Idioms and Sayings

Norwegian language is full of quirky and interesting idioms and sayings that give you a peek into the country's culture. These expressions range from funny to profound and sometimes reveal a bit about old Norwegian values and way of life. In this blog post I've tried to collect idioms and sayings that you might actually come across during your studies or visit to Norway.

PS: Some these sayings have been "stolen" from other languages over time, so you might just recognize some of them from your own native language.

1. Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær Translation: There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes Meaning: Don't complain about the weather, you should dress better instead.

2. Gammel vane er vond å vende Translation: "Old habits are difficult to turn" Meaning: "Old habits are hard to change"

3. Morgenstund har gull i munn Translation: "Morning time has gold in the mouth" Meaning: The morning is a very valuable time where you can achieve many things.

4. Eplet faller ikke langt fra stammen Translation: The apple doesn't fall far from the trunk Meaning: Children resemble their parents.

5. Å få både i pose og sekk Translation: To get both in bag and sack Meaning: You can't get both / You can't have your cake and eat it too

6. Førstemann til mølla Translation: First person to the mill Meaning: The first to get there gets it / First come first served

7. Smi mens jernet er varmt Translation: Forge while the iron is hot Meaning: To do something while you have the chance / To strike while the iron is hot

8. Bedre sent enn aldri Translation: better late than never Meaning: Better to do something late than not at all.

9. Ta det med en klype salt Translation: Take it with a pinch of salt Meaning: Don't believe 100% of what was said / don't take it too seriously

10. Å ta det for god fisk Translation: To take it as good fish Meaning: To believe something someone said without doubting them

11. Aldri for sent å snu Translation: Never too late to turn Meaning: It's never too late to stop / return / go back

12. Ha det bra Translation: Have it well Meaning: Take care!

13. Borte bra men hjemme best Translation: Away is good, but home is best Meaning: Nothing beats home

14. Ut på tur, aldri sur Translation: Out on a trip / hike, never grumpy Meaning: There's no reason to be grumpy when you're outside enjoying nature

15. Mye vil ha mer Translation: Much / A lot wants more Meaning: People that have a lot of things / money / anything always wants to have more

16. Det selger som hakka møkk Translation: It sells like minced / chopped shit Meaning: It's selling really well / It's super popular

17. Lyset er på, men ingen er hjemme Translation: The lights are on, but nobody's home Meaning: This person is not very smart

18. Du er ikke den skarpeste kniven i skuffen Translation: You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer Meaning: You're not very smart (sharp)

19. Å gå rundt grøten Translation: To walk around the porridge Meaning: To avoid getting to the point / Take a long time before getting to the point.

20. Å male seg selv i et hjørne Translation: To paint oneself into a corner Meaning: To put oneself in a difficult situation

As you can probably tell Norwegian is a rather colorful language. It's probably also easy to see that a good amount of idioms stem from our long history of fishing and farming.

Hopefully you learned something new from this collection! Also please feel free to let me know if I should add, remove or correct something.

Vi snakkes! -Martin