Norwegian vs Swedish vs Danish: Which Should You Learn First?

 

Speakers	5.3 million	10.5 million	5.8 million
Sound	Middle ground	Melodic, “singing”	Soft, mumbled
Difficulty	Easiest	Easy	Hardest (pronunciation)
Resources	Good	Excellent	Good

Key Differences Explained

1. Pronunciation

Norwegian: Clear, phonetic pronunciation. Words are generally pronounced as written.

• Example: “Jeg heter…” (yai HEH-ter) = “My name is…”

Swedish: Musical, sing-song quality with pitch accents.

• Example: “Jag heter…” (yah HEH-ter) = “My name is…”

Danish: Soft consonants, swallowed endings, glottal stops. Often joked about as “Swedish spoken with a potato in your mouth.”

• Example: “Jeg hedder…” (yai HEH-ther) = “My name is…”

Winner for learners: Norwegian – most phonetic, easiest to pronounce correctly.

2. Written Language

English	Norwegian	Swedish	Danish
I	jeg	jag	jeg
not	ikke	inte	ikke
what	hva	vad	hvad
language	språk	språk	sprog
book	bok	bok	bog
water	vann	vatten	vand

Notice: Norwegian and Danish look almost identical in writing, while Swedish has more unique spellings.

3. Grammar

All three languages have simplified grammar compared to German:

Similarities:

• Two main genders (common + neuter) in standard forms
• Verb forms don’t change by person (I run, you run, he run)
• Word order: Subject-Verb-Object (like English)

Differences:

• Swedish has more complex definite article rules
• Danish has only two genders (Norwegian Bokmål has two, Nynorsk has three)
• Norwegian has two written standards (Bokmål and Nynorsk)

4. Vocabulary Examples

English	Norwegian	Swedish	Danish
thank you	takk	tack	tak
yes	ja	ja	ja
no	nei	nej	nej
hello	hei	hej	hej
goodbye	ha det	hej då	farvel
please	vær så snill	snälla	vær så venlig

Why Norwegian Wins

1. The “Middle Language” Advantage

Norwegian sits perfectly between Swedish and Danish:

• Writing: Almost identical to Danish
• Sound: Closer to Swedish (but clearer)

Learning Norwegian first gives you access to both neighboring languages with minimal extra effort.

2. Clearest Pronunciation

Norwegian pronunciation is the most consistent and phonetic. What you see is (mostly) what you say. Danish’s soft sounds and Swedish’s pitch accents are harder for beginners.

3. Friendly Speakers

Norwegians are known for being patient with language learners and happy to speak Norwegian (unlike some countries where people immediately switch to English).

Which Should You Learn?

Choose Norwegian if:

• You want the easiest entry point
• You plan to visit or live anywhere in Scandinavia
• You want to understand all three languages eventually

Choose Swedish if:

• You specifically plan to live in Sweden
• You want the most learning resources (largest population)

Choose Danish if:

• You specifically plan to live in Denmark
• You already speak Norwegian or Swedish

Start Learning Norwegian Today

So in the Norwegian vs Swedish debate, Norwegian is the clear winner for beginners.

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Related: Learn the 50 most common Norwegian words to get started quickly.

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Lykke til med norsken! (Good luck with Norwegian!)

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Start Learning Norwegian Today!