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LEARNING NORWEGIAN

Forty-three essential words you need to get your car fixed in Norway

Even seasoned foreigners who've called Norway home for years can still find themselves stumbling over the right words when faced with car troubles. That's why we've curated a list of at 43 Norwegian terms to help you in tackling car issues with confidence.

Published: 5 March 2024 15:59 CET
Updated: 24 March 2024 07:40 CET
Mechanic
Whether you're facing a flat tyre, engine trouble, or just in for routine maintenance, here's the essential automotive vocabulary you'll encounter at a car repair workshop in Norway. Photo by Enis Yavuz on Unsplash

Navigating car repairs in your home country can be a daunting task, so it’s no surprise that things can get even more tricky when you’re faced with a language barrier in a foreign country.

For international citizens in Norway, understanding the essential words related to car repairs can help make communication with mechanics and technicians smooth (or at least smoother).

QUIZ: Would you pass the Norwegian driving theory test?

Whether you’re dealing with a flat tyre, a malfunctioning engine or simply need routine maintenance, this is the basic automotive vocabulary you can expect to encounter at a car repair workshop in Norway.

The basics and the general automotive terms

Bil refers to the automobile that you’re dealing with. When seeking out professional car-related help, you’ll likely need to find a verksted (workshop) to help you with reparasjoner (repairs).

Once you get them on the phone or once you get to the workshop, you’ll need to look for a mekaniker (mechanic) to handle your kjøretøyet (vehicle).

If you suspect troubles with the motor (engine) or batteri (battery), share the information with the mechanic.

Other words that might come in handy if you suspect serious car issues include bremser (brakes), bremseklosser (brake pads), bremsevæske (brake fluid), and problemer med bil start (car starting problems).

Furthermore, being able to identify unusual lyder (sounds) and lekkasjer (leaks) can aid in diagnosing motorproblemer (engine issues).

For more routine tasks or maintenance, it’s good to know terms such as an oljeskift (oil change), dekk kontroll (tyre inspection), kjølevæske (coolant, essential for regulating engine temperature), and styrestag (steering rod).

The tyre vocabulary

In Norway, it’s crucial to have appropriate tyres, especially in winter, when icy roads can significantly reduce grip.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about winter tyres in Norway

In some remote regions of the country, where heavy snowfall and limited road maintenance are common, many drivers opt for studded tyres to improve traction.

For newcomers to Norway, it may come as a surprise that most drivers have two sets of tyres: one for winter and one for summer.

So, when it’s time for a dekkskifte (tyre change), it’s helpful to familiarise yourself with terms like vinterdekkene (winter tyres), sommerdekkene (summer tyres), dekkhotell (a “tyre hotel”, where you can store your off-season tyres, for a fee, until you need them again), and piggdekkene (studded tyres).

Engine

In the world of car problems, engine issues are quite common. Photo by Christian Buehner on Unsplash

Engine issues: Diagnostics and monitoring

When it comes to engine issues, diagnostics and monitoring play a vital role in identifying and addressing problems effectively.

The mechanic is likely to start by running the OBD-diagnose. This acronym is taken from the English “On Board Diagnostics”, along with diagnose, the Norwegian word for “diagnostics.”

By doing so, they’ll be able to connect to your vehicle’s system and check what fault warnings and error codes have been triggered. This, in turn, allows them to diagnose engine-related issues accurately.

In this context, being familiar with other monitoring instruments within your vehicle is also useful.

The turteller (tachometer) measures the engine’s speed in revolutions per minute (RPM), while the hastighetsmåler (speedometer) displays the vehicle’s speed in kilometres per hour (km/h).

By monitoring RPM levels, mechanics can assess engine performance and identify potential issues such as misfires or faulty components, while monitoring speed is essential for maintaining safe driving conditions and can also provide valuable information about engine performance.

Electrical problems?

To no one’s surprise, one of the most common electrical problems is a dead battery (et tomt batteri).

After running some tests, your mechanic might conclude that the battery is just utladet (“drained” or “empty”), which probably means there’s a fault somewhere else in the electrical system.

If, on the other hand, the mechanic describes it as ødelagt, that is, “broken” or “ruined/destroyed”, this means it cannot be repaired, and you’ll almost definitely need to replace it.

READ ALSO: Norway has the strictest driving fines in Europe, study shows

If the battery is fine but the car just whirrs on and on and won’t start when you turn the key, there could be an issue with your startmotor (starter motor). Otherwise, you might find you just need to replace or clean the tennpluggene (spark plugs).

Alternatively, you might have trouble with the ignition coils, or tenningsspoler, which power the spark plugs.

Other car-related vocab you might need

In terms of specific components, brems stands for brake and bremseklosser refers to brake pads, which are essential for ensuring proper braking functionality.

