moral obligation; it suggests that an action is the right or most sensible thing to do, rather than just being a direct translation of a command.

Examples:

• Du burde sove
  (You should sleep)

• Vi burde hjelpe
  (We should help)

Important: Sometimes there is NO second verb

Sometimes we do not use a second verb. This is very common.

Examples:

• Jeg kan engelsk
  (I can/am able to speak English)

• Jeg skal hjem
  (I am going home)

• Jeg vil hjem
  (I want to go home)

Why?

Because the meaning is already clear. The second verb (like snakke, gå, reise) is understood.

Pattern

Modal verb + verb
or
Modal verb + no verb (when the meaning is clear)

Final tip

If you are not sure, it is always safe to use a second verb:

• Jeg kan snakke engelsk

• Jeg vil gå hjem

Want to learn more?

Read more about each verb:

• Å kunne → Click here!

• Å måtte → Click here!

• Å ville → Click here!

• Å skulle → Click here!

• Å burde → Click here!

Note: Mutual / “-s” verbs in Norwegian

In Norwegian, some verbs end in -s. These verbs often show that something happens between people or mutually.

This is different from English.

1. Å møtes = to meet (each other)

We use møtes when two or more people meet.

Examples:

• Vi møtes i byen
  (We meet in the city)

• Vi skal møtes klokka to
  (We are going to meet at two o’clock)

Important:
You do NOT say “we meet each other” in Norwegian — just møtes.

2. Å snakkes = to talk / speak (to each other)

Snakkes is informal and very common.

Examples:

• Vi snakkes i morgen
  (We talk tomorrow / See you tomorrow)

• Snakkes senere!
  (Talk to you later!)

It is often used when saying goodbye.

3. Å sees = to see each other

Sees is used when people will meet again.

Examples:

• Vi sees i morgen
  (We see each other tomorrow / See you tomorrow)

• Sees senere!
  (See you later!)

Important idea

These verbs already include the idea of “each other”, so you do NOT add extra words.

NOT correct:

• Vi møtes hverandre ❌

• Vi sees hverandre ❌

Simple summary

• møtes = meet each other

• snakkes = talk to each other

• sees = see each other again

Tip for learners

These verbs are very common in spoken Norwegian.
You will hear them every day, especially when people say goodbye.

Want to learn more?

s-verbs - Click here!

Intaractive exercises:

Match the phrases - click here!

Vocabulary - click here!

Match the sentences - click here!

The Millionair Game - click here!

Modal verbs - click here!

Thank you for being here!

Please share if you know others who are learning Norwegain.

Let me know if there is anything in particular you want me to write about.

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When learning a new language, mistakes are completely normal. In fact, many people who learn Norwegian make the same types of mistakes.

This usually happens because your brain is trying to apply rules from languages you already know.

Here are some common mistakes many learners make when speaking Norwegian.

1. Jeg har 30 år

This is one of the most common mistakes.

Many languages use the verb to have when talking about age. Norwegian does not.

❌ Jeg har 30 år.
(I have 30 years.)

✔ Jeg er 30 år.
(I am 30 years old.)

In Norwegian, we use å være (to be) when talking about age.

2. Mixing two structures

Sometimes learners combine two different sentence structures.

❌ Jeg har er 30 år.
(I have am 30 years.)

✔ Jeg er 30 år.
(I am 30 years old.)

This usually happens when people are thinking in another language while speaking Norwegian.

3. Trying to use a continuous form

English often uses a continuous form with to be + verb.

Learners sometimes try to do the same in Norwegian.

❌ Jeg er spiser frokost.
(I am eating breakfast.)

✔ Jeg spiser frokost.
(I eat / I am eating breakfast.)

Norwegian usually does not use a continuous form.

If you want to emphasise that something is happening right now, you can say:

✔ Jeg sitter og spiser frokost.
(I am sitting and eating breakfast.)

✔ Jeg holder på å spise frokost.
(I am in the middle of eating breakfast.)

4. Wrong gender with nouns

Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender, and this can be confusing.

❌ Jeg jobber i en firma.
(I work in a company.)

✔ Jeg jobber i et firma.
(I work in a company.)

The word firma is a neuter noun, so we use et, not en.

5. Using siden incorrectly

Learners often translate directly from English.

❌ Jeg bor her siden tre år.
(I live here since three years.)

✔ Jeg har bodd her i tre år.
(I have lived here for three years.)

When something started in the past and continues until now, Norwegian often uses har + verb.

6. Using too many words

Sometimes learners combine words that mean almost the same thing.

❌ Jeg gleder meg til å møte deg igjen tilbake.
(I look forward to meeting you again back.)

✔ Jeg gleder meg til å møte deg igjen.
(I look forward to meeting you again.)

7. Forgetting godt

Norwegian often uses godt after verbs like like.

❌ Jeg liker veldig.
(I like very.)

✔ Jeg liker det veldig godt.
(I like it very much.)

8. Wrong verb or unnatural expression

Sometimes the problem is not only the preposition, but the whole expression.

❌ Jeg går til jobb med buss.
(I walk to work with bus.)

More natural Norwegian would be:

✔ Jeg tar bussen til jobb.
(I take the bus to work.)

✔ Jeg reiser til jobb med buss.
(I travel to work by bus.)

✔ Jeg drar til jobb med buss.
(I go to work by bus.)

In Norwegian, we do not say går til jobb med buss, because å gå means to walk.

9. Using fra instead of siden

Learners often confuse these two words.

❌ Jeg har jobbet her fra 2022.
(I have worked here from 2022.)

✔ Jeg har jobbet her siden 2022.
(I have worked here since 2022.)

10. Forgetting til

Some Norwegian verbs require a specific preposition.

❌ Jeg gleder meg å se deg.
(I look forward to see you.)

✔ Jeg gleder meg til å se deg.
(I look forward to seeing you.)

Mistakes are part of learning

Everyone who learns a language makes mistakes. That is not a sign that you are doing something wrong — it is a sign that you are actually using the language.

The more you speak, write, and practise, the more natural Norwegian will start to feel.

And one day you may notice that the sentences simply come to you without thinking.

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Telling time in Norwegian

In Norwegian, time is often expressed in a way that can feel confusing at first, because the system shifts perspective earlier than in English. Once you pass around 20 minutes past the hour, the language starts referring to the next hour instead of the current one. For example, instead of continuing with “twenty-five past three,” Norwegian moves into expressions like “five minutes to half four” (fem på halv fire). You see, “half four” in Norwegian is not the same as in English, it means “three thirty”.

This means that if you are not familiar with the system, it is easy to misunderstand the actual time and end up being an hour early or an hour late until the pattern becomes familiar.

It is not strictly necessary to use this system actively when speaking Norwegian, especially in formal or digital contexts where people often just read the numbers as they appear. If you are unsure, you can always fall back on reading the time digitally, two digits at a time (for example, 14:20 as “fourteen twenty”).

However, understanding how the spoken system works is important. If you choose not to learn it, you should not expect others to constantly simplify it for you in conversation. Like any language structure, it becomes much easier once you take the time to learn the pattern, but it does require that effort in the first place.

• Klokka er ett. — It is one o’clock.

• Klokka er to. — It is two o’clock.

• Den er tre. — It is three o’clock.

• Den er fem over tre. — It is five past three.

• Den er ti over fire. — It is ten past four.

• Den er kvart over fem. — It is quarter past five.

• Den er ti på halv seks. — It is twenty past five.

• Den er fem på halv seks. — It is twenty-five past five.

• Den er halv seks. — It is half past five.

• Den er fem over halv seks. — It is twenty-five to six. (literally: five past half six)

• Den er ti over halv seks. — It is twenty to six. (literally: ten past half six)

• Den er kvart på seks. — It is quarter to six.

• Den er ti på seks. — It is ten to six.

• Den er fem på seks. — It is five to six.

• Den er seks. — It is six o’clock.

Confused? Well, thousands of people have learned this, and so can you. Get on the horse and do it again. I’ve left you with a video that might help:

Video, click here!

Below there are interactive exercises that should help you to learn. I hope you like them.

Vocabulary list

ei klokke — a clock
ei tid — a time
system — a system
forvirrende — confusing
i starten — in the beginning
først — at first
å skifte — to shift / change
å endre — to change
et perspektiv — a perspective
en time — an hour
et eksempel — an example
i stedet for — instead of
å fortsette — to continue
et uttrykk — an expression
å bety — to mean
lett — easy
vanskelig — difficult
å forstå — to understand
et mønster — a pattern
kjent — familiar
helt nødvendig — strictly necessary
å bruke — to use
spesielt — especially
formell — formal
digital — digital
å lese — to read
et tall — a number
bruke som reserve / gå tilbake til — to fall back on
men / likevel — however
viktig — important
å velge — to choose
å forvente — to expect
å lære — to learn
en innsats — an effort

Interactive exercises:

Vocabulary 1

Vocabulary 2

What time is it? 1

What time is it? 2

What time is it? 3

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Ordenstall - Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers tell us the order of things — for example: first, second, third.

In Norwegian, ordinal numbers are used when we talk about dates, floors, positions, and order in a sequence.

Most ordinal numbers are formed by adding -te or -de to the number:

• fire → fjerde (fourth)

• seks → sjette (sixth)

• ti → tiende (tenth)

Some ordinal numbers are irregular, so you need to learn them by heart:

• en → første (first)

• to → andre (second)

• tre → tredje (third)

Ordinal numbers usually come before a noun, and the noun is often in definite form:

• den første dagen (the first day)

• den andre uka (the second week)

In Norwegian, you can also write ordinal numbers using a number followed by a period (full stop). The period shows that the number is an ordinal number.

