Emergency in Norwegian: 44 Travel Phrases with Audio

Hjelp!
Help!
Usage
Call for help in any emergency
Grammar Note
Identical in meaning to Swedish "Hjälp!"; pan-Nordic emergency word
Ring 113!
Call 113! (ambulance)
Usage
Norway's medical emergency number is 113
Grammar Note
Norway emergency numbers: 113 (ambulance), 110 (fire), 112 (police)
Ring politiet!
Call the police!
Usage
Use in criminal or dangerous situations
Grammar Note
Norway's police emergency number is 112. "Politiet" includes the definite article
Jeg trenger lege
I need a doctor
Usage
Request medical assistance
Grammar Note
"Lege" means doctor; "en lege" = a doctor
Jeg er skadet
I am injured
Usage
Tell others you are injured
Grammar Note
"Skadet" is the past participle of "skade" (to injure), used as adjective
Jeg er blitt ranet
I have been robbed
Usage
Report a robbery to the police
Grammar Note
"Er blitt" + past participle = passive present perfect
Jeg har mistet passet mitt
I have lost my passport
Usage
Report a lost passport to authorities or the embassy
Grammar Note
"Mistet" is the past participle of "miste" (to lose)
Jeg er syk
I am sick / unwell
Usage
Tell someone you are feeling unwell
Grammar Note
"Syk" is cognate with English "sick"; a simple and direct way to express illness
Hvor er nærmeste sykehus?
Where is the nearest hospital?
Usage
Find the nearest hospital in an emergency
Grammar Note
"Sykehus" = "syke" (sick) + "hus" (house); lit. "sickhouse"
Kan du hjelpe meg?
Can you help me?
Usage
Ask someone for help in any situation
Grammar Note
"Hjelpe" is the infinitive form of "to help"; "Kan du" = polite request
Slutt!
Stop it!
Usage
Show this to shut down pushy touts, scammers, or anyone following you; it works silently by screen alone
Grammar Note
The imperative of "å slutte". This is a flat refusal, not a softened request; "Slutt, nå!" is stronger still
Ikke rør meg!
Don't touch me!
Usage
Refuses someone touching you, and makes the situation legible to bystanders as well
Grammar Note
A negative imperative: "ikke" + verb; "å røre" means to touch. No politeness marker is added, which is what keeps the refusal firm
Jeg er blitt bestjålet
My things were stolen
Usage
Tells police or hotel reception that your belongings were stolen; a formal report is an "anmeldelse"
Grammar Note
A passive perfect of "å bestjele" (to steal from someone); a violent robbery uses a different word, "ranet"
brann
Fire
Usage
One word to report a fire; in Norway the fire service has its own number, 110 (police 112, ambulance 113)
Grammar Note
A masculine noun: definite "brannen", plural "branner". A fire site is a "brannsted" and the fire station a "brannstasjon"
tyv
Thief
Usage
The word for the person who stole; show it to report a theft or alert bystanders
Grammar Note
A masculine noun: definite "tyven", plural "tyver"; the spelling "tjuv" is also standard Bokmål. The act is "tyveri", which is the offence name in section 321 of the penal code
veskenapping
Snatching
Usage
Names having a bag snatched from you as you walk; the offender is a "veskenapper"
Grammar Note
A feminine noun, definite "veskenappinga", compounding "veske" (bag), "nappe" (to snatch) and "-ing". It is not itself an offence name in the penal code — depending on the violence it is charged as "ran" (section 327) or "tyveri" (section 321)
lommetyv
Pickpocket
Usage
The word for a thief who lifts things out of people's pockets; also used to warn about crowded places
Grammar Note
A masculine noun: definite "lommetyven", plural "lommetyver", compounding "lomme" (pocket) and "tyv" (thief). The act is "lommetyveri"
kidnapping
Kidnapping
Usage
Names a person being carried off and held captive; this is the everyday word for it
Grammar Note
A masculine noun: definite "kidnappingen", plural "kidnappinger". The penal code names the offence "Frihetsberøvelse" (deprivation of liberty) in section 254, a wider category; the everyday word "kidnapping" does not appear in the statute
drap
Murder
Usage
Names a killing; this is the word used both in Norwegian news and in court
Grammar Note
