Norsk for urdutalende (Norwegian for Urdu and Punjabi speakers)
What works the same as in Urdu, what works the other way round, and the mistakes Urdu and Punjabi speakers make most often.
15 minutes · A free lesson from Start here · Roman and Urdu pronunciation guides and English meanings are shown under each phrase
If you speak Urdu or Punjabi, you already know a lot that helps: you are used to learning grammar, you hear the difference between long and short vowels, and Urdu ر is close to the Norwegian r. A few things work the other way round. Knowing them in advance saves months.
1. The verb comes second, not last
Urdu puts the verb at the end: میں نارویجن سیکھتا ہوں. Norwegian puts it second: Jeg lærer norsk. Even when the sentence starts with a time or a place, the verb stays in second place and the subject moves after it: I dag lærer jeg norsk. In Urdu that would be آج میں نارویجن سیکھتا ہوں, so the habit to break is putting the subject straight after the time.
| Jeg lærer norsk. | Say yai laaruhr noshk. | یائی لارَر نوشک. | Means: I am learning Norwegian. |
| I dag lærer jeg norsk. | Say ee dag laaruhr yai noshk. | ای داگ لارَر یائی نوشک. | Means: Today I am learning Norwegian. |
2. Prepositions come first
Urdu has words after the noun: گھر میں، میز پر، دفتر سے. Norwegian puts them in front: i huset (in the house), på bordet (on the table), fra kontoret (from the office).
| i huset | Say ee hoosuht | ای ہُوسَت | Means: in the house |
| på bordet | Say poh boorduh | پو بُوردَ | Means: on the table |
| fra kontoret | Say fra kontooruht | فرا کونتُورَت | Means: from the office |
3. The verb never changes for the person
In Urdu the verb changes for the person and for male and female: میں ہوں، تم ہو، وہ ہے، کرتا، کرتی. In Norwegian there is one form for everyone: jeg er, du er, hun er, vi er. Jeg jobber is right whether a man or a woman says it.
| jeg er, du er, hun er, vi er | Say yai ehr, doo ehr, hoon ehr, vee ehr | یائی اےر, دُو اےر, ہُون اےر, وی اےر | Means: I am, you are, she is, we are |
| Jeg jobber | Say yai yobuhr | یائی یوبَر | Means: I work |
4. He and she are different words
Urdu وہ means he, she or it. Norwegian has han (he), hun (she), and den or det for things. Learners often say han about a woman: listen for it in your own speech.
| han | Say han | ہان | Means: he |
| hun | Say hoon | ہُون | Means: she |
| den | Say dehn | دےن | Means: it (for an en or ei word); also: the, that |
| det | Say deh | دے | Means: it; that; there |
5. Questions start with the verb
Urdu adds کیا to make a question: کیا آپ نارویجن بولتے ہیں؟ Norwegian moves the verb to the front: Snakker du norsk?
| Snakker du norsk? | Say snakuhr doo noshk? | سناکَر دُو نوشک? | Means: Do you speak Norwegian? |
6. Small words for "a" and "the"
Urdu has no word for "a" or "the". Norwegian has both, and "the" goes on the end of the noun: en bil (a car), bilen (the car). Urdu has two genders and Norwegian three, and they often do not match: میز (a table) is feminine in Urdu, but et bord is neuter. Learn every noun with its own word in front.
| en bil | Say ehn beel | اےن بیل | Means: a car |
| bilen | Say beeluhn | بیلَن | Means: the car |
| et bord | Say eht boor | اےت بُور | Means: a table |
7. Everyone is du
Urdu has آپ for respect and تم or تو for people close to you. Norwegian uses du for almost everyone, even your manager or a doctor, and that is polite. Politeness lives in other words instead: takk, unnskyld and questions such as Kan du hjelpe meg?
| du | Say doo | دُو | Means: you (one person) |
| takk | Say tak | تاک | Means: thanks |
| unnskyld | Say unshuell | اُنشیُلل | Means: excuse me, sorry |
| Kan du hjelpe meg? | Say kan doo yehlpuh mai? | کان دُو یےلپَ مائی? | Means: Can you help me? |
Common mistakes, and how to say it
False friends: they look like English words
Say it out loud (40 seconds): Si tre setninger om deg selv. Begynn én av dem med «I dag» eller «Nå».Say: see treh sehtninguhr om dai sehl. buhyuen ehn av dehm meh ee dag ehlluhr noh.سی ترے سےتنِنگَر اوم دائی سےل. بَییُن اےن او دےم مے ای داگ اےللَر نو.Means: Say three sentences about yourself. Start one of them with “I dag” (today) or “Nå” (now).
A model answer
Jeg heter Imran, og jeg kommer fra Lahore. Nå bor jeg i Oslo. I dag lærer jeg norsk, og i morgen jobber jeg.Say: yai hehtuhr imran, oh yai kommuhr fra lahohr. noh boor yai ee osloo. ee dag laaruhr yai noshk, oh ee morn yobuhr yai.یائی ہےتَر اِمران, او یائی کوممَر فرا لاہور. نو بُور یائی ای اوسلُو. ای داگ لارَر یائی نوشک, او ای مورن یوبَر یائی.Means: My name is Imran, and I come from Lahore. Now I live in Oslo. Today I am learning Norwegian, and tomorrow I am working.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: Which position does the verb take in a Norwegian statement?
- Last, as in Urdu
- Second
- First
Show the answer
B: Second — Jeg lærer norsk. Even after a time word the verb stays second: I dag lærer jeg norsk.
Quick check: Choose the correct sentence.
- I dag jobber jeg hjemme.
- I dag jeg jobber hjemme.
- I dag jobber hjemme jeg.
Show the answer
A: I dag jobber jeg hjemme. — After I dag, the verb comes next and then the subject — not straight after the time word, as in Urdu.
Quick check: How does Norwegian make a yes/no question?
- It adds a question word at the start, like Urdu کیا
- It puts the verb last
- It puts the verb first
Show the answer
C: It puts the verb first — Snakker du norsk? The verb moves to the front.
Quick check: Which word means she?
- hun
- han
- den
Show the answer
A: hun — hun is she, han is he, and den is it. Urdu وہ covers all three.
Quick check: What does “gift” mean in Norwegian?
- a present
- married (and also: poison)
- a gift shop
Show the answer
B: married (and also: poison) — Er du gift? means Are you married? A present is en gave.