For example,

1. means første (first),

2. means andre (second), and

3. means tredje (third).

This form is very common in dates and lists, such as 1. mai (the 1st of May) and 2. etasje (2nd floor).

Examples:

Er søndag eller mandag første dagen i uka?
Is Sunday or Monday the first day of the week?

De kommer tredje september.
They are coming on the third of September.

Jeg har ferie fra fjerde august.
I have vacation from the fourth of August.

Han har bursdag femte desember.
His birthday is on the fifth of December.

Er lørdag den sjette eller den sjuende dagen i uka?
Is Saturday the sixth or the seventh day of the week?

Norges frigjøringsdag er åttende mai.
Norway’s Liberation Day is on the eighth of May.

Norge ble angrepet av tyskerne niende april 1945 (nitten førtifem).
Norway was attacked by the Germans on the ninth of April 1945 (nineteen forty-five).

Det er tiende gang du spør om det!
That is the tenth time you ask about it!

November er den ellevte måneden i året.
November is the eleventh month of the year.

Har du bursdag tolvte mai?
Is your birthday on the twelfth of May?

De sier at fredag den trettende er en ulykkesdag.
They say that Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day.

Han besøker oss hver fjortende dag.
He visits us every fourteenth day.

Femtende mai feirer vi Sankt Halvards dag.
On the fifteenth of May, we celebrate Saint Hallvard’s Day.

Sekstende oktober reiser vi til Malaga.
On the sixteenth of October, we are traveling to Malaga.

Er det syttende eller attende juni vi har bryllupsdag?
Is it the seventeenth or the eighteenth of June that is our wedding anniversary?

Niesa mi har bursdag den nittende april.
My niece has her birthday on the nineteenth of April.

Læreren min har bursdag den tjuende februar.
My teacher has a birthday on the twentieth of February.

Tjueførste mars kalles vårjevndøgn.
The twenty-first of March is called the spring equinox.

Stevnet arrangeres for tjueandre gang.
The event is being held for the twenty-second time.

Tjuetredje desember kalles lille julaften.
The twenty-third of December is called Little Christmas Eve.

Julaften er den tjuefjerde desember.
Christmas Eve is on the twenty-fourth of December.

Tjuefemte desember kalles første juledag.
The twenty-fifth of December is called the first day of Christmas.

Tjuesjette desember kalles andre juledag.
The twenty-sixth of December is called the second day of Christmas.

Jeg fikk ikke billetter før den tjuesjuende.
I didn’t get tickets until the twenty-seventh.

Hun skal feire sin tjueåttende bursdag helt alene.
She is going to celebrate her twenty-eighth birthday completely alone.

Tjueniende februar finnes bare hvert fjerde år.
The twenty-ninth of February only exists every fourth year.

Konferansen skal arrangeres for trettiende gang.
The conference will be held for the thirtieth time.

Konferansen begynner den trettiførste januar.
The conference starts on the thirty-first of January.

Det er hundrede gang hun ringer i dag.
It is the hundredth time she has called today.

Det må være tusende gang jeg tenker på det.
It must be the thousandth time I think about it.

Vocabulary list further down.

Grammar: How ordinal numbers are used in Norwegian

In Norwegian, ordinal numbers are often used together with nouns in a fixed structure:

👉 den + ordinal number + noun in definite form

For example:

• den første dagen (the first day)

• den andre uka (the second week)

• den tjuetredje desember (the twenty-third of December)

The important point is that the noun is usually in definite form (dagen, uka).

In dates, Norwegian often allows a shorter form where “den” is dropped, especially in everyday use:

3. desember

tredje desember

Both forms are correct, but shorter forms are very common.

Ordinal numbers are also used to talk about how many times something happens:

• for første gang (for the first time)

• for tiende gang (for the tenth time)

• for hundrede gang (for the hundredth time)

This structure is very common in both spoken and written Norwegian.

They can also be used to describe regular intervals:

• hver fjortende dag (every fourteenth day)

Finally, Norwegian has informal expressions for when you don’t mean an exact number, but want to show that something has happened many times:

• ørten (umpteen)

• n-te (the nth time)

• syv og trygvende / syv og fjørtiende (playful, exaggerated forms)

These are similar to the English word “umpteenth”, and are often used to express frustration or exaggeration:

• Det er ørtende gang jeg sier det!
  (That’s the umpteenth time I’ve said it!)

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Vocabulary (Norwegian – English)

et ordenstall – an ordinal number
første – first
andre – second
tredje – third
fjerde – fourth
tiende – tenth

en dag – a day
ei uke – a week
en måned – a month
et år – a year

en dato – a date
en bursdag – a birthday
en ferie – a holiday / vacation
en bryllupsdag – a wedding anniversary

en gang – a time (occurrence)
for første gang – for the first time

hver – every
hver dag – every day
hver fjortende dag – every fourteenth day

en etasje – a floor

å komme – to come
å ha – to have
å være – to be
å reise – to travel
å feire – to celebrate

å kalle – to call
å begynne – to begin
å arrangere – to arrange

før – before
etter – after
fra – from
til – to

den – the (masculine/feminine, definite)

måtte – must
tro – to think / believe

Interactive exercises:

The Millionair Game- click here!

Match the senteces - click here!

Choose the correct ordinal number - click here!

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At the bottom there are interactive exercises!

Numbers – Tall

Jeg har én hund og to katter.
I have one dog and two cats.

Han har tre geiter.
He has three goats.

Det er fire fugler i hagen.
There are four birds in the garden.

Fem biler står utenfor.
Five cars are parked outside.

Han fyller seks år.
He turns six years old.

Det er syv deltakere på kurset.
There are seven participants in the course.

Huset har åtte vinduer.
The house has eight windows.

I skapet står det ni tallerkener og ti glass.
There are nine plates and ten glasses in the cupboard.

Hun har elleve grå hår.
She has eleven gray hairs.

Jesus hadde tolv disipler.
Jesus had twelve disciples.

I hylla står det tretten bøker.
There are thirteen books on the shelf.

Det er fjorten knapper på skjorta.
There are fourteen buttons on the shirt.

Det er femten lys på kaka.
There are fifteen candles on the cake.

Nå er det seksten år siden vi flyttet hit.
It is now sixteen years since we moved here.

Har han sytten barn?
Does he have seventeen children?

Det står atten sugerør i glasset.
There are eighteen straws in the glass.

Jeg trenger nitten skruer og tjue spikre.
I need nineteen screws and twenty nails.

Det er tjue barn i klassen.
There are twenty children in the class.

Hanna er tjueen år gammel.
Hanna is twenty-one years old.

Og broren hennes er tjueto.
And her brother is twenty-two.

Det er tjuetre barn i barnehagen.
There are twenty-three children in the kindergarten.

Det sitter tjuefire personer i bussen.
There are twenty-four people on the bus.

Hotellet har tjuefem etasjer.
The hotel has twenty-five floors.

Han bor i nummer tretti.
He lives at number thirty.

Det er trettiseks hus i gata vår.
There are thirty-six houses on our street.

Lone fyller førti år i morgen.
Lone turns forty tomorrow.

Mannen hennes er førtisju.
Her husband is forty-seven.

Er det lenge til du fyller femti?
Is it long until you turn fifty?

Jens kan telle til femtiåtte.
Jens can count to fifty-eight.

Bestefar er seksti år gammel.
Grandfather is sixty years old.

Jeg skal ikke gå av med pensjon før jeg blir sekstini.
I will not retire before I turn sixty-nine.

Det er sytti meter mellom husene.
There are seventy meters between the houses.

Hun kjøper syttifem roser.
She buys seventy-five roses.

De har åtti hester og åttifem geiter.
They have eighty horses and eighty-five goats.

Oldemor er nitti år gammel.
Great-grandmother is ninety years old.

Og oldefar er nittifem.
And great-grandfather is ninety-five.

Han håper han lever til han er hundre.
He hopes he lives until he is one hundred.

Kaffen og kaka koster hundre og seksten kroner.
The coffee and the cake cost one hundred and sixteen kroner.

Jakka koster hundre og femti dollar.
The jacket costs one hundred and fifty dollars.

Buksa koster over to hundre dollar.
The pants cost over two hundred dollars.

Det er over to hundre og femti år siden.
It is over two hundred and fifty years ago.

To hundre og femtitre, for å være helt nøyaktig.
Two hundred and fifty-three, to be exact.

Tre hundre sauer går på beite.
Three hundred sheep are grazing.

De har over fire hundre og femti sauer på nabogården.
They have over four hundred and fifty sheep on the neighboring farm.

Det koster fem hundre og syttiåtte euro.
It costs five hundred and seventy-eight euros.

De har over seks hundre kameler til sammen.
They have over six hundred camels in total.

Det er sju hundre og trettitre elever på skolen.
There are seven hundred and thirty-three students at the school.

Det jobber åtte hundre og tjue personer her.
Eight hundred and twenty people work here.

Båten er ni hundre år gammel.
The boat is nine hundred years old.

Det er ni hundre og nittiseks år siden slaget på Stiklestad.
It is nine hundred and ninety-six years since the Battle of Stiklestad.

Norge har vært et kristent land i omtrent tusen år.
Norway has been a Christian country for about one thousand years.

Det heter ikke “et tusen ni hundre og femti”, men “nitten femti”, når vi snakker om årstall.
We do not say “one thousand nine hundred and fifty”, but “nineteen fifty” when talking about years.

Pappa gir meg to tusen fem hundre kroner til bursdagen min.
Dad gives me two thousand five hundred kroner for my birthday.

