The Easier and The Harder Aspects of Learning Norwegian

The Easier Side of Norwegian

Several factors contribute to Norwegian's relative accessibility for English speakers:

1. A Familiar Alphabet (Mostly)

The Norwegian alphabet contains only three extra letters beyond the English one. Two appear in the example sentence ('å' and 'æ'), and there is also the letter ('ø'). Some examples of Norwegian words with these letters are in the table below:

Norwegian	English
båt	boat
språk	language
lærer	teacher
vær	weather
dør	door
øye	eye

Those three additional letters bring the size of the Norwegian alphabet to 29. But five of these (c, q, w, x, and z) rarely appear in native Norwegian words, which explains some spelling differences between Norwegian and English loanwords, as illustrated in the table below.

Norwegian	English
musikk	music
kvalitet	quality
vinter	winter
eksempel	example
organisasjon	organization

2. Accessible Basic Vocabulary

So, is Norwegian an easy language? Or as one would ask in Norwegian: "Er norsk et lett språk?" (click on that sentence to hear an audio recording of its pronunciation)

For vocabulary, the initial steps can feel quite rewarding. Many of the thousand most frequently used Norwegian words resemble their English translations. In most cases, these vocabulary similarities are not random occurrences; instead, these pairs of similar words are cognates, meaning they have a common origin, often from Old Norse or later Germanic influences.

Norwegian	English
artikkel	article
aksjon	action
kontroll	control
skole	school
minutt	minute

Of course, not all Norwegian words are similar to their English counterparts. That would be too easy! Here are some examples of Norwegian words that are very different from their English versions:

Norwegian	English
virksomhet	business
dyr	animal
seier	victory
spørsmål	question
kveld	evening

3. Shared Linguistic Roots

Norwegian and English belong to the same language family; both are Germanic languages. As a result, common patterns between the two languages make Norwegian easier to learn beyond just vocabulary, extending to some foundational sentence structures.

4. Remarkably Simple Verb Conjugation

Norwegian verbs are particularly easy. In contrast to English (and many other European languages), Norwegian does not conjugate verbs according to the subject pronoun in the present tense.

For example, below are the conjugation tables for the verb "to be" in Norwegian and English:

This simplicity applies to most verbs in their present tense.

5. Relatively Simple Grammar Compared to its Ancestor

Norwegian evolved from Old Norse, just like Spanish evolved from Latin. Old Norse and Latin have complicated features (grammatical cases in particular). But just as grammatical cases largely disappeared as Spanish evolved from Latin, they also disappeared as Norwegian evolved from Old Norse. Icelandic, by contrast, has preserved these grammatical cases, which is one of the reasons why Norwegian is much easier to learn than Icelandic in terms of noun and adjective declensions.

6. Benefits if You Know German

If you already know German, then learning Norwegian will be easier. During the Middle Ages, the German language influenced Norwegian through the Hanseatic League. This led to the inclusion of German loanwords into Norwegian. Here are examples of similar words:

English	German	Norwegian
art	Kunst	kunst
work	Arbeit	arbeid
teacher	Lehrer	lærer
peace	Frieden	fred
freedom	Freiheit	frihet
language	Sprache	Språk

The Harder Aspects of Learning Norwegian

While the points above paint an encouraging picture, it's crucial to be aware of the hurdles:

1. Pronunciation Nuances

While often considered easier overall than Danish pronunciation, Norwegian has its own distinct challenges for English speakers:

• Tonal Pitch Accent: This is perhaps the most significant. Many Norwegian word pairs are distinguished only by tone (like bønder - farmers, vs bønner - beans or prayers). Mastering this is essential for clear communication and comprehension.
  
  Example sentence (click on it for audio): "Bønder dyrker jorda, mens bønner kokes i gryta. " (which means "Farmers cultivate the land, while beans are boiled in the pot.").
• Vowel Sounds: Several Norwegian vowel sounds, such as 'y' (like a pursed 'ee'), 'u' (can be like 'oo' but sometimes more central), and the diphthongs, have no direct English equivalents and require careful practice.
  
  Example sentence (click for audio): "Hun kysset en ny gutt ute i snøen. " (which means "She kissed a new boy out in the snow.").
• "Silent" Letters and Consonant Clusters: Combinations like skj-, kj-, tj- have specific sounds that need to be learned, and sometimes letters are silent (e.g., the 'h' in hva or hvem). The rolling 'r' can also be a challenge for some.
  
  Example sentence (click for audio): "Hva kjørte skjeggete tjeneren hjem med? " (which means "What did the bearded servant drive home with?").

2. Grammatical Gender

Unlike English, Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, and neuter. This affects the articles (a/an, the) and adjective endings associated with the noun. For example, "a car" is en bil (masculine), "a book" is ei/en bok (feminine/common), and "a house" is et hus (neuter). This requires memorizing the gender of each noun.

3. Word Order in Subordinate Clauses

While basic Norwegian sentence structure (Subject-Verb-Object) is similar to English in main clauses, word order can become tricky in subordinate clauses, where the adverb or verb position might shift in ways unfamiliar to English speakers (e.g., the V2 rule's application and changes in dependent clauses).

4. Bokmål and Nynorsk

Norway has two official written forms: Bokmål (Book Language) and Nynorsk (New Norwegian). Most learners start with Bokmål, which is used by the vast majority of the population. However, Nynorsk is prevalent in certain regions and used in official documents, literature, and media. Learners will eventually encounter Nynorsk, which can add a layer of complexity.

5. Dialectal Variation

Spoken Norwegian is characterized by a rich diversity of dialects, some of which can be quite different from the standard spoken language often taught to foreigners (which itself is usually based on Oslo-area Bokmål pronunciation). While Norwegians are generally adept at understanding various dialects and can modify their speech, learners might find it challenging to understand strong local dialects when travelling or interacting outside major urban centers.