Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Norwegian vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
You will start with everyday Norwegian words like the food (maten), the drink (drikken), the cup (koppen) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Norwegian | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | maten | The food is delicious. Maten er deilig. |
| the drink | drikken | I want a drink. Jeg vil ha en drikk. |
| the cup | koppen | The cup is full. Koppen er full. |
| the bottle | flasken | The bottle is empty. Flasken er tom. |
| the plate | tallerkenen | The plate is clean. Tallerkenen er ren. |
| the spoon | skjeen | I use a spoon. Jeg bruker en skje. |
| the fork | gaffelen | I eat with a fork. Jeg spiser med en gaffel. |
| the knife | kniven | The knife is sharp. Kniven er skarp. |
| the breakfast | frokosten | I eat breakfast. Jeg spiser frokost. |
| the lunch | lunsjen | We have lunch at noon. Vi spiser lunsj midt på dagen. |
| the dinner | middagen | They eat dinner together. De spiser middag sammen. |
| the bread | brødet | I buy bread. Jeg kjøper brød. |
| the butter | smøret | I put butter on the bread. Jeg har smør på brødet. |
| the cheese | osten | I eat cheese. Jeg spiser ost. |
| the milk | melken | I drink milk. Jeg drikker melk. |
| the coffee | kaffen | I drink coffee in the morning. Jeg drikker kaffe om morgenen. |
| the tea | teen | I like tea. Jeg liker te. |
| the juice | juicen | I drink juice. Jeg drikker juice. |
| the soda | brusen | I drink soda. Jeg drikker brus. |
| the rice | risen | I eat rice. Jeg spiser ris. |
The 100 most important Norwegian words →
The 100 most important Norwegian verbs →
| to borrow | å låne |
| to buy | å kjøpe |
| to clean | å rydde |
| to close | å lukke |
| to cook | å lage mat |
| to do | å gjøre |
| to drink | å drikke |
| to eat | å spise |
| to find | å finne |
| to get | å få |
| She is my friend | Hun er min venn |
| They have fun together | De har det gøy sammen |
| We eat lunch together | Vi spiser lunsj sammen |
| She smiles a lot | Hun smiler mye |
| He tells funny jokes | Han forteller morsomme vitser |
| I visit my friends | Jeg besøker vennene mine |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Norwegian vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.