Polyglossic

We’re slaves to the algorithm…. or are we? The great thing about TikTok is that you can engineer that algorithm with a bit of persistence. A search here, a like there, a comment somewhere else, and you subtly shift your TikTok-verse.

Of late, I’ve been nudging my own towards serving up content that makes my aimless swiping a bit less aimless and a bit more, well, educational. And there’s a lot going on in #TikTokNorge! Mini lessons, everyday life, sketches and gags… Norwegian is well-covered on the platform – if you can uncover it first to coax onto your For You tab.

Here are some of the accounts helping me maintain and improve my own Norwegian lately – I hope you find a couple of gems in here too.

Norsk med Aria

Aria is a Norwegian teacher with a wealth of micro-lesson content on his feed, which he updates regularly. His videos are slick and well-edited, with a good balance between formal grammar tips and colloquial usage. He uses English as a presentation language, so it’s all accessible, too – a great place to start as a newcomer, as well as great revision and tips for more intermediate learners.

@norsk.med.aria
Ordering a coffee in Norwegian #norwegian #norsk
♬ original sound – Norsk med Aria – Norsk med Aria

Hilde Elise

Hilde Elise is an online Norwegian teacher who posts very regular monologues about life in Norway. She covers a huge range of topics from work and family to politics and current affairs, all at a level around A2-B1. This is delivered in clear, measured Bokmål too, so her videos are perfect for taking your language skills beyond simple sentences.

If you like her, also check out another teacher from her online school, Norsklærer Karense!

@hildeelise
Jeg elsker sola! #lærer #adjektiv #norskopplæring #morgen #norway
♬ original sound – Hilde Elise

OlanNorwegian

Olan, like Aria, uses English as his presentation language, giving his videos a more formal ‘classroom’ feel. But his content is top-notch, covering both grammar and word use. I’ve expanded my vocabulary with quite a few bits and pieces since following him.

@olanorwegian
Hvordan si “anyone”, “anywhere”, “anytime” osv? Jo: Du bruker frasen “som helst”! Men: En litt mer avansert frase er “however”. Vi kan nemlig IKKE si “Hvordan som helst”. Hmm. Har du svaret? Skriv i kommentarene! grammatikk norwegiancourse norskkurs norsk norwegian lærenorsk lærnorsk norskgrammatikk småprat smalltalk howtolearnnorwegian learnnorwegian norwegisch norskspråk norwegianlanguage norwegianculture norweski norway norge lifeinnorway explorenorway newtonorway noruega noruego oslo vocabulary vokabular
♬ original sound – Ola Norwegian – Ola Norwegian

Learn Norwegian with Preben

Preben is a worldly guy whose videos more often than not come from far-flung places well beyond Norway. But he has a focus on everyday Norwegian that is quite refreshing – casual, not overly analytical, and more like a mate telling you how to sound natural. For colloquial, idiomatic norsk, he’s your man!

@norwegiancommunity
“Jada” and “neida” — two classic Norwegian replies 😄 They don’t just mean yes or no. Want to sound more Norwegian in everyday chats? DM me and I’ll show you how.
♬ original sound – Learn Norwegian with Preben – Learn Norwegian with Preben

ilyantisocial.teaches

Like Preben, Ilya is a fan of the casual, colloquial approach to language. He’ll pick out everyday quirks and trip-ups that you won’t find in textbooks. His methods are a bit more organised, and you’ll get more chalk-and-talk in his videos, which may provide the yin to Preben’s yang!

@ilyantisocial.teaches
How to say hungry in Norwegian? How to say full in Norwegian? #norway #norwegian #languagelearning #language educational, speaking Norwegian, teacher things
♬ original sound – ilyantisocial.teaches

norwegian.with.tor

Tor was one of the first Norwegian content creators I discovered way back in the day on Instagram. Well, probably just a couple of years ago – an age in Internet terms. His content is perfect for the Insta reel format – fun, snappy sketches and gags with a learning slant. And he’s now popped up on TikTok, feeding your #NorwayTok algorithm with more micro-content.

@norwegian.with.tor
Table manners 🇳🇴 🍴 Remember “takk for maten”! LearnNorwegian SpeakNorwegian PhrasesInNorwegian NorwegianVocabulary
♬ original sound – Norwegian with Tor – Norwegian with Tor

So there you have it – six norsk content creators to transform your own algorithms with. Have I missed any of your own favourites? Let me know in the comments!

I’m always looking for five-minute language learning boosters here and there. If you’ve missed the hundred and one other times I’ve been saying it (I blame the excitement), I’ve been a bit busy of late. And it’s at our busiest moments that we need a bit of that quick fix magic.

Cue…. TikTok. Those who still resist, I hear your groans. I must admit that I was a bit late to TikTok myself, a reluctant infinity-scroller. I’m probably a little off its target demographic, too, although the great and mystic algorithm tends to take care of that, and pen you in with like-minded folk.

But once that (granted, a little unsettling) read-your-mind hocus pocus had happened, my For You tab was filled with a stream of mini language lessons. Some decidedly better than others, of course; TikTok’s a very mixed bag. But some content creators are churning out admirably witty and thoughtful learning snippets you won’t find in the textbooks.

Many of these are just clear, plain facts, delivered with welcome simplicity. But the best are done with a dash of humour, and since that gets the likes, there are more and more of them popping up. It’s the self-motivated, individual creators, rather than the big, organisational accounts, that are best at this, and subsequently the most personable and fun to fill your feed with.

Here’s a selection of some of my favourite TikTok lingua-creators!

French

The epitome of short and snappy, @Madame_angol’s videos feature all sorts of vocab and grammar tidbits. On the other hand, if it’s a bit of Québecois you’re after, @french.canadian.nicolas exudes francophone cool from every pore.

German

You can tell the dedicated from the dabbling content creators straight away, and @germanwithniklas is firmly in the former camp. He has loads of fun content, and post reassuringly regularly. Similarly, for a dash of German everyday life and language, @liamcarps is worth a gander.

Spanish

A language teacher that just gets 30-second humour, @patry.ruiz stands head and shoulders above most of the Spanish content creators on TikTok. Another favourite, covering loads of mainstream classroom topics, is @learnspanishathome. Solid, but plenty of laughs too!

Best of the Rest

I’d be here all day if I could cover everything in a short post like this. But other favourites include @caldamac, who features a mix of Gaelic and wholesome outdoorsy content. Then there’s @seamboyseam, who could put together a whole comedy show with his material on the Irish language. Seriously worth a look even if you have a passing interest in the language.

TikTok Back Control

Of course, the quick fix element is a moot point if you don’t control the beast. Pruning and honing your social media is a vital skill to avoid scrollsome insanity. But if you hold the reins, and carefully fashion the TikTok behemoth to your own needs, it can really help bridge those busy weeks.

What are your go-to micro-lesson accounts? Let us know in the comments!

Incidentally, feel free to follow @richardwestsoley! I’m no master TikTokker myself, but it would be lovely to spot some of you there.