Norwegian Noun Phrases Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 30, 2014
Fuglen synger. Toget går. (The bird is singing. The train is leaving.) An awful lot of phrases consist of a noun phrase + a verbal phrase. Norwegian verbal phrases are a piece of cake: Er, for example, means both am, is and are; prater can be translated as chat, chats, and am/is/are chatting. Noun phrases…
Words for Well-Wishers Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 17, 2014
Sometimes we use språket (the language) as a trylleformel (magical formula). Når noen nyser (when someone’s sneezing), most Norwegians will automatically react by saying prosit! [PROHsit]. In some strange way the little word changes the air, making the sneezer feel better. Below are a handful of other expressions used in order to wish somebody well…
Girls Smiling in Early Spring Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 31, 2014
Endelig! (Finally!) Following a skikkelig dårlig vintervær (really bad winter weather) – where even the inland parts of Østlandet (Eastern Norway) had less snø (snow) than usual – many Norwegians have been able to enjoy a bit of vår (spring). According to NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting), this Saturday was one of the hottest mars (March) days…
Everyday Norwegian Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 30, 2014
How do I get to Preikestolen? How much is the entrance to Kon-Tiki Museet? Language courses are often geared towards tourists and travelling. However, if you really want to speak like a native, you also need words for all the little things you do every day: Du står opp tidlig eller sent. (You get up…
The little words you always need Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 27, 2014
Are you listening? No matter how much grammar you studied, no matter how perfect your pronunciation is… If you don’t know how to say uh-huh in the right way, you’re lost. Why should the one who’s entertaining you keep on talking, if you don’t provide any feedback? Here are some words to help make your conversations…
This machine makes gold from snow Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 22, 2014
Heia Norge! (Go Norway!) The Norwegian athletes are taking Sotsji and the 2014 Vinter-OL by storm. So far, their chests have been adorned with 10 gullmedaljer (gold medals), 4 sølv [sell] and 8 bronse [BRONGseh]. That’s one gull more than the host nation of Russland, and with only two days left of the spectacle, it’s…
What’s in a flag? Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jan 30, 2014
Det er Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått! That’s Norway in red, white and blue! So many Norwegians sing on 17. mai, Norges nasjonaldag. As the text shows, Norwegians love their flagg. On festive occassions, such as skirenn (ski races) and bursdager (birthdays), they’ll fetch their little handheld fabric flags and wave them energetically…