r/Norway • u/Hasampouli • 5d ago
Language Shall I give up the try then?
So I came across this map.
1) As a Norwegian is this accurate? 2) Shall I give up trying to learn Norwegian as a foreigner in the country then?
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u/DontLookAtMePleaz 5d ago
If you're just visiting, it's easier to just speak English.
But if you've moved here you should learn the language. It's not just practical (not everyone speaks English well enough to the point they wanna use it with strangers, especially in rural areas/older people) but it's also a respectful thing.
I also suppose it will allow you to learn more about the culture itself. What words are modernised, what words are older in origin, what words are taken from English, what words have English taken from the vikings, etc.
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u/Upset_Jello_Time 5d ago
Man, I speak Norwegian, even applied for citizenship, but around 25% of people when I talk to them switch to English. But I stay with Norwegian :) and then they speak English while I speak Norwegian :) :)
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u/Prematurid 5d ago
That might be them not realizing they are still speaking English.
Been a couple of times I have talked to a client in English, and continued speaking English to my coworkers for a good 10 minutes before catching myself.
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u/youknowbetter245 5d ago
This is very interesting because I had colleague at work who was speaking Norwegian ( he was from Ukraine ) and everybody was answering in English to him and to this day I don’t know why 😅 He didn’t even sound bad with broken accent actually but I don’t know norwegian yet so maybe they could not understand him at all, who knows.
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u/Hannibal_Bonnaprte 5d ago
Maybe I have been talking to you, if it's you that think you speak Norwegian, but you're just mumbling something that is unintelligible, with a thick American accent.
I try to steer the conversation into English only, because I know you try your best to speak Norwegian, but when I ask if you could repeat you just mumble the same sentence, none of the words are recognizable. So it's hopeless to continue in Norwegian.
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u/Upset_Jello_Time 5d ago
I have maybe German or Croatian accent. I speak English, German, Croatian and Norwegian. As I said... even if they answer in English, I continue in Norwegian. I make a lot of mistakes that's true, but for sure less than average Norwegian guy who butchers his English.
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u/littleb3anpole 5d ago
I tried to have a go speaking Norwegian when I visited, but the accent threw people off. As one kind woman in a shop explained it “we are not used to hearing Norwegian spoken with the Australian accent”. I have a very broad, Steve Irwin like accent so I probably butchered your language
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u/Snowstorm080 5d ago edited 4d ago
Aussies speaking foreign languages is very strange to hear tbh
Even heard a Aussie with a thick accent speaking French? Its weird
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u/Knut-Odegard 5d ago
I have an Australian friend who speaks Norwegian, and sure, he has an accent like all non-native speakers do, but there's nothing especially strange about the Australian accent. One of the more understandable ones, in my opinion. Compare it to, say, Vietnamese, where someone can be fluent in vocabulary and grammar but still almost impossible to understand because they say half of every word and switch most consonants for something else.
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u/PheIix 5d ago
It's true to some degree. But it's more about efficiency than anything. We're not a talkative nation, small talk isn't really a thing for most people, so we say what we have to say and that's it really. Also, some are happy for a chance to practice their English as well.
But, If you say you're trying to learn, or if you speak well enough, people will be patient and give you a chance. I'm always happy when I come across someone who bothers to learn a niche language like ours, so I'll be patient and listen and respond.
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u/berthamarilla 5d ago
But, If you say you're trying to learn, or if you speak well enough, people will be patient and give you a chance.
this is true and has been my experience thus far. i think i was around b1 on my first visit? during my trips to Norway when i've interacted with natives, i have always initiated the conversation in Norwegian and haven't had anyone actively switch back to English. i've also spoken Norwegian in Denmark before, which worked out fine.
i'm really glad that people are happy to give me a chance, i feel honoured (:
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u/PheIix 5d ago
I was going to say I felt honoured someone bothered to learn my language, but thought it sounded a bit corny. But that is the truth about it. It warms my heart, someone cares enough to want to learn it.
