god dag
The English phrase "good day" is god dag in Norwegian.
god dag is a greeting used between sunrise and sunset. It is often used by shopkeepers or service workers when greeting customers in a professional setting.
Meaning: greeting between sunrise and sunset (intj)
Which one should you use?
god dag is used during the daytime, whereas god morgen is specifically for the morning hours.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
god dag is a formal way to say Good Day in Norwegian and is more formal than the common greeting hei. For an informal greeting, you can use Hallo.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective god (good) remains in its singular masculine form when paired with dag (day).
Did you know?
- The word god in god dag shares the same Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'good', meaning 'to join' or 'to unite'.
- While god dag is a polite greeting, using it with close friends or family might actually make you sound unintentionally stiff or even sarcastic.
- If you say god dag late in the afternoon, some Norwegians might respond with god kveld (good evening) to signal that the day is transitioning.
Examples in context
- God dag!Good day!Tatoeba #12467841 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #855284 by pirytm
- Jeg sier god dag til alle sammen.I say good day to everyone.
- En god dag til deg også.A good day to you too.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jakob and Ingrid meet in a bright hallway during the afternoon.
- JakobGod dag, Ingrid.Good day, Ingrid.
- IngridGod dag, Jakob.Good day, Jakob.
- JakobHvordan har du det i dag?How are you doing today?
- IngridJeg har det veldig bra.I am doing very well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good day” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dag, god, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
