Recommended resources
The freely available resources this lesson will direct you to.
Hei! Last time, you practised making your own reactions clear: Det synes jeg også when you share a view, Jeg er ikke sikker when you do not know, and Jeg er ikke helt enig when you see things differently. In an informal conversation, the other person may surround a clear opinion with words such as liksom, jo, or ikke sant? Those words can be hard to translate, but they help you hear how the speaker is presenting the opinion.
This lesson is about recognition, not imitation. You will learn to spot a few common informal words and discourse markers in Urban East Norwegian, work out what they contribute, and keep hold of the main message. You can continue to use the clear Bokmål responses you already know.
What makes a word sound informal?
A speaker might choose an everyday word instead of a more formal-sounding one. In Norwegian speaking lesson: Formal & informal Norwegian, Speak Norsk introduces that contrast and gives unnskyld and beklager as an example. Listen for the difference in register, not for a rule that one word is “correct” and the other is not.
Norwegian speaking lesson: Formal & informal Norwegian
In “Norwegian speaking lesson: Formal & informal Norwegian,” Speak Norsk compares everyday and more formal-sounding expressions. This short opening establishes the register distinction before you meet less familiar conversational words.
Watch the introduction for the speaker’s point that both kinds of expression are acceptable. Then watch the apology pair: notice how she characterizes unnskyld and beklager, rather than trying to memorize every sentence of her explanation.
Unnskyld is an ordinary “excuse me” or “sorry”; beklager can sound more formal in the situation shown. Neither belongs exclusively to speech or writing. Register depends on the situation, the speaker, and the tone.
You may also hear words that look or sound unlike the forms you first learned from Bokmål. These are useful recognition cues in casual East Norwegian speech:
| What you may hear | A familiar form | Meaning in context |
|---|---|---|
| åssen | hvordan | “how,” as in Åssen var filmen? — “How was the film?” |
| veit | vet | “know,” as in Jeg veit ikke — “I don’t know.” |
| kjipt | trist, leit, or “unpleasant,” depending on context | Det var kjipt can mean “That was a shame” or “That was lousy.” |
| digg | deilig, god, or “enjoyable,” depending on context | Maten var digg — “The food was really good.” |
These words are not all exclusive to Oslo or to one age group. In particular, kjipt and digg are informal vocabulary, not clues that identify a speaker’s precise dialect. Your first task when you hear one is simple: recover the meaning of the sentence. You need not adopt the word yourself.
Small words that tell you the speaker’s stance
Some of the most frequent conversational words add little to the event being described but a great deal to the speaker’s stance. Read the examples under “Modal particles: the little words that carry the feeling” in Elon.io’s Spoken Norwegian and Its Features. Focus on what changes between a plain sentence and one with jo, da, nok, or vel.
Spoken Norwegian and Its Features | Norwegian Grammar | Elon.io
Elon.io’s “Spoken Norwegian and Its Features” shows these small words inside short utterances. Read this passage to connect each word with the attitude it can signal, rather than assigning it a single English equivalent.
In “Modal particles: the little words that carry the feeling,” read the particle examples, from the opening explanation through the example that combines several particles. Stop before “Topic-drop: leaving out the obvious subject.” Pay particular attention to what the speaker assumes, expects, or invites the listener to confirm.
Consider jo first. You may hear it inside a statement:
Slutten var jo bra.
The ending was good, as you know / after all.
The speaker presents the ending’s quality as something the listener might already recognize. That does not prove the listener agrees. It tells you how the speaker is framing the claim.
Jo has another important job: it can be a reply that contradicts a negative question or statement. Simple Norwegian #3 – Fundamental Words & Phrases from Simple Norwegian introduces this use alongside ja and nei. Listen to how jo stands on its own as a response.
Simple Norwegian #3 - Fundamental Words & Phrases
In “Simple Norwegian #3 – Fundamental Words & Phrases,” Simple Norwegian contrasts ja, nei, and jo. This gives you a spoken reference for jo before you meet it in a conversation.
Watch ja, nei, jo. Focus on the explanation of jo as an affirmative answer against a negative premise; the next lesson examples supply a fuller conversational context.
For instance:
A: Du likte ikke filmen?
You didn’t like the film?
B: Jo, jeg likte den.
Yes, I did like it.