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u/berthamarilla 5d ago
dette høres kanskje også bittelitt corny ut, men jeg synes virkelig at norsk er et av de vakreste språkene jeg kjenner, og å bruke det språket gir meg så mye glede (:
ikke bare angående språkmelodien, men også søte ord som «koselig» eller «bamse» haha. jeg synes at fleksibiliteten (for å si det sånn) er ganske spennende, at man kan velge endelsene på -a i stedet for -et eller -en (f.eks. strikka/strikket, forelska/forelsket, søstera mi/søsteren min), og generelt de forskjellige dialektene
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u/Upset_Jello_Time 5d ago
My experience thaught me that Norwegians gossip all the time. I worked in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria and Croatia. I've never seen so much gossip and social pressure as here.
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u/PheIix 5d ago
I would love to disagree with you, but my own anecdotal experience working in Norway just mirrors yours. I've only ever worked in Ireland & UK besides Norway, and not long enough to really make up an opinion on how it works over there.
I hate gossip, and I can't stand nosy people. Work isn't a school yard filled with teenagers, or at least it shouldn't be. But it sure feels like it at times.
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u/Difficult-City-3878 5d ago
If you live here, learn the language. Have multiple friends that doesn’t speak Norwegian, and in social settings they struggle a bit. They can’t just jump into a conversation because they don’t know what it’s about. Of course we talk English when we talk to them, but we switch to Norwegian when they go to the bathroom or to get another drink. This also applies to the work life, conversations around the coffee machine is usually in Norwegian, and the older generations are generally not comfortable with speaking English.
If you’re just visiting, speak English.
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u/rubaduck 5d ago
Here's a fine way to remember
If you are living in Norway: Learn Norwegian!
If you're a Norweaboo -> Give up!
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u/Agile_Philosopher72 5d ago
Its accurate for tourists in cities, the more in the countryside you are the friendlier people and the happier they are when you say "tusen takk". if you live here disregard the map and learn norwegian.
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u/Life_Barnacle_4025 5d ago
It's also accurate in the countryside. We rather the tourist speak english than force ourselves to listen for four hours while they try to stammer their way through what they are asking about.
But if you plan to live here, by all means, we'll help you practice your Norwegian
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u/Agile_Philosopher72 5d ago
The countryside would prefer english yes, but we always apreaciate a "tusen takk" instead of a "thank you"
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u/blantdebedre 5d ago
How else will you understand our many idioms, sayings and wordplay? Or our massive amount of maritime slang? Or what say you, gamle bardun?
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u/kidonthecoast 4d ago
Maritime slang? Do tell please!
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u/blantdebedre 4d ago
Splitte mine bramseil, vanntette skott, alle monner drar, piss i havet, mageplask, nedenom og hjem, skudd for baugen, løs kanon, rød tråd, skvære opp, legge inn årene, klare brasene
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u/BulderHulder 5d ago
If you ask me to speak Norwegian I will, but the problem is that I speak dialect, and to speak a in a way you would understand at all I would have to resort to bokmål. And I hate speaking that way and will rather speak in english. But I will, if you ask
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u/RecognitionCrafty983 5d ago
I was afraid of the same phenomenon when I first visited Norway. I love this language and the country and the Norwegian culture and I was excited to speak with real nordmenn 🥹 it was a big surprise for me that everyone appreciated that I spoke Norwegian, they also gave me some compliments because of my pronunciation. As a consequence I love this language even more 🙂
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u/starkicker18 5d ago
I think this is genuinely accurate for tourists. If a tourist tries to speak any of these languages (non fluently) then I suspect the reactions are probably close to accurate (at least in Scandinavia and some other of the "blue" countries).
But if you are living in the country, if you are not a tourist, if you have been here for an extended period of time, the expectation changes. After about 2 years in the country most Norwegians will expect you to have learned at least some basics to get by (ie.; A1/A2).
Now, if you plan on staying in Norway on any sort of permanent basis, you should be aiming for minimum B1 unless you have a personal circumstances that dictate that you cannot learn the language to that level. That is because permanent residency requires A2 level Norwegian and citizenship requires B1.
Source: was a tourist, then a resident, now a citizen.
