Norwegian Bokmål: get started with words and sentences
Publisher: NorskMentor. Original practice material; not an official test or level assessment.
Bokmål is one of Norway’s two written language standards. When learning Norwegian, distinguish the text you write from the dialects you hear. Start here with a short text, word forms and a task you can do immediately.
Bokmål, Nynorsk and spoken language
Bokmål and Nynorsk have separate spelling and inflection standards. Dialects concern speech, so other pronunciations should not automatically be treated as errors. Learn a consistent way to write while practising understanding different voices.
Use Bokmålsordboka to check a Bokmål form. Look at the article, inflection and examples, then use the word in your own sentence.
Read a short Bokmål text
First read without translating every word. Identify the person, place and what happens. Then read again and choose one word to explore.
En vanlig morgen
Sara bor i Bergen og jobber på et bibliotek. Hver morgen tar hun bussen til jobb. På bussen leser hun en kort tekst på norsk. Hvis hun finner et nytt ord, skriver hun en setning med ordet når hun kommer fram.
Oppgave: Hva gjør Sara når hun finner et nytt ord? Svar med en hel setning. Et mulig svar: Hun skriver en setning med ordet når hun kommer fram.
Learn words together with their forms
Record «en buss – bussen – busser – bussene» instead of only «buss». For verbs, note «å lese – leser – leste – har lest». Then use two forms in a short account: «Jeg leser på bussen. I går leste jeg hjemme».
Some words have several accepted Bokmål forms. Check the particular word before concluding that a variant is wrong. Use one clear variant in a practice text when that makes learning easier.
A short reading and writing routine
Choose a text you can mostly understand. Write two sentences about its main point. Find a sentence starting with a time phrase and examine the verb position. Change the time or person to make your own version, read it aloud and check one word form.
NorskMentor is a practice tool and is not affiliated with the organiser of Norskprøven. Level requirements for residence and citizenship are set by UDI and can change — check udi.no for the current rules.
