At a restaurant
Do you ever find yourself out with friends, waiting for the waiter to arrive and take your order, and freezing up when they suddenly ask you what you would like… in Norwegian? It happens to the best of us and, as language learners, we all share the desire to be able to converse with the waiter in their native tongue.
As promised, here is the second instalment of our food “trilogy” for those of you out there who would like to learn Norwegian that is useful in such a social setting.
So, let’s have a look at some basic words and phrases so that you’re never caught off guard again. Combine these with the vocabulary you learned last time in our blog post about essential food items and you’ll have a strong footing to stand on.
Norwegian restaurant vocabulary
- (på) restaurant – (at a) restaurant (pronounced this way)
- (ved) baren – (at the) bar
- (en) kafé – café (or konditori if it’s a place where you can eat pastries and baked goods)
- (en) kelner – waiter (alt. servitør or servitrise, depending on if it’s a man or a woman)
- (en) meny – menu
- (å) bestille – to order
- (en) forrett – appetizer
- (en) hovedrett – main course
- (en) dessert – dessert
- (en) porsjon – portion
- (en) regning – bill
- (en) tips – tip
Useful Norwegian phrases at a restaurant:
Useful phrases around the table
- Jeg vil gjerne bestille et bord til fire. – I would like to book a table for 4 people.
- Kan jeg få se menyen? – May I see the menu?
- Jeg ønsker å velge noe fra menyen. – I would like to choose something from the menu.
- Jeg vil gjerne ha et glass vin. – I would like a glass of wine please.
- Hva vil du anbefale? – What would you recommend?
- Hva er inkludert? – What is included?
- Hva er dagens rett? – What is the daily special?
- Jeg ønsker å spise dagens dessert. – I would like to have the daily dessert.
- Jeg vil gjerne prøve en lokal rett. – I would like to try a local dish.
- Maten er deilig, takk. – This food is delicious, thank you.
- Jeg jeg få regningen? – Can I get the bill please?
- Kontant eller kort? – Cash or card?
- Hvordan tipser man kelneren? – How does one tip the waiter?
A little bonus that will win you some extra points: don’t forget to thank your dinner party for their company. Might seem like a strange habit, but it is very common in Norway!
(when you meet your group at the beginning of the evening)
- Takk for sist. – Thank you for last time.
(at the end of the evening, before you leave)
- Takk for i dag. / Takk for meg. – Thank you for today. / Thank you for/from me.
So, there you have it, a little pocket vocabulary for the next time you go out with your friends or colleagues to a restaurant. Although you will definitely not have any problems ordering food in English in Norway, it’s always nice to be able to do it in the country’s native tongue.
As always, we are eager to hear your input about this or any other blog post, so feel free to share your experiences or questions down below. If you would like to learn Norwegian online, check out our affordable Norwegian courses!
Until next time!