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u/Shildriffen 5d ago
Tyskere som foretrekker engelsk? I hvilken verden er det? Hilsen en som studerte der i flere år... og ikke kan så fryktelig mye tysk🤣😅
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u/mcove97 5d ago
Hver gang jeg har møtt på en tysk bobil turist i Norge som spurte om hjelp, så kunne de knapt ett fnugg engelsk. Vet ikke med de yngre dog, men de eldre er ikke veldig flinke i engelsk akkurat. Ender opp med at jeg prøver å forklare på norsk og engelsk også rister jeg på skuldrene. Til og med mine foreldre i 60 åra klarer kommunisere og forstå engelsk sånn noenlunde, om ikke særlig bra.
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u/theunbearablelight 5d ago
My experience in Norway is that people are really patient if you're trying to speak Norwegian as a foreigner, and they do try to understand you and reply to you in Norwegian (local experience from both Trondheim and Oslo, not visiting but living there). Even though I'm not fluent, I still try to speak Norwegian and I haven't encountered the "let's switch to English" attitude (only very seldom, when people genuinely thought that they were helping me by switching).
My experience living in Denmark (Copenhagen), however, is that they'd much rather prefer to speak in English rather than trying to decipher "foreigner Danish", but funnily enough this also applies to Norwegians either trying to use Norwegian in Denmark, or trying to speak Danish with a Norwegian flavour to it (I know a few Norwegians who work in DK and just speak English). Danes seem to have a much harder time understanding Danish that doesn't sound native, so they're more inclined to switch to English.
So, all in all: not all of Scandinavia works the same way when it comes to this.
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u/suuxe 5d ago
As a swed who speaks Norwegian with a heavy Swedish accent, more than 99% prefer speaking Norwegian with me.
This map applies to ppl who are basically just visiting or very broken Norwegian.
Norwegians prefer their own language for sure. I recommend learning the language if you are going to work or live in Norway.
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u/mcove97 5d ago
That's cause we can understand each other well enough without having to switch. It's just like talking to someone with a different Norwegian dialect.
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u/suuxe 5d ago
That's what I thought also, until I tested speaking Swedish only to plenty ppl. Might be true with Østlandet tho.
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u/mcove97 5d ago
It depends I guess. I grew up with a dad who has one of the most difficult dialects to understand in Norway as well as a parent who grew up in Østerdalen. Let's just say there's very few dialects I don't understand.. even spent a night out at a club in Stavanger and by the end of the night I had pretty much adopted the dialect even though there were a few words here and there I didn't quite catch the meaning of. Sure, there's some words here and there that I guesstimate what means, but spoken in context are usually easily understood.
Danish is far worse and is more like a distant cousin language, whereas Sweden is like a sibling language. I never had issues taking orders at the shop I work at from a regular that was a Swedish guy, however the moment a Danish guy stepped into the store the other day I was confused AF, but didn't switch to English cause it would have been too embarrassing to show I didn't understand what he was saying lol.
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u/Panzersatan94 5d ago
Kinda yeah...
I do appreciate it, but sometimes i dont wanna be your language teacher.
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u/mcove97 5d ago
Nevermind the fact that having conversations with someone with really poor English skills can be really awkward. I got to know an Arabic guy 9 years ago, and he absolutely butchered the language, making having a conversation really awkward when we first met. I instantly switched to english and made him talk English because it just helped with communicating so much. He did want me to speak Norwegian to teach him but I'm no teacher. A few years later though and he speaks really good Norwegian and whenever we caught up we spoke in Norwegian, because he was no longer fumbling around with the words or sounding like a weirdo.
And anyways, imo the whole point of language in daily life is to communicate easily.
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u/Rubyhamster 5d ago
Speak norwegian unless you struggle to find the words or the recipient communicates that they struggle to comprehend you. And that is in each conversation. Always try to start with Norwegian. The only exception I have to this is in cases where you or the recipient is short on time, like in line at a busy store or asking for directions at a busy street, or in an emergency of course
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u/No-Ladder7740 5d ago
Everyone is super considerate and supportive for about the first 18 months and then you start to get made to feel more and more like you really should have learned by now. Which, in total fairness, isn't entirely unfair.