A neuter noun: definite "drapet", plural unchanged. It is the offence in section 275 of the penal code ("Den som dreper en annen, straffes med fengsel fra 8 inntil 21 år"); negligent killing is the separate section 281, "Uaktsom forvoldelse av død". "Mord" is the older word and is obsolete as a legal term
opptøyer
Riot
Usage
Names a violent crowd disturbance; in Norwegian this sense is used in the plural
Grammar Note
A neuter noun used in this plural form ("opptøyene" when definite). It is the same form as the offence name in the penal code, "Opptøyer"; a synonym is "oppløp"
bombe
Bomb
Usage
Show this to report a suspicious object or a suspected explosive; it conveys the need to evacuate or call in
Grammar Note
A feminine noun: definite "bomba", plural "bomber". The identical form "å bombe" is also a verb, to bomb
Det brenner! Løp ut!
Fire! Run!
Usage
Shout this when you notice a fire indoors to warn the people around you and get them out
Grammar Note
The impersonal "Det brenner" (built on "brenne", to be on fire) is the set way to raise a fire alarm. The imperative of "løpe" (to move fast on foot) is "løp", followed by the directional adverb "ut"
Stopp tyven! Ta ham!
Thief! Catch him!
Usage
Shout this, pointing at someone running off with stolen goods, to get bystanders to help
Grammar Note
"tyv" takes the definite form "tyven" because it points at the person in front of you. If the person is female, replace "ham" with "henne"
Ring brannvesenet!
Call the fire service!
Usage
Ask someone to call the fire service. Norwegian calls the service ("brannvesenet"), not the vehicle ("brannbil")
Grammar Note
Same pattern as "Ring politiet!": the service called stands in the definite form ("brannvesen" → "brannvesenet"). "brannvesen" is neuter, so the definite ending is -et
Hvor er nærmeste politistasjon?
Where is the nearest police station?
Usage
Use this to ask the way to the police station, for example to file a report
Grammar Note
"Hvor er nærmeste …?" keeps the noun indefinite after the superlative, exactly as in "Hvor er nærmeste sykehus?". "politistasjon" is masculine, definite "politistasjonen"
Jeg trenger en politianmeldelse
I need a police report
Usage
Show this when you need the police report of a theft, for example for an insurance claim. The sentence itself does not name the theft, so say or mime that part
Grammar Note
Politianmeldelse is masculine, definite politianmeldelsen. Uses Jeg trenger … (I need) to make the request.
Er det noen som snakker japansk?
Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?
Usage
Show this at a hospital or police station to look for someone who speaks Japanese
Grammar Note
"Er det noen …?" asks whether anyone is there; the relative pronoun "som" builds "someone who …". The language name "japansk" is lower case and takes no article as the object of "snakke"
Denne personen er bevisstløs
This person is unconscious
Usage
Point at the person who has collapsed and show this to tell bystanders or paramedics that they are unconscious
Grammar Note
Norwegian demonstratives take double definiteness, so the noun also stands in the definite form: "denne personen". "bevisstløs" is an adjective: neuter "bevisstløst", plural and definite "bevisstløse"
Noen holder på å drukne!
Someone is drowning
Usage
Use this at the water's edge to raise the alarm that someone is drowning
Grammar Note
Norwegian has no progressive tense; "holde på å" + infinitive expresses an action in progress. "drukne" includes the fatal outcome, so the progressive frame is what gives "is drowning"
Jeg er blitt mishandlet
I was beaten
Usage
Show this to the police or at a hospital to report that you have been assaulted
Grammar Note
"bli" + past participle forms the passive, the same pattern as "Jeg er blitt ranet". "mishandle" means to use violence on someone; its past participle is "mishandlet"
Jeg er blitt knivstukket
I was stabbed
Usage
Show this to say you have been stabbed with a blade, so that the wound is treated at once
Grammar Note
The participle is built on the same stem as the nouns "knivstikking" (stabbing someone with a knife) and "knivstikk" (a knife wound): "kniv-" prefixed to "stukket", the past participle of "stikke"
Det har vært innbrudd på rommet mitt
My room was broken into
