Going places

Grammar review

Sentence structure

While most Norwegian sentences use the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, like English does, Norwegian does have the V2 (verb second) rule. If an adverbial phrase or subordinate clause is at the front of the sentence, the subject and the verb have to switch places (this is called “inversion”) so that the verb stays in the second position.

Eksempel English

SVO

Oliver skrev ei bok i fjor.

Oliver wrote a book last year.

Emma bodde i Oslo da hun var barn.

Emma lived in Oslo when she was a child.

V2

I fjor skrev Oliver ei bok.

Last year, Oliver wrote a book.

Da Emma var barn, bodde hun i Oslo.

When Emma was a child, she lived in Oslo.

Verb Conjugation

Conjugating present tense of verbs in Norwegian is fairly simple. Most present tense verbs just add an -r to the end of the infinitive.

Infinitive

Present

English

Infinitive

Present

English

Å lese

Leser

Reads

Å skrive

Skriver

Writes

Å møte

Møter

Meets

Å synge

Synger

Sings

There are some exceptions / irregulars:

Infinitive

Present

English

Infinitive

Present

English

Å kunne

Kan

To be able to

Å måtte

To have to

Å skulle

Skal

To have to; to be going to

Å ville

Vil

To want

Å være

Er

To be

Å vite

Vet

To know

Past tense conjugation is a bit more difficult, however there are some guidelines (but keep in mind there are exceptions).

  1. If the verb ends with a double consonant, consonant cluster, or voiced plosive (b / d), past tense will end in -et.

  2. If the verb ends in a single consonant (except v / b / d), past tense ends in -te.

  3. If the verb ends with v or diphthong, the past tense ends in -de.

  4. If the verb has only one syllable with a long vowel, past tense ends in -dde.

Rule Number

Infinitive

Past Tense

English

1

Å snakke

Snakket

Talked

Å ønske

Ønsket

Wished

2

Å lære

Lærte

Learned

Å kjøpe

Kjøpte

Bought

3

Å leve

Levde

Lived

Å pleie

Pleide

Used

4

Å bo

Bodde

Lived

For future tense, typically the present tense verb is used with a time adverbial to clarify it is a future action.

Eksempel English

Emilie kjøper det nye spillet i morgen.

Emilie is buying the new game tomorrow.

Forelesningene begynner neste uke.

(University) classes begin next week.

Adjective Basics

Adjectives typically have to agree with the gender and the number of the noun.

Singular Indefinite Plural Indefinite

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

English

Masculine

En høy mann

A tall man

Høye menn

Tall men

En tynn gren

A thin branch

Tynne grener

Thin branches

Feminine

Ei høy bro / bru

A tall bridge

Høye broer /bruer

Tall bridges

Ei tynn jente

A thin girl

Tynne jenter

Thin girls

Neuter

Et høyt tre

A tall tree

Høye trær

Tall trees

Et tynt barn

A thin child

Tynne barn

Thin children

When the noun is in the definite form, the adjective takes an -e ending (like in the plural indefinite above).

Singular Definite Plural Definite

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

English

Masculine

Den høye mannen

The tall man

De høye mennene

The tall men

Den tykke katten

The chonky cat

De tykke kattene

The chonky cats

Denne tynne grenen

This thin branch

Disse tynne grenene

These thin branches

Feminine

Den høye broa / brua

The tall bridge

De høye broene / bruene

The tall bridges

Denne tynne jenta

This thin girl

Disse tynne jentene

These thin girls

Neuter

Det høye treet

The tall tree

De høye trærne

The tall trees

Dette tynne barnet

This thin child

Disse tynne barna

These thin children

Going places

When you visit or live in another country, it is helpful to understand directions if you get lost (or to give directions if someone asks you). So we will look at some vocab associated with traveling and directions.

Directions

To start out, let’s look at the most common directional words, found on a compass and any map.

English

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

East

Øst

North

Nord

Northeast

Nordøst

Northwest

Nordvest

South

Sør

Southeast

Sørøst

Southwest

Sørvest

West

Vest

Prepositions

Prepositions can also help tell us where something is located, for example, “Across from the library…”

English

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

Above

Over / Ovenfor

Across

På tvers av…​

Across from

På tvers fra

After

Etter

Against / Toward

Mot

Before

Før

Behind

Bak

Between

Mellom

Face to face

Overfor

In front of

Foran

Inside

Inni (inne i)

Near …​

I nærheten av …​

Next to….

Ved siden av…​

On top of

På toppen av

Outside

Utenfor

Through

Gjennom

To / Until

Til

Under

Under

Directional Phrases

Here are some common phrases that you may hear or that you may want to use when giving directions.

English Norwegian English Norwegian

Around the corner

Rundt hjørnet.

