We all hate text books that begin with "Hello, what's your name?," don't we? "The Mystery of Nils" is a coherent story, which starts very simply, but develops into a fascinating novel. Can't stop reading? Well then you will have to learn Norwegian! We have carefully selected the most frequently used words in the Norwegian language and made sure that the story is primarily made up of them. Separate texts and exercises focus on conversational topics that will prepare you for living in Norway. Grammar is a headache? Not with "The Mystery of Nils." Uncover the structure of the Norwegian language with pictures, casual yet comprehensive explanations, and a lot of easy to remember examples. Repetition is the key to learning a language. At www.skapago.eu/nils you will find a great number of exercises, a vocabulary trainer, videos about pronunciation, and a whole lot more. Our Norwegian teachers have co-created this book. They know all the obstacles you might incur and can help you with individual training. Since we teach through online video conferences, you can take lessons wherever you are on this planet. Schedule a free demo lesson at www.skapago.eu. This is the story: Erna Langvik gives her eight year old granddaughter a special birthday present: a doll inspired by the traditional Norwegian mythical creature "Nisse." Nils as the doll is called leads a happy life with his new family in Oslo. But due to an accident, Nils finds out that he means a lot more to Erna than just being a birthday present. Without knowing it, he has been carrying a painful secret, and during an adventurous trip to Northern Norway, he helps Erna to make one of the most important decisions of her life."
The Mystery of Nils 1 is an excellent introduction to Norwegian. Within the confines of written bokmål Norwegian, it offers comprehensive coverage with text passages to read, vocabulary builders, grammar explanations and exercises to test one's learning.
The book is built around a story about a little doll called Nils, a delightfully naive chap who has to keep the fact he is conscious secret from the family that owns him. Each chapter of the book starts with a passage from this story, before introducing relevant grammar and idiomatic topics and finally presenting the reader with some exercises to build understanding.
What's Good About the Book?
The biggest strength of the book is how comprehensive it is for the serious student. Unlike many courses which are pitched at getting the reader speaking enough phrases to get their pølse from the kiosk or ask directions to the nearest fjord, this book is keen to lay the groundwork to start really learning and understanding the language. Grammar is explained, not in excruciating detail and not too much all at once, but enough that you understand the whys and wherefores of the word forms you are reading.
Another great thing is that the book is fun. This is a tough call for a language book. Honestly, all try but learning a language for most is hard, brutal work which needs to be sustained over a long period. It's not like learning to draw where nothing really matters as long as one is having fun. However, a light, conversational tone, little cartoons and, of course, the engaging main story keep things as light as possible.
What's Bad About the Book?
The biggest issue with the book is that there is little chance to practice speaking or hearing Norwegian. This is something the book itself acknowledges and, to its credit, it tells the reader with refreshing bluntness that, unless they practice their pronunciation, they will get practically nowhere and Norwegians will struggle to understand them and may even find them funny. There are even free audio readings of the story passages on the book's website. However, it certainly means that this course is no one-stop-shop - but then maybe that's asking a bit much of a book, really!
Would I Read This Book Again?
Yes. This book will be a valuable resource to me as I move onto other resources and courses to build my language skills further.
In conclusion, The Mystery of Nils 1 is a mature, comprehensive introduction to written Norwegian. Working through the book has left me with a decent ability to read basic Norwegian, although more work is needed for me to start hearing it as well. This probably underscores the need to combine any book work with an actual tutor or at least a group of native language speakers.
Etter mer enn to år, jeg er til slutt ferdig med denne boken. Jeg vet selvfølgelig ikke alt som er skrevet på boken, men jeg har lært veldig mye. Methoden av The Mystery of Nils er veldig underholdene, derfor jeg går begynne den andere bøken snart!
A great resource and book that helped greatly with learning the language. Most Norwegians I've had the pleasure speaking with are most impressed by my self study and progress, and I in turn can mostly point to two books that taught me and this is one of them. I would recommend this book to any who would want to learn Norwegian (bokmål).
* It has a story that slowly evolves in complexity in word use. * Explains grammatical and other concepts added per chapter * Has excersizes you can do each chapter to practice and see if you understand said concepts.
Currently rereading this and started the follow up. I am optimistic I can reach B2 on my own within a year.
For en som nettopp har begynt å lære seg norsk, er denne boken perfekt å starte med. Grammatikk og ordforråd bygges gradvis opp i kompleksitet, samtidig som det forblir morsomt og enkelt. Historien er også interessant. Dette har gitt meg et godt ordforråd og en god grammatikkbase å starte med, uten at jeg trenger å betale de dyre kostnadene ved et profesjonelt kurs. Hvem som helst kan lære nesten på egen hånd, forutsatt at de har motivasjonen, selvfølgelig!
Jeg anbefaler spesielt nettversjonen av boken, som du finner på Skapago. Der finnes det en stor mengde lydmateriale som man kan lytte til, noe som bidrar til bedre læring (både passiv og aktiv).
I dag kan jeg fortelle alle at jeg har gjort ferdig med denne boka, og har kommet så langt med mitt norsk. Jeg er utrolig glad fordi jeg kan si «jeg kan norsk (i hvilken grad, jeg aner ikke haha)» mens i fjor kunne jeg ikke uttale «kj!» Nå praktisere jeg noen aksenter hver dag, har begynt å lære hvilke dialekter jeg hører når jeg ser på en serie på NRK og synge med på min favorittsanger på norsk. Neste skal jeg begynne å lære meg med bind to, Mysteriet om Nils, og jeg håper at jeg kan skrive mye bedre på norsk i høsten.
This is an excellent language book, providing rich and varied language opportunities. Each chapter is part of an actual story, which introduces vocabulary in context. Then there are several exercises which follow, allowing for reasonable realistic recognition and production opportunities in language use. Grammar rules are explained in logical ways as needed and there are sound files available online to listen to while reading the story.
Disappointing. This was touted as being an amazing textbook. Whilst it is indeed different in its approach I found it frustrating and rather strange. Maybe I'll give it another go after I've done some more work from another source and I may be able to progress more next time.