Discover how you can accelerate your language learning with ChatGPT and other cutting-edge AI technologies.
Learning Norwegian is a challenge for many people. As I often tell people, when you're learning a language, you're not just doing one thing. You really learn four different things at the same time: writing, reading, listening and speaking.
In recent years, thanks to technology, it has never been easier to start learning a new language.
learn languagesApps wie Duolingoand Memrise are wonderful tools to accompany formal classes while the internet and streaming services have access to themNorwegian TV showsand music easier than ever.
But now artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT have taken the ability to learn Norwegian to a whole new level. See how it works and how you can try it yourself.
The rise of AI tools
As we look to 2023, I have no doubt that the year will be remembered for a reason. It's the year that AI tools hit the mainstream.
I use AI on a daily basis to help with brainstorming, editing, title ideas and also for lots of fun. The tool I use is called ChatGPT. The recent release of ChatGPT 4 has taken things to a new level.
I have some friends who are also big fans of AI chat and we spend a lot of time sharing our instructions and results.
Every day we learn a little more about what these amazing tools are capable of. We recently found out how learning Norwegian can help you.
Learn Norwegian with AI
It can'tlearn norwegianfrom start to finish with AI, but it can greatly speed up your learning. Apps can help you review and practice, but AI can help you understand. You can translate, correct your mistakes and explain those mistakes.
Basically, it's like having your own private tutor working with you between your formal language courses. But as with any technology, the output is only as good as the input, so you should spend some time learning how to use it for maximum benefit.
Learn Norwegian now:Norwegian Class 101/Nile's secret
There are many resources out there for people who want to learn to use AI tools on a general level. See for examplethis guideon the excellent tech blog Tom's Guide.
As such, I will not go into the technical side of using an AI tool or best practices. Instead, I will focus on showing you the possibilities of language learning.
For reference, I'm using ChatGPT's premium paid plan on OpenAI, which gives me limited access to the new GPT 4 model. It costs $20 per month but the regular tool is completely free. All of the following examples use GPT-4.
Example 1: A personal tutor
In my personal language learning journey, hiring a private tutor has made the biggest difference. Having lots of individual time was the main reason I was able to improve my skills enough to get Norwegian citizenship.
Well, I'm not going to claim that ChatGPT can replace a human tutor. But if you can't afford one-on-one tuition, AI tools can at least help you when you get stuck. Here is an example.
my hint: I am learning Norwegian. I try to write a journal about my day. Can you please identify errors and explain why they are errors? Here is the entry: "Heisann, i dag jeg traveled to Spania. It should be in a football camp tomorrow!
AI Response: Correction: Hello, today I traveled to Spain. I'm going to a soccer game tomorrow!
Explanation: There are two minor errors in the original text:
In the first sentence, after the subject "jeg" (I) comes the verb "travelled". In Norwegian, the verb must be in the second position of the sentence, especially in main clauses. Therefore, the correct word order is "i dag reste jeg" (I traveled today).
The preposition “tilde” is used in the second sentence. However, the correct preposition to use when talking about attending an event like a football game is “på”. Therefore, the corrected sentence should read: "¡Jeg skal på en fotballkamp i morgen!" (I'm going to a football game tomorrow!).
Very good, isn't it? Now you can try again at this point or maybe try a different sentence structure. Or you can ask for clarification if the AI's answer wasn't clear or if you just don't understand.
my hint: Don't understand the first point. Can you elaborate on the word order rule that applies to this sentence?
AI Response: Clear! In Norwegian, word order in a sentence generally follows the subject-verb-object (SVO) structure, similar to English. However, there are some rules you should keep in mind when forming sentences in Norwegian, especially when it comes to main clauses:
Rule V2 (second verb): In a declarative main clause, the verb must always come in second place. This means that when an adverb or other element in the sentence comes first, the subject comes after the verb.
Examples:
- "Today I traveled to Spain." (Today I traveled to Spain.)
- "Tomorrow I'm going to a soccer game." (Tomorrow I'm going to a soccer game.)
In both examples, the time expression comes first (i dag, i morgen), then the verb (traveled, skal) and the subject (jeg) after the verb.
Now the AI explained more points about word order, but I truncated his answer for this post. If you still don't get it, you now know enough about the subject to do your own research and find in-depth articles on the subject.V2 word order rule in Norwegian.
Example 2: Understanding Nynorsk
This time I put myself in the position of a beginner who started reading articles about NRK. In this case, I imagined myself tripping over itThis articleand notice some unusual spellings. Instead of finding out what's going on, you can just ask the AI.
my hint: Hello, this part of Norwegian is confusing for me. The words seem different and I don't really understand them. I'm starting to learn Norwegian. Can you explain what's going on?
“Norway needs to protect Norway more. The international agreement to protect 30 percent of nature puts Norwegian development projects under pressure. Now work begins on a new nature plan.”
AI Response: This text is written in Nynorsk Norwegian, one of the two official script standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. Nynorsk is based on rural dialects and has different grammar rules and vocabulary compared to Bokmål. It can be more difficult to understand for those who are just starting to learn Norwegian and are more familiar with Bokmål.