Usage
Show this to hotel staff or the police to report that your room was broken into while you were out
Grammar Note
"innbrudd" is neuter: definite "innbruddet", unchanged in the plural. A postposed possessive makes the noun definite, hence "rommet mitt"
Den personen der borte er gjerningsmannen
That person is the culprit
Usage
Point at someone at a distance and show this to tell the police that they are the offender
Grammar Note
Something further off is marked with "der borte" (over there). The noun after the demonstrative "den" is definite ("personen"). "gjerningsmann" is a person who has committed a wrongdoing; definite "gjerningsmannen"
Jeg er blitt lurt
I was deceived
Usage
Show this to report that you have been cheated — an unfair charge, a fake product and so on
Grammar Note
"lure" carries the sense of tricking or cheating someone; its past participle is "lurt". The verb also means lying in wait and pondering, so the passive frame is what pins down the sense
Jeg er blitt frastjålet lommeboken
My wallet was stolen
Usage
Show this when reporting to the police that your wallet has been stolen
Grammar Note
With "frastjele" (to steal from someone) the passive takes the victim as subject and the stolen object follows with no preposition. "lommebok" can be masculine or feminine; the definite form is "lommeboken" or "lommeboka"
Jeg har glemt igjen sakene mine
I left my things behind
Usage
Show this to say you have left your things behind on a vehicle or in a shop
Grammar Note
"glemme" plus the adverb "igjen" (left behind) means to leave something where it was. The definite plural of "sak" is "sakene", followed by the postposed possessive "mine"
Jeg er blitt påkjørt av en bil
I was hit by a car
Usage
Show this to tell paramedics or the police that a car has hit you
Grammar Note
The past participle of "påkjøre" (to drive into something) is "påkjørt"; an example is "bli påkjørt av …", with the agent marked by "av"
Løp ut gjennom nødutgangen!
Please escape through the emergency exit
Usage
Use this while pointing at the emergency exit to get people to evacuate in a fire
Grammar Note
"nødutgang" is masculine; because it refers to the particular exit in sight, it takes the definite form "nødutgangen". "gjennom" is the preposition of passage
Det er farlig!
Watch out!
Usage
Use this to warn someone off an immediate danger
Grammar Note
"farlig" takes no ending in the neuter singular, so it stays "farlig" after the subject "det"; the plural and definite form is "farlige"
Kom med en gang!
Please come right away
Usage
Use this to call someone to come to where you are at once
Grammar Note
The imperative of komme is kom. Med en gang is the set adverbial phrase immediately.
Det haster!
It's an emergency
Usage
Show this to say the situation cannot wait and to get people to act at once
Grammar Note
"haste" carries the sense of being pressing; the example, "det haster med å finne en løsning", takes the impersonal "det" as subject. The present tense is "haster"
Kjør meg til sykehuset, takk
Please take me to a hospital
Usage
Show this to a taxi driver or anyone with a car to ask to be driven to a hospital
Grammar Note
Kjøre meg til … with the imperative kjør. Compare Kan du kjøre meg til flyplassen? Final takk softens the request.
Skynd deg!
Please hurry
Usage
Tell the emergency services, the police or a driver that there is no time to lose
Grammar Note
Skynd deg can stand alone; compare Vi er sent ute, skynd deg! Skynde seg means get going quickly or hurry (komme seg raskt av gårde eller i gang med noe / være snar). The imperative skynd takes the reflexive deg.
Det har skjedd en trafikkulykke
There has been a traffic accident
Usage
Tell the police, the ambulance service or bystanders that a traffic accident has happened
Grammar Note
The pattern is Det har skjedd en … with the compound trafikkulykke: serious material damage or personal injury in traffic (alvorlig materiell skade eller personskade i trafikken). Compare Det har skjedd en ulykke — ring skipatruljen!

More Norwegian phrases

Browse all TravelPhrases languages

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note

Usage

Grammar Note