Recommended resources
The freely available resources this lesson will direct you to.
Hei! Last time, you practised answering questions about your interests and routines with sentences such as Jeg liker å lese and Jeg ser ofte film i helgene. Today you will make those answers more specific: what you do for fun, what you are watching or reading, and what you plan to do this weekend. The aim is not to memorise a long hobby list, but to combine a few useful verbs, nouns, and time expressions in conversation.
From “I like it” to “I do it”
Compare Jeg liker å spille sjakk (“I like playing chess”) with Jeg spiller sjakk (“I play chess”). The first describes a preference; the second describes an activity. You already know the pattern liker å plus a verb. Now give yourself several activities that can fit either pattern:
| Activity | A useful sentence |
|---|---|
| reading | Jeg leser bøker. — I read books. |
| watching films | Jeg ser på film. — I watch films. |
| playing chess | Jeg spiller sjakk. — I play chess. |
| listening to music | Jeg hører på musikk. — I listen to music. |
| walking | Jeg går tur. — I go for walks. |
| exercising | Jeg trener. — I exercise. |
Se på and høre på are useful pairs to learn together: Jeg ser på en film (“I’m watching a film”) and Jeg hører på musikk (“I’m listening to music”). For films in general, Jeg ser film is also common.
A short beginner dialogue in First Encounters in Norwegian, Part 2 shows how a conversation can move from work to hobbies:
AbsoluteBeginnerS1#1 AGentleIntroductionto Norwegian
Read the short dialogue from NorwegianClass101 for its everyday hobby question and answer, not as a list of vocabulary to memorise.
In “Absolute Beginner S1 #7 — First Encounters in Norwegian, Part 2,” find the Norwegian dialogue on PDF p. 2. Read from the hobby question through the final answer, then check the English dialogue immediately below it. Notice how Hva med deg? (“What about you?”) passes the turn back without requiring a long question.
The dialogue uses Har du en hobby? (“Do you have a hobby?”). You can answer with Ja, jeg spiller sjakk or simply name what you enjoy: Jeg liker å lese og gå tur. You need not identify one activity as your official “hobby.”
The people in the picture give you another useful verb: spille works for both chess and ball games.
Weekends: a habit or a plan?
A small change in time expression changes what you are saying. I helgene means “at weekends” as a general habit; i helgen refers to a particular weekend, with context telling you which one.
Jeg spiller ofte sjakk i helgene.
I often play chess at weekends.Jeg skal spille sjakk i helgen.
I’m going to play chess this weekend.
For an upcoming plan, skal plus the verb is a dependable pattern: Jeg skal lese, jeg skal se en film, jeg skal gå tur. Unlike liker å lese, there is no å after skal.
You might hear Har du noen planer i helgen? (“Do you have any plans this weekend?”). Ja, jeg skal på kino (“Yes, I’m going to the cinema”) works as an answer. So does Ikke så mye. Jeg skal slappe av (“Not much. I’m going to relax”). A quiet weekend is still something you can talk about.
Frequency words help you describe habits without claiming that you do something every weekend:
Jeg spiller ofte sjakk. — I often play chess.
Jeg ser på film noen ganger. — I watch films sometimes.
Jeg går sjelden på kino. — I seldom go to the cinema.
Listen to Karin’s short pronunciation demonstration before using those words aloud:
Norwegian Language: Time and stuff
Watch “Norwegian Language: Time and stuff” by Norwegian Teacher - Karin to hear time and frequency words at a natural speaking pace.
In time words, listen for “yesterday” and “tomorrow.” Then use frequency words to hear “sometimes,” “often,” and “seldom.” Focus on recognising the words in speech rather than pronouncing every written letter separately.
If you are talking about a weekend that has passed, forrige helg means “last weekend.” Two ready-made answers are Jeg så en film forrige helg (“I watched a film last weekend”) and Jeg leste en bok forrige helg (“I read a book last weekend”). For now, treat så and leste as useful past forms; a fuller account of past events comes later in the course.
Films, books, and what you are doing now
Hva slags filmer liker du? means “What kinds of films do you like?” You can answer with a genre: Jeg liker komedier (“I like comedies”) or Jeg liker dokumentarer (“I like documentaries”). If you are talking about one film, say Jeg ser på en komedie or Jeg ser på en dokumentar.
Books work in much the same way. Jeg leser mest romaner means “I mostly read novels”; Jeg leser en bok om kunstig intelligens means “I’m reading a book about artificial intelligence.” You can say more about a particular book or film without needing its title:
Jeg leser en roman. Den er spennende.
I’m reading a novel. It’s exciting.Jeg ser på en komedie. Den er morsom.
I’m watching a comedy. It’s funny.
Den refers back to en roman, en film, or another en-word. Bra (“good”) and interessant (“interesting”) are useful if spennende or morsom does not fit.
To ask about something someone is currently enjoying, you may hear Hva leser du for tiden? (“What are you reading these days?”) or Ser du på noen serier for tiden? (“Are you watching any series these days?”). For tiden means an activity is going on during this period; it does not mean you have the book open or the television on at this instant. By contrast, akkurat nå means “right now.”
Jeg leser en krimroman for tiden. — I’m reading a crime novel these days.
Jeg leser akkurat nå. — I’m reading right now.
Norwegian uses the same present-tense form, leser, in both sentences. The time expression does the work that English often gives to “read” versus “am reading.”
Putting the vocabulary into a conversation
Here is a short exchange that moves from a weekend plan to a current interest:
A: Har du noen planer i helgen?
Do you have any plans this weekend?
B: Jeg skal gå tur og se en film. Hva med deg?
I’m going to go for a walk and watch a film. What about you?
A: Jeg skal slappe av. Jeg leser en roman for tiden.
I’m going to relax. I’m reading a novel these days.
B: Å ja? Er den bra?
Oh really? Is it good?
A: Ja, den er spennende.
Yes, it’s exciting.
Notice how little vocabulary each speaker needs. A weekend plan, a current activity, and one descriptive word make the exchange more informative than a series of yes-or-no answers. Hva med deg? also lets you return the conversation to the other person using a phrase you have already met.
For a brief spoken review, say the exchange aloud once, then replace gå tur, film, and roman with activities or interests you would actually discuss. Keep the sentence patterns; change the details.
Takeaways
Use Jeg liker å … for an interest, Jeg … for something you do, and Jeg skal … for an upcoming plan. I helgene describes a weekend habit, while i helgen points to a particular weekend. For tiden lets you talk naturally about a book, film, series, or activity that currently occupies you.
You can now give the other person something specific to respond to. In the next lesson, you will build on that skill by asking follow-up questions that keep an informal conversation moving.