{"id":2127,"date":"2015-09-30T23:42:26","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T23:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/norwegian\/?p=2127"},"modified":"2015-09-30T23:42:26","modified_gmt":"2015-09-30T23:42:26","slug":"how-hard-is-norwegian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/norwegian\/how-hard-is-norwegian\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hard Is Norwegian?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Free<\/a>

(Free image from OpenClipart.)<\/p><\/div>\n

How hard is Norwegian actually? I\u2019d say it depends a lot on your native language. If you\u2019re an English-speaker \u2013 lucky you. Both languages come from the same Germanic roots, and there are loads of similarities, grammar-wise and vocabulary-wise:<\/p>\n

Vi liker egg!<\/b> (We like eggs!)
\nNaboen har sm\u00e5 vinduer.<\/b> (The neighbour has small windows.)<\/p>\n

Some things are even easier than in English, such as the present tense of verbs:<\/p>\n

Jeg springer. <\/b>(I\u2019m running.)
\nDu springer. <\/b>(You\u2019re running.)
\nHun springer hver torsdag. <\/b>(She runs every Thursday.)<\/p>\n

\u2026or such as the way you make questions:<\/p>\n

Springer du?<\/b> (Are you running?)
\nSpringer du alltid? <\/b>(Do you always run?)
\nKommer du p\u00e5 torsdag? <\/b>(Will you come on Thursday?)<\/p>\n

Other things, of course, are harder. First and foremost, Norwegian nouns have got three different genders, and for each new noun you learn you have to remember whether it\u2019s an en<\/b>, ei<\/b> or et<\/b> word \u2013 and modify any adjective accordingly:<\/p>\n

Huset er rart.<\/b> (The house is strange.)
\nBoka er rar.<\/b> (The book is strange.)
\nGutten er rar.<\/b> (The boy is strange.)<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of things that Norwegians themselves struggle with:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u00e5<\/b> versus og<\/b>. These are often mixed up in writing, since both are pronounced like \u201daw\u201d in awful<\/i>. og<\/b> means and <\/i>(du og jeg<\/b> \u2013 you and I<\/i>), while \u00e5<\/b> is used to highlight\u00a0infinitives, just like the English word to<\/i>: \u00e5 v\u00e6re eller ikke v\u00e6re<\/b> (to be or not to be).<\/p>\n

\u2022 da<\/b> versus n\u00e5r<\/b>. Both translate as \u201dwhen\u201d, and are not always distinguished in the spoken language. In writing, the rule of thumb is \u201dDen gang da, hver gang n\u00e5r<\/b>\u201d <\/b>(On that particular occasion \u2013 da<\/i>. On each occasion \u2013 n\u00e5r.<\/i>):<\/p>\n

Da jeg kom hjem, ventet katten i vinduet. <\/b>(When I got home, the cat was waiting in the window.)
\nN\u00e5r jeg kommer hjem, venter katten i vinduet. <\/b>(Each time I get home, the cat waits in the window.)<\/p>\n

During the next couple of months, I\u2019d like to help you overcome some of your Norwegian struggles. To that end, this blog\u00a0needs your help! \ud83d\ude42 So, please take some time to drop a comment answering the following: In your experience, what is the most difficult part of learning Norwegian? What really makes YOU fret, sweat and despair?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

How hard is Norwegian actually? I\u2019d say it depends a lot on your native language. If you\u2019re an English-speaker \u2013 lucky you. Both languages come from the same Germanic roots, and there are loads of similarities, grammar-wise and vocabulary-wise: Vi liker egg! (We like eggs!) Naboen har sm\u00e5 vinduer. (The neighbour has small windows.) Some…<\/p>\n

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