One of the biggest challenges, when you move to a new country, is to learn the local language. In Norway, most of the people speak excellent English, and they will eagerly switch over to it when they see that you are having difficulties with Norwegian. Although their intentions are to be kind and make the conversation easier for you, it can limit your chances of developing your listening and speaking skills. Here are our top 10 tips you can use to accelerate your Norwegian learning process.
1- Make a plan
Learning a new language is a complicated process. The most common mistake people make in the beginning is to try to learn Norwegian randomly by watching a few Youtube videos and trying to memorize some random words once in a while. Like everything else in life, having a proper plan and strategy will make it a lot easier for you to learn Norwegian properly.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Why do you want to learn the Norwegian language? How crucial is it for your life in Norway?
- What is your current level?
- What level of proficiency do you want to achieve within the next three months, next six months and next year?
- How many hours per week can you dedicate to learning the Norwegian language?
- What resources do you need for learning Norwegian? Which books, dictionaries, apps do you need to have?
2- Lear Norwegian by watching “Barne-tv”
Children’s tv programs have a much simpler language than your usual sitcoms or soap operas. And believe it or not, Norwegian barne-tv is a lot of fun to watch.
Watching kid’s programs and cartoons will help you to pick up Norwegian words as the pronunciation is usually very clear. And when you watch your favorite childhood characters with Norwegian sounds, you will probably understand much more than expected.
3- Learn Norwegian by reading kids books
Reading books in the Norwegian language can increase your vocabulary, grammar and general understanding of Norwegian culture a lot. Start with children’s books and slowly made your way to read the books written for grown-ups.
When you pick up your first children’s book in Norwegian, remember to write down all the words you don’t understand, look them up in the dictionary and re-read the page again. You will be surprised how fast your vocabulary expands.
4- Learn Norwegian by playing Games
Have fun, play games and learn Norwegian at the same time. Your brain uses a lot of energy when you are trying to learn a new language. That’s the reason that you get tired when you are striving to memorize words and making sense of complex grammar rules. It’s time to call your buddies and have a round of a social language learning game.
Try these games: Letra, Lexico and Fantasi.
5- Listen to Norwegian Radio and Audiobooks
If there is one skill you should focus most on then listening is it. You can never have a successful conversation in Norwegian if you can not understand (or at least guess) what others are saying. Listening Norwegian radio channels is a good way to train your ear. Listening to Norwegian audio books is also very useful. And it is a great use of time when you are walking, taking the bus to your workplace or just chilling out in a park. (Let’s hope summer comes early this year 🙂 )
6- Label your surroundings to improve your Norwegian vocabulary
This is an excellent tip for improving your vocabulary. Label all of the things in your home using post-it notes. Whenever you touch a thing, make a sentence with the word on the post-it note. Remove the labels only when you have learned the names. Your home will look funky, but you will learn the words very quickly.
7- Use a Norwegian language app
There are plenty of online tools and apps that can help you start your adventure of learning any language. Duolingo and Memrise are two of the best apps you can use for Norwegian. Read a detailed review of these language learning apps by clicking here.
8- Have a “Norwegian Only” time
If you are like me, you have probably switched over to English on many occasions. In the beginning, I used to do it a lot. When talking to a Norwegian, if I didn’t understand anything I switched to English. The locals will start speaking English too if they notice that you are not that fluent in Norwegian. Stick to speaking Norwegian. Or at least have a time when you only speak Norwegian no matter what. Tell your friends, spouse or coworkers to talk only Norwegian with you.
9- Learn Norwegian with a language exchange partner
After you have acquired some knowledge of Norwegian language, it’s time to find a language exchange buddy. Meeting a friendly person regularly and trying your new skills will get you the confidence to start speaking Norwegian in real situations. The feedback and encouragement you get from your language partner are priceless.
10- Take an online Norwegian course
While learning on your own is surely possible, taking a regular class will speed up your progress a lot. A good Norwegian course will provide you with a structured learning process. An online course is costs less than traditional Norwegian classes and gives you the flexibility and freedom of learning Norwegian from where you are. You can decide how much time you need per lesson and how fast you want to progress. You will have experienced professionals to help you and motivate you on your way. Interactions with other learners are also very helpful as all of you will have the same goal: Learn Norwegian Fast.
Norwegian Academy offers online Norwegian courses. You can learn Norwegian language from whereever you are and at whatever time that suits you.
