Essential Norwegian Vocabulary for Complete Beginners
Starting Norwegian can feel easier than you think. The key is to learn words and phrases you can use immediately in real situations. This guide focuses on high‑frequency, practical Norwegian with clear English translations.
Norwegian has two written standards (Bokmål and Nynorsk). This guide uses Bokmål, which is more common and what most beginners start with.
1. Basic Norwegian Greetings and Polite Phrases
Core Greetings
Use these every day when meeting people.
- Hei – Hi / Hello
- Hallo – Hello
- God morgen – Good morning
- God dag – Good day
- God kveld – Good evening
- Ha det – Bye
- Ha det bra – Goodbye / Take care
- Vi ses – See you
Politeness Essentials
- Takk – Thanks
- Tusen takk – Thank you very much
- Takk skal du ha – Thank you (more emphatic)
- Vær så snill – Please (literally: be so kind)
- Unnskyld – Excuse me / I am sorry
- Beklager – Sorry / I apologize
Example Mini‑Dialogues
Example 1
Hei, god morgen! – Hi, good morning!
God morgen! Hvordan går det? – Good morning! How are you?
Example 2
Unnskyld, kan du hjelpe meg? – Excuse me, can you help me?
Ja, selvfølgelig. – Yes, of course.
2. Introducing Yourself in Norwegian
Key Phrases for Self‑Introduction
- Jeg heter … – My name is …
- Jeg er … – I am …
- Hyggelig å møte deg – Nice to meet you
- Hvor kommer du fra? – Where are you from?
- Jeg kommer fra … – I am from …
- Hvor bor du? – Where do you live?
- Jeg bor i … – I live in …
Useful Personal Words
- navn – name
- land – country
- by – city / town
- språk – language
- alder – age
- jobb – job
Example Introduction
Hei, jeg heter Maria. Jeg kommer fra Spania, og jeg bor i Oslo.
– Hi, my name is Maria. I am from Spain, and I live in Oslo.
Hyggelig å møte deg!
– Nice to meet you!
3. Essential Question Words
Question words help you understand and ask for information.
- Hva – What
- Hvem – Who
- Hvor – Where
- Når – When
- Hvorfor – Why
- Hvordan – How
- Hvor mye – How much
- Hvor mange – How many
Example Questions
Hva heter du? – What is your name?
Hvor bor du? – Where do you live?
Hvordan går det? – How are you?
Hvor mye koster det? – How much does it cost?
4. Numbers, Days, and Time Basics
Numbers 0–10
- null – zero
- én / en – one
- to – two
- tre – three
- fire – four
- fem – five
- seks – six
- sju / syv – seven
- åtte – eight
- ni – nine
- ti – ten
Days of the Week
- mandag – Monday
- tirsdag – Tuesday
- onsdag – Wednesday
- torsdag – Thursday
- fredag – Friday
- lørdag – Saturday
- søndag – Sunday
Useful Time Phrases
- i dag – today
- i morgen – tomorrow
- i går – yesterday
- nå – now
- senere – later
- snart – soon
Example:
Kommer du i morgen? – Are you coming tomorrow?
Ja, jeg kommer på lørdag. – Yes, I am coming on Saturday.
5. Everyday Survival Phrases
Yes / No / I Don’t Understand
- Ja – Yes
- Nei – No
- Kanskje – Maybe
- Jeg forstår – I understand
- Jeg forstår ikke – I don’t understand
- Kan du si det en gang til? – Can you say that one more time?
- Snakker du engelsk? – Do you speak English?
- Jeg snakker ikke så godt norsk – I don’t speak Norwegian very well
Useful Travel and Direction Phrases
- Hvor er …? – Where is …?
- til venstre – to the left
- til høyre – to the right
- rett fram – straight ahead
- nær – near
- langt – far
- stasjon – station
- bussholdeplass – bus stop
Example:
Unnskyld, hvor er togstasjonen? – Excuse me, where is the train station?
Den er rett fram, og så til venstre. – It is straight ahead, and then to the left.
6. Food, Drink, and Eating Out
Common Food Words
- mat – food
- frokost – breakfast
- lunsj – lunch
- middag – dinner
- kveldsmat – evening meal / supper
- brød – bread
- ost – cheese
- kjøtt – meat
- fisk – fish
- grønnsaker – vegetables
- frukt – fruit
Drinks
- vann – water
- kaffe – coffee
- te – tea
- øl – beer
- vin – wine
- juice – juice
At a Café or Restaurant
- Kan jeg få …? – Can I have …?
- Jeg vil gjerne ha … – I would like to have …
- regningen, takk – the bill, please
- en meny – a menu
- et bord – a table
Example Order:
Hei, jeg vil gjerne ha en kaffe og et glass vann.
– Hi, I would like a coffee and a glass of water.
7. Talking About Yourself: Family, Work, and Hobbies
Family Words
- familie – family
- mor – mother
- far – father
- bror – brother
- søster – sister
- barn – child / children
- sønn – son
- datter – daughter
Work and Study
- jobb – job
- arbeid – work
- student – student
- lærer – teacher
- kontor – office
- skole – school
- universitet – university
Hobbies and Free Time
- hobby – hobby
- interesse – interest
- sport – sport
- tur – trip / hike
- å lese – to read
- å se på film – to watch movies
- å trene – to exercise / work out
Example Sentences:
Jeg har en stor familie. – I have a big family.
Jeg jobber på kontor. – I work in an office.
På fritiden liker jeg å lese. – In my free time I like to read.
8. Simple Everyday Verbs
Learn a few key verbs to build your own sentences.
- å være – to be
- å ha – to have
- å gjøre – to do
- å gå – to go / walk
- å komme – to come
- å bo – to live (reside)
- å snakke – to speak
- å like – to like
- å spise – to eat
- å drikke – to drink
Example Sentences with Verbs
Jeg er student. – I am a student.
Jeg har to søstre. – I have two sisters.
Jeg bor i Bergen. – I live in Bergen.
Jeg liker norsk mat. – I like Norwegian food.
Vi går hjem nå. – We are going home now.
9. Handy Small Talk Phrases
- Hvordan går det? – How are you?
- Det går bra. – It’s going well.
- Ikke så verst. – Not too bad.
- Og du? – And you?
- Hva gjør du i helgen? – What are you doing this weekend?
- God helg! – Have a nice weekend!
- God tur! – Have a good trip!
- Lykke til! – Good luck!
Example Small Talk:
Hvordan går det? – How are you?
Det går bra, takk. Og du? – I’m fine, thanks. And you?
10. Tips for Learning and Using This Vocabulary
- Practice out loud: Say each Norwegian word and its English meaning several times.
- Use mini‑dialogues: Combine greetings, question words, and verbs to make short conversations.
- Focus on situations: For example, learn food words before going to a café and try to order in Norwegian.
- Repeat daily: Even 5–10 minutes every day will help you remember these core phrases.
With these essential Norwegian words and phrases, you can already introduce yourself, order food, ask for directions, and handle simple everyday situations. Build from here by adding more vocabulary that fits your life and interests.
