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Norwegian for Librarians Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Aug 31, 2015
Talking is king, but sometimes ei god bok (a good book) may be your best friend in your struggle to absorb the lovely Norwegian language! Most Norwegian towns have a public bibliotek [beebleeohTEHK] (library). Like many other European countries, Norway is getting increasingly web-based, so don’t be surprised if the library you visit operates a…
Strong verbs are not random Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Aug 27, 2015
It’s time to take a look at grammatikk (grammar) again. (I bet you’ve savnet – missed – it!) If you … a certain kind of very active words, you can hardly … a sentence. In other words: Verbs are a necessary evil! :-] Kari spiser is. Ola spiste is. Barna har spist is. (Kari eats…
Party Chitchat Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Aug 19, 2015
You’re at a fest (party) with Norwegians. You’re a nybegynner [NEEbeyinner] (beginner, ’new beginner’). Your ability to stitch together phrases is so-so. Men du VIL snakke norsk! (But you WANT to speak Norwegian!) Below are a few made-up examples of party småsnakk (smalltalk). To some people it’s a very superficial way of talking, I know…
Norwegians and alcohol Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Aug 13, 2015
Skål! [skawl] The word for ’cheers’ is very useful when celebrating with Norwegians! Men hva er i glasset? (But what’s in the glass?) Nordmenn (Norwegians), of course, are just as different as other people. Some drink a lot of alkohol [alkuHOOL] (alcohol), some just drink brus (soft drink)! 🙂 Traditionally, avholdsbevegelsen (the temperance movement) has…
The Famous Ship that Never Sailed Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Aug 7, 2015
Har du noen gang drømt om å seile med vikingene? (Have you ever dreamt about sailing with the Vikings?) In Oslo you can, at least in your fantasi [fantahSEE] (imagination). Take bus number 30 to the Bygdøy peninsula to the west of central Oslo. Here you’ll find many famous museums, and at Huk aveny 35…
Norwegian summer phrases Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jul 31, 2015
Underveis (on the way) Unnskyld… (Excuse me…) Kan du vise oss veien til Kongeparken? (Could you show us the way to the Kongeparken amusement park?) Hvor ligger den nærmeste campingplassen? (Where is the nearest camping site?) Hvor lang tid tar det å kjøre til Bodø? (How long time will it take to drive to Bodø?)…
Land of Summer Possibilities Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jul 19, 2015
Endelig sommerferie! (Finally summer holiday!) Juli måned (the month of July) is a joyous time of empty schools and – occasionally – blue skies in Norge. Many foreigners go to Norway to enjoy fjord og fjell and beautiful sceneries. But how do Norwegians spend the vacation? • Hjemme [yemmeh] (at home). When your surroundings are…