The Best Books to Learn Norwegian all Norwegian Learners Should Know about!

I’ve come across quite a few Norwegian textbooks in my four years of studying the language. To cut through the noise and help other Norwegian language learners, I’ve gathered the best books to learn Norwegian. Keep reading to find out what they are, where to get them, and if they’re actually worth the hype.

We all know there are a TON of resources out there for learning popular languages like Spanish, French, and German.

So when I started learning Norwegian and wanted to branch out from Duolingo, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find good resources. 

Along my search I ran into some apps I wanted to try that don’t offer Norwegian at all, or I’d be discouraged seeing way fewer Norwegian textbooks compared to more popular languages’ textbooks in Amazon’s search results.

But then I realized, I don’t need hundreds of options. I only need one great one.

Not having a lot of options can be a good thing, since it helps you cut through the clutter and really look at what’s available.

That’s what I did, and I found some great Norwegian textbooks that I can’t wait to share with you.

So if you’re looking for the best books to learn Norwegian with, just keep reading.

Disclosure: If you make a purchase using the links in this post, I make a small commission. Read more about my policy.

Best Books to Learn Norwegian: Beginner

Sett i Gang 1 + 2

Sett i Gang was the first Norwegian textbook I tried, and it was the book I used in my university class. This makes sense since it’s created for college class use.

Overview

Sett i Gang has two books in the series, both designed for beginners. I’d say Sett i Gang 1 is for A1, and the second is A2, maybe breaching on B1. The texts are pretty modern, and I had no complaints with them when I was using them.

Features and Answers

These learning Norwegian books have a corresponding website, where you can make an account for free and use the online resources. These include extra exercises, and my favorite: listening exercises.

You can listen to a native speaker read some of the texts in each chapter, as well as practice listening comprehension by listening to the audio tracks that go with the listening exercises in the book.

Think: listen to this dialogue and answer questions.

Since this is created for classroom use, it’s no surprise that it doesn’t come with answers ready in the back. This isn’t a deal-breaker though because, with just a quick google search, I was able to find them online via their site.

Availability and Price

Both books are usually available on Amazon and are pretty affordable at around $60, so it’s easily accessible regardless of whether or not you’re using it in a classroom setting.

They also have a Kindle/ebook version if you prefer digital books, which is less expensive than the physical book at roughly $40.

Final Verdict?

I recommend these books for learners who want a more classic textbook, compared to the Mystery of Nils series which takes a more alternative approach. 

RECOMMENDED: Improve Your Norwegian by Watching these Norwegian YouTubers!

The Mystery of Nils

I actually got The Mystery of Nils as a Christmas gift, and it was a game changer. This book is pretty popular amongst Norwegian language learners in the US—and for good reason.

Overview

The Mystery of Nils uses a slightly different approach than typical textbooks, which is what makes it so great. Each chapter text is a new installment to a story about a doll named Nils.

So while you learn Norwegian, you also find out what happens next in the story. It keeps the learning fun and interesting.

This book covers the full beginner spectrum, from A1-A2. It’s a nice all in one book, where you don’t have to have separate learning Norwegian books for the lower and upper beginner levels.

Features and Answers

The Mystery of Nils comes with audio tracks posted for free on Soundcloud, and it even comes with listening exercises similar to Pimsleur, where you listen and respond.

This book also makes checking your work super simple by including the answers in the back of the book. No need to go online or check with a native speaker for clarification.

If you prefer learning online, there is a Mystery of Nils online course. It includes everything the textbook version offers, while also including videos for extra instruction.

I especially love how it has a section on pronunciation paired with videos.

Availability and Price

The Mystery of Nils is super easy to get your hands on if you have access to Amazon (and especially Amazon Prime!). It’s super affordable at around $30 and ships free with Prime shipping.

As mentioned before, if you don’t have easy access to Amazon or just want a digital version of this course, it’s also available through teachable. It’s a monthly subscription cost, but includes the texts, exercises, and audio all in one place.

Final Verdict?

If I had to pick a beginner book to use, I’d pick this one.

I finished the entire thing and really enjoyed it. I think having it follow one storyline, rather than random dialogues and texts, really takes it up a notch. The grammar lessons in each chapter also seem really thoughtfully picked.

