<!-- norwegian phrasebook -->
Essential Norwegian phrases
for travellers (printable)
how to say hello in norwegian
Hei — hay — is how you say hello in Norwegian. It works at any hour, anywhere the language is spoken, with anyone. Pair it with Takk (tahk) for thank you and you already have the two words you will use most.
Below are 36 phrases worth knowing before you land, grouped by the situation you will need them in. Every one has a plain-English respelling — stressed syllable in capitals — because IPA is no use to anyone standing at a pharmacy counter. Norway — around 5 million speakers, mutually intelligible with Danish and Swedish to a degree that surprises outsiders. Also searched as Norway, Bokmål.
take it with you
The whole card, on one page
All 36 phrases on a single sheet — print it, fold it into a passport, or keep it on your phone. Free, no signup, no watermark.
The essentials
The six words that carry most of a trip.
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| Hello | HeihayUniversal and informal. God dag (goo dahg) is formal and increasingly rare. |
| Goodbye | Ha dethah dehShort for "ha det bra", have it good. |
| Please | Vær så snillvær shoh snilRarely used. See the note above — takk usually does the job. |
| Thank you | TakktahkTusen takk, "a thousand thanks", is the warm version. |
| Yes / No | Ja / Neiyah / nay |
| Excuse me / Sorry | UnnskyldOON-shill |
Getting by
What to say when the conversation outruns you.
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Snakker du engelsk?SNAH-ker doo EHNG-elsk |
| I don't understand | Jeg forstår ikkeyai for-SHTOR IK-keh |
| Could you repeat that? | Kan du gjenta det?kahn doo YEN-tah dehgj is a "y" sound. |
| Please speak slowly | Kan du snakke sakte?kahn doo SNAH-keh SAHK-teh |
| My name is… | Jeg heter…yai HEH-ter |
| Nice to meet you | Hyggelig å møte degHEE-geh-lee oh MUR-teh dai |
Getting around
Streets, stations and the one question everyone needs.
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| Where is…? | Hvor er…?voor ær |
| How do I get to…? | Hvordan kommer jeg til…?VOOR-dan KOM-mer yai til |
| Where is the toilet? | Hvor er toalettet?voor ær too-ah-LEH-teh |
| Left / Right | Venstre / HøyreVEN-streh / HOY-reh |
| Straight ahead | Rett framret frahm |
| Is it far? | Er det langt?ær deh lahngt |
Food and drink
Ordering, allergies, and asking for the bill.
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| A table for two, please | Et bord for to, takket boor for too tahk |
| The menu, please | Menyen, takkmeh-NEW-en tahk |
| I would like… | Jeg vil gjerne ha…yai vil YÆR-neh hah |
| Water, please | Vann, takkvahn tahkTap water is excellent and free everywhere in Norway. |
| I am allergic to… | Jeg er allergisk mot…yai ær ah-LÆR-gisk moot |
| The bill, please | Regningen, takkRAI-ning-en tahk |
Shopping and money
Prices, cards, and politely not buying anything.
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | Hva koster det?vah KOS-ter deh |
| That's too expensive | Det er for dyrtdeh ær for deert |
| Do you take cards? | Tar dere kort?tahr DEH-reh kortNorway is close to cashless. Cards work almost everywhere; cash sometimes does not. |
| I am just looking | Jeg bare seryai BAH-reh shehr |
| Do you have…? | Har dere…?hahr DEH-reh |
| A receipt, please | Kvittering, takkkvi-TEH-ring tahk |
Emergencies
Worth reading once before you need them.
| English | Norwegian |
|---|---|
| Help! | Hjelp!yelpThe h is silent, as in hvor. |
| Call the police | Ring politietring poo-lee-TEE-ehPolice 112, ambulance 113, fire 110. |
| Call an ambulance | Ring ambulansering ahm-boo-LAHNG-seh |
| I need a doctor | Jeg trenger legeyai TREHNG-er LEH-geh |
| I am lost | Jeg har gått meg bortyai hahr got mai bort |
| Where is the hospital? | Hvor er sykehuset?voor ær SEE-keh-hoo-seh |
<!-- saying it right -->
Four things that fix
most of the accent
Hv- is just "v"
Hvor (where) is "voor", hva (what) is "vah", hvem (who) is "vem". The h is silent in every one of them, which covers most of the question words you will need.
Norwegian barely uses "please"
There is no everyday equivalent. Takk carries the politeness, usually after the request: "En kaffe, takk". Vær så snill exists but sounds like pleading if you use it to order coffee.
The word for "the" is glued on the end
Hus is a house, huset is the house. Meny is a menu, menyen is the menu. There is no separate word, so the noun simply grows a tail.
Everyone speaks English, fluently
Norway consistently ranks at or near the top of global English proficiency. Norwegian here is courtesy, and it is noticed and appreciated, but you will never be stuck without it.
Spotted a mistake in the Norwegian? Tell us and we will fix it.
You will not remember
all 36
Nobody does. OmniTalk speaks Norwegian for you in real time — point the camera at a menu, or put the phone between you and let it translate both sides of the conversation as you talk. It works offline once you download the language, so it keeps going when your roaming does not.