Dokumentet har tre tusen to hundre og syttifire bokstaver.
The document has three thousand two hundred and seventy-four letters.

Jeg tjente bare tjue tusen kroner i forrige måned.
I earned only twenty thousand kroner last month.

Fem hundre tusen kroner er det samme som en halv million.
Five hundred thousand kroner is the same as half a million.

Han tjener over sju hundre tusen kroner i året.
He earns over seven hundred thousand kroner a year.

Det er mindre enn én million innvandrere i Norge.
There are fewer than one million immigrants in Norway.

Det finnes millioner av stjerner på himmelen.
There are millions of stars in the sky.

Substantiv / Nouns – Ordliste / Vocabulary list

en hund – hunden – hunder – hundene
a dog – the dog – dogs – the dogs

en katt – katten – katter – kattene
a cat – the cat – cats – the cats

ei geit – geita – geiter – geitene
a goat – the goat – goats – the goats

en fugl – fuglen – fugler – fuglene
a bird – the bird – birds – the birds

en hage – hagen – hager – hagene
a garden – the garden – gardens – the gardens

en bil – bilen – biler – bilene
a car – the car – cars – the cars

en deltaker – deltakeren – deltakere – deltakerne
a participant – the participant – participants – the participants

et kurs – kurset – kurs – kursene
a course – the course – courses – the courses

et hus – huset – hus – husene
a house – the house – houses – the houses

et vindu – vinduet – vinduer – vinduene
a window – the window – windows – the windows

et skap – skapet – skap – skapene
a cupboard – the cupboard – cupboards – the cupboards

en tallerken – tallerkenen – tallerkener – tallerkenene
a plate – the plate – plates – the plates

et glass – glasset – glass – glassene
a glass – the glass – glasses – the glasses

et hår – håret – hår – hårene
a hair – the hair – hairs

en disippel – disipplen – disipler – disiplene
a disciple – the disciple – disciples – the disciples

ei hylle – hylla – hyller – hyllene
a shelf – the shelf – shelves – the shelves

ei bok – boka – bøker – bøkene
a book – the book – books – the books

en knapp – knappen – knapper – knappene
a button – the button – buttons – the buttons

ei skjorte – skjorta – skjorter – skjortene
a shirt – the shirt – shirts – the shirts

et lys – lyset – lys – lysene
a candle/light – the candle – candles

et år – året – år – årene
a year – the year – years – the years

et barn – barnet – barn – barna
a child – the child – children – the children

et sugerør – sugerøret – sugerør – sugerørene
a straw – the straw – straws – the straws

en skrue – skruen – skruer – skruene
a screw – the screw – screws – the screws

en spiker – spikeren – spikre – spikrene
a nail – the nail – nails – the nails

en klasse – klassen – klasser – klassene
a class – the class – classes – the classes

en barnehage – barnehagen – barnehager – barnehagene
a kindergarten – the kindergarten – kindergartens – the kindergartens

en person – personen – personer – personene
a person – the person – people – the people

en buss – bussen – busser – bussene
a bus – the bus – buses – the buses

et hotell – hotellet – hoteller – hotellene
a hotel – the hotel – hotels – the hotels

en etasje – etasjen – etasjer – etasjene
a floor – the floor – floors – the floors

et nummer – nummeret – numre/nummer – numrene
a number – the number – numbers – the numbers

ei gate – gata – gater – gatene
a street – the street – streets – the streets

en mann – mannen – menn – mennene
a man – the man – men – the men

en meter – meteren – meter – meterne
a meter – the meter – meters – the meters

ei rose – rosa – roser – rosene
a rose – the rose – roses – the roses

en hest – hesten – hester – hestene
a horse – the horse – horses – the horses

ei oldemor – oldemora – oldemødre – oldemødrene
a great-grandmother – the great-grandmother

en oldefar – oldefaren – oldefedre – oldefedrene
a great-grandfather – the great-grandfather

en kaffe – kaffen – (no plural)
coffee

ei kake – kaka – kaker – kakene
a cake – the cake – cakes – the cakes

ei jakke – jakka – jakker – jakkene
a jacket – the jacket – jackets – the jackets

ei bukse – buksa – bukser – buksene
pants – the pants – pairs of pants - the pair of pants

en gård – gården – gårder – gårdene
a farm – the farm – farms – the farms

en nabo – naboen – naboer – naboene
a neighbor – the neighbor – neighbors – the neighbors

en euro – euroen – euro – euroene
a euro – the euro – euros – the euros

en kamel – kamelen – kameler – kamelene
a camel – the camel – camels – the camels

en elev – eleven – elever – elevene
a student – the student – students – the students

en skole – skolen – skoler – skolene
a school – the school – schools – the schools

en båt – båten – båter – båtene
a boat – the boat – boats – the boats

et slag – slaget – slag – slagene
a battle – the battle – battles – the battles

et land – landet – land – landene
a country – the country – countries – the countries

et årstall – årstallet – årstall – årstallene
a year (date) – the year – years

en pappa – pappaen – pappaer – pappaene
a dad – the dad – dads – the dads

en bursdag – bursdagen – bursdager – bursdagene
a birthday – the birthday – birthdays – the birthdays

et dokument – dokumentet – dokumenter – dokumentene
a document – the document – documents – the documents

en bokstav – bokstaven – bokstaver – bokstavene
a letter – the letter – letters – the letters

en måned – måneden – måneder – månedene
a month – the month – months – the months

ei krone – krona – kroner – kronene
a krone – the krone – kroner

en million – millionen – millioner – millionene
a million – the million – millions – the millions

en innvandrer – innvandreren – innvandrere – innvandrerne
an immigrant – the immigrant – immigrants – the immigrants

ei stjerne – stjerna – stjerner – stjernene
a star – the star – stars – the stars

en himmel – himmelen – himler – himlene
a sky – the sky – skies – the skies

Verb / Verbs

å ha – har – hadde – har hatt
to have – have/has – had – have had

å være – er – var – har vært
to be – am/is/are – was/were – have been

å stå – står – stod – har stått
to stand – stand/stands – stood – have stood

å fylle – fyller – fylte – har fylt
to turn/fill – turn/turns – turned – have turned

å flytte – flytter – flyttet – har flyttet
to move – move/moves – moved – have moved

å sitte – sitter – satt – har sittet
to sit – sit/sits – sat – have sat

å bo – bor – bodde – har bodd
to live – live/lives – lived – have lived

å telle – teller – telte – har telt
to count – count/counts – counted – have counted

å gå – går – gikk – har gått
to walk - walk - walked - have walked (can also in some cases be translated with “to go”)

å kjøpe – kjøper – kjøpte – har kjøpt
to buy – buy/buys – bought – have bought

å håpe – håper – håpet – har håpet
to hope – hope/hopes – hoped – have hoped

å leve – lever – levde – har levd
to live – live/lives – lived – have lived

å koste – koster – kostet – har kostet
to cost – cost/costs – cost – have cost

å jobbe – jobber – jobbet – har jobbet
to work – work/works – worked – have worked

å hete – heter – het – har hett
to be called – am/is/are called – was/were called – have been called

å snakke – snakker – snakket – har snakket
to speak – speak/speaks – spoke – have spoken

å gi – gir – ga – har gitt
to give – give/gives – gave – have given

å trenge – trenger – trengte – har trengt
to need – need/needs – needed – have needed

å tjene – tjener – tjente – har tjent
to earn – earn/earns – earned – have earned

å finnes – finnes – fantes – har fantes
to exist – exist/exists – existed – have existed

For more material on verbs - click here!

Tallord (cardinal numbers)

én (m), ei (f), ett (n) – one
to – two
tre – three
fire – four
fem – five
seks – six
sju/syv – seven
åtte – eight
ni – nine
ti – ten
elleve – eleven
tolv – twelve
tretten – thirteen
fjorten – fourteen
femten – fifteen
seksten – sixteen
sytten – seventeen
atten – eighteen
nitten – nineteen
tjue – twenty
tretti – thirty
førti – forty
femti – fifty
seksti – sixty
sytti – seventy
åtti – eighty
nitti – ninety
hundre – hundred
tusen – thousand

Pronomen (pronouns)

jeg – I
han – he
hun – she
det – it / there
de – they
vi – we
meg – me
hennes – her
min – my

Eiendomsord (possessives)

min – my
hennes – her

Preposisjoner (prepositions)

i – in
på – on / in
utenfor – outside
mellom – between
til – to / until
før – before
over – over / more than

For more material on prepositions, click here!

Konjunksjoner (conjunctions)

og – and
men – but
eller – or
for - for

Pro tip: Always comma in front of these, when used as conjunctions!

Adverb (adverbs)

nå – now
bare – only
ikke – not
også – also
sammen – together
omtrent – approximately
helt – completely
her – here

Andre viktige uttrykk / småord

det er – there is / there are
for å være helt nøyaktig – to be exact
det samme som – the same as
til sammen – in total
i året – per year
i forrige måned – last month

Prepositions in Norwegian (from this text)

Prepositions are small words that show relationships between words, especially place, time, and direction. They are often followed by a noun or a pronoun.

i – in / inside / at (rooms, cities, countries)

Used for something inside a space, or for general location.

• i hagen → in the garden

• i skapet → in the cupboard

• i Norge → in Norway

👉 Often used where English uses in, but sometimes also on/at.

på – on / on / at (surfaces, institutions, events)

Used for surfaces, public places, and activities.

• på skjorta → on the shirt

• på kurset → on the course

• på skolen → at school

• på beite → grazing (fixed expression)

👉 Very common and flexible – often translated as on or at.

utenfor – outside

Used for something located outside a place.

• utenfor huset → outside the house

mellom – between

Used when something is in the middle of two or more things.

