Norwegians like to avoid conflict
What may be perceived as a conflict by a Norwegian
May be perceived as a completely peaceful situation by someone from another culture
Sometimes making it difficult to understand what Norwegians are trying to avoid
A clear ”no” can often be seen as conflictual by Norwegians
In order to avoid conflict
Norwegians may use indirect expressions such as the non-committal "nja"
A mix of ja, yes, and nei, no
Their tone of voice and subtle facial expression is important to notice here
It is the only way to work out if they mean ”yes”, ”maybe” or ”no”
In order to avoid saying ”no”
They may also say
“Yes, maybe that”
( Ja, kanskje det)
or
“That wasn’t such a bad idea, let’s think about it”
( Det var ikke så verst, la oss tenke på det)
or
“that’s a thought”
( Det var en ide)
Norwegians are often subtle in their feedback
