How to say Thank You in Norwegian

Thank you in Norwegian ( takk ) is one of the first words you learn when starting a Norwegian course. Norwegians are quite an immediate nation and they don’t use polite phrases other than expressing gratitude. Let’s see in what situations we can thank and for what.

Just thank you

Let me start by listing the different kinds of simple thanks. The easiest way is to simply say takk (thank you). You hear very often tusen takk , which is a thousandfold thanks. You can also use mange takk or takk du ha scale (both mean thank you very much ), as well as the combinations of the last two: mange takk skc du ha (thank you very much :). Sometimes it is also said takker or takker så mye – thank you very much. Thank you very much in Norwegian: hjertelig takk .

What is the Norwegian thanking you for?

Takk for maten – You don’t say tasty in Norway, but you must say Takk for maten (Thank you for the food) after the meal is finished . It might be considered rude not to say so. We do not use this phrase in restaurants.

Takk for i dag – At the end of the workday, instead of goodbye, you often say Takk for i dag – thank you for today. There is also an evening version, which is Takk for i kveld – thank you for tonight.

Takk for sist – With this phrase we welcome a person whom we have not seen for a long time, and we fondly remember the last meeting with him, this phrase can be translated: Thank you for the last meeting. If we used this phrase, we no longer need to say Hei!

Takk for i går – This is the way to say hello to the person we saw yesterday, but only if the meeting was in some sense exceptional, e.g. it was going to a restaurant.

Takk for meg / Takk for os s – This is how we say goodbye to the hosts who invited us to their home, it can be translated as Thank you for the invitation / Thank you for inviting us.

Takk for alt – on some Norwegian tombstones there is an inscription: Takk for alt… This is how the family of the deceased thank the deceased for everything. These words also appear on funeral scarves.

Takk for hjelpen or Takk for det – When someone showed us the way or helped us in another matter, thank him with the words Takk for hjelpen (thank you for the help) or Takk for det (thank you for that).

Takk i like måte or Takk det samme – means thank you, you too. This is how we respond when someone wished us a nice weekend ( god helg ), Merry Christmas ( god jul ) or a good trip ( god tur ).

På forhånd takk – Thank you in advance.

Ja, takk / Nei, takk – When someone offers us, for example, coffee, we answer me, takk , (yes, please) if we feel like it, or nei, takk (no thanks) if we don’t want it.

Related phrases

å takke – thank you
en takk – thank you
takket være deg … – thanks to you…
takknemlig – grateful
utakknemlig – ungrateful
en takknemlighet – gratitude
et takkekort – card with thanks, in Norway it is popular to send thank you cards, e.g. for wedding, birthday or baptism gifts.

And finally – when you know how to say thank you in Norwegian – thank you for your attention, that is:
Takk for oppmerksomheten! 🙂