In reply to Andrew W:
I learned Danish many years ago, to the point where I could read novels and hold my own in conversations. Norwegian is very similar, Swedish a little more removed, to the ear at least.
If memory serves, and if Norwegian is like Danish, on the page at least, then it is easier than it sounds. The grammar is straightforward, and the rules for pronunciation of strings of letters are much more consistently applied than they are in English.
Learning a language is not rocket science, it just takes time and practice and a willingness to have a go, coupled with a determination to work out the grammar and learn more words. Get going now and keep going. Get a grammar book and learn the rules. Learn vocabulary. I used to learn 20 new words a day, at least, and make sure that I really had learned them my having a system of reviewing my lists of words. If you know enough vocabulary, then you can begin to read stuff, which helps you learn more. Get a good dictionary - probably online now - and use it. Get some bilingual texts, where the same thing is written both in Norwegian/Swedish and also in English. I have used these in Danish , French and German and always found them useful. When you get far enough, get a teacher. I got a post-grad Danish, student, with whom I discussed the difficulty of understanding Kenny Dalglish (this was 1987), and then a pot head, whose cannabis I admired in her garden, all in Danish. Listen to the spoken word. Youtube must now offer you so many opportunities for this. Read newspapers. I used to read Politiken. If there is a subject you know about, read texts about that. You will get the gist more easily than with, say, novels, and get further, faster. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, but do try to eradicate them. Try to sound like them, too, not like a self-conscious foreigner speaking a foreign language. It can make a huge difference and it is surprising how good you can get. etc etc.
Good luck!
Post edited at 21:59