Learn Norwegian on a budget

If you want to start learning Norwegian without signing up for a physical course, here are some ideas for you.

Digital learning tools and resources

Lists of resources

Skills Norway (Kompetanse Norge) and the University of Oslo (UiO) has collected lists of recommended resources you can use to learn Norwegian.

Online courses

Apps and YouTube channels

There are a lot of paid langage classes and learning apps available. Some of them offer part of the service for free, and can be a low budget solution to start off with.

  • Duolingo - free app, great to check if learning through an appi is for you. Learn basic vocabulary and phrases.
  • Memrise - flashcard based app, with video segments with native speakers.
  • Drops - focus on vocabulary, will help you becoming conversational quickly.
  • Babbel - for having everyday conversations quickly.
  • Norwegian with Tor - a popular YouTube channel for learning Norwegian.

Dictionary (ordbok)

The Language Council (Språkrådet) has a free online dictionary with both forms of written Norwegian (bokmål and nynorsk) (Språkrådet, in Norwegian). In the app version of the dictionary, you can chose English as the app language, which means that all the support and navigational texts are in English.

Read more about bokmål and nynorsk at Språkrådet (in Norwegian)

Books

Deichman - the public library

There are 22 public libraries in Oslo where you can borrow books, cartoons, movies, music and games. Many of them organise events with language cafés, homework help and job search support.

Go to Deichman for a full view of their offer (limited information in English)

Textbooks for learning Norwegian

Get Norwegian language textbooks. You can borrow them at the library or buy used textbooks. Do a google search for "brukte bøker" (used books) or try any of the secondhand platforms, like Finn.no, Tise or Facebook groups and Facebook market.

The genre you are looking for is called "norsk som andrespråk" (Norwegian as a second language) or "lærebok i norsk" (textbook in Norwegian).

Skills Norway has a list of textbooks and teaching aids for Norwegian learners (in Norwegian)

Books about Norwegian language

If you are a language nerd, you might find entertainment in books about strange expressions and dialects. Here are som books you might find interesting:

For books that focus more on the culture than the language, go to the article Learn about Norwegian culture.

Meetups and language cafés

There are groups and organizations organising different types of language training. They will usually be advertised in social media, so follow groups for expats or Norwegian learners on Facebook and in other social media channels. Some places to start:

Practice your Norwegian skills

Read more about pl​aces you can go and things you can do to learn Norwegian quicker.

Other helpful links

Go to ISMO at the University of Oslo for advice on how to familiarize yourself with the Norwegian language

Go to NomadicMatt (private blog) for helpful tips when you prepare to learn a new language

Go to Life in Norway (private blog) for more helpful tips about learning Norwegian