Podcasts for Beginners
- Norsk for beginners – This podcast is led by Marius Stangeland, a history and English teacher, and is designed for elementary level learners (A2). Each episode is accompanied by a summary in English and the most important vocabulary used.
- Norskpodden – Launched in 2019, this podcast is led by the main teachers of the Lingu Norwegian language school and starts at the lower intermediate level (B1). It is lively and entertaining, but set at a high level.
The language is simplified and slowed down, but despite the name, this is more a resource for elementary level learners (A2), rather than absolute beginners. It’s a good one though. After each episode, Stangeland gives a summary of his talk in English and goes through the most important vocabulary used, before repeating the Norwegian recording at a faster speed. Stangeland also makes the equally good but slightly more advanced Lær Norsk Nå podcast.
Podcasts for Intermediate Learners
- The NLS Language Learning Podcast – This podcast was launched in 2022 by the NLS language school in Oslo and covers a lot of Norwegian grammar and vocabulary. It generally uses English to introduce and explain the words and grammatical concepts.
- Habla Norsk – For Spanish speakers, this podcast by the Spanish speaking Norwegian teacher Elena Kozyrevskaia is a good free resource, which is connected to Kozyrevskaia’s YouTube channel and online language academy.
The podcast generally uses English to introduce and explain the words and grammatical concepts, which makes it more accessible to beginners but less immersive than some of the other podcasts.
Podcasts for Advanced Learners
- Norsklærer Karense – This podcast by the Norwegian teacher Karense Foslien, founder of the NoTe online language school, goes back to 2018 with 114 episodes now available. Foslien speaks clear, simplified Norwegian at a slow pace, and her charming, calm, easy-going personality makes the podcast popular with many language learners.
- Pimsleur Norwegian course – This is an app rather than a podcast, but the experience of doing the daily 30-minute audio lessons in Pimsleur Norwegian is very similar to listening to a regular podcast.
The Pimsleur approach is highly structured and encourages learners to learn through sound rather than the written word, and repeats vocabulary and grammar at intervals to implant them in your memory. It can be tedious but the drilling is effective, and unlike most of the other podcasts, it starts you from scratch.
Podcasts for Norwegians
- NRK – Norway’s public broadcaster NRK is a prolific producer of podcasts, from radio documentaries and true crime narrative series to discussion podcasts. Some can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or other providers, but to access the whole offering, you need to download NRK’s own NRK Radio app.
- Kjapt Oppdatert – This podcast gives a run-down each morning and is a good resource for news.
- Nyhetsmorgen – This podcast offers the broadcaster’s morning news bulletin in podcast form.
- Politisk kvarter – This podcast version of NRK’s daily politics programme is worth a listen.
- Tyrann – This podcast covers a different dictator or historical tyrant every week.
- Hele Historien – This podcast revisits major events.
- Nødsamtaler – This podcast is a radio drama based on calls to Norway’s 113 emergency line.
- Lørdagsrådet – This podcast offers advice on various topics.
- Forklart – This podcast covers one topic in the news every day.
- Nesten hele uka med Lepperød – This podcast is a humour podcast by the comedian Martin Lepperød.
- Spårtsklubben – This podcast is a round-table chat from the VG newspaper featuring presenters Jon Martin Henriksen, Mads Hansen, Erik Follestad and Helene Olafsen.
These podcasts are all great resources for language learners, and can be used in conjunction with other language learning materials to improve your Norwegian language skills.
Conclusion
Language learning podcasts can be a great way to improve your Norwegian language skills, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner. There are many resources available, including podcasts designed specifically for language learners, as well as podcasts that are more geared towards native speakers. By listening to these podcasts, you can improve your pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, and get a better feel for the language. So why not give one a try?
