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Your Ultimate Norwegian Pronunciation Guide

Knowing how to correctly pronounce words when you learn to speak a new language is crucial for speaking it well. It is no different with Norwegian. At NorwegianClass101, we put a lot of emphasis on teaching and demonstrating correct pronunciation, as it is our aim to help you to speak like a native after a while!

According to Dictionary.com, ‘pronunciation’ is: the act or result of producing the sounds of speech, including articulation, stress, and intonation, often with reference to some standard of correctness or acceptability.

Paying attention to your Norwegian pronunciation not your own essentially means you’re learning to ditch most of your foreign accent. This is very important if you want to be a successful communicator in any language. Getting Norwegian pronunciation right may seem like a daunting task at the onset, but it need not be!

Download Your FREE Guide to the Norwegian Alphabet!

If you want to master the Norwegian language and become fluent, you must learn the Norwegian alphabet letters first. And you need physical worksheets to practice on.

This eBook is a MUST-HAVE for all Norwegian learning beginners!

FREE Norwegian eBook

Download your FREE Norwegian practice sheets PDF today and learn the Norwegian language in no time!
This is a must-have guide for absolute beginners

1. Introduction to Norwegian Pronunciation

Norwegian Pronunciation

While there might be some sounds in Norwegian that can be difficult to pronounce, most people find that it is relatively easy to learn. The language has quite a few patterns that are similar to English in terms of intonation. Because of this Norwegian pronunciation should not be overly difficult to grasp.

Pronouncing the Vowels

Even the alphabet is similar to English. The Norwegian alphabet has 29 letters with 9 of them being vowels. The vowels in the language are A, E, I, O, U, Y and Æ Ø and Å.To pronounce A, the sound is similar to the “a” in the word car. The E in the language is pronounced like the “e” in get. The vowel I is pronounced like the “i” in the word ski, while the vowel O is pronounced with an “oo” sound as in the word school. The vowel U is pronounced like the “u” in flu. The vowel Y is pronounced like the “y” in syrup. Æ is pronounced like the “a” in the word sad, Ø sounds like the “u” in the word burn, and Å sounds like the “o” in born.Proper pronunciation is one of the keys to speaking the language correctly so people can understand you. While they might be able to forgive poorNorwegian grammar, it can be much more difficult for people to understand what you are saying when you have poor Norwegian pronunciation.

Other Interesting Pieces of Norwegian Pronunciation

When you write Norwegian, you will find that there are some very interesting words that do not look much like English at all. You can find sounds that include clusters of consonants such as skj/sj/kj/k and these have different pronunciations. ND and NG have sounds similar to the word “bang”, but the end of the words that have ND or NG will end more abruptly without the full “g” sound.You will even find different ways to pronounce the letter “r” in the language. You could roll the “r” or use “r” with a short, sharp sound. Either of these is correct, and you will find that different areas of the Norwegian pronunciation can be a bit different in various parts of the country.While you can see that some of the sounds can seem a bit tricky to reproduce, they really aren’t that difficult. It is simply a matter of practice. The more you practice your pronunciation the easier it is going to be. As they say, practice makes perfect.

2. Why is Correct Pronunciation in Norwegian Important?

Correct Pronunciation

Proper pronunciation is important, very important. Some say it’s even more important than getting the grammar perfectly correct! Why would this be?

1) Good Understanding

If communicating with native speakers matters to you when learning Norwegian, you need to be understood when you talk, and you need to be able to understand the native speakers. After all, without understanding, the purpose of language is null and void! In order to be understood, you need to be able to speak the language in a way that is familiar to native speakers, or at least recognizable by them.

When learning to speak a new language, you will learn that the more you progress the more intricate it becomes! For instance, almost every language has vocabulary that may look the same in writing, but because the words are pronounced differently, they have very different meanings. This means that you may say a word in Norwegian, and because of a slight change in pronunciation, the meaning of the word changes completely. Understandably, this can make for pretty embarrassing situations! At worst, your mispronounced Norwegian will sound garbled to a native speaker.