• mellom husene → between the houses

til – to / until / for (purpose)

Used for direction, time limits, or purpose.

• til bursdagen → for the birthday

• til han er hundre → until he is one hundred

før – before

Used for time (earlier than something).

• før jeg blir sekstini → before I turn sixty-nine

over – over / more than

Used for something higher than a number or level.

• over to hundre → over two hundred

Key takeaway

👉 Norwegian prepositions do not always match English one-to-one
Example:

• i bussen → on the bus (not in)

So learners must:

• learn them in context

• not translate word-for-word

Interactive exercises:

Which number is correct? - Click here!

Which number is corret? 2 - Click here!

Which is the right form of the noun? - Click here!

Match the sentences - Click here!

Inflect the nouns - Click here!

Conjugate the verbs - Click here!

For more learning material, click here!

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For those learning Norwegian, there is an interactive exercise below.

Many Norwegian learners struggle with for and til.

At first it looks simple:

• for = for

• til = to

But this comparison is misleading. Norwegian does not follow English logic.

Let’s make it clear.

1️⃣ When we use til

Til is often used when something moves toward someone or when someone receives something.

🔹 Direction / movement

Jeg går til butikken.
I am going to the shop.

Hun reiser til Norge.
She is travelling to Norway.

🔹 Receiver

Jeg ga boka til Maria.
I gave the book to Maria.

Dette er en gave til deg.
This is a gift for you. (you receive it)

If someone receives something, we usually use til.

🔹 Time until something happens

Det er to dager til fredag.
There are two days until Friday.

2️⃣ When we use for

For often expresses benefit, purpose, or intended use.

🔹 Benefit

Jeg gjorde det for deg.
I did it for you.

Han åpnet døren for henne.
He opened the door for her.

Here, no object is transferred. The action benefits someone.

🔹 Intended use

Dette er for barn.
This is for children.

Denne gaven er for deg.
This gift is for you. (intended for you)

Notice the contrast:

En gave til deg.
(A gift you receive.)

En gave for deg.
(A gift intended for you — focus on purpose.)

Small difference. Different focus.

🔹 Price / exchange

Jeg kjøpte den for 200 kroner.
I bought it for 200 kroner.

3️⃣ A Clear Contrast

Compare:

Jeg kjøpte en gave til deg.
(I bought a gift and you will receive it.)

Jeg kjøpte den for deg.
(I bought it on your behalf / for your benefit.)

This is where many learners mix them up.

4️⃣ A Simple Guideline

If something moves to someone → usually til.
If something is done for the benefit of someone → usually for.

But remember: prepositions must be learned through patterns and exposure — not direct translation.

This is exactly the kind of small detail that makes Norwegian feel confusing at first — and clear once it’s explained properly.

Interactive exercise here!

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Below are both interactive and normal exercises. Play and learn!

Greetings

Audio above!

hei

hallo – hello

God morgen – Good morning

God dag – Good day / How do you do?

God ettermiddag – Good afternoon

God kveld – Good evening

God natt – Good night

Ha det bra! – Goodbye! (lit. have it good)

Ha det! – Bye! (lit. have it)

Ha en fin dag! – Have a nice day!

Hvordan går det? – How is it going?

Hvordan har du det? – How are you?

Har du det bra? – Are you doing alright?

Det går bra. – It’s going alright.

Jeg har det bra. – I’m doing alright.

Det går fint. – I’m doing fine.

Hva sa du? – What did you say?

Kan du si det en gang til? – Can you say that again?

Kan du gjenta? – Can you repeat?

Jeg sa at … – I said that …

Hvordan skriver du/man det? – How do you write that?

Hvordan staver du/man det? – How do you spell that?

Hvordan sier man “car” på norsk? – How do you say “car” in Norwegian?

Hva heter “plate” på norsk? – What is “plate” called in Norwegian?

Det heter “tallerken”. – It’s called “tallerken”.

Kan jeg spørre deg om noe? – Can I ask you something?

Kan jeg stille deg et spørsmål? – May I ask you a question?

Vi sees! – See you! (lit. We’ll see each other!)

Vi sees i morgen. – See you tomorrow.

Vi sees på mandag. – See you on Monday.

God helg! – Have a nice weekend.

Takk for i dag! – Thanks for today. (at the end of a class or work)

Gratulerer med dagen! – Congratulations! / Happy birthday!

Gratulerer! – Congratulations!

God jul! – Merry Christmas!

Godt nyttår! – Happy New Year!

God påske! – Happy Easter!

God sommer! – Have a nice summer!

God ferie! – Have a nice vacation!

God tur! – Have a nice trip!

Vocabulary:

god – good
en morgen (m) – a morning
en dag (m) – a day
en ettermiddag (m) – an afternoon
en kveld (m) – an evening
ei natt (f) – a night
å ha – to have
bra – good
fint – good
hvordan – how
å gå – to walk, go
å kunne – to be able to
en gang til – one more time, again
å gjenta – to repeat
å si – to say
at – that
å skrive – to write
man – one, you, anyone
å stave – to spell
å se – to see, watch, look
sees – will see (mutual)
en tallerken (m) – a plate
å spørre – to ask
et spørsmål (n) – a question
å stille et spørsmål – to ask a question
i dag – today
i morgen – tomorrow
i går – yesterday
takk – thank you
å takke – to thank
ei helg (f) – a weekend
med – with
et år (n) – a year
nytt (n) – new
et nyttår (n) – New Year
ei påske – Easter
en vår (m) – a spring
en sommer (m) – a summer
en høst (m) – an autumn, fall
en vinter (m) – a winter
en tur (m) – a trip

Dagene – The Days

søndag – Sunday
mandag – Monday
tirsdag – Tuesday
onsdag – Wednesday
torsdag – Thursday
fredag – Friday
lørdag – Saturday

Grammar: Norwegian Verbs

In Norwegian, verbs are relatively simple compared to many other languages.

First of all, we only have four main forms of a verb:

• Infinitive

• Present tense

• Past tense

• Past participle

Unlike English (and many other languages), Norwegian verbs are NOT conjugated by person or gender.
This means the verb stays the same whether you say I, you, he, she, or they.
We only change the verb based on tense (time).

Weak Verbs (Regular Verbs)

Most Norwegian verbs are weak verbs, which follow regular patterns.

Example: å snakke (to speak)

• Infinitive: å snakke – to speak

• Present: snakker – speak / am speaking

• Past: snakket – spoke

• Past participle: har snakket – have spoken

Examples in sentences:

• Jeg snakker norsk.
  → I speak Norwegian.

• Hun snakker med læreren.
  → She is speaking with the teacher.

• Vi snakket i går.
  → We spoke yesterday.

• De har snakket sammen.
  → They have spoken together.

Another Example: å jobbe (to work)

• Infinitive: å jobbe – to work

• Present: jobber – work / am working

• Past: jobbet – worked

• Past participle: har jobbet – have worked

Examples:

• Jeg jobber mye.
  → I work a lot.

• Han jobber hjemme.
  → He is working from home.

• Vi jobbet hele dagen.
  → We worked all day.

• Jeg har jobbet her lenge.
  → I have worked here for a long time.

Strong Verbs (Irregular Verbs)

Some verbs are strong (irregular) and change their vowel.

Example: å skrive (to write)

• Infinitive: å skrive – to write

• Present: skriver – write / am writing

• Past: skrev – wrote

• Past participle: har skrevet – have written

Examples:

• Jeg skriver en e-post.
  → I am writing an email.

• Hun skriver hver dag.
  → She writes every day.

• Jeg skrev et brev.
  → I wrote a letter.

• Vi har skrevet mye.
  → We have written a lot.

Verbs from the text, conjugated:

Key Point

No matter who performs the action, the verb form does not change:

• Jeg snakker – I speak

• Du snakker – You speak

• Han snakker – He speaks

• Vi snakker – We speak

This is one of the reasons why Norwegian grammar is considered relatively easy to learn 😊

Norwegian Nouns

In Norwegian, nouns are a bit more complex than verbs.

First of all, Norwegian nouns have three genders:

• Masculine (en)

• Feminine (ei)

• Neuter (et)

Four Forms of Nouns

Just like verbs, nouns also have four main forms:

• Indefinite singular

• Definite singular

• Indefinite plural

• Definite plural

Example: Masculine Noun

en dag (a day)

• en dag – a day

• dagen – the day

• dager – days

• dagene – the days

Examples in sentences:

• Jeg har en dag fri.
  → I have a day off.

• Dagen er lang.
  → The day is long.

• Jeg jobber mange dager.
  → I work many days.

• Dagene går fort.
  → The days go fast.

Example: Feminine Noun

ei bok (a book)

• ei bok – a book

• boka / boken – the book

• bøker – books

• bøkene – the books

Examples:

• Jeg leser ei bok.
  → I am reading a book.

• Boka er interessant.
  → The book is interesting.

• Hun kjøper bøker.
  → She buys books.

• Bøkene er nye.
  → The books are new.

Example: Neuter Noun

et hus (a house)

• et hus – a house

• huset – the house

• hus – houses

• husene – the houses

Examples:

• Vi har et hus.
  → We have a house.

• Huset er stort.
  → The house is big.

• De bygger hus.
  → They build houses.

• Husene er gamle.
  → The houses are old.

