Moments · Learning Norwegian

One more move

Your body is sore after bouldering, but you’re still thinking about the move that finally worked.

Chalk on the zip of your bag

There is chalk on the zip of your bag. You thought you’d brushed it all off.

Earlier, you and another climber stood looking at the same problem. You could reach the hold, but couldn’t work out what came next.

They asked whether you wanted a tip. You said yes. On the next attempt, the movement felt different.

The same moment, a little more language

What would you say?

Start with what you know. Stay for something new. All three levels are here to explore.

Learn all 9 phrases

All three levels, introduced gradually in order: A1 → B1 → C1. Earlier phrases return for review as you learn more. A free account is needed.

A1 · The essentials

Say it simply

Offer a tip, encourage an attempt, celebrate the effort.

You don’t need to explain a whole sequence to be part of the conversation at the wall.

A1 includes these 3 phrases.

English

Would you like a tip?

Norwegian

Vil du ha et tips?

English

Come on! You can do it!

Norwegian

Kom igjen!

English

Well done!

Norwegian

Bra jobba!

Et tips is a suggestion. Asking first gives the other climber a choice. Kom igjen! encourages someone during an attempt; bra jobba! celebrates their effort afterwards.

A small thing to try

Imagine someone is trying a move beside you. Offer a tip, then encourage them.

B1 · A little more language

Explain a little more

Use the words climbers need at the wall.

You can point, but now you’d like to put the movement into words. The useful nouns are et tak (a hold), et fottak (a foothold) and et flytt (a climbing move).

B1 includes these 3 phrases.

English

How do you do that move?

Norwegian

Hvordan gjør du det flyttet?

English

Try the foothold on the left.

Norwegian

Prøv fottaket til venstre.

English

I can reach the hold, but I can’t move on from there.

Norwegian

Jeg når taket, men kommer meg ikke videre.

Taket, fottaket and flyttet are the definite forms: the hold, the foothold, the move. Komme seg videre is to get further or move on. Here, the wall gives the words their meaning.

A small thing to try

Picture a climbing problem. Ask about one move and describe where you get stuck.

C1 · Tone and nuance

Make it sound like you

Offer an observation without taking over someone’s attempt.

Du kjenner igjen pausen før det vanskelige flyttet. Du har en idé, men venter til klatreren er nede på matta. Kanskje vil de ha et tips. Kanskje vil de finne ut av det selv.

Read the scene in English

You recognise the pause before the difficult move. You have an idea, but wait until the climber is down on the mat. Maybe they want a tip. Maybe they want to figure it out themselves.

C1 includes these 3 phrases.

English

For me, it clicked when I noticed that foothold.

Norwegian

For min del løsnet det da jeg fikk øye på det fottaket.

English

I wonder if you’re using more strength than you need to.

Norwegian

Jeg lurer på om du bruker mer krefter enn du trenger.

English

Would you like me to show you, or would you rather work it out yourself?

Norwegian

Vil du at jeg skal vise deg, eller vil du helst finne ut av det selv?

For min del presents your experience without making it a universal rule. Jeg lurer på om offers a possibility. Helst asks what the other person would prefer, keeping the choice with them.

A small thing to try

Offer a suggestion about something you know well. Leave the other person room to prefer their own approach.

Now someone else is trying the same problem. You recognise the pause.

Back to Moments

A note on levels and language

A1, B1 and C1 describe the focus of each section, not a test of your ability. You may recognise phrases at any level. These are teaching examples guided by the CEFR descriptions, not official ratings of individual sentences. The Norwegian uses Bokmål.

These are imagined conversations, not climbing instruction. Norges Klatreforbund’s routesetter material uses the terms flytt and fottak.