Here is a small translation of the English text:
“Norway will protect Norway more. An international agreement to protect 30% of nature increases the pressure on Norwegian development projects. Now the work begins on a new level of nature."
If you are just starting to learn Norwegian, you may find it helpful to focus on one of the written standards first, usually Bokmål, as it is more widely used and more similar to Danish, which can make things easier for beginners. Once you have a solid foundation in Bokmål, you can explore, learn to understand and use Nynorsk.
Here, too, you now have a choice. You could go and do independent researchNynorsk variant of Norwegian. Or you can continue to ask the AI more questions based on what it has already told you.
my hint: Could you write me the lyrics in Nynorsk in Bokmål?
AI Response: Clear! Here is the original text from Nynorsk followed by the Bokmål version:
Nynorsk: "Norway should protect Norway more." The international agreement to protect 30% of nature increases the pressure on Norwegian development projects. Now the work begins on a new level of nature."
Bokmål: “Norway needs to protect Norway more. The international agreement to protect 30 percent of nature increases the pressure on Norwegian development projects. Now work begins on a new nature plan.”
The main differences in this text are in the spelling, such as B. "Noreg" (Nynorsk) vs. "Norge" (Bokmål), "aukar" (Nynorsk) vs. "øker" (Bokmål) and "no" (Nynorsk) vs. "now" (Bokmål). There are also differences in some words and grammatical forms, such as e.g. "a" (Nynorsk) vs. "one" (Bokmål).
Example 3: Conversation Practice
Now it's much harder to use AI to have a spoken conversation now. With voice assistants like Siri constantly improving, it certainly won't be long before this is possible.
In the meantime, you can practice Norwegian conversation with the AI chatbot. How you request the AI matters here. Here's a quick example.
my hint: Hello! Can we chat in Norwegian? I'm a beginner so please write me in plain Norwegian. Don't correct my mistakes either. My name is David. Her name is Hildegunn.
Hildegunn: Hello David! Of course we can speak Norwegian. My name is Hildegunn. How are you doing?
David: It's good, thanks! Can we talk about our families? how many brothers do you have
Hildegunn: As an AI, I don't have a real family or siblings, but we can talk about your family. How many siblings do you have and what do they like to do?
David: I have three brothers. Their names are Magnus, Pontus and Willie. But they live abroad, so we rarely see each other.
Hildegunn: It's good to have brothers. Too bad we can't meet often. What do you like to do together when you meet?
my hint: Extraordinary: Thank you! Can you tell me if I made a mistake?
AI Response: Clear! Here are the corrections to your sentences:
"But they live abroad, so we rarely see each other." it should read, "But they live abroad, so we rarely see each other."
Keep up the good work and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions or need further assistance.
As you can see, it is possible to use AI for practicewrite norwegian, especially colloquial Norwegian. The important thing here is to ask him not to correct you. However, since he can "remember" past interactions, you can ask him to fix the problem later.
You can also ask the AI to act more formally, such as impersonating a government official. Or maybe ask him to have a much more casual conversation over text.
Example 4: Motivation
Don't want to learn Norwegian today? Or maybe your confidence has been affected by the fact that Norwegians are always switching to English. AI can help here too!
my hint: Norwegians have a habit of switching to English as soon as they hear someone struggling with their language. This makes it difficult for beginners to learn and practice Norwegian. Do you have any tips for dealing with this situation?
AI Response: Yes, it can be frustrating to learn and practice a new language, and people keep switching to a language they already know. Here are some tips that can help you deal with this situation:
Be confident: even if you have trouble finding the right words, try to speak as much Norwegian as possible. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, because making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process.
Ask for help: If you have trouble understanding something, don't hesitate to ask for clarification. You can say something like "Can you explain that in Norwegian?". or "Can you say that again in Norwegian?"
Be persistent: keep speaking Norwegian even when others are switching to English. If you keep speaking Norwegian, they will understand that you want to practice and learn the language.
Find a language exchange partner: A language exchange partner is someone who wants to learn your native language while teaching their own. This is a great way to practice speaking to someone who is patient and understanding.
Join a language group: Joining a language group can be a great way to meet other people who are also learning Norwegian. You can practice talking to them and they can give you tips and advice.
These are just four examples of how you can use ChatGPT or any other AI chatbot to learn Norwegian. I still recommend starting a formal course (considerthis online coursefor example), but AI tools can help speed up your learning significantly.
An important word of warning
When you start using artificial intelligence tools on a regular basis, you quickly realize that not all answers are reliable.
Learn Norwegian now:Norwegian Class 101/Nile's secret
Currently, ChatGPT does not have direct access to the Internet in the sense that it can access up-to-date information to incorporate into its results. This means that when you request information from any AI tool, you should subject the results to a "sanity check," just like you would with a regular Google search.
However, I am very impressed with the quality of the results when using the language learning tools.
How about learning Norwegian with the help of AI?Did you try? Tell us about your experience in the comments.