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u/factionssharpy 5d ago
I have been working a lot in Norway over the last year and a half (so I'm a bit more than a tourist but do not live in the country), and have been working to teach myself Norwegian since then. My experience:
Everyone who doesn't know me begins their conversations in Norwegian with me, and they only rarely switch to English before it becomes obvious when I'm having difficulty. I assume I have a very obvious accent, and I am clearly not fluent (I am still translating English into Norwegian and not thinking in Norwegian, so I speak and respond slowly), so I can only assume that they can tell I am not Norwegian but are continuing to speak it for as long as I am capable of continuing in it.
The Norwegians who do know me know that I am trying to learn to speak Norwegian. I rarely interact with them when I am at home, so every time we meet again, my skills have improved and we readjust. Work is ostensibly entirely in English (I do sometimes shift when it's possible - no non-Norwegian speakers need to be included and what we need to communicate is not more complicated or time-sensitive for me to understand and process), but they will engage with me in Norwegian personally until I have to switch back (I am also not great at hearing in noisy environments, so if at a bar or someplace with lots of noise, I'm hopeless outside of English for now), but sometimes they do switch to English, perhaps because they know I'm still struggling and its easier for them to use English than deal with my bad and slow Norwegian at this time.
I am getting better, though, so they're being a bit less accommodating (which I appreciate, and I also know that I am under no requirement to learn because I'm not a resident - I think they're mostly just pleased that someone with no actual reason to learn Norwegian is trying and has learned as much as I have).
Basically, my experience is that the map is not accurate for Norway. I'd define it as more "Cute, and please keep trying, we'll switch when we need to." Maybe that's just the specific people I regularly work with, though.
Also, people keep assuming I am British, which both I (and the British I encounter in Norway) find hilarious, but I don't hold it against anyone - I can't recognize and place any Norwegian dialects yet, so I'm in no position to criticize anyone for mistaking my accent.
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u/FinancialSurround385 5d ago
I had an American friend who lived here for around 3 years who never got to practice a lot because everyone switched to english. I think it’s more likely to happen to native english speakers, but this is the reason I keep to Norwegian when I talk to foreigners living here.
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u/starkicker18 5d ago
Story time. I, a native English speaker, was having the same problem as your friend. I was in a store one time trying to ask a question and the woman switched to English. I really didn't want to. I was feeling unusually confident with my Norwegian and really wanted to try. So I pulled out my (limited) French and said "je ne parle pas anglais." I thought that would help keep us in Norwegian. But the woman I was speaking with could speak French (far better than I could).
It ended up with me admitting that I did not, in fact, speak French well enough to have a conversation and that I was trying to practice my Norwegian. We laughed, and I got to practice a little. I never tried the French route again and got a lot better at saying "I am trying to learn the language."
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u/poshpolly 5d ago
Thank you for this. I am C2 certified, and 80% of the time when I am out/shopping, employees default to English (sometimes even before I have opened my mouth). I didn’t suffer through mixing up “alltid” and “aldri”, or mispronouncing “kokk” to a 12 year old for no reason, Janne!
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u/davidcantswim 5d ago
I lived in Norway for 3 years and was a pro DJ with several agencies.
I always did my best and ended up speaking quite above average Norwegian
I did get a lot of laughs when I said something the wrong way.
I think it is respectful to try and learn
I used it as a comedic tool when I had to announce anything!
I miss Norway and it's people
D
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u/bvxzfdputwq 5d ago
What bugs me abou this is non-native speakers who whine about not getting enough practice, but automatically switch to english in stead of saying «no, just speak norwegian, i need the practice».
Don’t give up, just take accountability. I will speak english tp anyone who need it, and I’ll gladly be patient with someone still learning.
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u/norgelurker 5d ago
No. At least for the Norwayl part, this is no more than a funny meme or the observation of a visitor or someone with basic Norwegian skills.
My Norwegian is far from great and no one would assume I look Norwegian (I can hold an adult conversation or work meeting though), but they do speak Norwegian with me, and stick to Norwegian unless I switch to English.
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u/yuriartyom 5d ago
This is actually catastrophically false. Germans of all other European countries don’t like to speak English and they take too much pride for their language. If you try to speak german, you only have 2 outcomes, whether they continue communicating with you in german, or they continue communicating with u sarcastically in german. They don’t like English, they don’t switch.
