(Free image from OpenClipart.)

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. You have to start somewhere, though, before you can discuss philosophy and rocket-science!

Berit: Hei, jeg heter Berit! (Hi, my name is Berit!)
Tom: Hei, jeg heter Tom. Dette er kjæresten min, Susan. (Hi, my name is Tom. This is my girlfriend, Susan)
Berit: Hei, Susan! (Hi, Susan!)
Susan: Hei! Hyggelig å hilse på deg. (Hi! Nice to meet you/say hello to you.)

Tom: Susan og jeg holder på å lære norsk. (Susan and I are learning Norwegian.)
Berit: Nei, så spennende! (Wow, that’s exciting!)
Tom: Ja, det er veldig spennende. Men også litt vanskelig! Ikke sant, Susan? (Yes, it’s very exciting. But also a little bit difficult! Isn’t it, Susan?)
Susan: Jo. Den første uken forstod jeg ingenting! (True. The first week I understood absolutely nothing!)
Berit: Har dere vært lenge i Norge, da? (Have you been a long time in Norway, then?)
Susan: Ja, vi var på språkkurs i starten av sommerferien. De siste ukene har vi bare reist rundt i landet. (Yes, we were at a language course at the start of the summer holiday. The last weeks we’ve just been travelling the country.)
Berit: Kjempespennende! Hvor har dere vært, da? (That’s very exciting! Where’ve you been to?)
Tom: Mest Hardangervidda… (Mostly the Hardangervidda plain…)
Berit: Åh, jeg elsker Hardangervidda! (Oh, I love Hardangervidda!)

Ola: Hei, tror ikke jeg har hilst på deg før! (Hi, I don’t think I’ve said hello to you before!)
Tom: Hei, jeg heter Tom! (Hi, my name is Tom!)
Ola: Ola her. Trivelig å hilse på deg. (Here’s Ola. Nice to meet you/say hello to you.)
Ola: Hvor kommer du fra, Tom? (Where’re you from, Tom?)
Tom: Jeg kommer fra North Dakota. Dette er første gangen jeg er i Norge! (I’m from North Dakota. This is my first time in Norway!)
Ola: Oi, da har du reist langt! Hva synes du om Norge? (Wow, then you must have travelled a long way! What do you think about Norway?)
Tom: Jeg synes naturen her er veldig vakker. (I think Nature here is really beautiful.)
Ola: Tusen takk! (Thanks a lot!)

Guri: Nei så fine sko! (Gee, what lovely shoes you’ve got!)
Susan: Synes du? (Really?)
Guri: Ja, jeg liker dem kjempegodt! (Yes, I like them a lot!)
Susan: Jeg kjøpte dem på tilbud i Molde. Jeg er veldig fornøyd med dem. (I bought them on offer in Molde. I’m very pleased with them.)
Guri: Ja, ikke sant? (Yes, I know exactly what you mean.)

Guri: Hva driver dere med, egentlig? (What do you guys do, actually?)
Susan: Jeg er sykepleier og Tom jobber i en butikk. (I’m a nurse and Tom works in a store.)
Tom: Det ble litt mye stress, så vi har tatt et halvt år fri for å se verden. (It got a bit too stressy, so we’ve taken half a year off to see the world.)
Guri: Ja, det gjelder om å nyte livet mens en kan, ikke sant? (Yes, it’s important to enjoy life while you can, isn’t it?)
Susan: Mm.
Tom: Hva driver du med, da? (What do you do, then?)
Guri: Jeg holder på å utdanne meg til logoped. I mellomtiden jobber jeg i en barnehage. (I’m studying to become a speech therapist. In the meantime I work in a kindergarten.)

Ola: Skål, Tom! (Cheers, Tom!)
Tom: Skål! (Cheers!)