KAREN & THE CONSTABLES

Like many people I have used my time in lockdown to learn a new skill, and I chose to learn a new language.

Being born and bred in the North-East of Scotland, I feel that there are many similarities between the Scandi lifestyle and our own. The love of nature and the outdoors, the expansive larder of locally grown and artisan food and drink, and the yearning for a wholesome, contented life.

The more I learn about Nordic culture, the more I get sucked into that lifestyle. If you follow me on social media, have read this blog before or if you know me at all you’ll have seen my attempts at baking kanelbullar or kakor, or know that I think Iceland were robbed in Eurovision 2020.

So, faced with a lot more time on my hands I decided to learn a language. After a little research I discovered that Norwegian was the one to go for as it was easier and more universally understood than other Scandinavian languages. They had me at “easier”.

I have been using Duolingo mainly, but have also joined some Norwegian groups on Facebook, subscribed to some channels on YouTube, and followed some social media accounts where I try to translate written and spoken Norsk. I also bought a book called Short Stories In Norwegian which I’m yet to tackle.

I have currently been learning for 221 days, at a pace of around 5-10 mins a day, and sometimes I feel like I’m really getting it and sometimes I feel like I have no clue! But I have stuck with it and am enjoying it! It’s quite a fun language to learn and has quite a few similarities with English and even Scots in places so that makes it easier.

What has your lockdown project been? Do you speak Norwegian or have any hints and tips? Share please!