They don’t waste your time with things you don’t need to know yet, and introduce you to the concepts you need to know right off the bat, which I appreciate! It feels very “no fluff.” It’s definitely one of the best books to learn Norwegian with!

Beginner Norwegian by Olly Richards

I found this book through pursuing Amazon, and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to try it.

Overview

This book includes eight short stories that have been written for upper beginner to low intermediate learners (A2-B1), “designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly – enjoyment!” 

The genres of the stories vary, and I will say they are pretty interesting. They’re also a great form of comprehensible reading input.

New vocabulary words are bolded and at the end of each story, they’re compelled into a list for easy review. There are also reading comprehension questions you can answer for further practice.

Availability and Price

As mentioned earlier, this book is available on Amazon for easy access. It’s around $15 for a physical copy, and less than $10 for the kindle version.

It also has an audiobook available to use as listening comprehension practice, too. 

Tip: Read along while listening to really get the most out of your study session.

Final Verdict?

Short stories or books made for language learners that are story-based (aka graded readers) are hard to come by in Norwegian, so I consider this one a gem! This is my go-to recommendation for anyone wanting to work on their reading comprehension in a fun way.

This combined with the fact that it’s available on Amazon (even on kindle which is my fave!) and very affordable make it a must-have supplement.

The only downside to this book is that this is the only one in the series, while the author has multiple volumes for more popular languages.

If we all go out and buy this book maybe he’ll make a sequel? Fingers crossed.

RECOMMENDED: How to Improve Your Norwegian Listening Skills

Best Books to Learn Norwegian: Intermediate

Stein på Stein

I first came across Stein på Stein on italki, actually! It’s a popular set of books for adult Norwegian learners in Norway to learn Norwegian with, so it’s quite common for the tutors over there to use it, too.

I also used it during my summer language class at the University of Oslo last year (sadly it was online because of Coronavirus).

Overview

Stein på Stein is designed to take you from A2 to lower intermediate B1 level.

It’s two separate books, one textbook and one workbook. Together, you get exercises, various texts, and listening exercises you can listen to online if you have an online account.

It’s targeted towards adults learning Norwegian in order to move to Norway, so its texts cover Norwegian society, history, and culture.

Like the Sett i Gang series, it’s designed for classroom use.

Features and Answers

Stein på Stein is your basic run of the mill textbook, honestly. It includes an online component through its website where you can listen to audio for further listening practice. There are also extra exercises you can do to practice more.

The answer key is also available online, but you need to make an account through the website. Making an account is free, but is an extra step that you’d need to take. 

Availability and Price

Interestingly, this book comes in separate packages. The workbook is one book while the textbook is separate.

That brings me to the main con with this book: It’s hard to get your hands on if you aren’t in Norway.

I ordered both the workbook and textbook through a Norwegian site, and it took around a month to reach me, and cost $160 total. You can however find free pdfs if you do some digging online. They aren’t necessarily the most current version though.

Needless to say, it’s also not readily available on Amazon. The most luck I’ve had was finding one or two old copies that were marked up in price quite a bit.

Final Verdict?

This book will likely come up when you’re looking online for the best books to learn Norwegian as an intermediate learner because it’s used often in Norwegian universities. However, I’d recommend using the second installment of the Mystery of Nils book, Mysteriet om Nils, instead.

Since Stein på Stein is expensive, not very accessible if you live outside of Norway, and nothing super spectacular for the effort it takes to get, so I’d skip it.

Her på berget

This is another one that’s very popular among Norwegian tutors working with intermediate students. Once I finished Stein på Stein, my tutor introduced me to this book.

I’ve only used the first three chapters (as those were the only three available for free online, which I’ll cover later on), so I can’t give a definite review but wanted to include it so you know if it’s somewhat worth the hype.

Overview

This book is for upper intermediate learners, aiming to go from B1 to B2 level.

It includes pretty dense texts, which is what one can expect when you get to the upper intermediate level, plus exercises and listening exercises to complete.

It’s also aimed at adult language learners who are moving to Norway, so it includes information about the culture, getting a job, and target subjects that will be helpful in that situation.

Features and Answers

Like Stein på Stein, this book comes in a set as well. The textbook is one book while the workbook is another.

