Instruktøren spør hvorvidt den skadde reagerer eller ikke.

Because -en is the usual definite ending for many masculine nouns in Bokmål.

• instruktør = instructor
• instruktøren = the instructor

So Instruktøren spør ... means The instructor asks ...

This is one of the most basic patterns in Norwegian:

• en bil → bilen
• en lærer → læreren
• en instruktør → instruktøren

Spør is the present tense of spørre (to ask).

This verb is a little irregular in the present tense:

• infinitive: å spørre
• present: spør
• past: spurte
• past participle: spurt

So:

• Jeg spør
• Hun spør
• Instruktøren spør

By contrast, reagere is regular:

• infinitive: å reagere
• present: reagerer

That is why the sentence has both spør and reagerer.

Hvorvidt means whether.

It introduces an indirect yes/no question:

• Han spør hvorvidt hun kommer. = He asks whether she is coming.

In your sentence:

• Instruktøren spør hvorvidt den skadde reagerer eller ikke. = The instructor asks whether the injured person is responding or not.

Hvorvidt is correct and quite common in writing, formal speech, instructions, and official language.

Yes. In many situations, om is more common, especially in everyday speech.

So you could also say:

• Instruktøren spør om den skadde reagerer eller ikke.

Both are correct. The difference is mostly style:

• om = more everyday, very common
• hvorvidt = a bit more formal or precise

In practical instructions like first-aid language, hvorvidt sounds natural.

Because this is a subordinate clause introduced by hvorvidt.

In a direct yes/no question, Norwegian would often use verb-first word order:

• Reagerer den skadde? = Is the injured person responding?

But after hvorvidt or om, the clause becomes embedded, and the normal subject-verb order is used:

• ... hvorvidt den skadde reagerer
• ... om den skadde reagerer

So:

• direct question: Reagerer den skadde?
• indirect question: Instruktøren spør hvorvidt den skadde reagerer.

Den skadde means the injured person.

Literally, it is built from:

• den = the (common gender form)
• skadde = injured

Here, the adjective is being used like a noun. This is very common in Norwegian, especially in formal, medical, journalistic, and emergency contexts.

So den skadde is understood as:

• den skadde personen = the injured person

But personen is left out because it is understood from context.

Because adjectives usually take -e in definite forms.

Compare:

• en skadd person = an injured person
• den skadde personen = the injured person

When the noun is omitted, the adjective still keeps that definite -e form:

• den skadde = the injured one / the injured person

So in your sentence, skadde is there because the phrase is definite: den skadde.

No. In this kind of sentence, den skadde is gender-neutral in meaning.

It can refer to:

• a man
• a woman
• a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant

In first-aid and emergency language, Norwegian often uses neutral, role-based expressions like this:

• den skadde = the injured person
• den syke = the sick person
• den savnede = the missing person

So you should understand den skadde as a practical label, not as a gendered one.

Eller ikke means or not.

So:

• hvorvidt den skadde reagerer eller ikke = whether the injured person responds or not

It is not always strictly necessary, because hvorvidt already suggests a yes/no alternative. You could say:

• Instruktøren spør hvorvidt den skadde reagerer.

That still means The instructor asks whether the injured person is responding.

But adding eller ikke makes the contrast explicit and complete:

• responding
• or not responding

That is especially natural in instructional or medical contexts, where clarity matters.

Reagerer is present tense.

• å reagere = to respond / to react
• reagerer = responds / is responding

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers both simple present and present progressive meanings that English separates:

• den skadde reagerer can mean
  • the injured person responds
  • the injured person is responding

The exact English translation depends on context.

Yes, very much so.

Words like these are especially common in first-aid, medical, and instructional contexts:

• instruktøren = the instructor
• den skadde = the injured person
• reagerer = responds
• hvorvidt ... eller ikke = whether ... or not

This kind of wording sounds clear, neutral, and procedural, which fits emergency instructions well. In everyday conversation, people might choose slightly simpler wording, especially om instead of hvorvidt.