Knowing the nuances of how a word or letter is pronounced will also help you to understand spoken Norwegian better.

No worries if this feels hard; you’re learning, and with our help at NorwegianClass101, you will not have a problem with mispronunciation if you follow our advice and examples carefully.

2) Good Communication

Not pronouncing Norwegian or any other language correctly can lead to a lot of frustration because you’re unable to express what you mean, and you will not be understood correctly. Even if you have total knowledge of Norwegian grammar, and can write it like a native, not knowing how to speak it properly will only make for very frustrating communication all around.

3) A Good Impression

Even if you’re only a beginner, it is possible to speak any language correctly. This way, you are bound to make a good impression on native speakers, and when you’re more fluent, you will be likely to garner a lot more respect than a fumbling newbie speaker who doesn’t care much for correct pronunciation.

People often have a lot of patience for someone who learns to speak a new language, but native speakers are more likely to address you and engage with you in conversation if you work hard on your accent. This is simply because you’ll be able to understand one another! So, proficiency in pronunciation can mean the difference between having none or plenty of Norwegian speaking friends. It will also serve you well in the workplace, and make you popular with your Norwegian speaking managers and employers or employees.

Learning to speak Norwegian properly is also a sign of respect for not only the language, but also the native speakers and their customs.

3. Secrets to Learning the Correct Norwegian Pronunciation

Secrets to Learning

1) Use voice recording tools to perfect your pronunciation

NorwegianClass101 has plenty of resources to help you with your Norwegian pronunciation, so be sure to make thorough use of our recordings with native Norwegian speakers. These are available not only to demonstrate to you how you should pronounce Norwegian vocabulary, but also sentences and dialogues. Watch and listen to these over and over again to train your ear, and watch the teacher’s mouth as she speaks in the video lessons. Then, copy the speech as best you can. Later, you can record yourself to hear if you sound like a native speaker and compare yourself with native speakers. Great for self-motivation.

2) Practice in front of the mirror.

And see that you’re copying the correct lip and mouth movements.

3) Use our NorwegianClass101 dictionary!

Use the Norwegian dictionary provided by NorwegianClass101 to look up words and listen to the audio pronunciation. This will go a long way towards giving you an idea of how to pronounce a word or letter correctly.

4) Train your ear to the language!

Make an effort to often listen to Norwegian music and recorded books, and watch plenty of Norwegian movies and/or TV shows in Norwegian. This will train your ear to the language, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the accent. Remember, this is the way we learned to speak when we were young - mostly by listening to the adults talking, and repeating what they say!

5) Practice, practice, practice…

Repetition of the same thing may be boring, but in learning a new language, you’re creating new pathways in your brain. For these to remain and become habitual, you will need to repeat the correct pronunciation often.

6) Make friends with a native Norwegian speaker.

Don’t be shy to address them in Norwegian! Ask them to correct you when you make a pronunciation mistake - this is a wonderful way to practice and learn the language first-hand, and also to make new friends.

7) Practice your pronunciation with your Norwegian teacher!

If you’re a serious student and don’t know where to meet native Norwegian speakers, consider investing in NorwegianClass101’s Premium PLUS plan. This means you will have your own native Norwegian teacher available to practice your pronunciation with, and much more! Send recordings of yourself speaking Norwegian and get feedback from your Norwegian teacher.

4. How to Download Your Free Guide to the Norwegian Alphabet

Download Your FREE Guide to the Norwegian Alphabet!

If you want to master the Norwegian language and become fluent, you must learn the Norwegian alphabet letters first. And you need physical worksheets to practice on.

This eBook is a MUST-HAVE for all Norwegian learning beginners!

FREE Norwegian eBook

Download your FREE Norwegian practice sheets PDF today and learn the Norwegian language in no time!
This is a must-have guide for absolute beginners

Log in with Your Free Lifetime Account and we’ll give you an instructional Norwegian PDF that covers the letters of the alphabet, practice worksheets, and a quiz to test yourself with… — absolutely FREE!

