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NORWEGIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Norwegian word of the day: Kjære 

Today's Norwegian word of the day is kjære, which roughly translates to 'dear' or 'beloved' in English. 

Pictured is the Norwegian word of the day.
Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash and Nicolas Raymond/FlickR

Like “dear” in English, kjære can be used to address almost anyone in a letter or email to be polite, although it’s not compulsory to use it, and younger generations might find it too formal. 

Kjære can, in theory, be used to address close family members, friends, or partners. But be warned that it may come across as overly affectionate or outdated, so only use it if you’re sure it’s appropriate. If in doubt, hei, is nearly always the best choice. 

In everyday spoken Norwegian, kjære should probably only be used to greet people you are very close to. 

Kjære is related to the noun kjærlighet or “love”. You can also holde noen kjær (hold someone dear). 

Kjære can be used as a suffix, such as the word folkekjær, which means something loved by the people. This is similar to “national treasure” in English. 

If you want to say you love someone, you would usually say jeg elsker deg (I love you). To be in love in is å være forelsket. 

To tell someone you love them in a more platonic or familial way, it’s best to use glad i deg (meaning, I love you). 

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NORWEGIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Norwegian word of the day: Middelmådig

Given that Norwegians don’t like to kick up too much of a fuss, they sometimes settle for less.

Norwegian word of the day: Middelmådig

What does it mean?

Middelmådig is the Norwegian word for mediocre. The word is borrowed from Danish, but this should come as no surprise.

Swedish, Danish and Norwegian are considered mutually intelligible, meaning users of the languages should be able to understand one another.

Norwegian, particularly, borrows plenty of words from Swedish and Danish. This was due to the country’s various historical unions with the other two nations.

This led to a large influence of Swedish and Danish on the Norwegian language, as Norway was typically the poorer and less influential country.

Things have changed these days , and the countries stand on a more even footing with one another, mostly thanks to oil. Still, the impact of Swedish and Danish has remained, despite various movements to make the language moreNorwegian

Back to the word middelmådig, Norwegians typically don’t like confrontation. Therefore, some may settle for mediocrity. This is most likely to happen at a restaurant when the food isn’t totally awful (helt dårlig), but it’s not great – or arrived colder than it was meant to. 

The word isn’t used just for mediocrity. It directly translates to the middle level or middle strength. Therefore, you can use the word to describe being adequate at something. In this sense, you would “være middelmådig begavet,” or “be moderately gifted” when translated to English.

Use it like this:

Mine fotballferdigheter er middelmådige.

My football skills are mediocre.

Kunnskapen min om dette emnet er middelmådig.

My knowledge of this subject is mediocre.

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