Archive for December, 2010
Norwegian strong past tense verbs Posted by kari on Dec 31, 2010
Yes, another verb post. Boring as it may be, verbs are very important! Strong verbs are a bit trickier than weak verbs because they do not follow a pattern-strict memorization is key;) They are especially tricky because some of them involve a vowel change. Some examples: English Infinitve Past tense to see å se så…
Norwegian weak past tense verbs Posted by kari on Dec 29, 2010
Now that jul is over and the end of 201o is very near, I find myself thinking about things that have happened this past year. You can never have too much practice with the past tense when you are learning a new language. If you are like me, learning verb tenses is not your…
Fires in Norway Posted by kari on Dec 25, 2010
I have always been astounded by the amount of coverage branner (fires) get in the Norwegian media. I swear in every Norwegian newspaper I open, there is an article about a brann. I used to think that perhaps there isn’t enough other interesting stuff to share with the public, so stories about branner naturally…
Asbjørnson and Moe Posted by kari on Dec 21, 2010
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (1812-1885)and Jørgen Engebretesen Moe (1813-1882)-the names that have become synonymous with Norwegian folkeeveyntyr (folktales). The two had been friends since their early teen years and later went on to collect folkeeventyr and edit them into a compilation that would forever impact Norwegian culture. Asbjørnsen was a writer and scholar from Christiania (old…
Jul Vocabulary Posted by kari on Dec 20, 2010
Now that jul (Christmas) is around the corner, you may want to impress your friends and family with jul vokabulær! So, you already know jul, but after this post, you should be able to tell someone what was on the meny (menu) for jul where you were. (if you have a Norwegian-ish meal). You should…
Road and Rail Tunnels in Norway Posted by kari on Dec 17, 2010
This may not seem like an interesting topic to many of you, but keep in mind Norway´s topography and the necessity to blast lots of dynamite to create tunneler (tunnels) for biler (cars) and tog (trains) to drive through (not to mention syklister-cyclists and folk på fot-people on foot in certain tunneler). Whether you…
Trolls and Huldras Posted by kari on Dec 15, 2010
On all of my 3 trips to Bergen, I have had some sort of encounter with a troll or a huldra, two of the many creatures in Norwegian folklore. Legends of these creatures are found throughout the country, but in my experience, the west coast seems particularly impacted by them. One summer my mom, brother…