Why Gender Matters

The gender of a noun affects several things in Norwegian:

1. Articles (en / ei / et)

• en bil – a car

• ei bok – a book

• et hus – a house

2. Adjectives

Adjectives change depending on gender:

• en stor bil – a big car

• ei stor bok – a big book

• et stort hus – a big house

3. Plural forms

Different genders often follow different plural patterns:

• en dag → dager

• ei bok → bøker

• et hus → hus

Key Point

To use Norwegian correctly, you need to learn the noun together with its gender:

• en dag (not just dag)

• ei bok (not just bok)

• et hus (not just hus)

This will help you form correct sentences with articles, adjectives, and plurals later on.

Nouns from the text:

For more on nouns, click here!

For more on the articles en, ei, et

Norwegian Adjectives:

Examples:

Masculine:

En god bil – a good car

En fin bil – a nice car

En ny bil – a new car

Feminine:

Ei god bok – a good book

Ei fin bok – a nice book

Ei ny bok – a new book

Neuter:

Et godt spørsmål – a good question

Et fint spørsmål – a nice question

Et nytt spørsmål – new questions

Plural:

Gode biler – good cars

Fine biler – nice cars

Nye biler – new cars

Gode bøker – good books

Fine bøker – nice books

Nye bøker – new books

Gode spørsmål – good questions

Fine spørsmål – nice questions

Nye spørsmål – new questions

Adjectives from the text:

For more on adjectives:

Adjectives: An introduction

Adjectives: A deeper dive

Adjectives: Predicative

Adjectives: Comparative

Adjectives - Superlative

Interactive exercises:

Vaocabulary - click here!

Match the sentences - click here!

Find the days of the week - word grid - click here!

Find the correct translation - The Milionair Game - click here!

Exercises:

1. Which ones belong together?

Hvem er du?

Jeg er 26 år gammel.

Hvor bor du?

Jeg heter Lise.

Hvor gammel er du?

Jeg bor i Oslo.

2. Which belonges together?

Kan du gjenta?

Can you write that?

Kan du skrive det?

Can you spell that?

Kan du stave det?

Can you repeat that?

3. Fill in the question words and translate:

__________ er det?

__________ heter du?

__________ bor du?

__________ er du?

__________ kommer du fra?

__________ gammel er hun?

4. Fill in the right pronoun and translate.

_______ heter Kaia og Mia.

_______ heter Karl.

_______ heter Miriam.

Han og jeg, _______ heter Paul og Anna.

Du og Anita, hvor kommer _______fra?

Peter, er _______ norsk?

Keys:

1.
Hvem er du? – Jeg heter Lise.
Hvor bor du? – Jeg bor i Oslo.
Hvor gammel er du? – Jeg er 26 år gammel.

2.
Kan du gjenta? – Can you repeat that?
Kan du skrive det? – Can you write that?
Kan du stave det? – Can you spell that?

3.
Hvem er det? – Who is that?
Hva heter du? – What is your name?
Hvor bor du? – Where do you live?
Hvem er du? – Who are you?
Hvor kommer du fra? – Where do you come from?
Hvor gammel er hun? – How old is she?

4.
De heter Kaia og Mia. – They are named Kaia and Mia.
Han heter Karl. – His name is Karl.
Hun heter Miriam. – Her name is Miriam.
Han og jeg, vi heter Paul og Anna. – He and I, we are called Paul and Anna.
Du og Anita, hvor kommer dere fra? – You and Anita, where do you (plural) come from?
Peter, er du norsk? – Peter, are you Norwegian?

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På vs. i

For those learning Norwegian, there is an interactive exercise below.

Two of the most important – and most confusing – Norwegian prepositions are på and i.

Both can sometimes be translated as “in” in English.
But they are not interchangeable.

The difference is not random.
It reflects how Norwegian views space, activity, and participation.

Let’s look at the patterns.

1️⃣ I – Physical inside space

The preposition i is used when something is physically inside something.

Think: containment.

Examples

Det er kaffe i koppen.
There is coffee in the cup.

Hun står i døra.
She is standing in the doorway.

Barna sitter i sofaen.
The children are sitting in the sofa.

Vi svømmer i vannet.
We are swimming in the water.

Han fant nøklene i veska.
He found the keys in the bag.

In all of these examples, something is clearly inside something else.

That is the core meaning of i.

2️⃣ På – Surface, system, activity, or institution

The preposition på is often used when something is:

• On a surface

• Connected to a system

• Part of an activity

• At an institution

• In a role or function

It is less about “inside” and more about context.

🪑 Surface

Boka ligger på bordet.
The book is on the table.

Katten sitter på stolen.
The cat is sitting on the chair.

Bildet henger på veggen.
The picture is hanging on the wall.

Here, the meaning is clearly “on”.

🏫 Institutions and roles

Hun er på skolen.
She is at school.

Han er på jobb.
He is at work.

De er på sykehuset.
They are at the hospital.

We are not focusing on being physically inside a building.
We are focusing on participation in an institution or role.

🎭 Events and situations

Vi er på møte.
We are in a meeting.

Hun er på kurs.
She is on a course.

De er på besøk.
They are visiting (literally: on a visit).

These are situations, not containers.

3️⃣ Countries, cities, islands

Geography follows patterns too.

Countries and cities → usually i

Vi bor i Tyskland.
We live in Germany.

Hun studerer i Bergen.
She studies in Bergen.

Islands → often på

Vi bor på en øy.
We live on an island.

Han vokste opp på Grønland.
He grew up in Greenland (literally: on Greenland).

4️⃣ A special case: “på rommet” vs. “i rommet”

Here we see how meaning changes depending on perspective.

Han er på rommet.
He is in his room. (His own bedroom / private room.)

Han er i rommet.
He is in the room. (Physically inside a room.)

På rommet usually refers to someone’s own room – typically a bedroom.

I rommet simply describes physical position inside a room, any room.

The difference is subtle but important.

5️⃣ A practical way to think about it

Ask yourself:

Am I talking about something physically inside something?
→ Use i.

Am I talking about participation, function, surface, institution, or situation?
→ Use på.

This will not solve every case – but it will solve most everyday usage.

Final reflection

Norwegian prepositions are not about memorising lists.

They are about perspective.

When Norwegians say:

Hun er på jobb.
She is at work.

They are not describing a building.
They are describing a role.

And that is the key to understanding på and i.

Interactive exercise here!

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Hei! – Hello!

Jeg heter Lisa. – My name is Lisa.
Hva heter du? – What is your name?
Hyggelig å hilse på deg. – Nice to meet you.

Hvor kommer du fra? – Where do you come from?
Jeg kommer fra Norge. – I come from Norway.
Kommer du fra Norge? – Do you come from Norway?
Nei, jeg kommer ikke fra Norge. – No, I don’t come from Norway.

Hvor bor du? – Where do you live?
Jeg bor i Bodø. – I live in Bodø.

Hvem er det? – Who is that?
Det er Markus. – That’s Markus.
Og hvem er det? – And who is that?
Det er Tora. – That’s Tora.

Hvor gammel er du? – How old are you?
Jeg er tjue år gammel. – I’m 20 years old.

Hvor gammel er han? – How old is he?
Han er tolv år gammel. – He’s 12 years old.

Hvor gammel er hun? – How old is she?
Hun er femten år gammel. – She’s 15 years old.

Lærer du norsk? – Are you learning Norwegian? (singular)
Ja, jeg lærer norsk. – Yes, I’m learning Norwegian.
Nei, jeg lærer ikke norsk. – No, I’m not learning Norwegian.

Snakker du norsk? – Do you speak Norwegian?
Ja, jeg snakker norsk. – Yes, I speak Norwegian.
Jeg snakker litt norsk. – I speak a little Norwegian.
Nei, jeg snakker ikke norsk. – No, I don’t speak Norwegian.

Snakker du engelsk? – Do you speak English?
Ja, jeg snakker engelsk. – Yes, I speak English.

Er du norsk? – Are you Norwegian?
Ja, jeg er norsk. – Yes, I’m Norwegian.
Nei, jeg er ikke norsk. – No, I’m not Norwegian.
Jeg er engelsk. – I’m English.

Jeg er norsk. – I am Norwegian.
Er du norsk? – Are you Norwegian?

Han er polsk. – He is Polish.
Er hun fransk? – Is she French?

Den er tysk. (en ting / et dyr m/f) – It is German. (a thing / an animal m/f)
Det er italiensk. (en ting / et dyr n) – It is Italian. (a thing / an animal n)

Vi er norske. – We are Norwegian.
Dere er polske. – You are Polish. (plural)
De er franske. – They are French.

Jeg kommer fra Spania. – I come from Spain.
Kommer du fra Romania? – Do you come from Romania?

Han kommer fra Italia. – He comes from Italy.
Hun kommer fra Sveits. – She comes from Switzerland.

Den kommer fra Danmark. – It comes from Denmark. (m/f)
Det kommer fra Sverige. – It comes from Sweden. (n)

Vi kommer fra Japan. – We come from Japan.
Kommer dere fra USA? (pl) – Do you come from the USA? (plural)
De kommer fra Portugal. – They come from Portugal.

Ser du meg? – Do you see me?
Jeg ser deg. – I see you.
Jeg ser henne ikke. – I don’t see her.
Kan du se ham? – Can you see him?
Kan du se oss? – Can you see us?
Jeg hører dere ikke. – I don’t hear you (plural).
Nå hører jeg dem. – Now I hear them.

