Hei! I’ve been studying Norwegian for about a year now, usually around 1 to 2 hours a day. I started from scratch and am now at a comfortable intermediate level. I am still nowhere near native level and I still get thrown off by fast conversations and different dialects, but these are the resources that genuinely helped me get this far.

Duolingo: I use it most days, but I do not treat it as my main course. I use it for around 10 to 15 minutes in the morning as a warm up and a way to maintain the habit. It was useful in the first few months for basic vocabulary and sentence patterns, but it is not enough on its own.

The Norwegian Language School: This gave me more structure than Duolingo. Having lessons that actually explain grammar, sentence order, and the parts that do not make intuitive sense at first helped me avoid just memorising phrases without understanding them.

Issen: This covered the biggest gap for me, which was speaking. I did not have someone available to practise Norwegian with every day, and organising regular tutor sessions around work became difficult. I started using Issen for short conversations and corrections. My sentences were pretty bad in the beginning, but speaking out loud every day made a huge difference. I stopped trying to translate full sentences from English before I answered.

italki: I try to take one lesson a week with a Norwegian tutor. It is flexible, and nothing beats hearing feedback from a real person on pronunciation, word order, and the mistakes you keep repeating without noticing.

NorwegianClass101: Useful for structured beginner lessons, common phrases, and listening practice. I did not use every lesson, but it helped in the early stage when I needed more guided material.

Anki: I use a core Norwegian frequency deck for around 10 to 15 minutes a day. It is slow, but the payoff builds. You begin noticing words in store signs, conversations, and Norwegian videos that used to feel completely impossible to follow.

YouTube: Norwegian Teacher Karin and NorwegianClass101 were useful for beginner explanations and pronunciation. Once I understood more, I started watching Norwegian news clips, local creators, cooking videos, and short interviews just to hear natural speech.

Language Reactor: I use this with Norwegian content on YouTube and Netflix. Seeing Norwegian subtitles alongside English ones makes native content more manageable, especially when people speak quickly or use unfamiliar vocabulary.

NRK: The NRK TV app and website have been one of the best free resources once I could understand basic Norwegian. I started with short clips, children’s content, and familiar shows before trying normal dramas or news. The dialect variety is difficult, but it is also something you need to hear early.

Grammatikk.com: Useful when I wanted to review specific grammar points rather than searching through old notes. Norwegian word order, gender, and the differences between forms can get confusing quickly, so having something easy to check was helpful.

Pimsleur: I used the listen and repeat audio lessons while walking, cooking, or doing chores. It feels old school, but it helped with pronunciation, sentence rhythm, and getting comfortable answering out loud rather than just recognising words on a screen.

The combination that moved the needle most for me was Issen for daily speaking, italki once a week for real feedback, and NRK or Norwegian YouTube for regular listening. Everything else supported those three things.

Happy to answer questions about any of these if it helps.

I can recognise new words when I am reading or listening, but my mind gets stuck when I try to use them in a conversation. A few minutes later, the same word comes back to me. What is a better way to improve vocabulary retention or does it just come with speaking more?

Participants Needed for University Research on English Accents 🎧

Hi everyone!

I’m conducting a university research study exploring how people perceive different English accents and how accents may influence impressions of speakers, stereotypes, and social interactions.

The questionnaire involves listening to two short audio clips and answering some open-ended questions about your impressions and experiences.

Who can participate?

• Native English speakers
• Non-native English speakers
• Anyone who uses English as a first or additional language

The questionnaire takes approximately 10–15 minutes.

There are no right or wrong answers — I’m interested in your genuine first impressions and experiences. Your responses will be treated confidentially and used for academic research purposes.

🔗 Questionnaire:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMXusojJ36AKjks0P4HOsiIwxOEpAIRLG8JzIS2SFf034sZA/viewform?usp=header

I’d really appreciate your participation, and please feel free to share the questionnaire with others who might be interested.

Thank you! 🙏