Time vocabulary is essential from day one in Norwegian. You need it to arrange appointments, understand schedules, follow instructions, and pass the Norskprøven. This guide covers everything: days of the week, months, how to tell the time (including the Norwegian half-hour system), dates, seasons, and the everyday time expressions that come up constantly in conversation.
Contents
Days of the Week
Norwegian days of the week are not capitalized. The week starts on Monday (mandag) in Norway — calendars and schedules follow this convention, not Sunday.
| Norwegian | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| mandag | Monday | "MAN-dag" |
| tirsdag | Tuesday | "TEERS-dag" |
| onsdag | Wednesday | "ONS-da" (the 'd' and 'g' are silent) |
| torsdag | Thursday | "TORS-dag" |
| fredag | Friday | "FREH-dag" |
| lørdag | Saturday | "LØR-dag" |
| søndag | Sunday | "SØN-dag" |
Using days in sentences: To say "on Monday" use på mandag. To say "every Monday" use hver mandag. To say "last Monday" use mandag i forrige uke. To say "next Monday" use mandag neste uke or på mandag (when context makes it clear it's upcoming).
Months of the Year
Norwegian months are also not capitalized. Most are recognizable from English or other European languages — a significant help for learners.
| Norwegian | English | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| januar | January | jan. |
| februar | February | feb. |
| mars | March | mar. |
| april | April | apr. |
| mai | May | mai |
| juni | June | jun. |
| juli | July | jul. |
| august | August | aug. |
| september | September | sep. |
| oktober | October | okt. |
| november | November | nov. |
| desember | December | des. |
To say "in January" use i januar. To say "in the beginning/middle/end of January" use i begynnelsen av januar / i midten av januar / i slutten av januar.
Seasons
To say "in spring" use om våren. The pattern: om våren, om sommeren, om høsten, om vinteren. To say "this summer" use i sommer; "last winter" is i vinter; "next spring" is til våren.
Telling the Time: The Norwegian System
The key difference from English: the Norwegian half-hour refers forward to the next hour, not back from the last one. Halv tre means half past two — literally "halfway to three." Once this clicks, the whole system is logical.
In formal contexts — timetables, train schedules, medical appointments, official communications — Norway uses the 24-hour clock: klokka 14:30 is 2:30pm. You will see and hear both systems in daily life.
Asking the time: Hva er klokka? (What time is it?) or Unnskyld, vet du hva klokka er? (Excuse me, do you know what time it is?)
Saying Dates
Norwegian dates use ordinal numbers and are written day-month-year. The date 15 March 2026 is written 15. mars 2026 and spoken den femtende mars to tusen og tjueseks.
| Written | Spoken | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1. januar | den første januar | 1st January |
| 2. februar | den andre februar | 2nd February |
| 17. mai | den syttende mai | 17th May (Constitution Day) |
| 24. desember | den tjuefjerde desember | 24th December (Christmas Eve) |
The dot after the number signals an ordinal: 1. = første (first), 2. = andre (second), 3. = tredje (third). From 4th onwards, add -te or -de: fjerde, femte, sjette, syvende, åttende, niende, tiende.
Asking the date: Hvilken dato er det i dag? (What is today's date?) or simply Hva er datoen i dag?
Parts of the Day
| Norwegian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| morgen / om morgenen | morning / in the morning | general habit |
| i morges | this morning | refers to earlier today |
| formiddag | late morning (before noon) | approx. 9am–12pm |
| middag / midt på dagen | midday / noon | also means "dinner" in Norwegian |
| ettermiddag | afternoon | approx. 12pm–6pm |
| kveld / om kvelden | evening / in the evening | approx. 6pm–midnight |
| natt / om natten | night / at night | midnight–early morning |
Common Time Expressions
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| i dag | today |
| i morgen | tomorrow |
| i går | yesterday |
| i forgårs | the day before yesterday |
| i overmorgen | the day after tomorrow |
| nå | now |
| snart | soon |
| allerede | already |
| ennå / enda | yet / still |
| aldri | never |
| alltid | always |
| ofte | often |
| sjelden | seldom / rarely |
| av og til | sometimes / occasionally |
| denne uken | this week |
| neste uke | next week |
| forrige uke | last week |
| i år | this year |
| neste år | next year |
| i fjor | last year |
| for [X] år siden | [X] years ago |
| om [X] dager | in [X] days |
| for [X] dager siden | [X] days ago |
Duration and Frequency
| Norwegian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| i [X] timer | for [X] hours | Jeg jobbet i tre timer. (I worked for three hours.) |
| i [X] dager | for [X] days | Jeg var syk i to dager. (I was sick for two days.) |
| siden | since / ago | Jeg har bodd her siden 2020. (I have lived here since 2020.) |
| en gang i uka | once a week | Jeg trener en gang i uka. (I exercise once a week.) |
| to ganger i måneden | twice a month | frequency pattern: [number] ganger i [period] |
| hver dag | every day | Jeg øver norsk hver dag. (I practise Norwegian every day.) |
| fra ... til ... | from ... to ... | fra mandag til fredag (Monday to Friday) |
| innen | by / within (deadline) | innen fredag (by Friday) |
Common Traps for English Speakers
These look similar but mean very different things:
- om morgenen — in the morning (general habit): Jeg drikker kaffe om morgenen.
- i morges — this morning (past, today): Jeg drakk kaffe i morges.
Halv tre is "halfway to three" = 2:30. English speakers instinctively read it as "half three" = 3:30. This is the most common time-related error in the Norskprøven listening section.
I morgen = tomorrow. Om morgenen = in the morning. I morgen morges = tomorrow morning. Easy to confuse when reading or listening quickly.
In everyday Norwegian, middag most commonly means the main meal of the day (often eaten in the afternoon/early evening) — not midday. Midt på dagen is the clearer word for noon.
Time Expressions in the Norskprøven
Time vocabulary appears throughout all four sections of the Norskprøven:
Listening section: You may hear appointment times, bus or train timetables, or event schedules and need to write the correct time or date. Practice both the spoken clock system and 24-hour digital formats.
Reading section: Schedules, appointment letters, event programmes, and work rotas all contain time and date language. You need to extract specific information quickly.
Writing section: You may be asked to suggest a time to meet, describe your daily routine, write about past events, or make future plans. Using a range of time expressions (not just i dag and i morgen) shows language breadth and improves your score.
Oral section: Describing your daily schedule is one of the most common A2 oral tasks. Examiners listen for correct use of om morgenen / om kvelden, days of the week, and frequency expressions.