I just saw a similar post(about what Norwegians consider rude behavior among Americans), so I got curious myself. Even after years of living in Norway, there are still a couple of things I can’t quite get used to. Nothing major, tbh, just little details here and there.

For example, I’ve heard "Hva sa du?" a couple of times, said by a manager to an employee or by a father to his child. In my head, the automatic translation is basically "What did you say?", which sounds incredibly rude in English.

Or when someone wants to ask you something and starts with "Du,…" rather than Hi or some other little introduction. It doesn’t sound particularly friendly to my ears, even though I’m sure there’s nothing rude intended, that's just how some people are used to talk.

Another thing is not giving up your seat when an elderly person gets on public transport. To be fair, I’ve actually seen people give up their seats twice, but that’s a pretty miserable number considering how many years I’ve lived here. But it did make me wonder. Is this connected to the Norwegian idea of independence and not assuming that older people are weaker or need special treatment, or is there another cultural reason behind it?

So, what are some things you’ve found difficult to get used to in Norway? Maybe things that are perfectly normal because that’s simply how the language works, but can sound strange or even rude to foreign ears? Or perhaps some cultural habits, expressions, or more folksy/countryside ways of speaking that could technically be phrased differently, but are just considered normal in Norwegian?

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out how people usually handle this in Norway. I took parental leave and then extended it with a period of unpaid leave (permisjon uten lønn). I'm now getting close to going back and I'm wondering about asking my employer for a gradual return instead of jumping straight back to full time.

For those of you who've been in a similar situation, did you ask for a phased return (reduced hours for the first weeks or months, then ramping back up)? How did you bring it up with your employer, and how far in advance did you ask?

I'm also curious whether this is something that's fairly normal and accepted in Norwegian workplaces, or if it's seen as an unusual request that could raise eyebrows, especially coming right after an already extended absence. Any input) around this, or just personal experience, would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance :)

Hei! My (broad) question: could you think of any physical or language mannerisms that American immigrants specifically have that are irritating to you, or come across as strange? I am thinking along the lines of body language, noises, mannerisms, ways of speaking. As an added bonus, is there anything that you notice when Americans speak Norwegian that is a little irritating or off? I'm not thinking of tone or pronunciation, more like using certain words or phrases over others, talking with their hands, etc.

If we want to get really broad: what are some things that American immigrants do that annoy you? OR what are some things that you would want to see American immigrants do more of?

Some extra context: I moved to Norway (Trondheim) a year and a half ago from the US, and work in an office where the working language is Norwegian. I understand and speak passable Norwegian (B2). The other day, I was reading an email that had the text "fint om du kan prioritere dette". In Norwegian, this is a completely acceptable sentence, but if someone sent an email that said "nice if you could prioritize this" it would come across as passive aggressive. It got me thinking about the unseen things I may inadvertently/unknowingly do that irritate my Norwegian friends and coworkers.

Another example I can think of: English is a lower -context language compared to Norwegian, and Americans have a tendency to over-explain something to the point of nausea because in the US you are not always sure the background of whom you are speaking with. After over-explaining in a handful of meetings, my co workers explained that it is better for me to start with a broad idea, then go into the details when asked. If they hadn't pointed that out, I would have continued to bombard my coworkers with a word avalanche. In retrospect, I might be doing the same thing in this post...

My goal in posting this is to help me (and possibly other American immigrants) find blind spots or assumptions rooted in my own culture, so that I can assimilate into Norwegian social and working life well.

Happy to clarify more or go into more detail if asked!

Edit #1: fixed the English translation of "fint om du kan prioritere dette."

Edit #2: mixed up higher/lower context - English is a LOWER context language than Norwegian (ie less dependent on context clues to interpret meaning). fixed that! But compared to languages like Japanese, Norwegian and English are much closer to each other. I’m not describing a huge gap, just certain differences I notice between the two here and there :)

Hi all, does anyone know where I can find the texts of the speeches in the Storting just now? Would they normally be published on the Storting website? I’d like to read them. Edit: they’re already up; that was fast! Thanks to everybody.

I sincerely hope Trump does not come to Norway for the funeral. He is not welcome here. At all!!

A funeral is supposed to be a dignified occasion, not another photo opportunity for a self-proclaimed con-king who seems to believe every event on the planet desperately needs his presence.

Norway should make it crystal clear that his presence is neither needed nor wanted. We are perfectly capable of holding a respectful funeral without importing a travelling clown from the United States.

Please, spare us the red carpet, the motorcade, the endless spectacle and, most importantly, the clown at the centre of it all.

Some occasions deserve dignity. [A word unknown to him.] This is one of them.

What is it like living in any of these places as a foreigner?

26F from New Zealand * applied for a 1 year working holiday visa

What’s the likelihood of finding a job either working in landscaping, trail maintenance, gardening or similar- I have a background in field conservation work. A summer seasonal position somewhere

Hi! Does anyone know of an ATM in Oslo where I can withdraw USD specifically in $100 bills?
I know there are ATMs that dispense USD (for example the Nokas ATM on Karl Johans gate), but I need $100 notes specifically, not $20 or $50.
Has anyone actually withdrawn $100 bills from an ATM in Oslo recently? If yes, which ATM/location?
Thanks!