3 Reasons to Learn Norwegian Through PDF Lessons

Let’s now take a closer look at how studying Norwegian lessons in PDF format can help you reach your dream in up to half the time of normal video or audio lessons!

① Saves Minutes on Your Data Plan

Learning Norwegian through PDF lessons can dramatically reduce your data use. Once a lesson or tool is downloaded, you can then access it offline via your computer or smartphone any time or place regardless of Internet access. And once you’ve downloaded the Norwegian lessons in PDF format, you can actually access them faster than logging in and trying to do so via a live site. So not only will learning Norwegian using PDF lessons save minutes on your data plan—it will save you some significant time as well as the lessons add up!

② Print and Take All Norwegian Lessons and PDF Tools With You Anywhere

Sometimes, a tiny smartphone screen just isn’t adequate, especially when you are trying to learn something new. The great thing about PDF lessons, tools or files is that they can be quickly printed and taken anywhere after you download them. In fact, printing out Norwegian lessons in PDF format can actually save you time when compared to going through the material on a smartphone with a small screen—even with the extra printing time!

③ Great Study Tool to Boost Retention and Mastery

Studying video or audio lessons online is a great way to learn a language because students can play and rewind sections as many times as needed until the lesson is mastered. But when you review the same Norwegian lessons again in PDF format, an incredible thing happens: your retention dramatically improves! Thanks to Time Spaced Repetition, seeing the information again in written format helps reinforce the information in your mind and improves both retention and recall. The benefits of learning Norwegian using PDF lessons quickly add up to significant time savings for you, your data plan, and your dream of learning a new language!

Why are we giving it away?

Learning to read and write is a must for all beginners. Although you get video lessons on how to write in Norwegian at NorwegianClass101, you’ll still need physical worksheets to practice on. That’s why you’re getting this printable tutorial PDFs as a gift.

5. Related Lessons

How to Say Hello in Norwegian
Do you know how to say hello in Norwegian? It’s the most basic phrase that you’ll need to say and hear in everyday life. If you don’t know yet, learn 15 ways to say hello and greet others in Norwegian. Why 15? The more variations you know, the more you can speak and the more fluent you become!
How to Introduce Yourself in Norwegian
Can you introduce yourself in Norwegian? Don’t worry! Check out the 10 Norwegian Lines You Need To Introduce Yourself with this free Review Sheet. From “My name is…“ and “I live in…” down to “My hobbies are…” Just review the 10 lines. It will only take you 2 minutes. Then, introduce yourself in the comment section below!
Norwegian Alphabet
Learn everything you need to know about the Norwegian alphabet. At NorwegianClass101, we introduce you to Norwegian writing in simple, easy-to-follow steps, and you can ask for advice or help anywhere along the way. It is important to master the Norwegian alphabet completely from the start.
How to Say Thank You in Norwegian
Has anyone thanked you today? We will. Thank you for reading this article and learning with us! In fact, today, you’ll learn the many different ways to say “Thank You” in Norwegian. It’s one of the most important Norwegian phrases. Check it out and watch the video too to practice your pronunciation.

4 Comments
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😄 😞 😳 😁 😒 😎 😠 😆 😅 😜 😉 😭 😇 😴 😮 😈 ❤️️ 👍

NorwegianClass101.com Verified
Wednesday at 11:01 AM
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Hei Taq,


You are very very welcome. 😇❤️️ We were so happy to read your positive message!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

We wish you good luck with your language studies.


Hilsen,

Levente

Team NorwegianClass101.com

NorwegianClass101.com Verified
Sunday at 09:19 PM
Your comment is awaiting moderation.

Hei Matthew,


You are very welcome. 😇

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

We wish you good luck with your language studies.


Hilsen,

Levente

Team NorwegianClass101.com

Matthew
Thursday at 02:42 AM
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Tusen takk!

Taq
Saturday at 06:02 PM
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Kul! Takk!

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