Norwegian Language Blog
Menu
Search

Typical travel related questions in Norwegian Posted by on Sep 30, 2011 in Culture, Language

My job has given me the opportunity to do quite a bit of traveling.  Every month I travel somewhere for at least a few days, sometimes 2 weeks.  Although my colleagues and I usually have some sort of connection with someone who either lives or has lived in the cities we visit, we still find ourselves asking the typical tourist questions.  Correct me if I am wrong, but I think most people who want to learn a foreign language actually want to be able to use it in some fashion.  While most Norwegians speak English very well, I would think many of you would like to be able to walk Karl Johan and ask a native Norwegian a question in Norwegian.

I made a list of all of the questions that I asked Philadelphia natives (or people that have lived there long enough to answer these questions) last weekend.  You will also find the answers to these questions below as well.

1.  Hvor er den beste italiensk restaurant?  Where is the best Italian restaurant?

Den beste italiensk restaurant finnes i Gammel by og det heter Ralph´s.  The best Italian restaurant can be found in Old City.  It is called Ralph´s.

2.  Når stenger utestedene?  When do the places to go out (another word for bar, club, places to go out) close?

Utestedene stenger kl. 2.  The places to go out close at 2.

3.  Hvor er den nærmeste jernvarehandel?  Where is the nearest hardware store?

Den nærmeste jernvarehandel er cirka 2 km nord fra sentrum.  The closest hardware store is about 2 km north of the center.

4.  Hvis man vil kjøpe en gave til noen hjemme, hvor kan man shoppe litt?  If one wants to buy a present for someone at home, where can one shop a bit?

Det er mange butikker ved hovedgaten midt i sentrum.  There are many stores on the main street in the center.

5.  Hvor lang tid tar det å kjøre til flyplassen fra hotellet?  How long does it take to drive from the airport from the hotel?

Det tar 25 minutter å kjøre til flyplassen fra hotellet.  It takes 25 minutes to drive to the airport from the hotel.

6.  Hva er denne byen mest kjent for?  What is this city most known for?

Denne byen er mest kjent for Philly Cheesesteaks og Brotherly Love.  This city is most known for Philly Cheesesteaks and Brotherly Love.

7.  Hvilken cheesesteak er bedre-den fra Geno´s eller Pat´s?  Which cheesesteak is better-the one from Geno´s or Pat´s?

Pat´s lager bedre cheesesteaks, absolutt.  Pat´s makes better cheesesteaks, absolutely.

8.  Har hotellet et treningssenter?  Does the hotel have a fitness center?

Ja, hotellet har et treningssenter på andre etasjen.  Yes the hotel has a fitness center on the second floor.

9.  Kan man ta egen alkohol til restauranten?  Can one bring one´s own alcohol to the restaurant (BYOB)?

Ja, det er mange restauranter i Philadelphia der man kan ta med egen alkohol.  Yes, there are many restaurants in Philadelphia where one can bring one´s own alcohol.

10.  Hvor mange timer forskjell er det mellom Philadelphia og Minnesota?  How many hours difference is there between Philadelphia and Minnesota?

Mellom Philadelphia og Minnesota er det 1 time forskjell.  Between Philadelphia and Minnesota, there is one hour difference.

Of course if you are traveling in Norway, you will ask much different questions, which I will address in a later post.  However, I thought in this post I would make the content a bit more familiar to you so that you can concentrate more on sentence structure and vocabulary.

God natt!  Good night!

 

Tags: ,
Keep learning Norwegian with us!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Try it Free Find it at your Library
Share this:
Pin it

About the Author: kari

I attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where I majored in Norwegian and History. During college, I spent almost a year living in Oslo, Norway, where I attended the University of Oslo and completed an internship at the United States Embassy. I have worked for Concordia Language Villages as a pre-K Norwegian teacher and have taught an adult Norwegian language class. Right now, I keep up by writing this Norwegian blog for Transparent Language. Please read and share your thoughts! I will be continuing this blog from my future residence in the Norwegian arctic!


Comments:

  1. Sunniva:

    1. Hvor er den beste italienske restauranten?

    Den beste italienske restauranten finnes i Gamlebyen og den heter Ralph´s.

    2. Når stenger utestedene?

    Utestedene stenger klokka to.

    3. Hvor er den nærmeste jernvarehandelen?

    Den nærmeste jernvarehandelen er cirka to kilometer nord fra sentrum.

    4. Hvis man vil kjøpe en gave til noen hjemme, hvor kan man shoppe litt? .. This sentience is quite quirky.. I would rather say: Jeg skal kjøpe noen gaver til familien/venner, hvor finner jeg butikkene? = I want to buy some gifts for family/friends, where do I find the shops?
    Or just; Hvor er butikkene? = Where are the shops. If you start to explain yourself to strangers they might think you a little weird. Don’t worry, you’re not being rude.

    Det er mange butikker ved hovedgaten i sentrum.

    5. Hvor lang tid tar det å kjøre til flyplassen fra hotellet?

    Det tar tjuefem minutter å kjøre til flyplassen fra hotellet.

    6. Hva er denne byen mest kjent for?

    Denne byen er mest kjent for Philly Cheesesteaks og Brotherly Love.

    7. Hvilken cheesesteak er bedre-den fra Geno´s eller Pat´s?

    Pat´s lager bedre cheesesteaks, absolutt.

    8. Har hotellet et treningssenter?

    Ja, hotellet har et treningssenter i andre etasje.

    9. Kan man ta med egen alkohol til restauranten?

    Ja, det er mange restauranter i Philadelphia hvor man kan ta med egen alkohol.

    10. Hva er tidsforskjellen er det mellom Philadelphia og Minnesota?

    11. Mellom Philadelphia og Minnesota er det 1 times forskjell.

    I have tried to correct the most obvious grammar mistakes here, but still, some of the sentences are a little too formal in my opinion, they are more complicated than I think necessary for daily, spoken language, and some of the worlds could have been exchanged with less “formal” synonyms. Take “alkohol” for example, I would rather say “drikke” (drink). – Ja, det er mange restauranter i Philadelphia hvor man kan ta med egen drikke.