Norwegian Idioms & Expressions: Learn the 15 Real Idioms in a 79-Card Deck
Learn Norwegian idioms like å ha is i magen and å være på bærtur with flashcards: the 15 real idioms in deck HC6614, the cards to fix, and the sorry trap.
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Deck HC6614 — Norwegian Idioms & Expressions has 79 cards, but only a slice of it is idioms. Cards 1-26 are greetings and courtesy phrases, cards 27-41 are the real idioms, 42-44 are proverbs, and 45-79 are everyday fillers like kanskje, omtrent and med en gang. That split is your study plan: the phrasebook part is quick, the idiom block is where the reviews go.
Study this deck: Norwegian Idioms & Expressions
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Tap the card for the answer · swipe right if you knew it, left if not
Cards worth your reviews
| Norwegian (front) | Meaning (back) |
|---|---|
| Å være på bærtur | To be on the wrong track (lit. on a berry trip) |
| Å ha is i magen | To stay calm under pressure (lit. ice in the stomach) |
| Å ta beina på nakken | To run off fast (lit. take the legs on the neck) |
| Å slå to fluer i ett smekk | To kill two birds with one stone (lit. two flies in one swat) |
| Det er ikke noe å rope hurra for | Nothing to write home about |
| Å slå på stortromma | To beat the big drum |
| Etter regn kommer sol | After rain comes sunshine |
| Vær så god | You're welcome / Here you are |
| Det kommer an på | It depends |
What else is in the deck: hei, ha det bra, tusen takk, unnskyld, beklager, jeg er lei meg, god helg, godt nytt år, lykke til, gratulerer, skål, å gå på trynet, å være på hogget, å holde hodet kaldt, å ha en finger med i spillet, å sette noen på plass, bedre sent enn aldri, alle gode ting er tre, sånn er det bare, det er synd, hva skjer, hvorfor ikke, alt i orden, akkurat nok, litt etter litt, i mellomtiden, til slutt.
Start with cards 27-41
Use the literal translation as your memory hook. The image of a "berry trip" (wandering off into the forest after berries) explains bærtur better than "wrong track", and "ice in the stomach" makes is i magen stick at once. For each idiom, picture the literal scene first, then say the meaning.
A few backs need a closer look:
- Card 32, å gi seg på båten: this is not a standard Norwegian idiom. To give up is simply å gi opp or å gi seg. Rewrite the card or suspend it.
- Card 39, å være langt ute: besides "way off", it also means being in a bad way (very drunk, in trouble, far gone). Add that to the hint.
- Card 41, å slå på stortromma: more "make a big fuss / go all out with publicity" than plain bragging.
- Card 63, ingen ting: standard Bokmål writes it as one word, ingenting.
- Card 35, tommel opp, is a gesture, not an idiom. It's fine to keep, it just doesn't need much review.
Tip: build a "sorry" contrast card
The deck has three apologies that English collapses into one: unnskyld (excuse me, to get attention or get past someone), beklager (a real apology, also the polite "I'm afraid…"), and jeg er lei meg (I'm sad about it, sympathy). Turn cards 6, 7 and 48 into one table and test yourself on situations, not translations. Watch the trap: jeg er lei av det means "I'm fed up with it."
Same idea for vær så god. Norwegian has no word for "please" in a request, and vær så god is only for offering or handing something over. To ask politely, say kan jeg få…? or add takk at the end.
Where this fits
The idiom block takes a week of short sessions. The phrasebook half overlaps with the Top 100 Norwegian words deck. Our Danish idioms guide splits its deck the same way, so it's a good next step once is i magen comes automatically.
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