NORWEGIAN TO ENGLISH DICTIONARY
Many words will need to be read in context as, with other languages, some words may translate with
more than one meaning and some words that are different to each other can have the same meaning.
– A –
af - of
å gjøre - to do
alle - all
alltid - always
anledning - occasion
antall mennesker til stede - number of people present
ap - in
år - years
arbeid - work
arbeider - worker
arvegjeld; påbud om å overta avdødes gjeld. kunne ikke overstige den totale arveinntekten - inheritance debt; order to take over the deceased's debt. could not exceed the total inheritance income
av; af - of
avstand - distance
– B –
baker - baker
barn - child, children
barnets - childs’
barnebarn - grandchild
båt - boat
begravelse - burial
begravet - buried
bestemor - grandmother
bestman i bryllupet - best man at wedding
biblioteket - library
bjerk øy - birch island
bjerkøen - lives on the birch island
bjørk - birch
bjerkeøy - birch island
blomst - flower
bok - book
bøker – books
bonde - farmer
bopæl - address or residence
bor - lives
bor sammen med sønnen - lives with her son
borte - away
brev - letter
bror - brother
brud - bride
brudens far - bride’s father
brudens mor - bride’s mother
brudgom - bridegroom
brudgommens far - bridgegroom’s father
brudgommens mor - bridegroom’s mother
bryllup, bryllyupet - wedding
bur - resident
bussbygger - coach or bus builder
by - town, city
– C –
cirka - approximately
communion - Communion
confirmerede - confirmed
copulerede - marriage
– D –
dag - day
dager - days
dåps - christening
dåps meldar - baptism announces or christening mandatory
datamaskin - computer
dame - lady
dåp - baptism, christening
dåpregister - christening register
datter - daughter
datterdatter - granddaughter
delikatesse - delicatessen
deretter - then
døde - died
dødsfallsliste - list of deaths
døm; dømme - judge
domfelt - convict
dommer og jury - judge and jury
dømt - judged; sentenced
du - you
~ E ~
eieren - owner
ekteskap - marriage
en - a; one
enke - widow
enkelt - single
enkemand; enkemann - widower
et - an
~ F ~
fadder - sponsor
falsk - false
far - father
farfar - grandfather (father of the father)
farmor - grandmother (mother of the father)
fem - five
fengsel - gaol; jail
fire - four
fødsel - birth
fødselsbok - book of births
fødselsregister - birth register
fodte - born
forske - research
forsker - researcher; researching
fra – from
funnet - found
~ G ~
gate - street
gift; g. - married
gutt - boy
~ H ~
hadde - had
han - he
håper - hope; hoping
hardt - hard
henne - her
here - gentleman
hilsen – greetings
hjelp - help
hjem - home
høre - hear
hotell - hotel
hotellholder - hotel keeper
hun - she
hunn - female
hus - house
huseier - landlord
husholder - housekeeper
husmands kone - husband’s wife~ I ~
informasjon - information
ingen - none
~ J ~
Jan - January
jernbanen - railway; railroad
jordegods - possessions
~ K ~
kaptein - captain
kaarfolk - retired, elderly couple living on their farm and receiving support
kaarkone - a wife's legal right on the farm on free supplies for the rest of her life.
kaarmand - a mans legal right on the farm on free supplies for the rest of his life.
kårbolig / kaarbolig is the house the kaarfolk is living in
kirke - church
kirkebøker - church books
kjøpmann - grocer
kjøpstad - township
kommer - descendant
konduktør - conductor
kone; konen - wife
kontor - office
krig - war
kro - tavern
kun - only
kvinne - woman
~ L ~
landsby - village
latter - laugh
levere - deliver
livsophold henne hos sin søn - living with her son
lover - laws lovlig - legitimate
lytt; lytte - listen
~ M ~
måneder - months
mann - husband, man, male
marinen - navy
med - with
meg - me
meldar - mandatory
minutt - minute
minutter - minutes
moden - mature
mor - mother
morfar - grandfather (father of the mother)
mormor - grandmother (mother of the mother)
myndig – legal age
~ N ~
nå - now
nabo - neighbour
nå og da - now and then
nær - near
når - when
navn, navne - name
nedsenking - immersion
fra tysk (nederlandsk: van), som betyr fra (geografisk) eller nedstammet fra - from German (Dutch: van), which means from (geographically) or descended from
nei - no
noen - some
noen ganger - occasionally; sometimes
Norge - Norway
~ O ~
ødelagt -- wrecked
og - and
onkel - uncle
oversette - translate
~ P ~
på; paa - on
pige; pike - girl
pike; pige - girl
politiet - police
postkontor - post office
predikant - preacher
prest - priest
~ Q ~
~ R ~
registrere - register
regnskapsfører - accountant
rettferdighet - justice
~ S ~
sand øy - sand island
sandøen; sandøy - lives on the sand island
sanne - true
se - look; see
seilbåt - sailing ship
seks - six
sendt - sent
idebygning - annex
siste - last
siste testament og testament - last will and testament
sivilstatus - marital status
sjømann - sailor; seaman
skibstømmermand - shipwright
skibstømmer mandslærling - ship timber male apprentice
skip - ship; ships
skipet vraket - ship wrecked
skipsvrak - ship wreck
skriving - writing
slakter - butcher
smed - blacksmith
smil - smile
snekker - carpenter
sogn - parish
soldat - soldier
sønn - son
sønnesønn - grandson
sorenskriver - the local magistrate
søsken - sibling
søster - sister
stemme - vote
stemmegivning - voting
stjålet - stolen
stjele - steal
stopp - stop
strafe - punish~ T ~
tante - aunt
til - to
time - hour
timer - hours
tjeneste karl - service man
tjeneste pige - service girl
to - two
tømmermand-skibs - carpenter - ships
tre - three
tyveri - theft ~ U ~
udhus - outhouse or outbuilding
uekte - illegitimate
ugift; ug. - unmarried
ungdom - youth
~ V ~
vaaningshus - farmhouse
vær - weather
vær så snill - please
vakker - beautiful
våpen - gun
var - was
varig - lasting
vedskur - wood shed
vei - road
venn - friend
vennskap - friendship
vet - know
vognmaker - wagon maker
vil - will
vil du behage hjelpe meg? - will you please help me?
vite - knowing
vitne - witness
voksen - adult
vrak - wreck
~ W ~
~ X ~
~ Y ~
yngre - younger
yngst - youngest
yrke - occupation; profession
~ Z ~
Written Norwegian has three letters not found in the English alphabet: Æ (æ), Ø (ø), and Å (å). In most record sources prior to 1915, Å (å) is written as Aa (aa) and filed at the beginning of the alphabet.
In Norwegian, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom or marry—marries— married are examples of words in English with variant forms. The endings of a word in a document may differ from those in this list. For example:
Mann - man
Kone - wife
Mannen - the man
Kona - the wife
Menn - men
Koner - wives
Mennene - the men
Konene - the wives