Asking for Directions
Use these phrases when you are lost in a Norwegian town and need to ask locals for directions, clarify their instructions, or decide on transportation.
Key Phrases
Unnskyld, kan jeg bare spørre deg om noe veldig kjapt?
casualExcuse me, can I just ask you something really quick?
A natural way to stop a passerby on the street.
Unnskyld at jeg forstyrrer deg, men kan du hjelpe meg med veien?
politeSorry to disturb you, but could you help me with the directions?
Use this if someone seems a bit busy or if you are asking an older person.
Vet du hvor den nærmeste T-banestasjonen er?
casualDo you know where the nearest subway station is?
T-bane is the word for the subway system in Oslo.
Kan du fortelle meg hvordan jeg kommer meg til Nasjonalmuseet?
neutralCan you tell me how I get to the National Museum?
Standard phrase that works in almost any situation.
Vet du tilfeldigvis om det ligger et apotek i nærheten av her?
politeDo you happen to know if there is a pharmacy located near here?
'Tilfeldigvis' (by any chance / happen to) softens the question.
Tror du det er best å gå, eller bør vi ta trikken?
neutralDo you think it is best to walk, or should we take the tram?
Good for asking a local's opinion on the best way to travel.
Bør jeg ta bussen? Veien inn til sentrum repareres visstnok nå.
politeShould I take the bus? The road into the city center is apparently being repaired now.
Uses the passive 'repareres'. It is better to split this into two sentences than force a heavy 'fordi' clause.
Beklager, men det gikk litt fort for meg. Kan du gjenta?
casualSorry, but that went a bit fast for me. Can you repeat?
A very common and polite way to admit you didn't understand the Norwegian.
Beklager, kan du gjenta det, for jeg er ikke helt kjent her i byen.
politeSorry, can you repeat that, because I am not quite familiar with this city.
Notice the use of 'for' instead of 'fordi' to naturally justify your request with main clause word order.
Stemmer det at jeg bare skal gå rett frem forbi lyskrysset?
casualIs it correct that I should just go straight ahead past the traffic light?
Use 'stemmer det at' to verify information you just received.
Så du mener at jeg bør ta den andre veien til høyre?
neutralSo you mean that I should take the second road to the right?
A good way to echo back directions to make sure you understood.
Vet du omtrent hvor lang tid det tar hvis man går?
neutralDo you know roughly how much time it takes if one walks?
Norwegians often measure distance in walking time.
Er det langt nok til at jeg heller burde ta en taxi?
casualIs it far enough that I should rather take a taxi?
Uses B1 grammar 'til at' (enough that).
Jeg har visst gått meg litt vill, vet du hvor Storgata er?
neutralI have apparently gotten a bit lost, do you know where Storgata is?
'Gått meg vill' is the standard reflexive phrase for getting lost.
Supert, da satser jeg på at jeg finner veien. Ha en fin dag!
casualAwesome, then I'm counting on finding my way. Have a nice day!
'Satser på at' means to count on or bet on something happening.
Tusen takk for at du hjalp meg, nå tror jeg at jeg finner frem.
politeThank you so much for helping me, now I think I will find my way.
Uses the natural present tense 'finner frem' for the future, rather than 'vil finne frem'.