Downhill

Nedover(bakke)

Downstairs

Ned trappa

Follow the road.

Følg veien.

Follow the signs.

Følg skiltene.

Go back…​

Gå tilbake…​

Go past…​

Gå forbi…​

(Go) Straight forward

(Gå) Rett frem / fram

On the other side…​

På den andre siden…​

Over there…​

Der borte…​

Parallel to….

Parallelt med…​

(Turn) to the left

(Gå / Snu / Ta) Til venstre

(Turn) to the right

(Gå / Snu / Ta) Til høyre

Uphill

Oppover(bakke)

Upstairs

Opp trappa

Watch for….

Se etter….

Locations

Here is a short list of some locations that you may need directions in order to get to.

English Norwegian English Norwegian

Airport

Flyplass (en)

Amusement park

Fornøyelsespark (en)

Area

Område (et)

ATM

Minibank (en)

Bank

Bank (en)

Bay

Bukt (ei)

Beach

Strand (ei)

Border

Grense (en)

Bridge

Bro / Bru (ei)

Bus station

Busstasjon (en)

Bus stop

Bussholdeplass (en)

Capital

Hovedstad (en)

Coast

Kyst (en)

Convenience store

Nærbutikk (en)

Corner

Hjørne (et)

County

Fylke (et)

Destination

Mål (et)

Downtown (city ctr)

Sentrum (et)

Fjord

Fjord (en)

Forest

Skog (en)

Gas station

Bensinstasjon (en)
(Bensert - Trøndersk; Bennaren - Bergensk)

Grocery store

Dagligvarebutikk / Matbutikk (en)

Hospital

Sykehus (et)

Hotel

Hotell (et)

Island

Øy (ei)

Lake

Innsjø (en)

Library

Bibliotek (et)

Mall

Kjøpesenter (et)

Movie theatre

Kino (en)

Municipality

Kommune (en)

Museum

Museum (et)

Park

Park (en)

Parking lot

Parkeringsplass (en)

Pharmacy / Drugstore

Apotek (et)

Post office

Postkontor (et)

Restaurant

Restaurant (en)

River

Elv (ei)

Subway station

T-banestasjon (en)

Theatre

Teater (et)

Train station

Togstasjon (en)

Valley

Dal (en)

Village

Landsby (en) / Bygd (ei)

Car Terms

If you rent a car or own a car in Norway, here are some important words to know.

English Norwegian English Norwegian

Automatic

Automatgir (et)

Brakes

Bremser (en)

Car rental

Bilutleie (en)

Engine

Motor (en)

Gas / Petrol

Bensin (en)

Headlight

Frontlykt (en)

High beams / Brights

Fjernlys (et)

Ignition

Tenning (en)

Manual / Standard / Stick shift

Manuelt gir (et)

Oil

Olje (en)

Rearview mirror

Bakspeil (et)

Side view mirror

Sidespeil (et)

Steering wheel

Ratt (et)

Taxi

Taxi (en) / Drosje

Tire(s)

Dekk (et)

Turn signal / Blinker

Blinklys (et)

Windshield

Frontrute (en)

Windshield wipers

Vindusviskere (en)

Driving Terms and Street Signs

Here are some more important words to know if you drive in Norway.

English Norwegian English Norwegian

Alley

Smug (et)

Avenue

Allé (en)

Bicycle lane

Sykkelfelt (et)

Dead end

Blindvei (en)

Detour

Omvei (en)

Directions (driving)

Veibeskrivelse (en)

(Driving) lane

(Kjøre)felt (et)

Driveway

Innkjørsel (en)

Exit (on highway)

Avkjøring (en) / Avkjørsel

Highway

Motorvei (en)

Intersection

Veikryss (et)

Merge

Flette

No parking.

Parkering forbudt

One-way street

Enveiskjørt gate (en)

Ramp

Rampe (en)

Road

Vei (en)

Road sign

Veiskilt (et)

Roundabout

Rundkjøring (en)

Route

Rute (en)

Shoulder

Veiskulder (en)

Speed limit

Fartsgrense (en)

Stop sign

Stoppskilt (et)

Street

Gate (en)

Toll

Bompenger (en)

Toll road

Bomvei (en)

Toll roads surrounding e.g. a town

Bomring (en)

Toll station

Bompengestasjon (en)

Traffic light

Trafikklys (et)

U-Turn

U-sving (en)

Yield

Vike

Yield (markings painted on the road)

Vikelinje / Haitenner

image

Misc. Nouns

English

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

Bus

Buss (en)

Compass

Kompass (et)

Coordinates

Koordinater (en)

Direction

Retning (en)

Elevator

Heis (en)

Escalator

Rulletrapp (en)

Ferry

Ferje (ei) / Ferge (ei)

Landmark

Landemerke (et)

