Customer Reviews

Norwegian Verbs And Essentials of Grammar

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me start by saying I came from a beginning Norwegian language class where the textbook was entirely in Norwegian; the index, instructions, EVERYthing. Does that make sense to speak a language to someone who doesn't know it and is trying to learn? I understand the theory behind it, but it's just not practical. So naturally I looked for outside help.
I found that help with this book by Janus. He has a great way of laying out, in an easy-to-read-and-follow format, just EXACTLY how something is said and WHY it's said that way.
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The Format:
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Each area covers every aspect of formal and informal grammar starting with a paragraph or two about what a given funtion or part of speech means (ex: The present participle are adjective forms based on verbs such as the "ing" in thinking)
Then you'll get examples and the book backs EVERYthing up with its English translation right next to them for immediate reference and confirmation.
What struck me about this book was that you don't even have to be a student of the Norwegian language and you could still thumb through it in order to see how Norwegians speak, just out of curiosity. It also has several sections for reference like numbers, a healthy list of verbs and their tenses, and even a section listing the 100 most popular names for males and females.

The idea behind this book is good, as well as its structure. It packs a punch information wise, compared to its size and price.

It is, however, NOT a good book. It seems to have been compiled in haste, and the result is that it's crammed full of errors. Some are not very serious, simply sentences that, although gramtically correct, are put in a way no Norwegian would ever put it. The list of verbs also include strange forms that I have never encountered, and I have read a lot more words than the average Norwegian. Learning something that might be correct by the dictionary, but that 99% of Norwegians themselves would take as an error, is really worse than a waste of time. (To its credit, it doesn't push the outdated De-form, which some books still do, decades after its use ended.)

Many others mistakes include clear cut errors and misspellings, I have counted many dozens - far, far to many for a book this size.

98% of the content is correct. Still, learning a a language from scratch is hard work, and I for one would find it very annoying to spend time getting confused and misinformed because nobody bothered to get this book proof read. Also, it is clear that the author does not have a "native feel" for the language.

I've found clear cut Norwegian language errors on pages 27, 28, 42, 43, 44, 61, 66, 74, 78, 79, 80, 94, 97, 102, 104, 105, 112, 113, 114, 115 and 125, as well as half-errors/unnatural language on pages 32, 46, 52, 60, 62, 69, 70, 71, 72, 78, 82, 106, 107, 116, 118, 120, 122, 123. And this doesn't even include the verbs at the end. The explanatory texts are generally in better shape than the examples.

For the record, I am a native Norwegian who writes for a living.

I have been studying Norwegian for a long time, and Mr. Janus' book is one of the best I have found. It is easy to find answers to questions, and the verb list is amazingly complete and helpful. If you can't take an extended trip to Norway, and aren't blessed to live in Minnesota, then you should buy this book.

This book is very much like "Norwegian: An Essential Grammar" by Åse-Berit and Rolf Strandskogen. Eventhough the title indicates that it addresses or teaches Norwegian verbs, it does very little with regard to that -- in fact, it is not much different from the aforementioned book in that sense too. It does do a good job of teaching the grammar, though the title is a misnomer. I was expecting a book *filled* with hundreds of verbs and their conjugations, but there are only about 12 (2x spaced) pages of them. Both the aforementioned and subject books are worth using to learn Norwegian. Mange takk til forfatterene!

This is the best short reference book on verbs and grammer I have ever found. Longer works usually leave the beginning student confused or frustrated when trying to find a grammer rule or even a simple verb with the bssic tenses. It is an excellent quick reference for someone attempting to learn Norwegian or someone wanting to brush up on the Norwegian they had learned many years before. This book combined with a beginning instructional work and Haugen's dictionary is all a beginner needs. Those wanting detailed lists of verbs should look elsewhere.
Even though I have family from (and in) Norway and spent my early years in North Dakota, I was encourged to speak only English. It has been decades since I have heard much beyond a few sentences in Norwegian even from my Aunts and Uncles that were born in Norway. This book was very helpful in giving me a quick overview of basic verb tenses and grammer. I can go on to more detailed works as needed, but would still use this book as a basic reference.
To the author I say: tusen takk.

Okay... so if your "learning" style consists only of popping a CD in and listening while you paint your toenails or watch a football game (and you have an extra 8 to 10 years to learn a language in this fashion), this is not the book for you!

However, if you're not a fan of the so-called "modern" approach, and if you are not afraid to think, and if you believe that learning a language actually takes effort on your part, and if you would like to really get to know the language and how it functions, and if you would like to speak/write with your own sentences (that you made up all by yourself!!!)... well, great! This is a WONDERFUL book for you.

Unfortunately, the modern trend in language learning is to treat us all like children. We are not children, and many of us don't want to spend the eight years or so which it takes to reach proficiency using that approach. This book will bridge the gap and give you the details/structure that most of the other course books are afraid to include. It's very organized. And even better, it doesn't get carried away with minute detail as some grammar books tend to do. At the same time, it is thorough enough so that you won't have a bunch of unanswered questions and incomplete concepts. It's a very logical progression and there are plenty of examples.

You know, if this book had vocabulary lists with recorded pronunciation, lots of written exercises/translations, about 10 CD's of realistic/native spoken dialog with transcription, oral repetition/exercises, and a good Leitner-System-based flash card software application... well, wouldn't life be grand? (dream on)

I enjyed stydying norwegian because i have this close to norway and the people. The book showed me more and more about norwegian, I do recommend for this book for whom wants to be an excillent norwegian speaker!

This is a wonderful reference tool. It's very understandable, well layed out with many good examples of grammar usage. This book is a great supplement for classroom or self study.

I was very pleased with this book. It was well organized and it included all the important rules of Norwegian grammer. Definitely recommended.

This book helped when trying to understand the Norwegain language. For those who do not have someone to teach them, this is the closest you will get to help understand on your own. It was very helpful for me!