Learn Norwegian words and phrases before your trip

A lot of Norwegians speak English these days, but during your trip to Norway, you might encounter locals who don’t speak your language, which can make communication difficult! Depending on where you’re going and what you’re planning on doing, it can be very useful to have some helpful Norwegian words and phrases ready to go if you need them – after all, it can’t hurt to be prepared. Even Norwegians who understand English well will appreciate your effort in trying out your skills with the Norwegian language, and who knows – you might end up having a lovely conversation with a local!

Most people who want to learn some Norwegian words and phrases to prepare for their trip to Norway will do best to start with the basics: how to say hello, goodbye, yes, no and other common words. In Norwegian, “hello” is “hallo” or “hei” – both are equally appropriate to use and can be used interchangeably. There are many variations on this, and you’ll often hear people saying “heihei” or “heisann”. If you’d like to say “good morning”, this is “god morgen”. 

You say “goodbye” in Norwegian by saying “ha det” – this is the most common, informal greeting that is appropriate to use with most people. Many Norwegians vary this slightly, and you’ll likely hear people saying “ha det bra” or “ha det fint”, which combines the goodbye with a notion similar to “take care”. If you’d like to go more formal, you can say “farvel” instead, which is similar to the English “farewell”.

In Norwegian, “yes” is “ja”, and “no” is “nei”. If you’re responding to someone who has asked you if you would like something or need anything, for example in a restaurant, it’s polite to add “takk” after your response of yes or no. “Takk” means “thank you”, so if you’d like to say “yes, please”, the appropriate Norwegian phrasing would be “ja takk”.

If you’re really committed to being able to speak Norwegian during your trip, why not try out a language learning course online before travelling to Norway? There are some great sites and platforms that’ll help you learn Norwegian online, and you can get to a conversational level fairly quickly if you put in the time and effort necessary. Give it a try, and don’t worry if you stumble over pronunciation or forget certain words – the locals you encounter will likely be impressed that you’re trying at all, and will probably be happy to speak with you.

We hope this guide to common Norwegian words and phrases is helpful to you, and that you have fun planning your trip! If you’d like to experience the best of what Norway has to offer, why not try out our popular Norway in a nutshell® tour? It’s fully flexible depending on what you’d like to see and do and will give you an incredible experience among Norway’s spectacular natural scenery.