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I am learning Norwegian (Bokmal) , and would like to move there the next summer . I chose Norway for the high living standards, (I am from Spain), so the plan is go, spend a few years and save some money.
I don´t give a hoot about the cold weather because it's just really hard 3 or 4 months during winter. Neither I care about how expensive is everything because I got frugal tastes.
But I really have the feeling that the language could be a problem. Learning Norwegian is very hard because there's is not much material on the internet, very few movies and very few courses, compared with it's neighbors Danish and Swedish, which have lots of stuff.
And then, when I see a movie it's hard to understand so many local dialects, sometimes not even reading the subtitles can understand what they say.
So I wonder til what extent could I find a good job just having some basic Norwegian? Should I got to Oslo, or better a little town in the coast like Bergen or Trondhein?
What type of education and work experience have you got? There is a demand for engineers and other high-skilled professionals in Norway.
Learning some basic Norwegian should not be a problem. Yes, there are plenty of dialects here. Some of them are diffucult to understand for non-natives.
I would choose Oslo over Bergen and Trondheim. The job market is much better in the capital. The weather is somewhat better, too. It is also cheaper and easier to get to Spain by plane.
Some Norwegian movies:
Headhunters (Hodejegerne). Example: Avaliable in the UK with English subtitles. A Norwegian edition with Norwegian subtitles is avaliable from Platekompaniet.no
Man of War (Max Manus). Example: Avaliable in the UK with English subtitles. A Norwegian edition with Norwegian subtitles is avaliable from Platekompaniet.no
Oslo, August 31st (Oslo, 31. august). Example: Avaliable in the UK with English subtitles. A Norwegian edition with Norwegian subtitles is avaliable from Platekompaniet.no
There isn"t much of a difference between Swedish and Norwegian. I hardly think you'll be turned down for say, an engineering job, due to the 17% variation. Esp as the other Norwegians themselves cannot quite understand the "Trondes"
As the vast majority of Norwegians speak English and you know at least some Norwegian, I don't think there's much of a problem at all. The Norwegians don't seem to be too picky about proper pronounciation or if you mess up the words, they are just happy that you're trying to speak their language. And you'll learn it on the way!
About Swedish and Norwegian... I don't know. I'm fluent in Swedish, but still have some problems reading Norwegian web-sites and newspapers. If i speak Swedish and my partner replies in Norwegian, he/she understand me perfectly, but I understand about 50% what the person says. Perhaps I'm just not used to it.
If you are from coastal Galicia, Bergen is probably the most familiar climate to you, but I'd choose Oslo, as it is a much larger metropolitan region. Don't worry about the weather too much, -7C might feel frigid to you now, but your body will get used to it. With proper clothing you'll survive 363 days a year. Perhaps the two nights when the temperature goes to -20C, can be difficult, if you choose to go out.
I know a couple of Spaniards living here in Finland, and they were at first scared about the cold winters, but they got used to it and learned to appreciate the warmth and sunshine in summer! They don't excactly like the cold and darkness, but i doesn't restrict their lives in any way, and they do like snow!
i'm pretty jealous, norway is awesome. the people can be very "to themselves" but thats like anywhere and what part of the country you go to, for example fi you go to a quiter spot the people aren't going to be that friendly but if you go to oslo, the people are very friendly and talkative, tis like any place in the world really. just learn as much of the language as you can and you will be fine.
the local dialects must be very similair to here in england, as i know a few french people that have such a hard time understanding geordie or liverpudlian accents.
good luck!
the people can be very "to themselves" but thats like anywhere and what part of the country you go to, for example fi you go to a quiter spot the people aren't going to be that friendly but if you go to oslo, the people are very friendly and talkative, tis like any place in the world really.
I have to challenge this. Scandinavians are quite introverted and quiet compared to Spaniards, but you cannot blame us/them to be unfriendly. I would rather say that Scandinavians are among the most friendly people in Europe, especially to foreigners and tourists, regardless of where they live.
I have to challenge this. Scandinavians are quite introverted and quiet compared to Spaniards, but you cannot blame us/them to be unfriendly. I would rather say that Scandinavians are among the most friendly people in Europe, especially to foreigners and tourists, regardless of where they live.
This is interesting. I would have to say, based on my experience of spending several summers in Scandinavia, that the Swedes are friendlier than the Norwegians, at least toward foreigners. But generally, they seem a little more outgoing. I found the Finns to be friendly, too, but I don't really have enough experience there to venture an opinion.
As the vast majority of Norwegians speak English and you know at least some Norwegian, I don't think there's much of a problem at all. The Norwegians don't seem to be too picky about proper pronounciation or if you mess up the words, they are just happy that you're trying to speak their language. And you'll learn it on the way!
About Swedish and Norwegian... I don't know. I'm fluent in Swedish, but still have some problems reading Norwegian web-sites and newspapers. If i speak Swedish and my partner replies in Norwegian, he/she understand me perfectly, but I understand about 50% what the person says. Perhaps I'm just not used to it.
If you are from coastal Galicia, Bergen is probably the most familiar climate to you, but I'd choose Oslo, as it is a much larger metropolitan region. Don't worry about the weather too much, -7C might feel frigid to you now, but your body will get used to it. With proper clothing you'll survive 363 days a year. Perhaps the two nights when the temperature goes to -20C, can be difficult, if you choose to go out.
I know a couple of Spaniards living here in Finland, and they were at first scared about the cold winters, but they got used to it and learned to appreciate the warmth and sunshine in summer! They don't excactly like the cold and darkness, but i doesn't restrict their lives in any way, and they do like snow!
If he is from the interior of Spain, he might consider Norway mild
Anyway, I would never move to a place just because it ranks high on some statistics. I don't even think Norway is the best place in terms of employment. Go to southern Germany, lots of jobs there and language material is abundant.
Norwegian unemployment is really low - around 3% - would that imply a shortage of labour? That's the case in Alberta anyway.
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