Learning Norwegian
We encourage all language learners to channel their excitement for the fall into practicing Norwegian as much as possible before your arrival at school! Below are some online resources to help you get started.
During the fall semester we will arrange some study group sessions, where Norwegian-learners gather to study the language together, sometimes with the support of a teacher. There is also the expectation of individual study and engagement in the learning of the Norwegian language. We encourage students to work with their peers and practice in any school setting to improve their Norwegian.
We strongly emphasize that it is in your best interest to make a continued effort to learn Norwegian, otherwise this can be a quite overwhelming experience. Norwegian is the main language spoken at school in both formal and informal settings. But, all teachers speak English as a second language (to varying degrees) and will give you an English summary of the key points of lectures or instructions upon request. Just let us know!
Free online resources for learning Norwegian
A few words of warning: These resources mainly focus on Norway’s largest written language, Bokmål. Verbal Norwegian consists of a myriad of dialects. While learning bokmål can be a good place to start, we recommend that you also familiarize yourself with some of the spoken dialects as well. A few resources to use are the podcasts “Fairytales in Slow Western Norwegian” and “Relax with slow Norwegian”, both available on Spotify.
Several of our teachers are Danish. Norwegian and Danish are very similar, and they speak Danish to our Norwegian students, so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with Danish as well. The podcast “I am learning Danish” on Spotify could be a good place to start.
Learn Now
LearnNow is one of the best free Norwegian courses available online.
CALST
CALST is an online language training platform for improving your pronunciation, which covers 1000 Norwegian words and phrases. Here you can hear how Norwegian is spoken, and the best thing is that you can choose between various dialects.
Loecsen
This course is exactly what a beginner needs to know. Easy and accessible!
Duolingo
Smartphone app (and website version) for learning multiple lenguages, including Norwegian Bokmål and Danish.
YouTube
If you prefer video, check out Norsklærer Karense and Norwegian Teacher Karin on youtube.
Podcasts
“Norsk for beginners”, “Norwegian for absolute beginners”, “I am learning Norwegian” and “Lær norsk nå!”, all available on spotify.
Passive listening
A good supplement to actively stydying language, is passive listening – while you are doing chores, going for a walk or driving. Listen to podcasts or audio books that you are able to comprehend, but without necessarily understanding all the words. You don’t need to focus on understanding all the words, focus on understanding the story.
Book: Sett i gang
If you prefer books to online resources, we recommend buying and working through the book Sett i gang 1: An Introductory Norwegian Curriculum by Kari Lie Dorer & Nancy Aarsvold.
Grammar
Grammatikk.com offers you short and clear explanations on everything that has to do with Norwegian grammar. A range of grammatical exercises can be found at IGIN and Exploring Norwegian Grammar. From here you can download a short overview of Norwegian grammar in English.
It is worth checking The National Library’s catalogue to see if the old editions of textbooks and grammar books are available. Almost all books published before 2000 have been digitalised, and the access to those is free of charge. For instance, this book is a classic and is available both in English and Norwegian.
Children's movies
Other fun ways to familiarize yourself with Norwegian language include watching movies, e.g. disney movies or other children's movies that you are already familiar with.