📘 Ordliste (Vocabulary List)

👤 Pronouns (subjekt og objekt)

• jeg – I

• du – you (singular)

• han – he

• hun – she

• den – it (common gender / m/f thing or animal)

• det – it (neuter thing or animal)

• vi – we

• dere – you (plural)

• de – they

🎯 Object pronouns

• meg – me

• deg – you

• ham – him

• henne – her

• den – it (m/f)

• det – it (n)

• oss – us

• dere – you (plural)

• dem – them

👤 Verbs (verbs used in sentences)

• er – is / am / are

• kommer – come / comes

• bor – live / lives

• heter – is called / named

• ser – see / sees

• hører – hear / hears

• lærer – learn / learns

• snakker – speak / speaks

• kan – can

• kommer fra – come from

📘 Verb (infinitive)

• å være – to be

• å komme – to come

• å bo – to live (in a house/apartment)

• å hete – to be called

• å se – to see

• å høre – to hear

• å lære – to learn

• å snakke – to speak

• å kunne – can / to be able to

❓ Question words / structures

• hva – what

• hvem – who

• hvor – where

• hvor gammel – how old

• er du? – are you?

• kommer du fra? – do you come from? / are you from?

• snakker du…? – do you speak…?

• lærer du…? – are you learning…?

• kan du…? – can you…?

🗣️ Negation

• ikke – not

🌍 Countries / nationalities

• Norge – Norway

• norsk – Norwegian

• polsk – Polish

• fransk – French

• tysk – German

• italiensk – Italian

• spansk – Spanish

• rumensk – Romanian

• sveits – Switzerland

• Danmark – Denmark

• Sverige – Sweden

• Japan – Japan

• USA – USA

• Portugal – Portugal

• Spania – Spain

• Italia – Italy

💬 Common phrases

• Hei – Hello

• Hyggelig å hilse på deg – Nice to meet you

• Jeg er – I am

• Jeg kommer fra – I come from

• Jeg bor i – I live in

• Jeg er … år gammel – I am … years old

Pronouns in English (Explained Simply)

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun (a name, person, or thing). We use pronouns to avoid repeating the same word again and again.

🎯 Why pronouns are used

Without pronouns:

• Lisa is tired. Lisa goes home. Lisa eats dinner.

With pronouns:

• Lisa is tired. She goes home. She eats dinner.

👉 Pronouns make language smoother and more natural.

👤 Subject pronouns (who does the action)

These are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence:

• I = I

• you = you

• he = he

• she = she

• it = it

• we = we

• they = they

Examples:

• I live in Norway.

• She is a teacher.

• They are from Spain.

🎯 Object pronouns (who receives the action)

These are used when someone receives the action:

• me = me

• you = you

• him = him

• her = her

• it = it

• us = us

• them = them

Examples:

• She sees me.

• I help him.

• We know them.

🔁 Important idea

• Subject = the person doing something

• Object = the person receiving something

The V2 Rule (Verb Second) in Norwegian

The V2 rule means that in main clauses, the verb is always in the second position.

👉 This applies only to main clauses, not subordinate clauses or all sentence types.

🎯 Main clauses (V2 applies)

In a main clause, the verb must be in position 2, no matter what comes first.

Normal order

Jeg ser ham.
👉 I see him.

• Jeg = 1st position

• ser = 2nd position

Different element first

Nå ser jeg ham.
👉 Now I see him.

• Nå = 1st position

• ser = 2nd position

Object first

Ham ser jeg ikke.
👉 Him I do not see.

• Ham = 1st position

• ser = 2nd position

❓ 1. Yes/No questions (no question word)

When there is no question word, the sentence becomes a question by starting with the verb.

👉 The verb comes first, followed by the subject.

Examples:

Ser du meg?
👉 Do you see me?

Kommer du fra Romania?
👉 Are you from Romania?

Snakker du norsk?
👉 Do you speak Norwegian?

💡 Pattern

👉 Verb → Subject → Rest of sentence

❓ 2. Questions with question words

When you use a question word, the verb goes to position 2 (like in normal main sentences).

Common question words:

• hva – what

• hvem – who

• hvor – where

• hvorfor – why

• hvordan – how

• hvor gammel – how old

Examples:

Hva ser du?
👉 What do you see?

• hva = 1st position

• ser = 2nd position

Hvor bor du?
👉 Where do you live?

• hvor = 1st position

• bor = 2nd position

Hvem ser du?
👉 Who do you see?

• hvem = 1st position

• ser = 2nd position

💡 Pattern

👉 Question word → Verb (position 2) → Subject → rest of sentence

🧠 Simple summary

• Yes/No questions → verb first

• Questions with question words → verb in position 2

🔥 Key idea (Basic Norwegian)

Norwegian questions are still based on the same system:

👉 The verb position is fixed

• 1st position in yes/no questions

• 2nd position in wh-questions

🚀 Easy memory rule

• No question word → verb first

• Question word → verb second

Negation in Norwegian: “ikke”

In Norwegian main clauses, the word order follows the V2 rule:

👉 The verb is always in position 2
👉 “ikke” comes after the object (if there is one)

🎯 Basic structure

Subject first

Jeg ser deg ikke.
👉 I do not see you.

• Jeg = 1st position

• ser = 2nd position (verb)

• deg = object

• ikke = negation

🔁 When something else comes first

Nå ser jeg deg ikke.
👉 Now I do not see you.

• Nå = 1st position

• ser = 2nd position (verb)

• jeg = subject

• deg = object

• ikke = negation

💡 Key pattern

👉 Position 2 is always the verb
👉 “ikke” comes after the object (if there is one)

🧠 Simple rule

Something first → verb in position 2 → rest of sentence → “ikke”

⚠️ Important correction

It is NOT:

• ❌ “verb comes first”

It IS:

• ✔ “verb is in position 2”

🔥 Crash Course idea

Norwegian word order is:

• flexible at the beginning

• but strict at verb position (2)

• and stable with negation placement

Play and learn (interactive exercises):

Nouns (multiple choice)

Verbs (multiple choice)

Match the phrases

Countries and nationalities (Wordgrid)

Kryssord - Crossword - Vocabulary

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If you’ve been learning Norwegian for a while, you’ve probably noticed pairs like:

• ut / ute

• inn / inne

• hjem / hjemme

• opp / oppe

• ned / nede

They look similar — but they are not interchangeable.

The difference is actually very logical.

Movement vs Position

In simple terms:

• Movement → short form

• Position → -e form

If someone is going somewhere, you use the short form.
If someone is already there, you use the -e form.

Ut vs ute

Ut = movement (going out)
Ute = position (being outside)

Examples:

• Jeg går ut.
  → I go out.

• Hun løper ut av huset.
  → She runs out of the house.

• Jeg er ute.
  → I am outside.

• Barna leker ute.
  → The children are playing outside.

Inn vs inne

Inn = movement inward
Inne = position inside

Examples:

• Vi går inn.
  → We go in.

• Katten løper inn.
  → The cat runs inside.

• Vi er inne.
  → We are inside.

• Det er varmt inne.
  → It’s warm inside.

Hjem vs hjemme

This pair confuses many learners because English uses “home” for both.

Hjem = direction
Hjemme = location

Examples:

• Jeg drar hjem.
  → I go home.

• Han gikk hjem etter jobb.
  → He went home after work.

• Jeg er hjemme.
  → I am at home.

• Hun jobber hjemmefra.
  → She works from home.

Opp vs oppe

Opp = movement up
Oppe = position up

Examples:

• Hun går opp trappen.
  → She walks up the stairs.

• Katten klatrer opp i treet.
  → The cat climbs up the tree.

• Hun er oppe.
  → She is up / upstairs.

• Fuglen sitter oppe i treet.
  → The bird sits up in the tree.

Ned vs nede

Ned = movement down
Nede = position down

Examples:

• Han går ned bakken.
  → He walks down the hill.

• Vi løper ned til stranden.
  → We run down to the beach.

• Han er nede.
  → He is downstairs.

• Butikken ligger nede ved elva.
  → The shop is down by the river.

A simple rule to remember

You can think of it like this:

If you are moving → no -e
If you are staying → add -e

Or even shorter:

Movement = short
Position = -e

Common mistakes

Here are some typical learner errors:

❌ Jeg går ute
✔️ Jeg går ut
→ I go out

❌ Jeg er inn
✔️ Jeg er inne
→ I am inside

❌ Jeg drar hjemme
✔️ Jeg drar hjem
→ I go home

❌ Katten er opp i treet
✔️ Katten er oppe i treet
→ The cat is up in the tree

Mini exercise

Fill in the correct word:

1. Jeg går ___ nå.

2. Barna er ___ og leker.

3. Vi drar ___ etter jobb.

4. Katten løper ___ i huset.

5. Hun sitter ___ på kontoret.

Answers:

1. ut

2. ute

3. hjem

4. inn

5. inne

Final thought

Once you understand the difference between movement and position, these word pairs suddenly make sense.

And you’ll start hearing the logic everywhere in spoken Norwegian.

Interactive exercise here!

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Thank you, Tempelton, for suggesting this topic!

Where to put IKKE?
This has to do with main clauses vs. subordinate clauses and word order.

First, let’s correct the sentences:

❌ Dusjen er fungerer ikke.
✔ Dusjen fungerer ikke.
The shower doesn’t work.

❌ Bagasjen tilhører ikke til meg.
✔ Bagasjen tilhører ikke meg.
The luggage doesn’t belong to me.

Why does ikke move?

1️⃣ Main clauses (hovedsetninger)

Norwegian follows the V2 rule:
The finite verb is always in position 2.

In main clauses, ikke comes AFTER the verb.

Examples:

• Dusjen fungerer ikke.
  The shower doesn’t work.

• Jeg forstår ikke.
  I don’t understand.

• Han kommer ikke i dag.
  He isn’t coming today.

• Vi har ikke tid.
  We don’t have time.

• Hun vil ikke bli med.
  She doesn’t want to come along.

Structure:

Subject – Verb – ikke

2️⃣ Subordinate clauses (bisetninger)

In subordinate clauses, the verb does not move to position 2.