Hello!

My wife and I have traveled from the US for a medical treatment in Haugesund. Before our trip I started lurking on this subreddit to get a general feel for the topics of discussion and came across the "Why is there only pizza places/where's the Norwegian food?" posts. First I'd like to say I stand in solidarity with your love for pizza and frozen pizza and second several comments I saw made in response those posts were "we make our traditional foods at home." In that regard I am curious if there is a relatively easy traditional meal that I can whip up for my wife and I to experience some of your cultural recipes?

Also not mentioned via flair but a second question, are there any souvenirs worth taking home that are useful. We've found that the general Internet consensus recommends grabbing a wool sweater

Thank you all and if ever in WA state make a beeline for Bellingham for a beer on me!

Hei!

This September I’m moving to the Gardermoen area to start a full-time job. The role will eventually shift to a rotation schedule (probably from October), meaning I’ll work one week and have the next week off.

I’m starting to look into what I could do as a side hustle during those off-weeks. I fully understand that office work isn’t realistic for me without Norwegian language skills.

I’ve had one seasonal job in Norway before, but it was in a very remote area and the working environment felt more Central/Eastern European in culture. So I’m also aware that networking is key here – but I’m wondering where to even begin when you don’t know anyone locally yet.

In a previous post, I asked about the Wolt courier experience, and the responses mostly suggested it wasn’t a great option. I love cycling, but haven’t really found anything related to that either.

So my question is: where would you recommend starting? I’m open to physical work – just hoping for something decent.

I’d really appreciate hearing any stories or insights you might have.

Thanks!

Hallo I was just curious how do Norwegians feel about Africans living or wishing to move to Norway.Personally my main desire is to travel the world. Many issues with that obviously but the most serious one is passport .My countries passport is not that weak but also it would probably be much easier to not have to wait months just to be allowed to visit a nation for one or two weeks.Hope there's no hostility with my post English is my third language.🥂

In 2006 I did a couple weeks hut to hut hiking with my wife starting in Finse. During the trip we stayed at a few of the more remote huts with self service pantries and pay systems. I can’t say enough good things about that trip.

We encountered this amazing packaged hot cereal like product that we have never been able to identify. Over the years I have asked various Norwegian contacts about this miracle food but the responses don’t quite seem right. It was prepared like instant oatmeal packets but had a fiber texture, maybe nuttier. Something like oatmeal, cream of wheat and muesli but finer grind overall. I think we added water (milk?), sugar and possibly butter?

I want to get some for my kids to try but not sure what it was? Anyone have any ideas?

Hi everyone, I'm posting this to help my parents make their next move with their hard earned earnings.

My father has worked in Norway as an Expat for more than 20 years. He loves Norway, owns his home there outright (no mortgage), and has built up savings in NOK over the years.

He also lives for some time in his home country in the EU and would like to take part of those savings out of Norway and diversify by investing elsewhere.

The obvious option is simply converting NOK → EUR, but with the current exchange rate, converting a significant amount feels like taking a substantial loss.

So we're trying to understand what smarter alternatives might exist. Ideally, we'd either:

- Find a cost-efficient way to gradually convert NOK into EUR while minimizing FX costs/losses, or

- Find an investment vehicle that allows him to put the NOK to work and diversify internationally without having to immediately convert everything into EUR.

Since he already owns a fully paid house in Norway, he already has considerable exposure to Norway and NOK, so diversification is one of the main goals.

Would love to hear your ideas/ecxperience please. Thanks in advance!

Edit: doesn’t necessarily have to be Euro or Euro dominated investment. Can also be in USD or other currencies.

Hi everyone! I’m planning a winter road trip to the North Cape. However, my experience is limited to winter NATO exercises up at the Arctic Circle. So, here’s my question: as Norwegians, what tires would you recommend? There is one constraint: since I’m coming from western Germany, I can’t set off with studded tires. I drive a 4x4 Audi SUV. I normally use Goodyear UltraGrip 8s, but those probably wouldn't make much sense up there.

Dankeschön.

Norway is very famous for its mackerels. They export lots of mackerels to other countries but someone said Norwegians don't eat it very much. Is it true?

Oslo is #9 of 28 property price compared cities in Europe.

According to the report «Mapping the World’s Prices 2026", published by Deutsche Bank Research Institute, Oslo is the 9th most expensive city in Europe, for an 80 m² flat with central location.

The report compares the prices across 69 cities, 28 of them in Europe.

Cities like Vienna, Munich, Stockholm and Copenhagen were more expensive, as well as Zurich, Geneva, London, Paris and Luxembourg, while Milan, Helsinki and Prague were placed just below Oslo in cost per m².

Is Norway ADHD friendly? As someone who has ADHD.