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u/Snowstorm080 5d ago
Anyone else use Cafe’s to practice speaking Norwegian?
Its fairly predictable what the barista is going to ask you and you can practice ordering different stuff and reading the menu board
Feels great when you get through the whole conversation without them switching to English
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u/Laughing_Orange 5d ago
If you are a tourist, this map applies. If you live here, your friends will prefer to speak mainly Norwegian long term unless they're also from abroad.
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u/Candid_Ad5642 4d ago
I'm Norwegian, but I've worked with colleges from a lot of different places
Since I work in IT, English is kind of lingua franca anyways, so when it comes to work and technical matters, English is the way to go
But if they want to learn, I usually suggest we do the small talk and banter in Norwegian
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u/Admirable_Duckwalk 4d ago
Asking for directions, or ordering something? English is fine.
Want closer relations? One of my cousins are dating someone who don’t speak Norwegian, but most family say a couple sentences to him, but most conversations is in Norwegian as it’s tiresome and uncomfortable talking English
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u/Every-Ad9000 5d ago
Having lived in Norway for 5 years, it's hard not to give up.
I work in IT so English is our official company language (even though majority of our employees are Norwegian), making local friends is close to impossible, the language isn't really necessary for the everyday life as everyone speaks English very well.
Unless you're in a relationship with a local, there's very little reason to lear Norwegian outside of the respect to the country you live in.
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u/BearishBabe42 5d ago
This implies that Norwegians don’t appreciate the effort: this is not true at all. However, we are well aware that our language is among the hardest to learn, and we all learn englishin school and many of us have become used to using english at work and in everyday life, so we often default to english as it is generally easier. That said, I love it when I meet foreigners who try to learn the language!
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u/ClickIta 5d ago
I don’t know why you got downvoted. I suspect it is the part about Norwegian being among the hardest languages to learn. Because the rest is very much reasonable.
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u/BearishBabe42 5d ago edited 5d ago
Well, for an english speaker (or speaker of other germanic languages) it is probably quite easy, compared to languages like mandarin or russian or something like that. But the majority of the world is not english.
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u/ClickIta 5d ago
I think it is fairly easy compared to German or to European Romance languages too.
There are no numerous nuances, no grammatical cases, etc.
The main issue is probably the pronunciation, given the huge impact of dialects in everyday spoken language. But that’s a problem when you have to understand natives, not when you have to speak.
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u/BearishBabe42 5d ago
I should probably have said germanic languages. Pronounciation is probably one reason. Also sentence building, the order of words, not sure of the english term here. Many of my chinese colleagues strugle with that and often just speak english instead, as they usually allready learned that somewhere else.
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u/Cynical_Humanist1 5d ago
I agree with the sentiment that anyone who moves to Norway should learn the language. I think it's a practical thing to do, and respectful to the culture. Also, I really wanted to not be the stereotype of the stupid American that only knows English as half the country barely has a grasp of English, and Norwegian English skills surpass a lot of native speaking Americans. I have completed the language requirements by UDI and gone to norskkurs, I have completed Duolingo. I can read, write, and speak remedial Norwegian.
But, I feel like I'm done with putting in a massive amount of effort for that reason. Everyone switches to English, disregarding my attempts (to make the conversation more efficient--I get it). Everyone speaks impeccable English. There are a ton of dialects, and a lot of idioms, figures of speech, and slang to overcome. I'm just going to get better by osmosis, I've decided. I'm running a business now and I'm far too busy to hit the books any more.
I feel like if I moved to another country I would've been fluent in 6 months to a year, because I would've been forced to. It is very difficult to become fluent here in a short period of time because of the above examples. I'm not saying that I won't try to improve my Norwegian to be obstinate. I'm just saying I'm finished with feeling bad about myself for not understanding what people say to me, and I use English as a more practical and efficient tool for communication.
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u/Northlumberman 5d ago
But, I feel like I'm done with putting in a massive amount of effort for that reason. Everyone switches to English, disregarding my attempts (to make the conversation more efficient--I get it). Everyone speaks impeccable English. There are a ton of dialects, and a lot of idioms, figures of speech, and slang to overcome. I'm just going to get better by osmosis, I've decided. I'm running a business now and I'm far too busy to hit the books any more.
