Vocabulary is the foundation of the Norskprøven. At A2 level you need a working vocabulary of roughly 1,000–1,500 words; at B1, around 2,500–3,500. The 100 words below cover the topics most commonly tested and most likely to appear in the reading, listening, and oral sections of the exam.
These are not random words — they are drawn from the topic areas HK-dir explicitly lists as relevant to the Norskprøven: daily life, health, work, family, time, and expressing opinions. Learn these and you cover the core of what the test expects at A2–B1 level.
Norwegian has two written standards: Bokmål and Nynorsk. The Norskprøven is available in both, but most learners use Bokmål. All words below are Bokmål.
Everyday Life and People
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| menneske (et) | person / human being | Plural: mennesker |
| voksen | adult | Plural: voksne |
| barn (et) | child | Plural: barn (unchanged) |
| nabo (en) | neighbour | Common in exam scenarios |
| venn (en) | friend | Venn is used for friends of any gender today; venninne is specifically a female friend |
| leilighet (en) | apartment / flat | Very frequent in reading texts |
| hus (et) | house | |
| adresse (en) | address | |
| nummer (et) | number | Also used for phone number: telefonnummer |
| navn (et) | name | Fornavn = first name, etternavn = surname |
Health and the Body
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| lege (en) | doctor | Fastlege = GP |
| sykehus (et) | hospital | |
| time (en) | appointment | Also means "hour" — context tells you which |
| vondt | pain / it hurts | Jeg har vondt i... = I have pain in... |
| syk | ill / sick | Jeg er syk = I am ill |
| frisk | healthy / recovered | Bli frisk = get better |
| medisin (en) | medicine | |
| apotek (et) | pharmacy | |
| allergi (en) | allergy | |
| hvile | to rest | Jeg må hvile = I need to rest |
Work and Education
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| jobb (en) | job | Informal; arbeid (et) is more formal |
| arbeidsgiver (en) | employer | |
| kollega (en) | colleague | Plural: kolleger or kollegaer |
| møte (et) | meeting | Ha et møte = have a meeting |
| kontor (et) | office | |
| lønn (en) | salary / wages | |
| permisjon (en) | leave / time off | Foreldrepermisjon = parental leave |
| skole (en) | school | |
| kurs (et) | course | Ta et kurs = take a course |
| utdanning (en) | education |
Shopping and Money
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| butikk (en) | shop / store | |
| pris (en) | price | Hva er prisen? = What is the price? |
| betale | to pay | Betale med kort = pay by card |
| kvittering (en) | receipt | Frequent in exam scenarios |
| rabatt (en) | discount | |
| krone (en) | krone (currency) | Abbreviated kr or NOK |
| billig | cheap / inexpensive | |
| dyr | expensive | Also means "animal" (et dyr, neuter noun). As an adjective: en dyr bil, et dyrt hus, dyre varer |
| bestille | to order / book | Bestille bord = book a table |
| levere | to deliver / hand in |
Transport and Getting Around
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| buss (en) | bus | |
| tog (et) | train | |
| bil (en) | car | |
| stasjon (en) | station | Togstasjon = train station, busstasjon = bus station |
| billett (en) | ticket | |
| avgang (en) | departure | |
| ankomst (en) | arrival | |
| forsinket | delayed / late | Toget er forsinket = the train is delayed |
| vei (en) | road / way | Vei also means "direction": Hvilken vei? = Which way? |
| til venstre / til høyre | to the left / to the right | Essential for oral directions tasks |
Time and Dates
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i dag | today | |
| i går | yesterday | |
| i morgen | tomorrow | Note: i morgen tidlig = tomorrow morning |
| nå | now | |
| snart | soon | |
| alltid | always | |
| aldri | never | |
| ofte | often | |
| sjelden | rarely / seldom | |
| allerede | already |
Feelings and Opinions
The B1 oral exam often asks you to express opinions and describe feelings. These words appear frequently in both the oral and writing sections.
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| glad | happy / pleased | Jeg er glad for det = I am pleased about that |
| lei seg | sad / upset | Jeg er lei meg = I am sad |
| redd | afraid / scared | Jeg er redd for... = I am afraid of... |
| fornøyd | satisfied / content | |
| skuffet | disappointed | |
| synes | to think / to feel | Use for personal taste and impressions you have experienced: "Jeg synes maten var god." Not for abstract opinions. |
| mene | to believe / to hold the view | Use for opinions on facts, politics, or matters you have not personally experienced: "Jeg mener at staten bør bruke mer penger på skole." |
| håpe | to hope | Jeg håper at... = I hope that... |
| bekymret | worried | |
| overrasket | surprised |
Essential Verbs
These verbs appear across almost every topic area. Knowing them in both present and past tense is essential for the writing section.
| Infinitive | Present | Past | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| å være | er | var | to be |
| å ha | har | hadde | to have |
| å få | får | fikk | to get / receive |
| å gjøre | gjør | gjorde | to do / make |
| å si | sier | sa | to say |
| å komme | kommer | kom | to come |
| å gå | går | gikk | to go / walk |
| å trenge | trenger | trengte | to need |
| å hjelpe | hjelper | hjalp | to help |
| å forstå | forstår | forstod | to understand |
Useful Connectors and Filler Phrases
These small words carry disproportionate weight in the oral exam. Using them naturally makes your Norwegian sound more fluent and gives you time to think while speaking.
| Norwegian | English | Use |
|---|---|---|
| fordi | because | Linking reason: Jeg gjør det fordi... |
| derfor | therefore / that is why | Jeg er sen, derfor... |
| men | but | Contrasting: Det er bra, men... |
| selv om | even though / although | B1 level connector |
| dessuten | furthermore / in addition | Adding a point |
| likevel | nevertheless / still | Conceding a point |
| egentlig | actually / really | Sounds natural in conversation |
| forresten | by the way | Useful filler in oral tasks |
| altså | so / in other words | Very common in spoken Norwegian |
| for eksempel | for example | Abbreviated f.eks. in writing |
How to Study These Words Effectively
A list of 100 words is only useful if you do something with it. A few approaches that work:
Learn in context, not isolation. Instead of memorising "forsinket = delayed," learn the sentence: "Toget er forsinket med 20 minutter." The sentence sticks better and gives you a ready-made phrase for the oral exam.
Use spaced repetition. Tools like Anki let you create flashcard decks and review words at scientifically optimised intervals — you see words you struggle with more often, and words you know well less often. This is significantly more efficient than re-reading a list.
Focus on the words you do not know. You probably already know many words on this list from English — words like medisin, stasjon, and allergi are transparent cognates. Focus your time on the ones that are not obvious.
Practice using them in sentences. For the oral exam, you need to produce words under pressure. Write ten sentences using the words you find hardest, then say them aloud without looking at the page.
For speaking practice using this vocabulary, a tutor session where you role-play scenarios — a doctor's appointment, a conversation with a neighbour, describing your job — is more effective than any written exercise. iTalki lets you book single sessions without a subscription, which is useful for targeted vocabulary practice before the exam.
What Comes Next
One hundred words is a starting point. For A2 you need roughly ten times this; for B1, twenty-five times. The best way to expand from here is to read and listen to Norwegian regularly — every new word you encounter in context is more likely to stick than one you study in isolation.
See our complete guide to the Norskprøven for how to structure your full preparation, and our overview of the best Norwegian courses and apps for resources to build your vocabulary further.