· 6 min read
How to Learn Norwegian Fast: A Real Plan
By Language Lab editorial team
How to learn Norwegian fast: work with audio every day, follow a free university course in order, drill vocabulary, test yourself and speak from week one.
Norwegian is one of the quickest languages for an English speaker: the US State Department lists it in Category I, languages close to English, at 24 weeks of classes. To use that advantage, build your study around sound. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology's free beginners' courses pair every text with audio and tell learners how to work with it: repeat short pieces, read then listen, record yourself and compare, take dictation, and slow the playback to 75%. Follow one course from the first chapter to the last. Drill vocabulary hard in the early weeks, which the university calls especially important at the start. Then test yourself and space your reviews, the two techniques research rates highest, and speak from the first week.
The scale of the task
| Language | State Department category | Class time |
|---|---|---|
| Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch | Category I | 24 weeks |
| Spanish, French | Category I | 30 weeks |
| German | Category II | About 36 weeks (828 class hours) |
| Finnish, Russian, Polish | Category III | About 44 weeks (1,012 class hours) |
| Arabic, Chinese, Japanese | Category IV | 88 weeks (2,200 class hours) |
Category I as a whole runs from 552 to 690 class hours, and Norwegian is listed at the 24-week end of it. The State Department gives these as the time usually expected to reach a speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, describes a typical week as 23 hours in class and 17 hours of self-study, and notes that actual time varies with ability, prior language-learning experience and time in the classroom. At 10 hours a week, 552 hours is about 55 weeks. The Department previously published this list under the name Foreign Service Institute (FSI); an archived version of the page gives identical class-hour totals to the current one.
1. Work with audio, five ways
NTNU's Norwegian on the Web gives every text an audio recording and suggests how to use it. Each method below is from the university's own guidance.
- Listen to the entire text, or play smaller pieces and repeat what you hear.
- Read a sentence first and listen to the audio afterwards.
- Record your own voice and compare it with the audio.
- Use the audio for dictations, longer or shorter, and compare with the text afterwards.
- Adjust the playback speed, for example down to 75%, to focus on pronunciation.
2. Follow one course in order
Two free beginners' courses from NTNU give you a complete path. LearnNoW has 12 chapters and is free of charge. Norwegian on the Web has 10 chapters, focuses on familiar everyday expressions, basic vocabulary and the basic rules of inflection and word order, and is open to all. Choose one, start at chapter 1, and do not skip: each chapter's grammar and exercises assume the earlier ones.
3. Drill vocabulary early
NTNU states that learning vocabulary is very important in a new language, especially in the initial phase, and that it requires a lot of practice and repetition. Its course presents the same words several ways: lists under each text, an alphabetical list, tables and flashcard sets, with audio for every entry. Use more than one of them for each chapter.
4. Read the grammar before the exercises
The university's advice is practical: it might be a good idea to read the chapter's grammar before doing its exercises, and worth doing all of a chapter's exercises one more time as repetition even if you have done them before.
5. Test yourself and space it out
A 2013 review of ten learning techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice. Rereading and highlighting were rated low. A 2006 meta-analysis of 317 experiments on distributed practice found that the best gap between study sessions grows with how long you need to remember the material. Dictation and redoing exercises, both recommended by NTNU, are forms of exactly this.
6. Speak from the first week
| Norwegian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hallo. | Hello. |
| Takk. | Thank you. |
| Hyggelig å treffe deg. | Pleased to meet you. |
| Mitt navn er ... | My name is ... |
| Snakker du engelsk? | Do you speak English? |
| Beklager, jeg snakker ikke norsk. | I'm sorry, I don't speak Norwegian. |
| Hvor er toalettet? | Where is the toilet, please? |
What Norwegian gives you next
The Nordic Council's page on the Nordic languages describes Danish, Norwegian and Swedish as so closely related that, with a little effort, most people understand each other. It notes that there is now a greater degree of understanding between Norwegian and Swedish than between Danish and Swedish, and that pronunciation differences are the biggest cause of problems between the neighbouring languages. Norwegian is a strong position to start from.
A week that works
- Four days, 30 minutes: one text with its audio, worked in at least two of the five ways.
- One day, 30 minutes: the chapter's grammar, then its exercises.
- Daily, 10 minutes: vocabulary from flashcards or lists, with audio.
- Once a week: a dictation from an older text.
- Every day: speak, starting with Hallo and Mitt navn er, my name is.
Language Lab's Norwegian course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can practise speaking between lessons.
Frequently asked
What is the fastest way to learn Norwegian?
Work with audio every day, follow one beginners' course in order, drill vocabulary early, read the grammar before the exercises, test yourself, space your reviews and speak from the first week.
How long does it take to learn Norwegian?
The US State Department lists Norwegian at 24 weeks of classes, the short end of a Category I range of 552 to 690 class hours. At 10 hours a week, 552 hours is about 55 weeks.
Is Norwegian easy for English speakers?
The US State Department places it in Category I, the group it describes as languages close to English.
Can I learn Norwegian by myself?
You can start alone with NTNU's free courses, LearnNoW and Norwegian on the Web, which include audio, grammar and exercises. Add speaking practice with a partner, tutor or speaking tool.
Should I learn Norwegian, Swedish or Danish first?
Choose by the country you need. The Nordic Council says all three are closely related, and that Norwegian and Swedish speakers understand each other better than Danish and Swedish speakers do.
How should I use audio when learning Norwegian?
NTNU suggests repeating short pieces, reading before listening, recording yourself, taking dictation and slowing the playback to 75%.
Sources: US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norwegian on the Web and LearnNoW; Nordic co-operation (norden.org), The Nordic languages; BBC Languages, Quick Fix essential Norwegian phrases (archived); Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013; Cepeda et al., Psychological Bulletin, 2006. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Bridge between Sakrisøya and Andøya, Lofoten, Virtual-Pano / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
