Category: Language
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The Norwegian Way of Bragging is Humble, and It’s Real!
This article was first published in VG under the title Slutt med snikskrytingen om sommerferien din! Many foreigners have this idea that Norwegians don’t brag. Of course they brag! In a subtle and humble way. They even have a special Norwegian word for it, snikskryting (sneaky bragging). “We were in Thailand for several weeks, at…
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Want to be Norwegian? Speak English with “Fart”
This is the second chapter of my new book “How to be Norwegian“, read more about the book here. Norwegians are well-known for their excellent English skills. One reason for this is that English-language movies and television shows are never dubbed, a fact Norwegians proudly point out. They often ask, “Why do other countries dub…
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What is the difference between “Uff da” and “Uffa meg” in Norwegian?
This is a tricky one, because although these two expressions sound roughly the same to a foreign ear, Norwegians have very distinct contexts in which they use these expressions. In Norwegian classes nobody teaches you how to use these expressions. Instead foreigners learn expressions like Ugler i mosen and Svin på skogen, see this article…
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Is Norwegian Hard to Learn?
Despite what the internet tells you, no language can be learned in 3 days. Norwegian is no exception. 1-Learning Norwegian is easier depending on which other languages you speak fluently. If you speak English it will be a bit hard, but not too hard. I am a native French speaker and speak English as my…
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What the Faen? How to Swear in Norwegian
Swearing in Norwegian is something one should do very carefully, probably like in any other language. The reason is that some swear words may not have a direct translation in your language, so you might not grasp the strength of the swear words. Or it has one but which should not be used in the…
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Learning Norwegian with the Corona Crisis! 15 (New) Norwegian Words to Know.
Since the Corona virus has hit us and measures have been taken, many new words appeared in the Norwegian media as well as in daily conversations. The Norwegian language has a huge creative power since one can put two words together to create a new word. So new words can appear very quickly as people…
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After 60 years of presence in Norway, the French Cultural Institute is shut down by the French Government.
It is now official the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs has decided to close the French Institute of Norway, alongside the French Institutes in Canada, Costa Rica and Brazil. This is in the Notification number 2303 made by the Ministry to the State Budget for 2020 on the 10th of October 2019, which…
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8 Strange French Words with Meanings Foreigners Cannot Guess
I am French and have been living in Norway for almost 10 years, and mostly blogging about Norway, Norwegian culture and language. But more and more I get questions about my own country, society and language. How is it to be a foreigner and especially a Norwegian in France? Is it hard to learn French?…
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20 Funniest Norwegian Expressions
To buy a cat in its bag (å kjøpe katta i sekken) does not mean you bought yet another cat to your home. What are you? A cat lady? No it means that you wanted to buy one thing but were lured into buying something else. If you “let the cat out of the bag”…