SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

NORWEGIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Norwegian word of the day: Hyttekontor 

Today's Norwegian word of the day explains how traditions have kept up with modern times. 

Pictured is a sign with the Norwegian word of the day on it.
Hyttekontor is today's Norwegian word of the day. Pictured is a sign with the Norwegian word of the day on it.

What does hyttekontor mean? 

Hyttekontor means cabin office. A kontor in Norwegian is an office, and a hytte is a cabin. Norwegian cabins are holiday properties which are extremely popular. Cabins come in a variety of guises. 

You have the classic mountain cabin, the cabin by the sea and forest cabins. These range from log-built and basic (with toilets outside) to plush retreats for the superrich with more creature comforts than a person’s primary home. 

If you live in Norway, you know someone or know someone who knows someone with a cabin. Initially, these holiday homes would be cheap and cheerful and passed down through families. 

The word itself is a relatively new one as it combines the Norwegian’s love of cabins with a relatively new phenomenon, working from home. A home office in Norway is called a hjemmekontor

To have a cabin office is to work from a cabin. This can either be for a change of scenery or travelling down to a cabin and working from there on a Friday instead of driving down on a Friday and getting caught in weekend traffic. 

When the pandemic broke out, many either headed to their own cabins or rented one as a break and to get out of the cities when a number of rules were in place. 

As things returned to normal, the popularity of the cabin office continued. 

Did you know you get all our Norwegian words and expressions of the Day on our new app as soon as we publish them. It takes a few seconds to download the app at the Apple and Android stores, then you can select the “Norwegian Word of the Day” in your Notification options via the “User” button.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

NORWEGIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Norwegian word of the day: Loppis 

Spring is the perfect time to go to a loppis in Norway and save some cash in the incredibly expensive country. 

Norwegian word of the day: Loppis 

What does loppis mean? 

Loppis is the Norwegian slang word for flea market. Flea markets are hugely popular in Norway, especially in the spring and autumn. In the big cities, such as Oslo, the best flea markets are typically put on by schools raising money for bands or sports clubs. 

It’s common for an apartment block or entire neighbourhood to get together and organise flea markets. There are also several squares across Oslo to go to a flea market. 

There’s plenty to love about flea markets, given the low prices, the fun of finding something cool amongst everything and the focus on recycling or upcycling things that would otherwise end up in a skip. 

As mentioned, loppis is slang, and the full term for a flea market is loppemarked. The full term is translated directly from the English ‘flea market’. 

This is a nod to the fact that the markets sell secondhand clothes and furniture and that, historically, some people looked down on these and claimed they were full of fleas.

Jeg har kjøpt den på loppis

I bought at the flea market 

Jeg vil selge de gamle klærne mine på loppis

I will sell my old clothes at the flea market

Vil du være med på loppis i helgen?

 Do you want to come to the flea market this weekend?

SHOW COMMENTS