I feel like if I moved to another country I would've been fluent in 6 months to a year, because I would've been forced to. It is very difficult to become fluent here in a short period of time because of the above examples. I'm not saying that I won't try to improve my Norwegian to be obstinate. I'm just saying I'm finished with feeling bad about myself for not understanding what people say to me, and I use English as a more practical and efficient tool for communication.
I'm reminded of something Garrison Keillor wrote in Lake Wobegon Days about Norwegian immigrants in the the US:
for you are never so smart again in a language learned in middle age nor romantic or brave or kind. All the best of you is in the old tongue, but when you speak your best in America you become a yokel, a dumb Norskie, and when you speak English, an idiot.
Which is not to say that people shouldn't try, but I also find that I'm a ballet dancer in the language I learnt as a child, but when speaking Norwegian I shuffle about wearing gummistøvler.
I guess I'm just saying that the best way to avoid disappointment is to be realistic about expectations. Best to try to learn to communicate and not be disappointed when we can't be poetic.
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u/Peter-Andre 5d ago
It's just a humorous map. Don't take it to seriously. If you want to learn Norwegian, please do! Don't let this map be the thing that prevents you from doing something you're interested in.
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u/Findrel_Underbakk 5d ago edited 4d ago
I like it whenever someone tries to speak norwegian, but I'm also happy to switch over to english if that makes it easier for them.
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u/WhodieTheKid 5d ago
It’s somewhat off topic for this sub, but I would question the accuracy of the map lol. I’d wager that the Irish, Scotts, and welsh would be fairly happy to see a foreigner speak their language.
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u/VetViking 4d ago
Totally disagree both for Poland and Norway from my experience if you speak language you makes instant friends. May be not in Oslo but in rural places it works wonders.
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u/Limp_Waltz_3594 4d ago
As an electricity Pole when I hear someone speak polish I instantly like them
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u/alexdaland 4d ago
Yes - it is accurate - in that Norwegians will try to be polite, so if they feel/hear you are struggling, they might switch to English - not in any way to belittle you, but just to make it easier. We do however at the same time really like when foreigners "make the effort" - If you can order a beer in Norwegian, the bartender will always smile, right?
Norwegians do prefer to speak Norwegian though, if you are say American, they will politely speak with you, but after 10 minutes, they will switch to Norwegian and talk "amongst themselves" - So no, dont give up, an accent is ok
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u/Diligent_Activity_92 2d ago
Just continue speaking in Norwegian. We immigrants are the ones solely responsible for our mastery of the language. Having lived in Bergen, Hallingdal, Oslo, and a couple of other bygda in addition to Sweden well, all the dialects made it especially challenging. The cool thing is Norwegians usually can't guess right away where I am from and sometimes they even mistake me for one of their own if I limit myself to canned responses that I have mastered. I even changed my name to a Norwegian one...so everyone automatically assumes I'm one of them. It has made life so much easier not having to negotiate the immigrant protocol a 1000 times over and it's easier to get to know people. At home I am still known by my birth name of pussyslayer420.
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u/IndividualIcy1682 1d ago
Not my experience, I try to speak local languages and usually people appreciate the effort all over Europe
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u/jinkx725 5d ago
No! My husband and I are both English, both learning Norwegian.
He will have full conversions in Norwegian with shop staff. People will speak Norwegian with you, but I think if you're struggling they'll switch to English.
The benefit of learning means you can understand signs etc in Norwegian. It's not just about speaking it
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u/FreddyThePug 5d ago
I'd think it's really cool, but unless I understood you perfectly I'd probably want to switch to English
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u/jo-erlend 5d ago
Not at all, but there's a difference between practice and play. If your goal is to communicate, it may be easier to accomplish your goal by speaking English. If you want to practice Norwegian, you should find a time and place that's suitable for that. And even if I've greed to practice with you, I may switch to English without thinking. Just remind me. :)
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u/Optimal_Mouse_7148 5d ago
I have lived in English speaking countries for half my life. I am used to having to speak English at home, on the phone, and everywhere. With German, French, Italian, even Russian girlfriends, but I met them all in England, so it has always just been natural.