Latitude

Breddegrad (en)

Longitude

Lengdegrad (en)

Map

Kart (et)

Mountain

Fjell (et)

Stairs

Trapp (en)

Subway

Undergrunnsbane (en)

Ticket

Billett (en)

Train

Tog (et)

Tram

Trikk (en)

Transportation

Transport (en)

Window seat

Vindussete (et)

Verbs

English Norwegian English Norwegian

To brake

Å bremse

To drive

Å kjøre

To fly

Å fly

To go

Å dra

To park

Å parkere

To pay

Å betale

To rent

Å leie

To reverse

Å rygge

To run

Å løpe

To steer

Å styre

To take (e.g. the ferry)

Å ta (f. eks. ferga)

To travel

Å reise

Turn (around)

Å snu (rundt)

To walk

Å gå

A note on å gå and å dra:
In English, we can say “I’m going to my grandmother’s house,” but there’s no specific mention of how we’re getting there (we could be walking, taking a bus, driving, etc). In Norwegian, the verb “å gå” typically refers specifically to walking (there are exceptions which are covered in this lesson). If one wants to say they are going someplace, without specifying the mode of transportation, “å dra” is used instead. One can also use “å reise” as well to express travelling somewhere, typically further away.

Adjectives

English

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

Crowded

Folksom (not common)

Empty

Tom

Occupied / Busy

Opptatt

Vacant

Ledig

Questions / Phrases

Finally, here are some important phrases you may use or hear with regards to traveling someplace or asking where things are located.

English Norwegian English Norwegian

Can you help me?

Kan du hjelpe meg?

Can you recommend any good…?

Kan du anbefale noe(n) bra…?

Can you show me….?

Kan du vise meg…?

Can you tell me how to get there from here?

Kan du fortelle meg hvordan jeg kommer meg dit herfra?

Where am I?

Hvor er jeg?

Where is the bathroom?

Hvor er toalettet?

Where can I find…?

Hvor kan jeg finne…?

How long does it take to get there?

Hvor lang tid tar det å komme seg dit?

How much further is it?

Hvor mye lenger er det?

How much is a ticket to…?

Hvor mye koster en billett til…?

How can I get to…?

Hvordan kan jeg komme meg til…?

Which direction is…?

(I) Hvilken retning er…​?

Have I gone too far?

Har jeg gått for langt?

Must I go much further to reach…?

Må jeg gå mye lenger for å nå…?

Does the bus stop at…?

Stopper bussen på…?

I am looking for…​

Jeg leter / ser etter…​

I am lost.

Jeg har gått meg bort.

I’m not from here.

Jeg er ikke herfra.

I have a flat tire.

Jeg har punktert.

I want (x) tickets, please.

Jeg vil ha (x) billetter, takk.

I’d like to buy a (return) ticket to…​

Jeg vil gjerne kjøpe en (retur)billett til…​

I’d like to rent a car.

Jeg vil gjerne leie en bil.

I want full coverage insurance.

Jeg vil ha kaskoforsikring.

The car needs oil.

Bilen trenger olje.

You can walk there.

Du kan gå dit.

It’s within walking distance.

Det er i gangavstand

It’s near here.

Det er i nærheten.

It’s close.

Det er nærme.

It will take you about (x) minutes.

Det vil ta deg cirka (x) minutter.

It is right over here / there.

Det er rett her / der borte.

If you have gone past (the)…​, you’ve gone too far.

Hvis du har gått forbi…, har du gått for langt.

You’re almost there.

Du er nesten framme.

Just up / down the road…​

Bare opp / nedover gaten…​

It’s not far from here.

Det er ikke langt herfra.

Just a block away.

Bare et kvartal unna.

It’s on the second / third / etc floor.

Det er i andre / tredje / etc etasje.

It’s far from here.

Det er langt herfra.

You should take the (x) bus / tram / train…​

Du burde ta buss / trikk / tog (nummer x)..

**If the lesson was beneficial, please consider buying me a virtual coffee. Thanks.**

References:

image

Exercises

Exercise 1: Using the map above, write directions out from…​to….

  1. Parkeringsplassen til biblioteket

  2. Universitet til matbutikken

  3. Busstasjonen til kinoen

  4. Parkeringsplassen til bensinstasjonen

  5. Banken til teateret

  6. Universitetet til bussholdeplassen

  7. Ekornskogveien 3 til museet

  8. Hotellet til postkontoret

  9. Busstasjonen til kjøpsenteret

  10. Hotellet til parken

  11. Bensinstasjonen til museet

  12. Parkeringsplassen til Ekornskogen

  13. Matbutikken til sykehuset

  14. Banken til hotellet

  15. Universitetet til dagligvarebutikken

Exercise 2: Give directions to your favorite place (fictional or real).