A plain ja answers “yes”; jo specifically pushes back against the negative premise. When jo appears inside a sentence, as in Den var jo bra, it is instead the shared-knowledge cue. Position and context help you tell the two uses apart.
The other particles are easier to recognize if you listen for the speaker’s degree of certainty or the response they expect:
Det blir nok bra.
It’ll probably turn out fine.
Here nok suggests expectation or reassurance, not a guarantee. But nok can also mean “enough” elsewhere: Vi har nok tid means “We have enough time.” The surrounding words resolve the difference.
Du kommer vel på lørdag?
You’re coming on Saturday, right?
Here vel makes the question tentative and invites confirmation. The speaker has an expectation but is checking it.
Det går bra, da.
It’s fine, though / It’ll be all right.
At the end of this sentence, da colours the response; depending on tone and context, it may sound reassuring or mildly defensive. It is not the time word da meaning “then” or “when.” You do not need to settle on one English translation. Notice that the sentence still says Det går bra—“It’s fine”—and let tone guide the rest.
Fillers can hold the conversation together
A speaker may pause, soften a judgement, or check that you are following. Return to the same Elon.io reading, but this time go directly to “Discourse fillers.” It comes after the separate “Topic-drop” section; you can skip that intervening section today.
Spoken Norwegian and Its Features | Norwegian Grammar | Elon.io
The “Discourse fillers” passage in Elon.io’s “Spoken Norwegian and Its Features” collects expressions you will hear around a speaker’s main point. Read it to recognize their conversational jobs without trying to insert them into your own speech.
Under “Discourse fillers,” read the filler passage, beginning with the explanation of why speakers use fillers and continuing through the comment about repeated liksom. Stop before “Common Mistakes.” Notice that these expressions do not all need a word-for-word translation.
Liksom often works like English “like” or “sort of.” If someone says Slutten var liksom litt rar—“The ending was, like, a bit strange”—the important judgement is litt rar. Liksom makes it sound less exact or gives the speaker time to formulate it. På en måte (“in a way” or “kind of”) can similarly qualify a thought.
Altså can introduce a clarification or restart: Altså, jeg likte filmen, men …—“I mean, I liked the film, but …” In rapid informal speech, you may hear it as asså. Treat that sound as a cue to listen for what the speaker is about to explain, not as a separate topic you must decode.
Finally, ikke sant? at the end of a statement often asks for confirmation or agreement:
Vi møtes klokka sju, ikke sant?
We’re meeting at seven, right?
Despite its literal components, the speaker is not saying “not true.” They are checking whether you share their understanding. The right response depends on the situation: if the time is wrong, you can correct it. If you are unsure, Jeg er ikke sikker remains a useful answer from the previous lesson.
Keep the main point in view
Read this short exchange as something you might overhear after a film. First follow the opinions; then notice what the informal words add.
A: Åssen var filmen?
How was the film?
B: Den var liksom litt rar. Slutten var bra, da.
It was kind of strange. The ending was good, though.
A: Ja, slutten var jo bra. Musikken var fin, ikke sant?
Yes, the ending was good, as we both know. The music was nice, right?
B: Ja. Jeg kommer nok til å høre på den igjen.
Yes. I’ll probably listen to it again.
The exchange makes sense even before you pin down every marker: B found the film strange but liked the ending; A liked the music; B expects to listen to it again. The smaller words refine that picture. Liksom qualifies B’s judgement, da allows a positive point after a reservation, jo presents the ending as common ground, ikke sant? invites confirmation, and nok makes B’s plan a prediction rather than a promise.
That is a useful listening order for daily conversation: catch what happened or what someone thinks, then use the markers to understand how firmly they mean it and what response they invite. An informal word you do not use yourself need not interrupt your understanding.
Takeaways
Recognize åssen, veit, kjipt, and digg as possible everyday words, without treating them as required vocabulary for your own speech. Listen for jo, da, nok, and vel to hear shared assumptions, reassurance, expectation, or a request for confirmation. Treat liksom, altså/asså, på en måte, and ikke sant? as clues to how a speaker shapes or checks a thought—not as extra facts you must translate individually.
Next, you will give a clear account of a recent experience. Your own account can use straightforward Norwegian; today’s recognition skills will help you follow the more informal responses it may prompt.