The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Norwegian
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Norwegian. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | God dag | GOO DAHG |
| Hello (informal) | Hei | HEY |
| Goodbye | Ha det | HAH DEH |
| Thank you | Takk | TAHK |
| Please | Vær så snill | VER sho SNEEL |
| Yes | Ja | YAH |
| No | Nei | NEY |
| Sorry | Unnskyld | OON-shild |
| I don't understand | Jeg forstår ikke | YEI for-SHTOR EE-keh |
| Do you speak English? | Snakker du engelsk? | SNAH-ker doo EN-gelsk? |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | God morgen | GOO MOR-gen |
| Good evening | God kveld | GOO KVELD |
| How are you? | Hvordan har du det? | VOR-dan HAR doo deh? |
| My name is… | Jeg heter… | YAY HE-ter… |
| Nice to meet you | Hyggelig å møte deg | HIG-ge-li oh MEH-teh day |
| I'm from Israel | Jeg er fra Israel | YAY AR frah IS-ra-el |
| See you | Vi ses | VEE SES |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Hvor er gaten? | VOR er GA-ten |
| Is the flight delayed? | Er flyet forsinket? | er FLY-eh for-SIN-ket |
| Boarding pass | Boardingkort | BOR-ding-kort |
| My suitcase didn't arrive | Kofferten min kom ikke | KOF-fer-ten min KOM i-ke |
| I have a connecting flight | Jeg har en tilkoblingsfly | YAI har en TIL-kob-lings-FLY |
| Window/aisle seat | Vindusplass/gangsete | VIN-dus-plass/GANG-se-te |
| Where is passport control? | Hvor er passkontrollen? | VOR er PASS-kont-ROL-len |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | Til denne adressen, takk. | TIL DEN-neh a-DRES-sen, TAK |
| How much to the center? | Hvor mye til sentrum? | HVOR MYE til SENT-rum? |
| One ticket to… | En billett til… | EN bi-LETT til… |
| Which platform? | Hvilken plattform? | HVIL-ken PLATT-form? |
| Where is the bus stop? | Hvor er busstoppet? | HVOR er BUS-stop-peh? |
| Stop here, please. | Stopp her, takk. | STOPP HER, TAK |
| Is it far? | Er det langt? | ER deh LANGT? |
| Turn left/right. | Sving til venstre/høyre. | SVING til VEN-stre/HOY-re |
| Straight. | Rett frem. | RETT FREM |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Jeg har en reservasjon | YEI har en re-ser-va-SJON |
| Check-in | Innsjekking | IN-shek-king |
| Check-out | Utsjekking | UT-shek-king |
| Is breakfast included? | Er frokost inkludert? | ER FRO-kost in-klu-DERT |
| Room key | Romnøkkel | ROM-ne-kel |
| Wi-Fi password | Wi-Fi passord | WI-FI PAS-sord |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Kan jeg legge igjen bagasjen? | KAN YEI LE-ge i-JEN ba-GA-shen |
| The air conditioning doesn't work | Klimaanlegget virker ikke | KLI-ma-an-LE-ge VIR-ker I-ke |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Table for two | Bord for to | BORD for TO |
| The menu, please | Menyen, takk | ME-nyen, TAKK |
| What do you recommend? | Hva anbefaler du? | VAH AN-be-fa-ler DU |
| The bill, please | Regningen, takk | REY-ni-ngen, TAKK |
| Tap water | Vann fra springen | VAN fra SPRING-en |
| I have a nut allergy | Jeg har nøtteallergi | YAI har NØT-te-al-er-GI |
| No meat | Ingen kjøtt | IN-gen KJØTT |
| It was excellent | Det var utmerket | DEH var UT-mer-ket |
| Can I pay by card? | Kan jeg betale med kort? | KAN YAI be-TA-leh med KORT |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Hvor mye koster det? | VUR mye KOS-ter det? |
| It's too expensive | Det er for dyrt | DEH er for DEERT |
| Do you accept cards? | Tar dere kort? | TAR DEH-reh kort? |
| I'm just looking | Jeg bare ser | YEI BAH-reh ser |
| Can I have a receipt? | Kan jeg få kvittering? | KAN yei fo kvi-TE-ring? |
| Where is an ATM? | Hvor er en minibank? | VUR er en MI-ni-bank? |
| A smaller size | En mindre størrelse | en MIND-re STOR-rel-seh |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Norwegian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Hjelp! | YELP |
| Call a doctor. | Ring en lege. | RING en LEH-geh |
| Call the police. | Ring politiet. | RING po-li-TI-et |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Hvor er et apotek? | VOR er et a-po-TEK |
| I don't feel well. | Jeg føler meg dårlig. | YEI FEH-ler mei DOR-li |
| I'm lost. | Jeg har gått meg vill. | YEI har GOT mei VIL |
| I need a hospital. | Jeg trenger et sykehus. | YEI TREN-ger et SY-ke-hus |
| It hurts here. | Det gjør vondt her. | DEH yor VONT her |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Norwegian?
"Takk" (TAHK). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Norwegian do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Norwegian is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Norwegian as an official language?
Norwegian is a main language in 1 countries: Norway.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Snakker du engelsk?" (SNAH-ker doo EN-gelsk?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data