Here, ikke comes BEFORE the verb.

Examples:

• Jeg vet at dusjen ikke fungerer.
  I know that the shower doesn’t work.

• Han sier at bagasjen ikke tilhører ham.
  He says that the luggage doesn’t belong to him.

• Vi kommer ikke hvis det ikke slutter å regne.
  We won’t come if it doesn’t stop raining.

• Er du sikker på at du ikke forstår dette?
  Are you sure you don’t understand this?

Structure:

Subjunction (at, som, fordi …) – ikke – Verb

The same rule applies to alltid and aldri

This word order rule is not just for ikke.
It also applies to adverbs like alltid (always) and aldri (never).

Main clauses

• Jeg kommer alltid for sent.
  I’m always late.

• Han glemmer aldri nøklene sine.
  He never forgets his keys.

• Vi spiser alltid middag sammen.
  We always eat dinner together.

Subordinate clauses

• Jeg vet at jeg alltid kommer for sent.
  I know that I’m always late.

• Hun sier at han aldri glemmer nøklene sine.
  She says that he never forgets his keys.

• De tror at vi alltid spiser hjemme.
  They think that we always eat at home.

Simple rule to remember

• Main clause → adverb AFTER the verb

• Subordinate clause → adverb BEFORE the verb

This applies to:

• ikke - not

• alltid - always

• aldri - never

• ofte - often

• sjelden - rarely

One last contrast example

• Dusjen fungerer ikke.
  The shower doens’t work.
  (Main clause)

• Jeg vet at dusjen ikke fungerer.
  I know that the shower doesn’t work.
  (Subordinate clause)

Same words.
Different word order.
Same meaning.

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Norwegian often uses position verbs instead of to be when talking about location, position, or state.

Instead of just saying is, Norwegian usually describes how something is positioned.

Using er is grammatically correct, but it often sounds vague.
Norwegian prefers position + state, not just existence.

stå – “stand”

Used for:

• things that are upright

• things on legs

• people who are standing

Examples:

• Bordet står der.
  The table is standing there.

• Senga står der.
  The bed is standing there.

(English says is, Norwegian says stands.)

ligge – “lie”

Used for:

• things that are flat

• things spread out

• people who are lying down

Examples:

• Boka ligger på bordet.
  The book is lying on the table.

henge – “hang”

Used for:

• things that are hanging

• things attached vertically

Examples:

• Bildet henger på veggen.
  The picture is hanging on the wall.

sitte – “sit”

Used for:

• people who are seated

• things that are fitted, attached, or securely in place

Examples:

• Han sitter og leser.
  He is sitting and reading.

• Nøkkelen sitter i låsen.
  The key is in the lock.
  (securely fitted)

• Lokket sitter på.
  The lid is on.

• Knappen sitter løst.
  The button is loose.

Position verbs + activity (very common)

Norwegian often combines a position verb with another verb to describe what someone is doing while being in that position.

This structure is extremely common and very natural.

Examples with translations

• Han står og vasker opp.
  He is standing and doing the dishes.

• Hun står og venter på ham.
  She is standing and waiting for him.

• Han sitter og sover.
  He is sitting and sleeping.

• Vi sitter og spiser.
  We are sitting and eating.

• Hun ligger og sover.
  She is lying down and sleeping.

• Jeg ligger og leser.
  I’m lying down and reading.

English would usually use is + -ing.
Norwegian tells you how the body is positioned while the action happens.

Why this matters

English focuses on existence (is).
Norwegian focuses on position.

That’s why Norwegians say:

• Bordet står der.

• Senga står der.

Instead of just:

• ❌ Bordet er der.

Grammatically correct – but vague.

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Thank you, Templeton, for suggesting the topic!

The word “gerne” doesn’t really translate directly to English.

What kind of word is gerne?

Gjerne is an adverb.
It expresses willingness, openness, or a positive attitude toward doing something.

It’s not about preference between options – it’s about your attitude.

Example:

Jeg hjelper deg gjerne.
I’m happy to help / I don’t mind helping / I’m willing to help.

Gjerne – heller – helst

They belong to the same preference family, but they are not synonyms.

1️⃣ Gjerne – willingness

👉 Meaning: with pleasure / I don’t mind / gladly

Used when you are open to doing something, without comparing alternatives.

Examples:

• Jeg hjelper deg gjerne.
  I’m happy to help.

• Du kan gjerne ringe meg.
  You can feel free to call me.

• Jeg kan gjerne komme i morgen.
  I’d be happy to come tomorrow.

👉 No comparison.
👉 No pressure.
👉 Just willingness.

2️⃣ Heller – contrast / alternative

👉 Meaning: instead / rather

Used when you reject one option in favour of another.

Examples:

• Jeg går heller enn å ta bussen.
  I’d rather walk than take the bus.

• Jeg tar kaffe heller.
  I’ll have coffee instead.

• Vi kan møtes på mandag heller.
  We can meet on Monday instead.

👉 There is always an implicit “not that – but this”.

3️⃣ Helst – strong preference

👉 Meaning: preferably / ideally

Used to express a clear personal preference, often without rejecting other options completely.

Examples:

• Jeg vil helst reise i juni.
  I’d prefer to travel in June.

• Jeg ser helst at vi møtes i morgen.
  I’d prefer it if we meet tomorrow.
  (Literally: I see it preferably that we meet tomorrow.)

• Jeg jobber helst hjemme.
  I prefer working from home.

• Jeg ser helst at du sier ifra på forhånd.
  I’d prefer it if you let me know in advance.

• Vi ser helst at alle kommer presis.
  We would prefer everyone to arrive on time.

👉 Stronger than gjerne
👉 Softer than must

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❗ Important note: gerne in questions

In Norwegian, we do not normally use gerne in direct offers like this:

❌ Bestemor, vil du gjerne ha et glass champagne?
✔ Bestemor, vil du ha et glass champagne?

Why?

Because gerne expresses the speaker’s willingness, not the other person’s wishes.

So:

✔ Jeg vil gjerne ha et glass champagne.
(I would like / I’d be happy to have a glass of champagne.)

✔ Vil du ha et glass champagne?
(Would you like a glass of champagne?)

❌ Vil du gjerne ha …
→ sounds translated and unnatural

In questions, gerne often sounds like English influence.

One-liner summary

“Gjerne is about my willingness, not your desire — that’s why it doesn’t fit in that question.”

✏️ Exercise: gjerne – heller – helst

Choose the correct word: gjerne, heller, or helst.

1. Jeg kan ___ hjelpe deg etter jobb.

2. Jeg tar te ___ enn kaffe.

3. Jeg vil ___ jobbe hjemme på fredager.

4. Du kan ___ sende meg en melding.

5. Vi kan møtes i morgen ___, ikke i dag.

✅ Suggested answers

1. gjerne

2. heller

3. helst

4. gjerne

5. heller

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Why meg, deg, seg matter

In Norwegian, many verbs are used with a reflexive pronoun.
This means that the action goes back to the person who performs it.

English also has reflexive forms (myself, yourself, himself),
but Norwegian uses them more often — and more consistently.

Let’s go step by step.

⚠️ Important:
The pronoun seg is used for both singular and plural in the third person.
The meaning depends on who the subject is.

Reflexive verbs that are always reflexive

Some verbs need a reflexive pronoun to make sense.

Examples:

Jeg gleder meg.
→ I’m looking forward to it.

Hun skammer seg.
→ She is ashamed.

Vi skynder oss.
→ We hurry.

Without the reflexive pronoun, these sentences are incomplete or incorrect.

3rd person singular: seg = himself / herself

When the subject is one person, seg means himself / herself.

Examples:

Han setter seg ned.
→ He sits down.

Hun legger seg.
→ She goes to bed.

Han barberer seg hver morgen.
→ He shaves every morning.

Here, the action clearly goes back to one person.

3rd person plural: seg = themselves

When the subject is more than one person, seg means themselves.

Examples:

De setter seg ned.
→ They sit down.

De koser seg.
→ They are enjoying themselves.

Barna kler på seg.
→ The children get dressed.

Same word — seg — but the meaning changes with the subject.

Reflexive vs. non-reflexive meaning

Some verbs can be used with or without a reflexive pronoun —
and the meaning changes.

Examples:

Han vasker bilen.
→ He washes the car.

Han vasker seg.
→ He washes himself.

Hun legger barnet.
→ She puts the child to bed.

Hun legger seg.
→ She goes to bed.

Same verb.
Different meaning.

Reflexive verbs in daily routines

Reflexive verbs are very common when talking about everyday life.

Examples:

Jeg står opp og dusjer meg.
→ I get up and take a shower.

Hun sminker seg før hun går ut.
→ She puts on makeup before going out.

De gjør seg klare.
→ They get ready.

A very common learner mistake

Many learners forget the reflexive pronoun:

❌ Jeg gleder.
→ (incorrect)

Correct:

✅ Jeg gleder meg.
→ I’m looking forward to it.

In Norwegian, glede almost always needs a reflexive pronoun in everyday speech.

Summary

• Reflexive verbs use meg, deg, seg, oss, dere

• Seg is used for both:

  • 3rd person singular → himself / herself

  • 3rd person plural → themselves

• Some verbs must be reflexive

• Some verbs change meaning with or without a reflexive pronoun

• English and Norwegian do not always match

Exercise

Choose the correct reflexive pronoun.

1. Han setter ___ ned.

2. Jeg gleder ___ til ferien.

3. Barna koser ___.

4. Hun legger ___ tidlig.

5. Vi skynder ___.

6. De vasker ___ før middag.

7. Du må huske ___ selv.

8. Han føler ___ sliten.

9. Dere må gjøre ___ klare.

10. Hun sminker ___ før festen.

Answer key

1. seg – Han setter seg ned.

