How I’m Learning Norwegian

In the spirit of trying to be Fluent for Free, I’ve put together a little plan for myself that doesn’t cost a dime, and will hopefully get me to B1 proficiency in Norwegian in around three months. If you’re curious about why I’m learning Norwegian of all languages, you can check out this post!

This plan requires several hours of study per day, but can easily be modified for those with far less time to invest. I’m using a combination of free websites and apps to maximize the language learning experience, and really have a more rounded set of tools to work with. As I find more resources, I’ll be sure to update this page!

Duolingo (Website & App)

The backbone of this entire language learning experience is Duolingo. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Duolingo is a free website with companion apps for Apple devices, Android devices and Windows devices. It’s often cited as the best free language program you will actually use, and so far I can’t disagree. The Duolingo Norwegian course is incredibly well put together, and depending on how much work you put int, can get you to A2/B1 proficiency upon completion.

Every morning, I start out by doing 5 review sessions before I even think of learning anything new. If the review sessions were a bit shakey, I do 5 more until I feel more confident with what I had learned the day before. These review sessions are important for keeping the information fresh in your mind, and for keeping the tree gold.

I also learn at least one new complete skill every day, no matter what. There are 114 “lessons” in the Duolingo Norwegian tree, each with 2.-7 mini lessons. Learning at least one full lesson a day should get me to a completed tree within three months.

After learning the lesson, I will do another 5 review sessions (at least) to solidify the new information. I try to do a mix of general “strengthen skills” reviews, and of lesson-specific ones, depending on what I feel needs some extra attention.

Memrise (Website & App)

The second part of this plan is using a flashcard program/website to drill vocabulary. I found a flashcard deck on Memrise that corresponds to the Duolingo Norwegian course, and so before I learn a new lesson, I make sure to learn the words in Memrise. I also write down all of the words for that lesson in a notebook to make them stick in my brain a little better.

Memrise also keeps track of how well you learn each word/phrase, in order to present them for review at the appropriate times. I usually log in to Memrise 2-3 times a day (for about 5-10 minutes each time) to review vocabulary.

Another neat feature of Memrise, is that there is audio attached to many of the words, so you can actually hear native speakers pronouncing things.

Supplemental Norwegian Resources

Duolingo and Memrise are the structured part of my learning. When I’ve got a few extra moments, or want something a little more immersive and engaging, there are a few more websites I sprinkle in here and there to improve reading and listening skills.

Clozemaster (Website & App)

Clozemaster aims to teach a language with context. Basically, you look at a sentence, and fill in the missing word, either through multiple choice or text input. I’ve been slowly chipping away at the Norwegian Fluency one, though starting with the top 1000 frequency words. I end up playing this for about 10 minutes a day in free time, or while waiting for things like laundry to finish or food to cook.

Clozemaster has a TON of languages to choose from, and many can be learned from several native tongues (not just English!).

KlarTale.no (Website & Podcast)

KlarTale.no is an online newspaper written in “lett norsk,” or “light/easy Norwegian.” The articles are all written with simple enough structure that a beginner can easily follow along. There is also a weekly podcast summarizing the news in slow-spoken lett norsk. It’s really helpful for starting to learn!

NRK.no Children’s Shows (Website)

NRK is the official broadcasting channel in Norway, and they have a ton of children’s TV programs available for utlanderer (those of us outsie of Norway) to watch. I’m just going with kids’ shows for now, as the content tends to be more simplistic, and the speech a bit slower.

Many of these shows also have subtitles, and some even have transcripts, so you can follow along as you go.

Norwegian on the Web (Website)

For more listening and reading practice, check out Norwegian on the Web (NoW). There are many dialogues with accompanying text, and mini dictionaries on the side, so you can follow along as you listen, and look up the new words without leaving the browser tab.

The dialogues are about 1-2 minutes long, and have a slowed down version as well as one at normal speed. These are great for comprehension and for hearing native accents.

YouTube

I’m not sure if there’s anything out there that can’t be learned on YouTube. I really like Learn Norwegian Naturally, and Norsklærer Karense. Both channels teach Norwegian grammar and vocab in Norwegian, and provide some really helpful info! Learn Norwegian Naturally also has an awesome website accompaniement.

There are plenty of other great channels producing content as well, these are just the two I watch the most!

Quick And Dirty Norwegian Grammar

For those times when I just can’t remember something about Norwegian grammar, and the Duolingo notes aren’t providing a sufficient explanation (which is rare – the Norwegian Duolingo class has pretty awesome notes), I turn to University College London’s Quick and Dirty Guide to Norwegian Grammar. It’s easy to understand, and concise.