Free Norwegian course -- A1 to B2
Learn Norwegian
the smart way.
Structured lessons from A1 to B2 -- grammar explainers, vocabulary drills, phrase sets, and listening loops. Built for Norwegian, free to start.
A1-B2
Full level coverage
500+
Lessons & exercises
Free
No credit card needed
PWA
Works offline on mobile
What you'll learn
Everything you need to learn Norwegian
From your first hallo to advanced grammar and Norskproven prep -- one hub, no scattered bookmarks.
Why Norwegian?
The most learner-friendly Scandinavian language
Norwegian sits in the Category I tier for English speakers -- the easiest group, alongside Spanish, French, and Dutch. Its grammar is genuinely simple: verbs don't conjugate by person, gender is predictable, and the alphabet adds only three letters (AE, O, A).
Norwegian is also your gateway to Scandinavia. Once you speak Norwegian, you can largely understand spoken Swedish and Danish -- giving you access to three countries and their cultures from a single language investment.
Norway has one of the highest standards of living globally, and Norwegian language skills open doors to work, study, and permanent residency -- tested through the official Norskproven exam.
~575 hours
FSI estimate to proficiency
Your roadmap
From zero to fluent -- step by step
Our curriculum maps each stage to real skills. Skip ahead if you already have foundations -- every step links to focused lessons.
Alphabet & sounds
Norwegian uses the Latin alphabet plus three extra letters: AE, O, A. Each has a consistent sound -- no spelling surprises.
Core vocabulary (A1)
500 high-frequency words cover ~70% of everyday speech. Greetings, numbers, family, food, and directions come first.
Present & past tense
Norwegian verbs have one past-tense form for all subjects. Master regular verbs, then tackle the 50 most-used irregular ones.
Listening practice (A2)
Shadow native audio daily. Norwegian public radio and podcasts for learners give you real speech patterns at a managed speed.
Speaking & phrases (B1)
Use situational phrase sets -- at a cafe, at work, with doctors. Phrase-chunks accelerate fluency faster than word-by-word study.
Grammar depth & Norskproven (B2)
Complex subordination, passive voice, and formal register. Practise past Norskproven papers to benchmark your B2 readiness.
Bergen, Norway
Explore a language and a culture.
Topic library
Browse all Norwegian lessons
Hundreds of focused lessons organized by skill -- click any topic to dive in.
Beginner Norwegian
Alphabet, greetings, pronunciation foundations, numbers, and everyday phrases.
- Norwegian for beginners: first stepstopic
- Norwegian greetings and introductionstopic
- Norwegian pronunciation essentialstopic
- Norwegian numbers and countingtopic
- hei / hallo — helloword
- takk / tusen takk — thank you / thanks a lotword
- vær så snill / takk (softening) — please (request framing)word
- ja / nei — yes / noword
Norwegian grammar
Verbs, tense, word order, and sentence structure explained clearly.
Norwegian vocabulary
High-frequency words by situation: travel, work, school, and daily life.
Conversation skills
Dialogues, speaking strategies, and listening-focused study loops.
Culture & real usage
Norwegian expressions, idioms, and how people actually speak.
FAQ
Common questions about learning Norwegian
How long does it take to learn Norwegian?+
Norwegian is considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers. The US Foreign Service Institute rates it as a Category I language -- roughly 575-600 class hours to professional working proficiency. With daily 20-minute practice, most learners reach conversational A2 in 3-6 months.
Should I learn Bokmal or Nynorsk?+
Learn Bokmal first. About 85-90% of Norwegians write Bokmal, and it's the standard used in schools, media, and government. Once you're confident in Bokmal, understanding Nynorsk becomes relatively straightforward.
Is Norwegian grammar hard for English speakers?+
Norwegian grammar is simpler than German and similar to English in many ways. Verbs don't conjugate by person (one form fits all), word order is familiar, and the vocabulary shares many Germanic roots with English.
Can I use Norwegian to communicate in other Scandinavian countries?+
Yes -- Scandinavian mutual intelligibility is real. Norwegian speakers are generally well understood in Sweden and Denmark. Swedish and Danish speakers can usually understand Norwegian, making it a strategic hub language for the region.
Do I need to learn Norwegian pronunciation separately?+
Pronunciation is phonemic -- words are spelled how they sound. The main challenge is pitch accent (tone), but it rarely causes misunderstandings at beginner level. Focus on vowel sounds and you'll be understood quickly.
Ready to learn Norwegian?
Join thousands of learners on Oholingo. Free structured lessons, audio drills, spaced repetition, and streak tracking -- all built for Norwegian.
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