Learning Norwegian

Ever since our first trip to Norway, I have been learning Norwegian with the quiet hope that one day I might actually need to use it.

When we returned in 2025, I had already been studying the language for more than a year. Despite this, I still felt far from capable of speaking it. My contribution to conversations rarely extended beyond a cautious “takk” or a polite “ha det.” While Norwegians speak exceptional English, it was very clear that understanding the language and confidently speaking it are two very different things.

Now that the possibility of moving to Norway is starting to feel much more real, learning Norwegian has become something of a priority.

Norway is known for many wonderful things. Its scenery, its social systems, its quality of life, and the values that underpin its society are often admired from afar. But it is also known for being a place where settling in can take time. People tend to keep to themselves more than Australians might expect, and friendships can take longer to form. For that reason, learning the language and making a genuine effort to integrate feels important to me. It feels like a sign of respect for the place we hope to call home.

Of course, learning a new language as an adult is not always straightforward.

For the past two years, my most consistent learning companion has been Duolingo. As of writing this, I am sitting somewhere around the 750-day mark. It has been a great starting point and an easy way to build a daily habit. That said, I sometimes find myself repeating sentences that make very little sense in the real world. While I now feel confident that I could discuss whether a duck is reading a newspaper or if a bear is eating bread, I am less certain about navigating everyday conversation.

I also experimented with an app called Jumpspeak, which focuses more on speaking practice. In theory, this is exactly what I need. In practice, I often find myself repeating the same phrases simply because the app occasionally struggles to understand what I am saying. After a few attempts, my enthusiasm tends to fade.

More recently, I have started looking for other ways to immerse myself in the language.

During our last trip to Norway, I bought a Norwegian copy of Harry Potter. My thinking was that if I already know the story well, I might be able to slowly work my way through the text and pick up vocabulary along the way. Progress is, admittedly, slow.

I have also discovered that children’s television can be surprisingly helpful. Peppa Pig, it turns out, speaks very clear Norwegian.

Alongside that, I follow a few Norwegian news outlets on social media and attempt to read articles when they appear in my feed. Even if I only understand parts of them, it helps familiarise me with sentence structure and everyday vocabulary.

Podcasts are next on my list. Ideally, I would like to find something that sits somewhere between beginner and conversational level. Something that allows my ears to adjust to the rhythm and sound of the language.

At this stage, my Norwegian is still very much a work in progress. But slowly, piece by piece, it is starting to feel a little more familiar.

And perhaps one day, when we are standing in a small shop or talking with neighbours, those small daily lessons will finally find their purpose.

Learning a language can feel like a long and sometimes humbling process. If you have resources, podcasts, books or approaches that have helped you, I would truly appreciate your recommendations.

And if you happen to be Norwegian and would enjoy a friendly language exchange or pen-pal style connection, please feel free to reach out. Practising with real people would be a wonderful next step in this journey.

Jeg lærer fortsatt, men jeg prøver.

Med kjærlighet og vennlighet (with love and kindness),

Alicia