2. meg – Jeg gleder meg til ferien.

3. seg – Barna koser seg.

4. seg – Hun legger seg tidlig.

5. oss – Vi skynder oss.

6. seg – De vasker seg før middag.

7. deg – Du må huske deg selv.

8. seg – Han føler seg sliten.

9. dere – Dere må gjøre dere klare.

10. seg – Hun sminker seg før festen.

Want more?

This — and much more — is explained step by step in my Norwegian verb book.

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Two small expressions that mean very different things

Norwegian has two very common expressions that both translate to “to want” or “to feel like” in English:

• å ha lyst på

• å ha lyst til

They look similar, but they are used in very different situations.
Mixing them up is very common — and very understandable.

Let’s break it down.

Å ha lyst på – wanting a thing

Å ha lyst på is used when you want a thing.
Something concrete. Something you can have.

Think:

• food

• objects

• people (romantically)

• things you can buy, eat, drink, or own

Examples:

Jeg har lyst på kaffe.
→ I feel like having coffee.

Hun har lyst på en is.
→ She wants an ice cream.

Vi har lyst på ferie.
→ We want a holiday.

Han har lyst på henne.
→ He is attracted to her.
(romantic / sexual meaning)

👉 Rule of thumb:
If you can point at it, eat it, buy it, or desire it as a thing, you use på.

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Å ha lyst til – wanting to do something

Å ha lyst til is used when you want to do an action.
It is always followed by a verb.

Think:

• actions

• activities

• plans

• things you do

Examples:

Jeg har lyst til å reise.
→ I feel like travelling.

Hun har lyst til å lære norsk.
→ She wants to learn Norwegian.

Vi har lyst til å bli hjemme i kveld.
→ We feel like staying home tonight.

Han har lyst til å snakke med deg.
→ He wants to talk to you.

👉 Rule of thumb:
If there is a verb after, you need til.

A very common mistake

Many learners say:

❌ Jeg har lyst på å reise.
→ (incorrect)

Correct version:

✅ Jeg har lyst til å reise.
→ I feel like travelling.

Why?
Because å reise is an action, not a thing.

Comparing the two side by side

Jeg har lyst på pizza.
→ I feel like having pizza.

Jeg har lyst til å spise pizza.
→ I feel like eating pizza.

Both are correct — but they mean slightly different things.

• på pizza → the thing (pizza)

• til å spise pizza → the action (eating)

One sentence, two meanings

Sometimes, the choice changes the meaning:

Han har lyst på jobb.
→ He wants a job.

Han har lyst til å jobbe.
→ He wants to work.

Not the same thing.

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Summary

• å ha lyst på → wanting a thing

• å ha lyst til → wanting to do something

• på + noun

• til + verb

If you remember just one thing:

Thing → på
Action → til

That one rule will take you a long way.

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Oppgave

Velg riktig uttrykk: å ha lyst på eller å ha lyst til.

1. Jeg har ___ sjokolade.

2. Hun har ___ å lære norsk.

3. Vi har ___ pizza til middag.

4. Jeg har ___ å bli hjemme i kveld.

5. Han har ___ en ny jobb.

6. De har ___ å reise til Norge.

7. Jeg har ___ kaffe.

8. Hun har ___ ferie i sommer.

9. Vi har ___ å snakke med læreren.

10. Han har ___ å begynne å trene.

Fasit

1. lyst på
   Jeg har lyst på sjokolade.

2. lyst til
   Hun har lyst til å lære norsk.

3. lyst på
   Vi har lyst på pizza til middag.

4. lyst til
   Jeg har lyst til å bli hjemme i kveld.

5. lyst på
   Han har lyst på en ny jobb.

6. lyst til
   De har lyst til å reise til Norge.

7. lyst på
   Jeg har lyst på kaffe.

8. lyst på
   Hun har lyst på ferie i sommer.

9. lyst til
   Vi har lyst til å snakke med læreren.

10. lyst til
    Han har lyst til å begynne å trene.

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In Norwegian, possession can be expressed in two main ways:

1. With an –s ending

2. With the structure til + person (the “of” construction)

Both forms are correct, but they are used in different situations. Understanding the difference will make your Norwegian sound more natural — and help you avoid the most common mistakes.

⭐ 1. The –s Genitive

This is the official, written form of possession, and it is much less common in everyday spoken Norwegian.

It is formed simply by adding –s to the name or noun:

• Jakobs far
  Jakob’s father

• Marias bok
  Maria’s book

• landets historie
  the country’s history

✔ Important rule: No apostrophe in Norwegian!

Norwegian genitive never uses an apostrophe:

❌ Jakob’s bok
✔️ Jakobs bok

❌ Norge’s historie
✔️ Norges historie

Apostrophes look English and are incorrect in Norwegian grammar.

When is the –s form used?

• Written language (academic, formal, journalism)

• Names

• Short, clear relationships

But again: Norwegians often avoid it in speech.

⭐ 2. The til Construction

This is the most natural way to express possession in everyday spoken Norwegian.

The pattern is:

the definite noun + til + the person/thing

Examples:

• faren til Jakob
  the father of Jakob / Jakob’s father

• boka til Maria
  Maria’s book

• historien til landet
  the history of the country

Why this construction feels natural

Norwegian puts the thing owned first, in definite form:

• faren (the father)

• boka (the book)

• historien (the history)

This mirrors how Norwegians think about possession.

⭐ 3. Difference in Meaning: Indefinite vs Definite

A key difference:

✔ The –s form uses the indefinite noun.

• Jakobs far
  literally: “Jakob’s father” (father = far, indefinite)

✔ The til form uses the definite noun.

• faren til Jakob
  literally: “the father of Jakob” (the father = faren, definite)

This is a subtle but important structural difference.

⭐ 4. Which form should learners use?

For natural everyday Norwegian:
➡️ Use til.

For formal writing, headlines, academic texts:
➡️ The –s form works well.

Norwegians themselves mix both — but overwhelmingly prefer til in speech.

Genitiv – Fill in the blanks

Sett inn riktig form av genitiv. Noen setninger skal ha –s, andre skal ha til.

1. ______ er norsk.
   (faren / Jonas)

2. ______ er spennende.
   (landets / historie)

3. ______ har påvirket mange lover.
   (Bibelen / betydning)

4. ______ har fått unger.
   (katta / naboen)

5. ______ er rød.
   (genseren / Jenny)

6. ______ lå ved sjøen.
   (smuglerne / skjulested)

7. ______ var mange.
   (advokatens / venner)

8. ______ var gammel.
   (hytta / Miriam)

Fasit

1. Faren til Jonas er norsk.

2. Landets historie er spennende.

3. Bibelens betydning har påvirket mange lover.

4. Katta til naboen har fått unger.

5. Genseren til Jenny er rød.

6. Smuglernes skjulested lå ved sjøen.

7. Advokatens venner var mange.

8. Hytta til Miriam var gammel.

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Let’s make it simple.

🔹 1. Samme – “the same”

The good news: samme never changes form.
It looks the same no matter the gender or number of the noun.

samme - the same

Examples:

• Vi har samme lærer. → We have the same teacher.

• De bor i samme hus. → They live in the same house.

• Jeg kjøpte samme bok som deg. → I bought the same book as you.

💡 Notice that samme is always used with a definite noun (with -en, -a, -et, -ene at the end), because you’re talking about something specific that’s shared or repeated.

Examples:

• Det er den samme bilen. → It’s the same car.

• Hun har på seg det samme skjørtet som i går. → She’s wearing the same skirt as yesterday.

🔹 2. Annen – “another / other”

Now for the tricky one.
Annen means another or other, but it changes form depending on gender and number.

💡 The plural form andre is also used when you mean “the others” or “other ones”:

• Hvor er de andre? → Where are the others?

• Jeg vil prøve noen andre sko. → I want to try some other shoes.

🔹 3. En annen vs. en til — not the same!

💡 So if you say Jeg vil ha en is til, you’re getting another ice cream just like the first one.
But if you say Jeg vil ha en annen is, you want a different type or flavour.

🔹 4. Common mistakes

❌ Vi bor i annen hus.
✅ Vi bor i et annet hus.
(hus is neuter → annet.)

❌ Hun har to annen kjoler.
✅ Hun har to andre kjoler.
(plural → andre.)

🔹 5. Quick overview

🔹 6. Practice time!

Choose the correct word: samme, annen, annet, andre.
Pay attention to the gender and number of the noun, and whether the meaning is “the same” or “another/other.”

1. Vi har ___ lærer. (the same)

2. Jeg vil ha ___ bok. Denne er kjedelig. (another)

3. De bor i ___ hus enn før. (another)

4. Jeg snakker med ___ mennesker hver dag. (different ones)

5. Hun har på seg ___ kjole som i går. (the same)

6. Vi tar ___ vei hjem i dag. (a different one)

7. Jeg liker ikke disse skoene. Jeg vil prøve noen ___. (other)

8. De går på ___ skole som oss. (the same)

9. Jeg vil ha ___ kopp kaffe. (one more, same type → tricky!)

10. Kan du hente ___ bok? (a different one)

✅ Answers

1. samme

2. annen

3. annet

4. andre

5. samme

6. annen

7. andre

8. samme

9. en til (not annen — it means “one more of the same kind”)

10. annen

🔹 7. Coming next

In the next grammar post, we’ll look at “such” and “so” in Norwegian — slik, sånn, så, and slik at — and how they change meaning depending on what you describe.

Find more cool stuff to learn Norwegian here.

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💛 Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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