You will get by fine with English, but here are a few Norwegian words to help
If you're planning to do some travel in Norway, it’s good to know a few basic words and facts about the Norwegian language.
What language is spoken in Norway?
Norwegian is the official language of Norway, and there are two official forms of the written language, Bokmål and Nynorsk. Bokmål (Book Language) is an adaptation of the written Danish introduced during the union of Denmark and Norway in the 14th century while Nynorsk (New Norwegian) was formed during the mid 19th century as a way to carry on the traditions of Old Norse.
There is no official standard of spoken Norwegian. Both Bokmål and Nynorsk are taught in schools and used by the media and government, though Bokmål is still more common in written publications. However, there are enough similarities that everyone who speaks one of the two standard forms can be understood by other Norwegians regardless of local dialect.
Further north in the Finnmark and Troms regions, the Sámi languages of Norway’s indigenous people are also spoken, and have equal status with Norwegian.
Do people speak English in Norway?
More than 80% of Norwegians are capable of conversing in English to some extent. Most people in major Norwegian cities and towns will be included in this.
So, you needn't worry if you don't have time to pick up the basic phrases. But it is of course nice to use some basic phrases if you can.
Common words & phrases for travelling
As we mentioned above, almost all Norwegians speak English. Even so, it is always helpful to be able to understand a few basic Norwegian words.
Basics
Yes = Ja
No = Nei
Thank you = Takk
Please = Vær så snill
Excuse me = Unnskyld meg
Hello = Hallo
Goodbye = Ha det bra
Other useful words
Train = Tog
Bus = Buss
Underground/tube/metro = T-bane
Tram = Trikk
Train station = Jernbanestasjon
Bus station = Busstasjon
Airport = Flyplass
Tourist Information = Turistinformasjon
Police station = Politistasjon
Hospital = Sykehus
Store/shop = Butikk
Day = Dag
Week = Uke
Month = Måned
Year = År
Today = I dag
Yesterday = I går
Tomorrow = I morgen
Numbers
One = En
Two = To
Three = Tre
Four = Fire
Five = Fem
Six = Seks
Seven = Syv
Eight = Åtte
Nine = Ni
Ten = Ti
Days of the week
Monday = Mandag
Tuesday = Tirsdag
Wednesday = Onsdag
Thursday = Torsdag
Friday = Fredag
Saturday = Lørdag
Sunday = Søndag
Norwegian alphabet
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Æ Ø Å
Norwegian pronunciation
A as in father
E as in wedding
I as in meat
U as in hood
Æ as in mad
Ø as in blurt
Å as in hall
J is pronounced like a “y” as in yes
Contact our travel consultants if you want to know more about travelling in Norway.
