A fun new way to learn Norwegian, wherever you are in the world.
Part of our series on how to learn Norwegian.
Are you bored with academic-style language courses or travel-focused ones that take an age to get beyond asking for directions? The Mystery of Nils is a fun way to learn Norwegian through an engaging story, rather than in a classroom or from a phrasebook.
Start Now: You can start learning Norwegian with The Mystery of Nils for just USD $27 per month. Sign up here and start learning today!
The Mystery of Nils
Erna Langvik gives her eight year old granddaughter a special birthday present: Nils, a doll inspired by a traditional Norwegian mythical creature. Nils leads a happy life with his new family in Oslo.
But after an accident, Nils finds out that he means a lot more to Erna than just being a birthday present.
Without knowing it, he has been carrying a painful secret, and during an adventurous trip to Northern Norway, he helps Erna to make one of the most important decisions of her life.
How this story helps you learn Norwegian
Vocabulary. Every lesson in the course helps you improve your Norwegian knowledge and vocabulary, at the same time as progressing through the story.
The team behind the course have made sure the story is made up of the most commonly used Norwegian words to accelerate your learning.
Separate texts and exercises focus on conversational topics that will prepare you for living in Norway, while video lessons from Norwegian teachers help you to pronounce new words correctly. Here's what that looks like on the inside:
Grammar. One of the most difficult aspects of learning a new language is getting to grips with grammar. The Mystery of Nils helps you learn the structure of the Norwegian language with casual yet comprehensive video explanations, pictures, and lots of easy to recall examples.
Start Now: You can start learning Norwegian with The Mystery of Nils for just USD $27 per month. Sign up here and start learning today!
Community. Optional individual training through Skype is available (at an additional rate) from the Norwegian teachers who helped to create the course. You will also become a member of the Facebook community, where you can meet and practice with other students and ask questions to real teachers.
A more engaging way to learn
There is science behind the claims that we learn better through stories. When we listen to a Powerpoint presentation while staring at endless bullet points, only certain parts of the brain get activated.
These are known as Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. These are language processing parts of the brain, where we decode words into meaning.
But when we are being told a story, exciting things happen. According to Spanish researchers, not only are the language processing parts of our brain activated, but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are too. A story can put your whole brain to work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What am I paying for? You pay a monthly membership fee to access all course materials for as long as you want to. Each chapter of the book reveals more of the story, and comes with bonus lessons on specific language elements, pronunciation guides, and so on. You can preview the full course contents here.
How long does the course take? Because the course is based on videos and an online community, it is entirely self-paced. You could race through the course in a month, or take your time and spend a year absorbing all the material.
How difficult is the course? It is a beginners level course designed to cover A1 and A2 levels of Norwegian.
What if I’m not happy? You have 15 days to request a refund.
Start Now: You can start learning Norwegian with The Mystery of Nils for just USD $27 per month. Sign up here and start learning today!
If you’ve been inspired to learn Norwegian through a story, why not share the news on Pinterest? There’s a pin for that…
How much is 197 kr in American dollars?
Hi, I’ve just checked for you and it’s just under $25 at the time of writing.
I am assuming this is Bokmål rather than Nynorsk or does it cover aspects of both?
Bokmål
Could you elaborate on the duration of the course? Is it one month for the Nils story or two or more? Takk.
It is self-paced so you go as quickly as you feel comfortable with.
I have used the paperback version and it is excellent. It is the first Norwegian language text that explains, simply and upfront and in easy to comprehend English, the verb number two structure of Norwegian.
Hei,
Will the course cover higher levels?
Takk
Think it would be good for a 10yo with some basic (food and toy) vocabulary?
I don’t know one single word of any other language except English. Would this be a good place to start learning the Norwegian language? I have always been interested in the culture of Norway! It’s beautiful country and of course the northern lights! Have a nice day. 😊