Greetings and politeness in Norwegian
Hello, please, thank you, sorry: the ten openers everything else builds on. Play the ten Norwegian words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Norwegian phrases in this lesson
- Hallohah-LOO
- Hello
- God morgengoo MOR-gen
- Good morning
- God kveldgoo KVEL
- Good evening
- Ha det brahah deh BRAH
- Goodbye
- Vi sesvee SEHS
- See you
- Vær så snillvair saw SNIL
- Please
- Takktahk
- Thank you
- Bare hyggeligBAH-reh HEWG-eh-lee
- You're welcome
- Beklagerbeh-KLAH-ger
- Sorry
- UnnskyldOON-shil
- Excuse me
- Hyggelig å treffe degHEWG-eh-lee aw TREF-eh day
- Nice to meet you
The neutral greeting, safe in any situation. In practice you will hear the shorter hei far more often, from strangers, shopkeepers and colleagues alike; hallo leans slightly formal and is what Norwegians answer the phone with.
Used until around midday. The "d" in "god" is silent. A warm, natural greeting when arriving at a hotel, cafe, or workplace in the morning.
Said arriving anywhere in the evening. Hei covers it among most people.
The standard farewell, meaning "have it good." Often shortened to just "ha det" in casual speech. A warm and friendly way to part with someone.
Literally "we'll be seen", what friends say on parting. Ha det bra works for everyone.
Literally "be so kind." Norwegian does not have a single short word for "please" like Spanish or French. This phrase is used in requests but less frequently than in English. Adding "takk" at the end of a request is often more natural.
The everyday word for thanks. Short, warm, and used constantly. Norwegians say it after every transaction, when receiving food, or when someone holds a door.
Literally "just pleasant", the warm and natural response to thanks. The alternative "vær så god" (be so good) also means you are welcome, but does double duty as "here you go" when handing something over, like a waiter placing a dish.
Literally "I regret", the real apology.
Used to get attention, apologize for a small mistake, or squeeze past someone. The "d" at the end is silent. Works for both "excuse me" and "sorry" in most everyday situations.
Literally "nice to meet you". Usually shortened to "hyggelig".