Free AI translator from Norwegian to English
For students, expats and anyone with family or work in Norway who needs to get from norsk to English. Norwegian relies on compounds, small particles and a word order that English doesn't share, and you can choose a formal or casual English tone for the result.
More actions
Formal or casual English, your choice
Translation
Everyday Norwegian phrases and their English translations
| Hei, hvordan går det? | Hi, how are you? |
| Er du norsk? | Are you Norwegian? |
| Snakker du engelsk? | Do you speak English? |
| Jeg forstår ikke. | I don't understand. |
| Unnskyld, kan du hjelpe meg? | Excuse me, can you help me? |
| Hvor er den nærmeste togstasjonen? | Where is the nearest train station? |
| Hva koster det? | How much does it cost? |
| Kan jeg betale med kort? | Can I pay by card? |
| Jeg er allergisk mot nøtter. | I'm allergic to nuts. |
| Takk for maten. | Thank you for the meal. |
| Vær så god. | Here you go. |
| Det var hyggelig å se deg sist. | It was nice to see you last time. |
| Jeg har en avtale klokka ti. | I have an appointment at ten. |
| Kan du sende meg fakturaen? | Could you send me the invoice? |
| Vi ses i morgen. | See you tomorrow. |
| Ha en fin helg! | Have a nice weekend! |
| Gratulerer med dagen! | Happy birthday! |
What makes translating Norwegian into English tricky
Translate norsk-engelsk without falling for false friends
Many Norwegian words look English but mean something else. «Eventuelt» usually means ‘possibly’ or ‘if needed’, not ‘eventually’. «Aktuell» means ‘relevant’ or ‘current’, not ‘actual’. «Gift» most often means ‘married’, although it can also mean ‘poison’.
Verb-second word order and ikke
In Norwegian main clauses the verb usually comes second, so a sentence that opens with a time word flips subject and verb. «I morgen reiser vi til Bergen» is literally ‘tomorrow travel we to Bergen’, while English needs ‘Tomorrow we're travelling to Bergen’. Negation works differently too. «Jeg liker ikke kaffe» becomes ‘I don't like coffee’, and English has to add ‘do’.
Politeness without a formal ‘you’
Modern Norwegian uses «du» with almost everyone. The formal «De» is rare. Politeness comes from phrasing instead, so a Norwegian email can sound blunt in English. «Vær så god» has no single English match and can mean ‘here you go’, ‘you're welcome’ or ‘help yourself’.
Times, dates and numbers
«Halv tre» means 2:30, not 3:30. Norwegian counts the half hour towards the next full hour. Dates are written 17.05.2025, and decimals use a comma, so 3,5 becomes 3.5 in English.
Foretrekker du norsk grensesnitt? Åpne oversetteren norsk-engelsk på norsk.
Vanlige oppgaver — norsk til engelsk
How do I translate norsk til engelsk on this page?
Set Norwegian as the source language, or leave it on automatic detection, and choose English as the target. Paste or type your text, or use Dictate. Then pick a Tone and translate.
Can I translate Norwegian to English sentences, not just single words?
Yes. You can translate whole sentences, messages and paragraphs of up to 5,000 characters at a time. Click Show alternatives to see 2–3 other English phrasings in different registers.
Why can't Norwegian be translated word for word into English?
Norwegian often puts the verb before the subject, places «ikke» after the verb and builds long compound words. English needs a different word order and often an extra ‘do’. The translator rewrites the sentence instead of swapping words one by one. The Meaning kept: check helps you spot places where meaning may have shifted.
How much text can I translate at once, and can I open documents?
Each run takes up to 5,000 characters, so split longer texts into parts. You can open a DOCX, ODT, RTF or TXT file, and its text goes into the editor. Formatting isn't kept, and PDFs and images aren't supported.
Is it safe to paste work emails or letters from Norwegian authorities?
Your text is sent to an AI model, translated and returned, then discarded. It isn't stored or used for training. Still double-check names, numbers and negations before relying on the English version.
Should I choose formal or casual English?
Norwegian is fairly informal even at work, so a literal translation can sound abrupt. Choose Formal (business email) for employers, landlords or officials, Casual for friends, or Match the original to keep the source tone.
Can I go the other way, from English to Norwegian?
Yes. Click Swap languages and your text stays in place while the direction reverses.
Can it read the English aloud or translate a photo of a sign?
Read aloud speaks the English translation using your browser's voice, with an AI voice as a fallback. Photo and camera translation aren't available, so type the text or use Dictate instead.