Norwegian lesson #1: Forbudt and "ha det"

Norwegian is a Germanic based language and can be challenging to learn, especially for someone like me whose language experience is limited to English, a smattering of Romance-based languages and a working knowledge of Pig Latin.

The vast majority of Norwegians know English and will use it when asked, so I am not completely stuck.

Husband is fairly fluent, so he's always fine and I can rely on him to help with communication issues when he's around.

We have Norwegian friends who are kind enough to speak English in front of me. But, I don't want to rely on all of their kindnesses because we're going to be living here for at least two years, if not longer. Plus, often a native speaker will slip back into Norwegian and I'm left in the dark and miss great bits of what seem to be really good stories. (Though some words are almost identical, in a few days I will tell the Kangaroo Body Parts story...)

In any case, I am an American living here. So, as a resident, I want to learn to speak and at least comprehend much of what goes on around me for a variety of reasons, the least of which is that I just think it's the polite and right thing to do.

So in my quest towards fluency, I am using several methods.

Immersion:
During the day, I often go to places alone where people are not quite as fluent, like the wine store. I use the bits I know and muddle through the rest with combinations of "Tusen takk" (Tooo-sen tock) which means "thanks so much" and pointing.

Osmosis:
Most morning I keep the Television tuned into the channels that only use Norwegian in the hopes that it will sink into my subconscious.

Tutoring:
Tomorrow, I will officially begin my lessons with an instructor and Husband has been coaching me through lots of lessons.

Self-study:
By using Husband's old language books and workbooks, I've figured out some conjugations, vocabulary and structure.

Going to the grocery store:
Much like reading a children's book (which is another method I will soon employ once I get a library card), the grocery store is full of items that I can identify by sight, so then I memorize the appropriate word, (red pepper=paprika, cheese=ost, milk=melk).

Word association:
There are just some connections that seem appropriate to me.

For example: "Forbudt" means "Forbidden"



Don't park here unless you meet certain conditions

And for some reason, "Forbudt" (Fuhrr-booodt) connects with "Forgetaboutit" (Fuhrr-get-ta-booot-it) in my head.

If you are over 18, let Donnie Brasco explain it to you



If you are under 18, learn about it through Mad TV
>

(To reiterate, the Norwegians mean "don't do it.")

Then there is a "ha det" (ha-da), which is a commonly used salutation, which is an informal way to say "good-bye, see you later." The inflection uses a higher pitch and emphasis on the first syllable.

Say it quickly and t may remind you of "Holla," which is also a commonly used American salutation, which means "See you later on, give me a call."

If you are over 18, the Ghetto Boys will help me explain what I mean...