Are you interested in learning Norwegian? Whether you’re planning on moving to Norway, already live there or simply want to learn the Norwegian language, here are some helpful tips to get you going in the right direction.
Get Textbooks and Computer CDs in Norwegian
There are various Norwegian grammar books that have been published over the years and reading them and doing the exercises will help you learn the basics of Norwegian and build a very basic vocabulary. There are also a host of online dictionaries online that you can use so you can continue to pick up words.
Many people often use the Rosetta Stone series for learning foreign languages, however, there isn’t one available for learning Norwegian. However, there is a wide range of computer programs you can buy and play on your computer. If you’re not sure about committing to buying something just yet, you could download free software on learning Norwegian from Transparent Language and see how that works for you.
Please keep in mind that you will want to get specifically Norwegian materials, and not be tempted to get Swedish materials as substitutes because they are more available. While they are similar languages, there is some variation in letters, words, and a fairly big difference in pronunciation. A Swede would understand a Norwegian and vice versa, but they’re not the same languages.
Read Norwegian Newspapers
Once you start to build up your grammar and a basic vocabulary, it’s important that you start reading in Norwegian so you can start to get a sense for how sentences are commonly formulated, to see how verbs are being used and to start picking up new words. Reading Norwegian newspapers is very helpful in learning Norwegian, and you can even find them online so it won’t cost you anything to read.
Onlinenewspapers.com often has a good listing of Norwegian Newspapers. In general, some good newspapers to read include Aftonposten (Evening Post), Dagbladet (The Daily Paper) and Dagens Næringsliv (Daily Business).
Listen to Norwegian Radio Programs
Once you start to get a feel for Norwegian in written form, then it’s important to listen to it and hear how it sounds in conversational form. One easy way to do this is to listen to Norwegian radio programs. If you’re not in Norway, you can still find radio stations online.
They often stream programs and you can also download recorded audios and later load them onto your IPOD or MP3 player. This way, you can learn Norwegian while out going for a walk or doing things around the house. One place you can check is NK.no.
Watch TV Programs, Internet Shows or Movies With Subtitles
Sometimes it’s interesting to also watch TV programs or watch documentaries in Norwegian. This is another way to train your hearing, and if you are actually in Norway, you can watch English shows with Norwegian subtitles. This will help you learn common phrases. Nk.no has a good archive of programs to watch.
Even if you’re not in Norway, you can still watch Norwegian films with English subtitles, and learn new phrases and expressions that way.
Speak Norwegian to People, or Use Skype
If you’re already living in Norway or will be living there, it will be really easy to find someone to speak Norwegian with. Otherwise, you could sign up for a language exchange in your city. Being able to speak Norwegian will be very helpful in learning because you find out what areas need work and will keep you from getting rusty.
If you can’t find a local language exchange, you can always find one on Skype. That way you could speak Norwegian to someone from the comfort of your home.
Continually Read, Write, Speak and Listen to Norwegian
Doing all four of these elements help each other. When you read and write, you’re speaking and listening gets better, and vice versa. However, if you ignore one of these elements, your Norwegian won’t be as good as it can be. Some people can speak Norwegian, but can’t write gramatically correct Norwegian. Some people can write Norwegian quite well, but can’t understand it conversationally. If you continue to train in these four elements, learning Norwegian will come very easily for you.