Lys refers to lights, including frontlys (headlights) and baklys (taillights). Luftfilter is Norwegian for air filter, a crucial component for maintaining engine performance.

Eksos refers to the exhaust system (eksossystemet is also used), which expels gases from the engine.

Understanding that hjul means wheel is important for addressing tyre and wheel alignment issues while servostyring stands for power steering, which assists you in steering the vehicle.

Additionally, it’s good to know that warning lights are called varsellamper (as it might pop up during your initial call to the workshop), while the words vindusviskere (windshield wipers) and dørhåndtak (door handles) might come in handy if you’re experiencing issues with any of the two.

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FAMILY

‘Don’t let anything put you off’: How foreigners in Norway raise bilingual kids

Foreigners living and raising children in Norway, might want them to become native speakers of at least two languages. We asked our readers to share their tips and experiences.

Published: 9 April 2024 17:13 CEST
Updated: 27 April 2024 15:01 CEST
'Don't let anything put you off': How foreigners in Norway raise bilingual kids

Foreign residents in Norway with children spend a lot of time thinking about how to best make their offspring bilingual.

We recently put out a survey asking parents in Norway about their experiences with raising bilingual children, and many parents believed that raising their children to be bilingual or multilingual would help them succeed in life.

“I would like my son to become fluent in Norwegian from a young age so he can learn and flourish here,” Martin, who lives in Vestland, said.

While he is English, his wife is Lithuanian, meaning Martin and his wife hope for their one-year-old child to eventually be able to speak English, Lithuanian, and Norwegian.

He believed that his child would easily learn English and Norwegian and that he would attend a Norwegian language preschool once he was old enough.

However, he admitted that it would be harder for his son to pick up Lithuanian, as it isn’t taught in schools, and he would only have his mother to learn from.

Respondents also encouraged other parents to try their best to raise their children to be bilingual, especially as younger children can be adept at picking up languages.

“A child’s elastic brain can absorb languages, so it is always worth raising them bilingually or multilingually,” Russell, who lives in Oslo, said.

“Speak to your child in your native language, don’t let anyone or anything put you off,” he added when asked for advice.

READ ALSO: How to raise bilingual children: 7 language tips and tricks

Roxanne, who lives in Bergen, recommended prioritising the parents’ mother tongue, as children would absorb Norwegian just by living in the country.

Her daughter, who was 20 months old when they first moved to Bergen several years ago, is now fluent in English and Norwegian after first practising with a bilingual nanny and then attending a Norwegian preschool.

However, Roxanne and her husband also practised German, French, Spanish, and Farsi with their child, with English being the primary language at home.

Roxanne was one of several parents who said that one parent spoke to their child in one language while the other spoke in a different language. She said she was determined to raise a multilingual child to ensure that her daughter would always feel “seen and understood” by her family.

Daren lives in Bærum and moved to Norway with his three children when they were aged 8, 6 and 4. Now his kids are 21, 19 and 17 and fluent in Norwegian and English. He said that it took his children most of their childhood to master the language after moving.

He also said that going to a local school and his children making friends with Norwegian children and using the language conversationally boosted their skills.

“Try to integrate into the local community, sports teams, friendships, etc. Send your kids to local schools and avoid the international schools until VGS (high school),” Daren said.

He added that things are easier if the parents learn Norwegian, but in some cases, this is easier said than done, and he and his wife have yet to master the language.

Stef, who lives in Haugesund, warned that parents learning Norwegian alongside their kids may struggle to keep up with their children.

“Learn Norwegian as fast as you can because children will learn faster,” Stef said.

International schools are a popular option for many families who aren’t sure they will settle down in Norway, or only plan to live in the country temporarily, or who move with older children.

While many parents advised sending their children to a Norwegian school, some also pointed out kids could pick up the local language while attending an international school.

Ulrike, who lives in Oslo, said it was important that clubs and activities are in the local language.

“If they go to an international school, make sure they have extracurricular activities in Norwegian,” she said.

Her child attends the German School of Oslo, where German and Norwegian are spoken languages.

Gail, who lives in Australia but has taught at Oslo International School, recommended using a tutor and finding ways to make the Norwegian language fun.

“Use a tutor and ask the school your child attends what they suggest for integration and learning. Sports activities and social occasions help. Singing songs in Norwegian is a fun way to learn,” she said.

Paige, who lives in Sandefjord, suggested Norwegian television and language cafes to boost children’s Norwegian skills.

“If they go to an international school and they or you want them to develop their Norwegian language skills, find some programs on (Norway’s public broadcaster) NRK and watch them together, go to language cafes, go to local events, and take it one step at a time,” she said.

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