Learn the Norwegian Language in Norway

The international student who wants to pursue studies in Norway faces the problem of the unavailability of complete study programs in English. To learn the Norwegian language is an essential thing to benefit from the high-quality of education offered by the Norwegian universities in all study fields.

Moreover, if you want to study a master’s or PhD in Norway, it is better to learn the Norwegian language. Also, it is necessary to learn the Norwegian language before registering in a Norwegian university, if you want to study medicine or engineering in Norway.

So, how to learn the Norwegian language for beginners in Norway? Here are a few tips.

Check our articles about studying master, PhD, and medicine and engineering in Norway.
Also check how to enroll in a university in Norway.

The Norwegian Language and Dialects

Norway has three official written languages and a countless number of spoken dialects. This may seem to you that learning the Norwegian language is hard. But, do not worry, the reality is much easier than this.

Learning the Norwegian language is not harder than learning any other European language, especially if your English is good. There are two types of Norwegian official written languages: Bokmål and Nynorsk. Additionally, the indigenous Sámi people have their own official written language.

The majority of people in Norway use Bokmål, but, in areas in the Northwestern and south of Norway, they use mostly Nynorsk. The Bokmål and Nynorsk are not classified as two different languages, as a person using the Nynorsk can perfectly understand texts written in Bokmål.

Dialects

A few numbers of Norwegians speak the way a text is written, either in Bokmål or Nynorsk.

The dialect forms an important part of the Norwegians’ identity. You can determine accurately the part of the country a person belongs to by listening to his/her dialect.

But, the Norwegians approach the written language if they notice that you do not understand their dialect. This will help you as a beginner who is learning the Norwegian language in Norway to familiarize with the language and understand it better.

The Norwegian Language: A Scandinavian Language

This means that by mastering the Norwegian language, you will not only be able to communicate with the Norwegians but with the Swedish and Danish as well.

This is because the three Scandinavian languages are similar. Moreover, you will be able to read texts in Swedish and Danish.

Benefits of Learning the Norwegian Language

Norwegian is a global language.

Around 6 million people speak the Norwegian language around the world. When traveling to Europe and communicating with people from such foreign countries, your knowledge of the Norwegian language will be a useful asset.

As we all know that learning a second language increases your chance to get a job.

Moreover, learning the Norwegian language will promote your C.V. for sure. The Norwegian language is one of the languages that is greatly valued by employers.

Ease of Learning

As for an English-speaking foreign student, learning the Norwegian language is much easier than most of the other languages.

It includes many words that are similar in English, which is a helping factor.

Furthermore, the grammar of the Norwegian language is much easier to understand than other Germanic languages. Also, its alphabetical order is the nearest to English.

What Type of Norwegian Language Course You Are Looking For?

The Norwegian language courses in Norway are many and varied. Whether you are a student or a business professional, you will find the right language course for you.

There are available courses for all levels and ages. These courses include three types that you can choose between them:

Courses in General Norwegian Language

The general Norwegian language courses are for those who want to enhance their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in the Norwegian language.

Most of these courses are for adults age 16 and up.

They consist of 30 classes per week.

Professional Norwegian Courses

The professional Norwegian courses are for professionals who want to study the Norwegian language in a specific field, such as business, medicine, law, aviation, etc.

Specialty Norwegian Courses

The specialty Norwegian courses are for those who want to learn the Norwegian language and participate in activities, such as sports, arts, and others.

Is It Possible to Learn the Norwegian Language for Free?

There are Norwegian language courses that are offered by the universities for their students in Norway. Each university has its own program. So, it is better to visit the university’s website to know more about the available programs related to learning the Norwegian language.

Moreover, some of these universities have even developed online platforms dispensing very useful course with vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, dialogues… Some are free and some are fee-based, but you get everything you need to learn the basics of Norwegian language efficiently even before setting foot in Norway.

For example, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has developed “Norwegian on the Web” which allows you to learn to understand, speak and write basic Norwegian. “Introduction to Norwegian“, on the other hand, has been developed and taught by the Norwegian teachers of the University of Oslo. Other platforms like Loecsen are also pretty popular options to learn Norwegian for free.