Most Norwegian Words Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on May 31, 2018
Which words are the ”most Norwegian”? Of course, such a spørsmål (question) is very hard to answer… Besides, there are so many words to pick! Here are my (current) candidates for the prize – do you (dis)agree? fjord [fyor] (fjord). The beautiful fjords only exist in a few countries (Norway, NZ, Chile and a few…
17. mai, Step by Step Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on May 17, 2018
Gratulerer med dagen, Norge! (”Congrats with the day”, Norway!) It’s syttende mai [May 17th] again, and Norwegians all over the world are rejoicing and celebrating their nasjonaldag [nashoNAALdaag]. A 17. mai spent in a Norwegian bygd (village/town) or by (town/city) is a great experience, so for those of you who haven’t got that opportunity, here’s…
Hello Interjections! Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 30, 2018
Ouch! Hitting your finger with a hammer hurts, and the interjection ouch helps you let out a bit of the pain and frustration. Yes! and um… are also interjections, small words that we use to express a feeling. They’re like their own miniature sentences, loaded with meaning. (The meaning of Yes! could be ”I’m so…
Norwegian Icebreakers Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 29, 2018
Ever been to a social gathering where nobody said a word? 🙂 If you travel around Norway, you’ll certainly meet people who are less talkative than the stereotypical American, for example. (A Norwegian friend told me about countryside family dinners where noone spoke – they were busy eating!) Sometimes, breaking the ice may be just…
Get Ready for Easter Skiing Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 31, 2018
Påskefjellet (”the Easter mountain”) is something you can find only in Norge. During påskeferien (the Easter vacation) as much as 1/3 of all Norwegians (or so my familie told me!) go on a skiing adventure på fjellet (in the mountains/highland). Some stay several days in their hytter (cabins), while others just spend some hours enjoying…
Slow Down and Repeat Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 25, 2018
Jeg lærer norsk. Kan du snakke litt langsommere? (I’m learning Norwegian. Could you speak a little bit slower, please?) As a language learner, you’ve probably sometimes found yourself in situations of awkward communication. Maybe you’ve learnt a few setninger (phrases) by heart, and all of a sudden every Norwegian starts telling you their life story…
Olympic Gold for the Norwegians Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 28, 2018
For en glede! For en folkefest! (What a joy! What a celebration for the people!) Vinter-OL i Sør-Korea has come to a glorious end for the country known as skisportens vugge (the craddle of skiing). Rødt, hvitt og blått (red, white and blue – the colours of the Norwegian flag) totally dominerte seierspallen (dominated the…