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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 at lightning speed. Or even worse: Your uttale (pronunciation) reveals you’re not a native, and people switch to English – which isn’t exactly a great way to learn Norwegian. Good news: Most people are more than happy to give language learners a chance – if you just give them the right clues! 🙂 Here are a few phrases to help you out…

Unnskyld? (Pardon?)

Beklager, jeg forstår ikke? (Sorry, I don’t understand?)

Hva mener du? (What do you mean?)

Hva betyr hurtigrute? (What does hurtigrute mean?)

Hva heter hovercraft på norsk? (What’s hovercraft called in Norwegian?)

Jeg snakker bare litt norsk. (I only speak a little bit Norwegian.)

Jeg er nybegynner. (I’m a beginner.)

Jeg vet ikke. (I don’t know.)

Jeg forstår ikke. (I don’t understand.)

Kan du gjenta det? (Could you repeat it, please?)

Jeg er litt forvirret nå. (I’m a little bit confused now.)

Si det en gang til, er du snill. (Say it again, please – literally: Say it again, if you’re kind.)

Kan du sette ned tempoet litt? (Could you slow down a bit?)

Jeg hører litt dårlig. Kan du snakke høyere? (My hearing is a bit bad. Could you speak louder, please?)

Kan du stave det for meg? (Could you spell it for me?)

Kan du skrive det på en lapp? (Could you write it on a piece of paper?)

Norsk er litt vanskelig, men jeg vil gjerne bli flinkere. (Norwegian is a little bit difficult, but I’d like to become more skilled.)

Kan vi snakke norsk sammen? (Can we speak Norwegian together?)