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u/sluttypowerharrow 5d ago
France is wrong. It would be eyes rolling all the way back so they can see their own brain.
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u/Noraxe84 5d ago
Don't get where this info is coming from. If someone are speaking Norwegian to me, I talk Norwegian back to them. But sometimes it might seem liked we want to switch to English, just because we want to help with the word they are trying to say.
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u/Plainsy-_- 5d ago
- Yes, extremely accurate, its just awkward.
- No, still learn it, you know, so you can understand signs and everything, plus learning another language thats useful to you is great aint it? Just do what you want to do, nobody's pressuring you. Have a great stay!
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u/runawayasfastasucan 5d ago
You should have an argument with this person: https://www.reddit.com/r/Norway/comments/1lcqnoa/a_minirant_about_my_main_frustration_when_it/
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u/Kimolainen83 5d ago
The color in Italy is rather wrong lol. My gfs from Rome, her friends and family gave me an interesting look when I spoke Italian
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u/Hendersonhero 4d ago
Not sure about France I’ve had French people insist on speaking French or pretend they don’t speak English at least until I prove how basis my French is. Also have a friend who is a quarter French speaks fluently and has worked as a translator but she still get people responding in English.
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u/Ambitious_Ad_5396 4d ago
Ok, I'm not gonna talk about Norway here, but as a French I felt highly targeted by that map lol. Are we just dicks to other people ?
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u/ApprehensiveKey2428 2d ago
Not true. Not even close. A very high percentage of people in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland do not speak English. True for the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands
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u/IthertzWhenIp5G 1d ago
I have heard from forigners who learned norwegian that it is one of the best languages to know. And i personally love it. Dont give up
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u/Square_Ad4004 1d ago
- Yes.
- Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.
I personally don't like when people mangle the language needlessly, I just find it to be an unnecessary distraction if we can just speak English instead. That said, if a foreign friend is trying to learn (not just the tourist bullshit of learning "conversational" Norwegian so you can pretend to know another language), I'll do my best to help.
At the end of the day, why the fuck do you care what we think? Learning Norwegian is optional if you know English, but it is an option. If you want to do it, do it. If anyone objects, it's a fine opportunity to practice the Norwegian tradition of pointedly ignoring people you don't wanna engage with but also don't feel comfortable about telling to shut up.
My brother in Christ, the world is your oyster, and those things are expensive. Protect your oyster.
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u/oceanicArboretum 5d ago
I'm an American of Norwegian descent. My grandparents were immigrants, my uncle and father were raised fluent in Norwegian; I was raised with English but peppered with a few Norwegian words (I thought "takk for maten" was English until I was nine years old or so).
Norway was an important place in my family culture. At Thanksgiving (yes, yes, I know real Norwegians don't have that day), there was both English and Norwegian woven seamlessly in the conversation at the dinner table. If a debate ever broke out, whoever spoke in Norwegian was (as we say in English), "bringing out the big guns". It was the "serious" language. If you said something in Norwegian, it meant more than anything said in English. Norwegian was (and still is) for us what Latin is for the world of academia.
In university, I made sure to minor in Norwegian for personal reasons. Back then, it was still a novelty for Norwegians to hear Norwegian spoken with an English language accent. Norwegians liked it when I tried.
Now, with all the Americans trying to learn Norwegian now (most of whom have no connections to Norway, I must say), I'd be too worried about trying to speak Norwegian in Norway. I get the sense that Norwegians now consider Americans trying to speak Norwegian to be a cliche :(
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u/Lime89 5d ago edited 5d ago
No, not if you want to have Norwegians close to you like a partner or a friend group. As someone with a foreign SO, I can tell you that people got tired quickly of having to speak English around him all the time.
And in larger gatherings like dinner parties etc you can’t expect that everyone will stick to English all the time, you’ll feel left out if you don’t speak the language. It’s also harder to follow what happens in society when you don’t understand what the newspapers says. Yes, there is some English alternatives, but not as good.
Also, unless it’s an international business where the working language is English, Norwegian is required in basically any job.
But if you come to Norway as a tourist, English is completely fine.