{"id":3597,"date":"2015-12-01T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T10:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=3597"},"modified":"2015-11-29T17:33:57","modified_gmt":"2015-11-29T17:33:57","slug":"top-mistakes-that-students-of-norwegian-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-mistakes-that-students-of-norwegian-make\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Mistakes That Students of Norwegian Make"},"content":{"rendered":"

Norwegian is said to be one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn, which means it must be without pitfalls, right? Wrong! As with any second language, there are trips and stumbles to be made along the way. Just know that you\u2019re in good company: here are the top most common mistakes that students of Norwegian make.<\/p>\n

1. Making a verb sandwich with modals by adding <\/b>\u00e5<\/i><\/b> where it\u2019s not needed<\/p>\n

<\/b>Ah, modal verbs, those tricky little things that stick a metaphorical foot out and send you tumbling to the floor in many a language. In English, modals are never to be followed by to<\/i>, and in Norwegian, the offending word is \u00e5<\/i>. In sentences that require two verbs, if the first verb is a modal - kan, vil, skal, m\u00e5, b\u00f8r<\/i> (can, want, will, must, and should) - it must never be followed by \u00e5<\/i>. Jeg kan kaste ballen<\/i> instead ofjeg kan <\/i>\u00e5 <\/i>kaste ballen <\/i>(I can throw the ball).<\/p>\n

\"512px-Club_sandwich\"<\/a>No, not that kind of sandwich\u2026<\/i>via Wikimedia \/ <\/i>Wikimedia<\/a><\/p>\n

2. The letter U and Y often get mixed up<\/p>\n

<\/b>Y serves as a semi-vowel in English but always as a full noun in Norwegian, which is a stumbling block in itself. Couple that with mixing up the u<\/i> sound with the y<\/i> sound, and you are in for a tongue twister indeed. U<\/i> is more like the o <\/i>in who<\/i>, whereas Y<\/i> is more like the ee<\/i> in chee<\/i>se. So ute<\/i> is \u2018out\u2019, when pronounced correctly, not yte<\/i> (\u2018provide\u2019) when it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

3. Identify a non-native with the dipthong <\/b>KJ<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/b>The kj<\/i> sound is said to be near impossible to master. Some say it sounds like an h<\/i> in h<\/i>ouse, others like ch<\/i> in ch<\/i>eckers, and even the Norwegians themselves often pronounce it as sh<\/i> in sh<\/i>oe. The closest approximation to correct you can get is probably the original h<\/i>. Have a little practice with the word kj\u00f8kken<\/i> (\u2018kitchen\u2019) if you\u2019re feeling brave.<\/p>\n

4. Using <\/b>to<\/i><\/b> to travel through time<\/p>\n

<\/b>In English we use going to<\/i> to describe a future event as well as to talk about a place we are travelling to. It follows therefore that a new Norwegian language learner might also use \u00e5 g\u00e5<\/i> - \u2018to go\u2019 - in a similar fashion. However, this translates directly as \u2018to walk\u2019. If you want to specifically talk about travelling, you need to use \u00e5 reise<\/i> instead.<\/p>\n

\"Be_Your_Own_Goddess_art_bus_(1967_VW_Kombi)_IMG_0136\"<\/a>\u00a0Image via Wikipedia<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

5. Mistaking <\/b>den <\/i><\/b>or <\/b>det<\/i><\/b> for <\/b>the<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The <\/i>does not appear as a separate den<\/i> or det<\/i> in Norwegian, even if it is instinctual for English speakers to do just that. Like other Scandinavian languages, to make an article definite - the<\/i> house or the<\/i> chair - the suffix et<\/i> (huset<\/i>) or en<\/i> (stolen<\/i>) must be used.<\/p>\n

6. Making every sentence into a poem<\/p>\n

<\/b>This might be one of the smaller mistakes made by students of Norwegian, but it is a pretty direct language. Verbs are used in a specific structure in sentences. Generally speaking, verbs should either be the first word of a sentence if it is a question, or the second word if it is a normal sentence. If used elsewhere, verbs make sentences seem cumbersome and too old-fashioned. Jeg drikker kaffe om morgenen<\/i> - I drink coffee in the morning - shows a typical Norwegian sentence structure.<\/p>\n

7. Many ways to <\/b>think<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/b>Often the English language is accused of having many homonyms, and often that is true. Don\u2019t let that lead you into a trap in Norwegian. The word think<\/i> in English can be used to identify something you know, something you believe, and the process of thinking itself. This is not true in Norwegian, since there are specific words for each:<\/p>\n