Uttale for engelsk- og urdutalende (pronunciation for English and Urdu speakers)
How to read the Roman and Urdu guides, and the Norwegian sounds you already know from English and Urdu.
15 minutes · A free lesson from Start here · Roman and Urdu pronunciation guides and English meanings are shown under each phrase
Every Norwegian word and sentence in this course comes with two reading aids. The Roman line spells the sound the way an English speaker would read it; the Urdu line writes it in Urdu letters. Both are close guides, not exact ones. Listen to the audio, copy the voice, and use the guide to remember what you heard. You can show both guides, one of them, or neither, in the lesson settings.
Sounds Urdu speakers already have
- The Norwegian r is a quick tap of the tongue, like Urdu ر in رات, not the English r. Say rar (strange) with two light taps.
rar Say rar رار Means: strange, odd - When r meets t, d, n, l or s, the two letters melt into one sound made with the tongue curled back: the position of Urdu ٹ and ڈ. kort (short) ends like کوٹ, and ferdig (finished) has the ڈ of ڈاک. rs becomes "sh": norsk sounds like "nosh-k".
kort Say kurt کُرت Means: short; also: a card ferdig Say fardi فاردِ Means: finished, done norsk Say noshk نوشک Means: Norwegian - Long and short vowels matter, just as آ and a short zabar do in Urdu. tak (roof) has a long a; takk (thanks) has a short one. A double consonant after a vowel tells you the vowel is short.
tak Say tak تاک Means: a roof; a ceiling takk Say tak تاک Means: thanks
Sounds English speakers already have
- sj, skj, and sk before i or y sound like English "sh": sjø (sea), skjorte (shirt), ski (ski).
sjø Say shoe شوے Means: sea, lake skjorte Say shurtuh شُرتَ Means: a shirt ski Say shee شی Means: ski, skis - kj, and k before i or y, is a soft hiss close to "sh", like the start of English "huge": kjøkken (kitchen), kino (cinema).
kjøkken Say shoekuhn شوےکَن Means: a kitchen kino Say sheenoo شینُو Means: a cinema - p, t and k at the start of a word come with a small puff of air, as in English. Urdu speakers can think of a light پھ، تھ and کھ: penger (money), takk, kaffe (coffee).
penger Say pehnguhr پےنگَر Means: money takk Say tak تاک Means: thanks kaffe Say kaffuh کاففَ Means: coffee
Vowels to practise
- y: say "ee" and round your lips, as for a kiss: by (town).
by Say bue بیُ Means: town, city - u: say "oo", then push your lips forward and keep your tongue high: hus (house).
hus Say hoos ہُوس Means: house; houses - ø: say "ay" and round your lips: søt (sweet).
søt Say soet سوےت Means: sweet; cute - æ: like the a in English "cat", a little longer: være (to be).
være Say vaaruh وارَ Means: (to) be - å: like the "aw" in "saw", or Urdu او in دو: gå (to go).
gå Say goh گو Means: (to) go, (to) walk - o: usually "oo", as in bok (book), but sometimes "aw", as in komme (to come).
bok Say book بُوک Means: book komme Say kommuh کوممَ Means: (to) come
Letters you do not say
- h before v and j: hva (what), hjem (home).
hva Say va وا Means: what hjem Say yehm یےم Means: home (going home) - d at the end of many words, and in -ld and -nd: god (good), kveld (evening), land (country).
god Say goo گُو Means: good kveld Say kvehll کوےلل Means: evening land Say lann لانن Means: a country; land - g in the ending -lig: hyggelig (nice) sounds like "hyggeli".
hyggelig Say huegehli ہیُگےلِ Means: nice, pleasant, friendly - t in det (it), and in the ending of a neuter noun with "the": huset (the house) sounds like "hoo-seh".
det Say deh دے Means: it; that; there huset Say hoosuht ہُوسَت Means: the house
Listen and repeat
Say it out loud (30 seconds): Les høyt: Jeg heter Ali, og jeg snakker litt norsk. Jeg er ferdig med jobben klokka fire.Say: lehs hoyt. yai hehtuhr alee, oh yai snakuhr lit noshk. yai ehr fardi meh yobuhn kloka feeruh.لےس ہوئت. یائی ہےتَر الی, او یائی سناکَر لِت نوشک. یائی اےر فاردِ مے یوبَن کلوکا فیرَ.Means: Read aloud: My name is Ali, and I speak a little Norwegian. I finish work at four o'clock.
A model answer
Jeg heter Ali, og jeg snakker litt norsk. Jeg er ferdig med jobben klokka fire.Say: yai hehtuhr alee, oh yai snakuhr lit noshk. yai ehr fardi meh yobuhn kloka feeruh.یائی ہےتَر الی, او یائی سناکَر لِت نوشک. یائی اےر فاردِ مے یوبَن کلوکا فیرَ.Means: My name is Ali, and I speak a little Norwegian. I finish work at four o'clock.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: Which Norwegian sound is made like Urdu ٹ?
- kj in “kjøkken”
- sj in “sjø”
- rt in “kort”
Show the answer
C: rt in “kort” — When r meets t they melt into one sound with the tongue curled back, the position of ٹ.
Quick check: How do you say rs in “norsk”?
- As r and then s
- As one sound, like “sh”
- Like “rz”
Show the answer
B: As one sound, like “sh” — In eastern Norwegian, rs is one sound: norsk sounds like “nosh-k”.
Quick check: What tells you that the a in “takk” is short?
- The double k after it
- The k at the end
- Nothing: every a is short
Show the answer
A: The double k after it — A double consonant after a vowel makes the vowel short. tak (roof) has a long a.
Quick check: Which letter is silent in “hyggelig”?
- the g at the end
- the first g
- the y
Show the answer
A: the g at the end — In the ending -lig the g is silent: hyggelig sounds like “hyggeli”.
Quick check: How should you use the Roman and Urdu guides?
- Read only the guides and never listen
- Use them only for long words
- Read with a guide, listen, then try without it
Show the answer
C: Read with a guide, listen, then try without it — The guides help you remember a sound you have heard. Copy the audio, then try without them.