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!