AMK-operatøren spør hvorvidt den normale pusten har kommet tilbake eller ikke.

AMK is a Norwegian abbreviation for Akuttmedisinsk kommunikasjonssentral, which is the emergency medical communication center. In practice, this is the medical emergency dispatch service.

AMK-operatøren means the AMK operator or the emergency medical dispatcher.

The form operatøren is the definite singular form of operatør (operator), so it means the operator, not just an operator.

The hyphen is common when an abbreviation is attached to another noun in Norwegian.

In Norwegian, definiteness is often shown by adding an ending to the noun.

• en operatør = an operator
• operatøren = the operator

This is very common in Norwegian. Instead of a separate article before the noun, the noun itself usually gets a definite ending.

Here, -en marks the noun as definite.

Spør means asks.

Its infinitive (base form) is å spørre = to ask.

Examples:

• Jeg spør. = I ask / I am asking.
• Hun spør. = She asks / is asking.

In your sentence, AMK-operatøren spør means The AMK operator asks.

Hvorvidt means whether.

So:

• spør hvorvidt ... = asks whether ...

It is correct and natural, but it can sound a bit more formal or official than some alternatives. In everyday speech, many people might also use:

• om = if / whether

For example:

• AMK-operatøren spør om den normale pusten har kommet tilbake.

That version is also natural.

So hvorvidt is not wrong at all—it just has a slightly more formal tone.

Because this is a subordinate clause introduced by hvorvidt.

In Norwegian main clauses, the verb often comes early because of the V2 rule. But in subordinate clauses, the word order is usually more like:

subject + adverbials + finite verb + rest

So:

• hvorvidt den normale pusten har kommet tilbake

not:

• hvorvidt har den normale pusten kommet tilbake

Compare:

Main clause:

• Den normale pusten har kommet tilbake.
• Har den normale pusten kommet tilbake? (question)

Subordinate clause:

• ... hvorvidt den normale pusten har kommet tilbake.

So the sentence follows normal subordinate-clause word order.

This is because Norwegian uses a special pattern when a noun is definite and has an adjective in front of it.

The basic rule is:

den/det/de + adjective + definite noun

So:

• normal pust = normal breathing / normal breath (indefinite)
• den normale pusten = the normal breathing

Here:

• den = definite article used with common-gender nouns
• normale = adjective in definite form
• pusten = definite form of pust

This is often called double definiteness.

More examples:

• en stor bil = a big car
• den store bilen = the big car

So den normale pusten is the normal way to say the normal breathing.

Pust can refer to breath, breathing, or respiration, depending on context.

In this medical sentence, pusten is best understood as breathing rather than a single breath.

So:

• den normale pusten = normal breathing / the normal breathing pattern

In an emergency or first-aid context, Norwegian often uses pust where English would naturally say breathing.

Har kommet tilbake is the present perfect.

It is formed with:

• har = present tense of å ha (to have)
• kommet = past participle of å komme (to come)

So:

• har kommet = has come

And with tilbake:

• har kommet tilbake = has come back / has returned

In this sentence, it refers to whether normal breathing has returned.

Tilbake means back.

So:

• komme tilbake = come back, return

This is a very common combination in Norwegian.

Examples:

• Han kommer tilbake senere. = He is coming back later.
• Pusten har kommet tilbake. = The breathing has come back.

In your sentence, har kommet tilbake means that normal breathing has returned after being absent or abnormal.

Yes, hvorvidt already means whether, so in principle the sentence could stop at:

• ... spør hvorvidt den normale pusten har kommet tilbake.

But eller ikke adds the explicit sense of or not:

• whether normal breathing has returned or not

This is common in both Norwegian and English. It can make the question sound more complete or emphatic.

So:

• hvorvidt ... eller ikke = whether ... or not

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

• AMK-operatøren spør om den normale pusten har kommet tilbake eller ikke.

Here, om means if / whether.

In many everyday situations, om is more common than hvorvidt. The version with hvorvidt sounds a bit more formal, careful, or official, which fits a medical or procedural context quite well.

Yes, å komme is an irregular verb.

Important forms:

• å komme = to come
• kommer = comes / is coming
• kom = came
• kommet = come (past participle)

So:

• har kommet tilbake = has come back

This is a good verb to memorize because it is very common.

A slightly more everyday version might be:

• AMK-operatøren spør om den normale pusten har kommet tilbake.
• AMK-operatøren spør om personen puster normalt igjen.

The second version means something like The AMK operator asks whether the person is breathing normally again, and it sounds especially natural in spoken language.

Your original sentence is completely correct, but it sounds a bit more formal and medical, which makes sense in context.