If you’ve followed my learning journey for long, you’ll not have missed the fact that I love norsk. And while I probably did it the long, cumbersome (and expensive) way over the years, with classes and pricey course books, learning Norwegian doesn’t have to cost a krone.
In fact, thanks to Norway’s healthy respect for accessible education, there’s a surprisingly rich spread of free online resources — especially for Bokmål, most learners’ introduction to the Norwegian language landscape. Once you’ve got the hang of that, you can dip a toe into Nynorsk without spending a penny either.
Here’s a quick, curated tour of the best free offerings out there. But first of all…
…Why Bokmål First?
Most free online courses and apps choose Bokmål as their default, simply because it’s the most widely used written variety in Norway, covering many major towns and the vast majority of published material. That makes it an accessible base before broadening out into the richness of Nynorsk.
Top Free Resources for Norwegian (Bokmål)
LearnNoW (NTNU)
A gentle, university-designed introduction to the language. LearnNoW takes absolute beginners through to around A2 with tidy lessons, audio, and interactive tasks. It’s structured, friendly, and surprisingly comprehensive.
👉 https://www.ntnu.edu/learnnow
Norwegian on the Web (NOW)
Another NTNU gem, and one of the classic free courses online. NOW includes a free PDF textbook, a grammar book, listening tasks, and self-study exercises. Think of it as your “foundation and framing” resource.
👉 https://www.ntnu.edu/norwegiancourse
Bnorsk.no (Kompetanse Norge)
A treasure chest of reading comprehension, vocabulary lists, grammar explanations, pronunciation guides, writing tasks, and even digital “språkkaféer”. Perfect for learners who like variety and mixed-skill practice.
Duolingo (Bokmål)
How could we leave out the green owl? While it’s not top of the list, Duolingo’s Norwegian course has a strong following, and it’s reassuringly solid for vocabulary building. Not a full curriculum on its own, but excellent for daily momentum.
👉 https://www.duolingo.com/course/no/en/Learn-Norwegian
Loecsen (Phrases & Survival Language)
Perfect if you want to get speaking quickly. Loecsen focuses on phrases and bite-sized vocabulary, delivered through simple audio and illustrations.
👉 https://www.loecsen.com/en/learn-norwegian
NorwegianABC
Clear explanations, short video and audio snippets, and a good collection of beginner-friendly lessons. Straightforward and fuss-free.
Live Lingua – FSI Norwegian Course
Live Lingua hosts digitised versions of older courses, including a useful introductory Norwegian programme with audio files. Handy if you learn well from structured, traditional materials.
👉 https://www.livelingua.com/courses/norwegian
Litt Nynorsk
Nynorsk for Learners (via Bnorsk.no)
Bjorsk hosts a slim but helpful set of reading and grammar resources to help you get oriented with Nynorsk basics.
Introductory Nynorsk Guides
Several online guides offer video lessons, grammar walkthroughs, and example texts, perfect once Bokmål feels comfortable and you fancy branching out.
👉 https://www.norwegian.app/learning-resources/nynorsk
Lykke til!
Once you get started, I recommend getting some norsk content creators into your social feeds too. No single course or platform will cover all bases, so it’s a great way to add some real ‘live lingua’ to your plan.
Whichever route you choose, I wish you a warm lykke til – I hope you enjoy the wonderful cultural journey that Norwegian opens up to you!