Vocabulary and phrases
Days of the week and months in Norwegian: seasons, dates and week numbers
By the SnakkTrygt team · Updated
The days of the week in Norwegian are mandag, tirsdag, onsdag, torsdag, fredag, lørdag and søndag, and the week starts on Monday. Unlike in English, they are written with a small letter, and so are the months (januar, februar, mars…). Below you’ll find the months, the seasons, how to say the date and the prepositions that trip learners up.
What are the days of the week in Norwegian?
They are seven words ending in -dag (“day”), and in speech the final g is usually silent: mandag sounds like “MAN-da”. English speakers have a head start, because both languages named most days after the same Germanic gods.
mandag
Monday
Moon day (måne = moon).
tirsdag
Tuesday
Tyr’s day. Sounds like “TEESH-da”.
onsdag
Wednesday
Odin’s (Woden’s) day.
torsdag
Thursday
Thor’s day. Sounds like “TOSH-da”.
fredag
Friday
Frigg’s day.
lørdag
Saturday
Originally “bathing day”.
søndag
Sunday
Sun day.
helg
weekend
“i helga” or “i helgen”: this weekend; both forms are correct.
hverdag
weekday / working day
i dag / i morgen / i går
today / tomorrow / yesterday
i overmorgen / i forgårs
the day after tomorrow / the day before yesterday
What are the months and seasons in Norwegian?
The months look almost like English, so they are quick to learn; just remember that j sounds like English y (“YAH-noo-ar”). “In January” is i januar.
| Month | Norwegian | Month | Norwegian |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | januar | July | juli |
| February | februar | August | august |
| March | mars | September | september |
| April | april | October | oktober |
| May | mai | November | november |
| June | juni | December | desember |
vinter
winter
vår
spring
Sounds like “vor”. Not to be confused with “vår” = our.
sommer
summer
høst
autumn
Are days and months capitalised in Norwegian?
No: days of the week, months and seasons are written with a small letter. The same goes for holidays such as jul (Christmas), julaften (Christmas Eve), påske (Easter) and nyttårsaften (New Year’s Eve). This is one of the most common spelling mistakes English speakers make in Norwegian.
Jeg begynner på jobben på mandag.
I start work on Monday.
Vi feirer jul hos foreldrene mine.
We celebrate Christmas at my parents’ house.
How do you use “på mandag”, “i mandags” and “om mandagen”?
På mandag means “(this coming) Monday”; i mandags means “last Monday”; and på mandager or om mandagen means “on Mondays” in general. English uses “on Monday” for most of these, so the difference has to be learnt.
| Norwegian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| på mandag | next / this Monday |
| i mandags | last Monday |
| på mandager / om mandagen | on Mondays (always) |
| hver mandag | every Monday |
| i sommer / i vinter | this summer / this winter |
| om sommeren / om vinteren | in summer / in winter (generally) |
| i fjor sommer | last summer |
Vi ses på fredag!
See you on Friday!
Jeg var hos legen i torsdags.
I went to the doctor last Thursday.
Butikken er stengt på søndager.
The shop is closed on Sundays.
Om vinteren er det mørkt nesten hele dagen.
In winter it is dark nearly all day.
How do you say the date in Norwegian?
You say the ordinal number and then the month: 8. oktober is read åttende oktober, often with den in front (den åttende oktober). The order is day-month-year, as in British English, and in figures it is written 08.10.2026 or 8.10.2026.
Hvilken dato er det i dag?
What’s the date today?
I dag er det den åttende oktober.
Today is the eighth of October.
Når har du bursdag? – Den tredje mars.
When is your birthday? – The third of March.
Jeg flyttet til Norge i 2024.
I moved to Norway in 2024.
You’ll find the full list of ordinals (første, andre, tredje…) in Norwegian numbers.
Why do Norwegians talk about “uke 42”?
Because in Norway it is very common to plan the year by week number (uke): people say “we’re on holiday in week 28” or “the deadline is week 45”. Weeks start on Monday and run from 1 to 52 (occasionally 53).
Hvilken uke er det nå?
What week is it now?
Vi er i uke 41.
We’re in week 41.
Barna har høstferie i uke 40.
The children have autumn half-term in week 40.
The exact week depends on the municipality.
Møtet er flyttet til uke 3.
The meeting has been moved to week 3.
Tip: Turn on week numbers in your phone’s calendar. Employers, schools and doctors in Norway will give you dates this way, and you’ll save yourself from asking every time.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say Monday in Norwegian?
“Mandag”. The rest of the week is tirsdag, onsdag, torsdag, fredag, lørdag and søndag.
Are Norwegian months capitalised?
No. Months, days of the week and seasons are all written with a small letter.
What is the difference between “på mandag” and “i mandags”?
“På mandag” is the coming Monday and “i mandags” is last Monday.