It does have an online component, where you’ll find the audio listening exercises, extra exercises, and the answer key.

You’ll need to have an account through cdu.no or feide to access these though. Anyone can make an account through cdu.no and it’s free, it just takes an extra minute to do.

Availability and Price

To purchase both the textbook and workbook, it’ll run around the same price range as Stein på Stein, and will cost roughly $120 before shipping.

it’s also very rarely available through Amazon, so your best bet would be to order it from the publisher’s site linked above. I also looked on google for a free pdf version and could find the textbook, but not the workbook.

So it’s not the most accessible for those who live outside of Norway, but it is available if you want it badly enough.

Final Verdict?

I wouldn’t use this book as a solo learner, because it can be difficult to capture the meaning of everything without the help of a native/teacher. It also has the same cons as Stein på Stein, where it’s difficult to purchase if you aren’t in Norway.

While I liked the chapters I did use of the book, I’d recommend learners to skip this one if they’re outside of Norway and use the second installment of the Mystery of Nils series, Mysteriet om Nils, instead.

Mysteriet om Nils

While the first Nils book came on my radar as a gift, I sought this one out because I loved the first book so much!

Overview

This book is for B1-B2 learners, and you can tell by how much thicker it is that it’s packed with info.

It follows the Norwegian doll Nils as he adventures through Norway, and picks up where the first book left off.

It’s not required that you do the first book as long as you’re at a solid A2 level, and it does include a summary of book one for anyone starting this one fresh.

Features and Answers

Like the first Nils book, it has texts, exercises, grammar explanations that feel incredibly useful and well-placed (there’s been many times I’ve come across a short grammar explanation right when I’d been wondering how to do that exact thing like the day prior), and a listening component on Soundcloud or in the online course.

The listening component via Soundcloud here isn’t as built out as the first book in the series, so it only includes a native speaker reading the chapter text—no interactive exercises. I still find them useful, though. If you use the online course, it might have more.

One thing to note is that since this is the intermediate book in the Nils series, this one is all in Norwegian.

As for the answers, they’re available in the back of the book for easy access.

Availability and Price

This book is super easy to purchase through Amazon Prime, and costs between $30-$40.

There is also an online course you can take instead, where you pay 249kr (roughly $30) per month. It includes the texts, exercises, listening practice, and helpful videos to expand upon topics mentioned in the book.

Final Verdict?

On my way to reaching B2 from B1 in Norwegian, this is the book I’m using! Even though I’ve used Stein på Stein and a bit of Her på Berget, this is still the one I’d recommend to intermediate learners.

I think it’s one of the best books to learn Norwegian with.

So if you wanted to skip both Stein på Stein and Her på Berget, you can use this one instead since it’s basically a two-in-one.

Mysteriet om Nils is available through Amazon Prime for a great price, is just one book for the entire intermediate B1-B2 level, and has all the necessary info you’d need to know to reach B2 in the package of an interesting story.

Best Books to Learn Norwegian: Advanced

I actually don’t have textbook recommendations for advanced level C learners! When you’re at this level, you’re usually past textbooks and working on broadening your vocabulary more through native-level content.

So you can ditch the learning Norwegian books and jump straight into newspapers or fiction books in the language. Lucky you!

I have a kindle copy of Harry Potter og De Vises Stein that would be great for advanced learners, as the vocabulary is rich and challenging. So if you’re an advanced learner I’d recommend picking up a digital copy on Amazon! Audible also has the audiobook so you can listen along as you read.

Part of sorting through the best books to learn Norwegian is finding what works for you. At this level, you have all the written texts made for native speakers available to you. So treat it like you would finding a book to read in your mother tongue!

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All in all…

While there aren’t a ton of Norwegian textbooks out there, I’ve been able to find some gems to share with you.

So what do you think you’ll use? Will you try the Mystery of Nils? Or do you want to get a copy of Stein på Stein or Her på Berget to see for yourself what all the hype is about?

Either way, you’ll be on the right track! I consider a textbook a core resource for language learners. Apps are great, but the structure you get from a textbook is just unmatched.

So pin this to Pinterest so you can refer to it later, and share it with your language learning friends so they too can find the best learning Norwegian books to reach Norwegian fluency.