The Norwegian puzzle - find your missing pieces

The Norwegian Puzzle is growing! In this episode, I introduce the new Premium membership and explain what you can expect: extra episodes, learning resources, content for different levels, and new ways to practise and interact. I also explain how to choose content that works for you and how to make Norwegian a natural part of your everyday life — one puzzle piece at a time. Got some feedback? Write...

From now on, the most work-intensive episodes will be premium, with options to get explanations in English or Norwegian depending on your level and learning goals.   You asked for more listening practice, and we’re rebuilding The Norwegian Puzzle to deliver it in a way that finally fits how people actually learn. Rather than one-size-fits-all audio, we’re creating a new kind of Norwegian listening...

We break down the real difference between “både” and “begge” so you can say “both” in Norwegian without guessing. We also tackle the tricky part, when Norwegian wants “begge deler” because you are talking about an idea instead of a specific thing you can point at.  • “Både” requires the “og” structure and cannot stand alone as “both”  • Using “både” to list categories, including three or more item...

“His car” sounds clear until it suddenly isn’t. When the subject is third person, English often forces us to guess who owns what, but Norwegian grammar refuses to let that ambiguity slide. We walk you through the real reason Norwegian has reflexive possessives and show how sin, si, sitt, and sine create instant clarity compared with hans, hennes, and deres. If you have ever felt like you understan...

That one little choice between infinitive and present tense van be tricky. We sit down and untangle the confusion from the ground up, because most learners were taught a shortcut that works… until it doesn’t. If you’ve ever stared at a verb and thought, “Do I add R or not?” this is the reset you need. We explain what infinitive really is: the dictionary form that sits outside time. Once you unders...

Norwegian adjective endings can feel like a guessing game until you learn what they are really doing. We focus on one practical distinction that clears up a ton of confusion fast: are you using an adjective to describe something, or to define which thing you mean? We start by separating indefinite adjectives from definite adjectives. Along the way we use everyday examples like “a nice car”, “the h...

Send us Fan Mail We start with the everyday question, “What time is it at your place?”, and use it to unpack why telling time in Norwegian can feel strangely hard at first. We walk through two reliable paths: digital time and analogue time. For digital time, we keep it clean and practical: use the 24-hour clock and say only numbers, like fourteen thirty and fourteen fifteen.  Then we move into the...

Send us Fan Mail Support the show Do you like the podcast? :) Feel free to buy me a coffee :)  buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle   .... This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube, Deezer and Podcast Addict.  .... Transcript available here : https://the-norwegian-puzzle.buzzsprout.com .... Questions? Feedback? Get in touch! norskmedsilje@gmail.com .... Other places to find me: ...

Send us Fan Mail The Norwegian R is the sound everyone worries about, and it turns out the worry is pointed in the wrong direction. We talk through what many learners are actually hearing in everyday Norwegian: a light tap R that barely “rolls” at all, often so subtle it can resemble a D. From there, we zoom out to the bigger truth about Norwegian dialects, including the skarre-r (the French-style...

Send us Fan Mail “Connect” feels like a simple word until you try to say it in Norwegian and realise you’re actually talking about five different things. We unpack the real meanings hiding inside that one word, and we give you Norwegian options you can use immediately in real conversations.  Subscribe for more Norwegian language tips, share this with a friend who’s learning, and let me know which...

Send us Fan Mail “Fresh” sounds simple until you try to say it in Norwegian and suddenly you have two options that both seem right. We unpack the real difference between frisk and fersk, and it turns out the split is incredibly practical: one word is about how something feels and tastes, the other is about how new it actually is. If you’ve ever stood in a grocery store wondering what a label reall...

Send us Fan Mail We start with the quick foundation: how comparative and superlative forms work (think -ere and -est), and why the English habit of avoiding endings on “long words” doesn’t translate cleanly into Norwegian. From there, we move into the real skill: spotting the adjectives that refuse to inflect, so you can stop guessing and start sounding natural. We also talk about why using mer an...

