Å kjøre i Norge (to drive in Norway). Driving rules and regulations in Norway are not significantly different than anywhere else, but there are a few to note. First, a few words to learn about driving:
å kjøre means to drive
en bil means a car
en lastebil means a truck
en motorsykkel is a motorcycle
en vei is a road, en motorvei is a highway
en rundkjøring is a roundabout
å parkere is to park
en parkeringsplass means parking spot
et ratt is a steering wheel
å bremse means to brake
frontlys means headlights
Probaby the most important thing to know about kjøring in Norway is that like most of the rest of the world, you drive på høyre siden av veien (on the right side of the road).�
Det er påbudt at man må ha frontlys på hele tiden (It is the law to have your headlights on all the time-not directly translated). Veiskilt (road signs) use standard international symbols, but may have norsk words on them. If you have a lead foot, you better be careful driving in Norway because the speed limits are lower than in most places. Fartsgrensen (the speed limit) is 90 km per hour (56 mph) på motorveien (on the highway), for example. I guess I am unsure if all of the states in the U.S. have implemented the requirement of setebelter (seatbelts), but I do know that MN has. Det er påbudt å bruke setebelter hele tiden i Norge (It is the law to use seatbelts all the time in Norway).
I think I’ve mentioned in a previous post that Norway has extremely strict laws regarding the use of alcohol and driving. Nesten ingenting er for mye (almost nothing is too much). Your blood alcohol level must not be over 0.1 promille (which is basically a small weak drink), so it’s best not to test it!
You must be 18 years old to drive, with the exception of mopeds and tractors. After you pass the required kurs (class), you will get your sertifikat or førerkort (driving license).
I read an article in Aftenposten online titled Svenske og norske parkeringsregler (Swedish and Norwegian parking rules) which sparked quite a bit of discussion (more than you would expect on a seemingly boring topic). The article compares Swedish parking rules and Norwegian parking rules. Of course rules aren’t always followed or enforced, so that is another thing the article examines. The article might have been a stretch, but I will definitely agree that the Swedes park and drive in a more orderly fashion than nordmenn. Examples the article gives about parking kaos (chaos) in Norway include taxi drivers parking on the other side of the road, facing the direction of oncoming trafikk and then pulling out and creating a farlig (dangerous) situation. Here is the link to the article in case you are curious about what others have to say about these comparisons: http://blogg.aftenposten.no/lyn/2009/08/27/svenske-og-norske-parkeringsregler/. A lot of people have responded to the article. I recommend looking at it for vocabulary practice if nothing else; you will certainly recognize a lot of the vocab.
Obey the rules while driving in Norway. Don’t drink and drive and don’t go too fast. And…park properly on the right side of the road.
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Comments:
Olav:
Hi there!
I hope it’s ok that I correct your grammar on a sentence, because you actually wrote the opposite of what you intended to write
You wrote :”Det er lov å bruke setebelter hele tiden i Norge” (It is the law to use seatbelts all the time in Norway). The word “lov” can mean two things in Norwegian; the law, and be allowed to\ have the option to.
Here’s an example:
Får jeg lov å dra på festen? (Can I go to the party?)
Du får lov å gjøre som du vil (You can do whatever you want).
Therefore, what you wrote was actually: “You can, if you wish to, use seatbelts in Norway.”
The correct sentence in Norwegian would have to be: ” Det er påbudt å bruke setebelter hele tiden i Norge” or “Det er ikke lov å kjøre uten setebelter i Norge”
The Norwegian language have lot’s of words that can mean different things.
Bokser (a boxer / a can (ex: a can of peas))
Gift (to be married / poison)
Klemme ( to give a hug / squeeze / a clamp
I funny thing i saw on TV the other day was a poll about which Norwegian sentence foreigners had most problem understand. The winner was. Det er det det er / (in dialect) d e d d e (it is what is is)
Keep up the good work
Olav