When I was living in England and planning a move to Norway, the one question people always asked was, ‘How easy is it to learn Norwegian’?
As with all the best questions, this one doesn’t have a simple answer. So, instead of answering it, I’ll just give you three fun facts about the Norwegian language.
1. Norwegians actually speak two different languages
When I first moved here, I was surprised to find that people in Norway don’t just speak ‘Norwegian’; instead, they speak either Bokmål or Nynorsk.
These aren’t just different dialects – they are actually counted as two completely distinct languages. These two forms of Norwegian have been granted legal equality, and government officials are required to be fluent in both.
In some areas of the country, you will be taught in Nynorsk from the age of primary school upwards, while other areas use Bokmål as their preferred language.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that half the country can’t understand the other half – the languages are very similar, although there are some major differences in how certain words are spelled.
If you’re interested in finding out why there are two forms of Norwegian, this blog post gives a handy explainer.
2. Norwegian compound nouns can be EXTREMELY long
Maybe you have aspirations of becoming a høyesterettsjustitiarius (Chief Justice)? Or working at a prestigious menneskerettighetsorganisasjon (human rights organisation)?
Well, you won’t stand a chance of doing either of these things unless you can master the incredibly long words found in the Norwegian language.
Why does Norwegian have so many lengthy terms in its lexicon? Well, the reason’s simple: the Norwegian language allows ‘compound’ nouns, where many words are strung together to make one long word.
Take, for example, one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. In its Norwegian translation, En midtsommernattsdrøm, the spaces are removed and the words become one long noun.
This is an important part of the language, and getting it wrong can lead to some embarrassing mistakes. For instance, lammekoteletter is Norwegian for ‘lamb chops’, while lamme koteletter actually means ‘lame’ or paralyzed chops!
3. The Norwegian language is full of weird and wonderful words
One of the things I love most about the Norwegian language is the strangeness of some of its words.
Of course, every language has its weird words, and quirky expressions that only a native speaker could understand. But some of the following terms from Norwegian, when translated into English, are particularly rib‑tickling.
For example, did you know that in Norwegian, your scalp is called a hodebunn (head bottom)? Or that in Norway, tadpoles are called rumpetroll (bum trolls)?
In fact, the animal kingdom is a fertile source of weird Norwegian words. Take the humble dragonfly, or as it’s known over here, the øyenstikker (eye stabber). And don’t forget the squid, or blekksprut (ink squirt).
But my all-time favourite has to be the Norwegian word for woodlouse, kaffedyr – which actually translates to ‘coffee animal’!
We can only assume that somewhere, someone thought that these creatures bore a resemblance to walking coffee beans. Still, I wouldn’t recommend putting one of them in your morning cuppa.