When you start learning Norwegian, you need a well-structured course to guide you through the basics. Most of the popular course books are made for traditional group classes, but there are a few beginner courses designed for self-study. Norwegian Uncovered is one of them. This online course promises to implant the basics of Norwegian deep into your brain through the power of stories, which the authors say is the most natural and best way to learn a new language. Does it really work? Let's find out!

The concept

Norwegian Uncovered is based on the Story Learning method, which teaches the language through immersion in an engaging and easy-to-read novel. From the very beginning, you are thrown into the deep end, presented with a story to read and listen to, even if you are completely new to the language. The course operates on the principle that not everything you learn needs to be explicitly taught. Instead, it aims to help you "decode" the language for yourself through natural exposure. The idea is to immerse yourself in Norwegian by reading and listening to the story without the immediate pressure to understand every word. You gradually develop understanding and fluency through exposure and repetition.

Norwegian Uncovered does not require you to fully comprehend the material right away. By consistently engaging with the language in the context of the story, you are expected to absorb Norwegian naturally, picking up vocabulary, grammar and correct pronunciation along the way. The emphasis is on the time you spend with the language, trusting that learning will happen naturally as you immerse yourself in the story.

Overview

Norwegian Uncovered consists of two parts - one for the A1 level (beginner) and one for the A2 level (pre-intermediate). Each module of the course introduces a new chapter of the story with supporting learning materials. Learning activities are organized according to a three-step process:

Step 1: Immerse

The first step is to immerse yourself in the language by listening to and reading a chapter of the novel. All other activities revolve around the story. Grammar explanations and other study materials have a supplementary function. They build on the experience of natural immersion in Norwegian through the story. They are designed to help you understand a particular chapter and get the most out of it.

Step 2: Learn

Once you have read and listened to a chapter of the novel, the course will provide you with study resources to help you learn vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation in the context of the story you have read and listened to. The first learning activity is to find Norwegian words that are similar to their English counterparts and use these similarities to improve your understanding of the text. Later, the course presents you with videos that explain grammar rules and vocabulary that appear in the story, and teach pronunciation using examples from the chapter. There are also short texts about various aspects of Norwegian culture. Norwegian Uncovered includes explicit teaching of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, but always through the story, in accordance with the Story Learning method. 

Step 3: Activate

The final step in the process is to activate words and structures you have acquired. At the end of each grammar and vocabulary section, you will find a quiz that allows you to actively recall what you have just learned. Each chapter is accompanied by a worksheet with speaking exercises that you can do with your tutor or language exchange partner. The course includes tips on how to find someone to practice speaking with. All these activities are based on the story, so they are related to the context in which you have been acquiring the language.

Bonus materials

The course also offers additional support through an email newsletter that explains the principles behind the course design and gives tips on how to learn Norwegian. You also get access to a community of learners with additional resources, chats and live coaching sessions.

Pros

I think the greatest strength of Norwegian Uncovered is its story-based approach. The story provides comprehensible input, which is essential for language acquisition. You learn Norwegian naturally by engaging with meaningful content right from the beginning. The story itself is not a literary masterpiece, but it is quite interesting. All the supporting resources really help you understand the plot and the experience of understanding a meaningful text is very rewarding. The audio quality is excellent, making it easier to follow along. 

Another important strength of Norwegian Uncovered is that, while teaching Norwegian, it also teaches you how to learn the language effectively. A key objective of the course is to enable learners to "decode" the language for themselves. It is designed to help you develop good learning habits that will help you make further progress after completing the course. Norwegian Uncovered includes instructions on how to use the materials effectively and explanations of the principles underlying these methods. In addition, the newsletter is a valuable resource with tips on how to get the most out of the course. 

Cons

Norwegian Uncovered has a few drawbacks. The high price is one of them. The first part alone costs $297. This is the most expensive self-study Norwegian course I know of. 

I had technical issues with accessing the course, which was a bit frustrating. I got a quick response from the technical support team and they fixed the problem. However, for such a high price, I would expect it to work well from the start without any complications.

The story itself and the cognate, speaking and pronunciation modules are all excellent. I have no critical remarks about them. However, I did not like the vocabulary and grammar sections so much. In my opinion, they are rather boring. They really help you understand the story, but I find them much less enjoyable than other parts of the course. They are too long and the pace is too slow for me. However, this problem can be mitigated by adjusting the playback speed of the videos.

Verdict

Norwegian Uncovered is an online course for beginners based on the Story Learning method, which emphasizes language acquisition through immersion in a story. The course aims to teach Norwegian in a natural way, allowing learners to absorb vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation by engaging with a text and its audio version. Strengths of the course include its engaging story-based approach and support for self-directed learning. Weaknesses include the high cost of the course and the somewhat tedious grammar and vocabulary sections. 

Overall, I think that Norwegian Uncovered is worth its price. If I had to start learning Norwegian from scratch and had enough money, I would do it with this course. It provides everything you need to get started - engaging text and audio content in simple Norwegian with good study tools that teach grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation by helping you understand the content. The course is very comprehensive. It satisfactorily covers listening, reading and speaking skills. In addition to teaching you the basics of the Norwegian language in a natural way, it will help you to develop good study habits for the long term. You learn how to learn the language by actually learning Norwegian with a well-designed method. This makes this online course, despite its small flaws, an excellent introduction to the language. I highly recommend it to anyone who is starting their adventure with the Norwegian language and is ready to make a serious commitment to learning. 

The course starts with a 7-day trial, so you can try it before you pay. If you don't like it, just cancel your order and save money. You can get access to Norwegian Uncovered from this page.