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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 But be warned that it may come across as overly affectionate or outdated, so only use it if you’re sure it’s appropriate.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: Hetebølge

Today's word hasn't always been associated with Norway, but instances have become increasingly common in recent years.

Norwegian word of the day: Hetebølge

What does it mean?

Hetebølge is the Norwegian word for a heatwave, and is a simple compound of the word for heat (hete) and the word for wave (bølge).

This word isn’t the most common for heat. Instead, the word varme is used when referring to heat. You would use varme in other compounds, such as a heat pump (varmepumpe).

Heatwaves, for obvious reasons, haven’t always been associated with Norway. Still, the country can see prolonged periods of 25c or 30c plus days.

In the summer, the warmest part of Norway is usually a village called Nesbyn, which holds the national heat record (varmerekord) as a temperature of 35.6c was recorded in 1970. The area’s unique microclimate means that it has also gotten as cold as -38c in the past.

Heatwaves will, unfortunately, become more common in Norway due to global warming. Even if Norway doesn’t experience super common heatwaves, plenty of Norwegians will feel the heat on the continent as they typically travel to the Mediterranean, or Syden, as Norwegians call it, every summer.

Use it like this

Jeg lurer på om det blir hetebølge i Norge i sommer.

I wonder if there will be a heatwave in Norway this summer.

Det var hetebølge i Hellas i juni med nesten 40 varmegrader.

There was a heatwave in Greece in June, and it was almost 40 degrees.

Det er meldt hetebølge neste uke.

The forecast is predicting a heatwave next week.

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