If you’re planning to spend your winter holidays in Norway, it wouldn’t hurt to learn how to say Merry Christmas in Norwegian, as well as how to wish somebody A Happy New Year. And this is what we’re going to learn in today’s article!
Norway is one country where the Yuletide festivities (December 21st to Jan 1st) is a big thing. It’s actually so big and important that they actually begin celebrating in early December. Because you can never have too much Christmas, right?
But this if for another article. Now, you’re here to learn how to impress your Norwegian friends (or maybe that special Norwegian lady you’ve met) by showing them that you know how to wish them both Merry Christmas, as well as A Happy New Year in Norwegian.
I am also going to sprinkle some extra magic and tell you a few other winter and winter holidays related words in Norwegian.
This way, you will be able to impress your friends and family. I guarantee that they will appreciate it even if you don’t get the pronunciation right, so just give it a try! It’s worth it – more than an expensive gift in most cases.
How to say Merry Christmas in Norwegian?
God Jul!
Merry Christmas in Norwegian sounds like gou-yuul – quite similar to how they say it in Danish and Swedish but with a very slight difference in the accent. They’re all Scandianvian countries and languages, after all.
But back to “God Jul” (Merry Christmas!): don’t be anxious about it. Norwegians will understand what you mean perfectly no matter if you don’t get an A+ with your pronunciation.
The truth is that you would normally be understood by everybody in Norway if you wished them a Merry Christmas in English, because the English language is so widely spoken here… but you do want those bonus points for trying, right?
So go ahead and wish people God Jul left and right. Everybody loves Christmas here, so you don’t have to worry about offending anybody.
But if you want to be 100% politically correct and don’t risk anything, you can say “Happy holidays” instead: God ferie!
This is somewhat more general too, as it covers all the winter celebrations, but if you spend a few days in the country during this time of the year, you will see that most people use God Jul instead.
How to say Happy New Year in Norwegian?
Gott Nytt År!
Happy New Year in Norwegian may also be spelled similarly to other Scandinavian countries, but the pronunciation slightly differs, with it sounding like “Goodt-nitturr” – a bit deeper and more prolonged than how their neighbors would say it.
But as you see, it’s definitely not a difficult thing to say. You can do this!
Also, if you want to mix both and wish somebody in advance “Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year” you can easily (well, somewhat) do it by saying: God Jul og Gott Nytt År!
And now that you know the basics, if you’re brave enough or simply wish to learn more, I’ve got you covered. Here are some other meaningful winter holiday phrases in Norwegian, here are some more common ones to help you by:
Ha en flott juleferie – Have a great winter vacation
De beste ønsker for det nye året! – Best wishes for the new year!
Varme ønsker – Warm wishes
Sees neste år – See you next year
To boost your stock of words often used in the Christmas season, here are some additions to your Norwegian Yul vocabulary.
Jul – Christmas
Juletre – Christmas Tree
Snø – snow
Slede – sled
Gave – Gift/Present
Julenisse – Santa Claus
Misteltein – Mistletoe
Pepperkakehus – Gingerbread house
Pepperkaker – Gingerbread cookies
Juledag – Christmas Day
There is an outstanding joke that on the months of December, everything in Norway becomes prefixed with Jul- and every choice you make is labeled as “Christmas-something.”
This pretty much gives you a hint at anything that starts with Jul (Yuul) is something Christmassy! Not difficult to catch on this!
As I said, the Norwegian Culture is amazing especially during this time of the year, when everybody gets into the Christmas mood.
Conclusion
Now you know how to wish somebody a Merry Christmas in Norwegian, as well as how to say A Happy New Year in Norwegian.
As I said, if you really feel uncomfortable with your pronunciation – although you shouldn’t, as you will be appreciated for trying – people in Norway will understand the English greetings so you can go with those instead.
With all these in mind, I wish you: God Jul og Gott Nytt År! (Which means, in case you forgot: Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year).