Trondheim is under a red umbrella alert, which means we are getting a lot of rain over the next couple days. Apparently this doesn’t happen very often. This storm is pummeling most of the Norwegian coastline with rain, wind, and waves, and the Norwegian weather service has named it “Gyda”. That’s how you know it’s […]
The Norwegian language, like English, uses the “s” ending as a possessive, but without the apostrophe. For example “the dog’s food” becomes “hundens mat.” Norwegian, like German, combines lots of words together into compound words. For example, the Norwegian word for sandwich is “smørbrød”, a combination of the word for butter (smør) and the word […]
I would say about a third of the houses, maybe half, on our street have Christmas lights. They are all either yellow or white, and either a star-shape or a row of icicle lights hanging from a convenient balcony or window. Not our landlord’s. “I was in Los Angeles for Christmas one year,” he told […]
I went for a run to Trondheim center this weekend. I live about 2 miles from the center, so out and back is a good amount of distance for me right now. On the weekends I try to go somewhere nice to enjoy the little sun we have. Usually, I run along the fjord, but […]
One of the hardest things I’ve had to do in Norway is crossing the street. Crossing the street requires years of understanding of the unwritten rules of how people drive in your neighborhood, your town, your state, and your country. In the US, we are taught to look both ways before we cross the street, […]
Fun fact – mashed potatoes is literally translated from Norwegian as “potato mousse” Mer språk feil:Me: I got Stig’s birthday cake from the refrigerator today. It was like a rock.Stig: You just have to dip it in coffee. Then it will be fine.Me: No, I threw it out, because it was rock.Stig: That was perfectly […]
The following story was told to me in English. “So, I did my PhD in Germany. Where I lived, I didn’t have a TV or internet, but I lived next to a bar. I started going there to watch football and hang out. Every time I went, I saw this same group of older guys. […]
Norway has completely reopened, casting off almost all the coronavirus-related laws and restrictions, but it feels to me like the pandemic is still happening. When it started I was confined to a desk, with a little window showing me the street and another little window showing me the rest of my life. My work, entertainment, […]
More translated conversations. Swedish coworker: So, are you moving to Oslo?Chilean coworker: Yes, but not until next year. It’s better to let the kids finish the year of school.Me: I understood that!!British coworker, in English: You know that was Swedish, right? Later…Swedish coworker: Swedish and Norwegian are very similar. Sometimes you end up mixing the […]
The following conversations occurred primarily in Norwegian, and I’ve translated them to English. Norwegian coworker: So, when you learn Norwegian, in which language do you learn it?Italian coworker: Sometimes English and sometimes Italian. Sometimes I have to change from Norwegian to English to Italian to understand something. There are so many steps!Me: I know four […]