Norwegian 101: Connections (Tilkoblinger)

Published June 1, 2016 · Updated May 30, 2016

Heidi Håvan Grosch
Sparbu, Norway

There are some words (det er noen ord) that work best (fungerer best) in one language or another (i et eller et annet språk), and the Norwegian words (de norske ord) for “connections” (tilkoblinger) or to tie together (å knytte sammen) are two of those words. To my ear (for mitt øre), they remind me of (de minner meg om) the English word “knitting” (strikking). For me, (for meg) to connect (å tilkoble) or tie (å knytte) things together (ting sammen) implies (innbærer) a weaving together (en veving sammen), which is really what connections are all about (er virkelig hva tilkoblinger handler om), isn’t that right (ikke sant)?

I was recently (jeg var nettopp) in Bergen for a conference (en konferanse) for day care, kindergarten (barnehage), and lower elementary school (småtrinn) teachers (lærere). The conference itself, called Kykkeliky, which is the sound a Norwegian rooster makes (lyden en norsk hane lager) as opposed to (i motsetning til) the American “cock a doodle do,” was inspiring (var inspirerende). However, since this Norwegian 101 is about connections, let me tell you about a few (la meg fortelle deg om noen). Both would never have occurred (ville aldri ha skjedd) if we had not been in the right place at the right time (på rett sted til rett tid).

The person I was traveling with (reiste med) has a niece (niese) in Bergen but had made no plans (ingen planer) to meet her (for å treffe henne). Imagine (tenk deg) our surprise when she came out of the movie theater (kinoen) right across the street (rett over gaten) from our downtown hotel (sentrumshotellet), at the precise moment (i det øyeblikket) we arrived. It made for a lovely evening (en herlig kveld). Upon our return (på vei tilbake) to Trondheim, we came out of baggage claim at the exact moment (akkurat i det øyeblikket) a friend of mine (en venninne) was saying goodbye (sa farvel) to her daughter (til sin datter). She had an empty car (tom bil) and was driving by both the towns (kjørte forbi begge byene) we lived in (vi bodde i), so we connected (vi koblet).

Connections (tilkoblinger) can also mean sharing interests (dele interresser), as we did at the conference where the charming escapades (de sjarmerende eskapader) of those under eight years old (åtte år gammel) were shared (delte) and appreciated (verdsatt) by all. Connections can be about trading (bytting) book titles (boktitler) or favorite songs (favorittsanger), sharing recipes (oppskrifter) or travel destinations (reisemål), or in the case of this paper (av denne avisen), rejoicing together in all things Norwegian (i alle norske ting).

Hurrah! (Hurra!)

This article originally appeared in the June 3, 2016, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.