Norwegians might not be the nation eager to talk someoneâs ears off, but they never miss the opportunity to greet each other in the friendliest way possible. They have many different ways of doing this in Norway, so arm yourself with the most suitable Norwegian greeting for any occasion.
Apart from learning how to say “hello” in Norwegian, you’ll pick up other essential Norwegian phrases such as “good morning”, “how are you” and “goodbye”. Let’s get started.
âHiâ in Norwegian – Hi or Hei
How do you say “hi” in Norwegian? Letâs begin with the most common one.
A simple Hi or Hei is always a way to go. This salutation is appropriate in most informal and semi-formal situations. Whatâs even better is that itâs impossible to mispronounce it.
The English âhiâ and âheyâ both work perfectly fine. As long as you stick to this one, you can hardly be mistaken.
âHelloâ in Norwegian – Hallo
Another way of saying “hi” in Norwegian â as you might have guessed by now â is the same old Hallo.
This is the one you’re surely familiar with, and if you ever find yourself uncertain about which phrase to choose, this is your safe ground.
Same as in English, you’ll use it both for answering your phone and trying to reach out to someone. Hallo!
âGood morningâ in Norwegian – God morgen
If you want to add some time context to those Hi’s and Hellos, do so by adding parts of the day to your greetings.
Suitable for all early-birds, God morgen can be used from the moment the sun rises until noon. In case you still havenât had your first cup of coffee, a simple Morn will do.
âGood dayâ in Norwegian – God dag
Apart from these, perhaps the most customary salutation you’ll hear while roaming the streets of Oslo is God dag. Even though it has a formal tone to it, feel free to use it as long as it is daytime. But keep an eye out â the day in Norway passes by quicker than youâd think.
âGood eveningâ in Norwegian – God kveld
From about 6pm to bedtime, express your kind wishes upon meeting with God kveld, a Norwegian version of âGood eveningâ.
âGood nightâ in Norwegian – God natt
Finally, when youâre about to call it a night, address your close ones with God natt.
They can then respond with Natta â a shorter version of this phrase â and wish you a good night’s sleep by saying Sov godt (“Sleep well”).
âHow are youâ in Norwegian – Hvordan har du det?
There’s a slim chance you would ever describe an average Norwegian as a chit-chatterer, but donât give up initiating the conversation right away.
It’s actually quite common to hear them asking each other Hvordan gĂ„r det? (“How’s it going?”) or Hvordan har du det? (“How are you?”). Donât sweat it, you will never get someoneâs life story as an answer.
Living in one of the happiest countries in the world, Norwegians are mostly feeling well. They express this by saying Det gÄr bra, which is also used when you want to assure someone that everything is okay.
âOh my God! I spilled my coffee all over you!
âDet gĂ„r bra.
âThank youâ in Norwegian – Takk
Congrats! You’ve made it through the greetings! Now, I propose we take a little break before we learn how to say our farewells. Let me give you some firsthand, inside info on Norwegians: they’re extremely polite! Now, let’s delve into all the different ways Norwegians are being polite to each other.
In Norway, Takk or Tusen takk are the most common ways to express gratitude, meaning âThank youâ or âThanks a lotâ. Sometimes takk can also be used in a way you would use English âpleaseâ.
âWould you like a piece of cake?
âJa, takk!
âThanks for last timeâ in Norwegian – Takk for sist
If you happen to hear someone thanking you, and you havenât even started your conversation yet, keep in mind that Takk for sist is the Norwegian way of saying âthank you for the last time we had togetherâ. It basically means âItâs nice to see you againâ, so donât let yourself be confused, and feel free to respond in the same manner.
You may wonder how you would thank someone at the end of your get-together, but right after it happened. Help yourself with Takk for i dag, which means âThanks for todayâ. This doesnât necessarily mean that you have spent the whole day with someone, but itâs a nice way of thanking them for their time. It can also be used on some formal occasions, for example at the end of a lecture or a meeting.
“Thank you for the foodâ in Norwegian – Takk for maten!
Takk for maten! is not to be omitted before leaving the table after your meal. If you get invited for dinner, âThank you for the foodâ is a nice way to express your compliments to the chef.
However, this is the phrase you would rather use at a family table than in a restaurant, so play it safe with ordinary takk when eating outside.
Now that you have mastered that one can never be thankful enough in Norway, letâs move on to the things you could say in return.
âYouâre welcomeâ in Norwegian – Bare hyggelig
Bare hyggelig is a polite way of responding to being thanked and it means âMy pleasureâ.
The word hyggelig bears the meaning of something pleasant and enjoyable. This is why Hyggelig! is also used as âNice to meet youâ. Of course, there are some alternatives to this one, such as Ingen Ă„rsak or Ikke noe problem meaning âNo problemâ.
Norwegians tend not to sound grandiloquent, so no matter how enthusiastic you were to do someone a favor, one of those three responses will do.
If you, on the other hand, would like to ask someone to do you one, youâd need VĂŠr sĂ„ snill! meaning âPleaseâ. This one is not to be confused with VĂŠr sĂ„ god, which bears quite the opposite meaning â âHere you goâ.
âGoodbyeâ in Norwegian – Ha det bra!
Itâs about time to wave goodbye to Norwegian greetings, but not before we learn how to do so!
Whether someoneâs finishing their phone call or heading out, Ha det bra! is the phrase youâre going to pick up overall. It literally means “Have it well”, but itâs the most common way of saying âGoodbyeâ.
The shortened version Ha det! is mostly used as a response and the other way around. More often than not, youâre going to stumble upon some variations, such as Ha det godt! or Ha det fint! which both have the same connotation. Try out any of those and youâll be on the right foot.
Furthermore, if you expect to see or talk to your Norwegian friend sometime soon, you can check out by saying Vi sees, meaning âSee you soonâ or Vi snakkes, which is âTalk to you soonâ. This is more of an informal phrase, suitable for both eye-to-eye talk and written correspondence.
âHave a nice dayâ in Norwegian – Ha en fin dag!
And last but not least, since there is no such thing as being too kind in Norway, be sure to wish people something nice on your departure.
Ha en fin dag! would match the English âHave a nice dayâ, while Kos deg! is the Norwegian way of saying âEnjoy yourselfâ or âHave funâ. So don’t forget to be generous with wishes and go for some of the above.
There you go! You can now dive into your northern fairytale and make some true friends on your journey. Some may say Norwegian friendships happen to feel a little distant. However, based on my experience, thatâs not completely true!
Can you see yourself breaking the ice with some of the phrases above? What do you say, maybe this outlandish language isnât that far-off after all?
Now, if you’d like to learn more than just “hello” in Norwegian, look into this list of best apps to learn Norwegian.
Lykke til! – âGood luck!â
“Hello” and other greetings in Norwegian – Pin it!