Send us Fan Mail Support the show Do you like the podcast? :) Feel free to buy me a coffee :)  buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle   .... This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube, Deezer and Podcast Addict.  .... Transcript available here : https://the-norwegian-puzzle.buzzsprout.com .... Questions? Feedback? Get in touch! norskmedsilje@gmail.com .... Other places to find me: ...

Send us Fan Mail (Norwegian only from 08:47) I share how a final course day transformed nerves into confidence by framing cross-country skiing around three core “gears,” each designed for a different speed and feel—one led by arms and upper body for fast glide, one that recruits the whole body for steady control, and a third that feels like running when you want more speed. I use a bilingual learn...

Send us Fan Mail Winter can feel endless when the sun disappears, and everyone around you seems to glide across the snow like they were born doing it. I've been there too, and I wanted to make a clear, friendly guide that helps you get outside, shake off the gloom, and find real joy on skis without wasting money, time, or courage. Listen, share with a friend who’s ski‑curious, and tell us wha...

Send us Fan Mail (Norwegian only from 09:21) Let's continue with my ski course story from last episode ... First, I guide you through a Norwegian–English sequence with generous pauses for repetition. Then I replay the same content in full Norwegian, so that you can stress-test your comprehension and lock in new words, phrases, and sounds. It’s a gentle but deliberate workout for your ear, you...

Send us Fan Mail (Norwegian only from 07:47) A bad day on the trail becomes the perfect language workout. We take you through a true cross-country skiing mishap—too-short poles, the wrong skis, zero technique—and use it to build your Norwegian listening in two steps: first with English support, then as a clean Norwegian-only replay. The story is simple, honest, and packed with phrases you’ll actua...

Send us Fan Mail What is the difference in meaning and function of these four words? How can we translate the English word "in" to Norwegian?  I hope you will know after listening to this episode :)  Support the show Do you like the podcast? :) Feel free to buy me a coffee :)  buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle   .... This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube, Deezer...

Send us Fan Mail Support the show Do you like the podcast? :) Feel free to buy me a coffee :)  buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle   .... This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube, Deezer and Podcast Addict.  .... Transcript available here : https://the-norwegian-puzzle.buzzsprout.com .... Questions? Feedback? Get in touch! norskmedsilje@gmail.com .... Other places to find me: ...

Send us Fan Mail We explore why motivation beats method when learning Norwegian and how joy, identity, and daily habits make progress stick. We share hard-won lessons from English, French, Greek, Arabic, and Mandarin, then turn them into practical steps you can use today. • find personal motivation(s) • choose resources that fit your goals • read aloud • write to lock in vocabulary • learn a lot o...

Send us Fan Mail We start with "å bety", the reliable choice when you ask what a word translates to, define a term, or tie facts to outcomes.  Then we switch lanes to "å mene", the verb for staking out a position or clarifying what you intended to say. Along the way, we share a quick rule that saves you from false-friend mistakes: "å mene" never follows anything but p...

Send us Fan Mail The shortest days can still spark the biggest plans. We open with Yule—what it actually means, why it isn’t the same as Christmas, and how the return of light offers a practical metaphor for steady progress. From there, I take you behind the scenes of how the show gets made. It’s imperfect by design, and that’s why the feedback loop with listeners matters so much. Looking ahead, I...

Send us Fan Mail One word captures the knowledge you carry forward while the other captures the moment you live through. With clear examples from work, language learning, and everyday life, we map the boundary between accumulated wisdom and immediate sensation so you can choose the right word and express yourself with nuance. To make it actionable, I contrast near‑identical sentences and ask you t...

Send us Fan Mail Stop second-guessing yourself in Norwegian. In this episode you will learn the three ways to say "myself" (and "yourself", "himself", "herself" etc.) in Norwegian. It is easier and more complicated than you think ... :P  Support the show Do you like the podcast? :) Feel free to buy me a coffee :)  buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle   .... T...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder why “I’m excited” in English never seems to land quite right in Norwegian? We unpack the three routes Norwegians typically take—spent, så glad, and giret—and show how each one maps to a different feeling: curiosity about the unknown, warm happiness with gratitude, and buzzing, physical energy that pushes you to act. If this helped refine your Norwegian, follow the show...