Vi åpner luftveiene og fjerner fremmedlegemet.

In Norwegian, if the same subject does both actions, you usually mention the subject only once.

So:

• Vi åpner luftveiene og fjerner fremmedlegemet.

is the natural equivalent of:

• We open the airways and remove the foreign body.

Repeating vi would still be grammatical, but it would sound more emphatic or heavier than necessary.

Both verbs are in the present tense:

• å åpne → åpner
• å fjerne → fjerner

Norwegian often uses the present tense for:

• instructions
• demonstrations
• medical procedures
• general statements

So even if English might sometimes prefer something like We will open... or an imperative, Norwegian commonly uses the present here.

In Norwegian, verbs do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So:

• jeg åpner = I open
• du åpner = you open
• vi åpner = we open
• de åpner = they open

The same is true for fjerner.

This is much simpler than English, because you do not need separate present-tense forms like open / opens.

Because it is the definite plural form of en luftvei.

The forms are:

• en luftvei = an airway
• luftveier = airways
• luftveiene = the airways

So -ene here marks the ...s.

In this sentence, luftveiene means the airways.

Because fremmedlegeme is a neuter noun: et fremmedlegeme.

Its forms are:

• et fremmedlegeme = a foreign body / foreign object
• fremmedlegemet = the foreign body / the foreign object

For many neuter nouns, the definite singular ending is -et.

So fremmedlegemet = the foreign body.

Because they refer to different kinds of things:

• luftveiene is plural: the airways
• fremmedlegemet is singular: the foreign body

In medical language, airways is often spoken of in the plural, while the blockage is treated as one object.

So the grammar reflects the normal way those ideas are expressed.

Because Norwegian usually puts definiteness on the end of the noun instead of using a separate article in many cases.

Compare:

• luftveier = airways
• luftveiene = the airways

and

• et fremmedlegeme = a foreign body
• fremmedlegemet = the foreign body

This is one of the most important differences from English.

The dictionary (infinitive) forms are:

• å åpne = to open
• å fjerne = to remove

In Norwegian, infinitives are usually shown with å:

• å åpne
• å fjerne

That å is the equivalent of English to in infinitives.

It can be both, but in a sentence like this it is often instructional or procedural.

In medical, teaching, and practical contexts, Norwegian often uses vi to guide the listener through steps:

• Vi åpner ...
• Vi sjekker ...
• Vi fjerner ...

This can sound more inclusive and less abrupt than using the imperative directly.

So it may mean literal we, but it can also function like now we do this step.

Because og simply joins two verbs with the same subject:

• Vi åpner ... og fjerner ...

This is a normal coordinated structure, and Norwegian does not normally use a comma before og in a simple sentence like this.

A comma would usually appear only if the sentence structure were more complex.

Yes, both are compounds, which is very common in Norwegian.

• luftvei = luft

  • vei
    literally something like air way / airway

• fremmedlegeme = fremmed

  • legeme
    literally foreign body

Learning to spot compounds is very useful in Norwegian, especially in technical or medical language.

It is understandable, but it sounds more medical or technical than everyday speech.

In a medical context, fremmedlegeme is exactly the right word for a foreign body causing blockage or entering the body.

In more casual speech, people might sometimes say something simpler depending on the situation, but in first-aid or medical instructions this word is very natural.

The letter å is pronounced roughly like the vowel in British English law or more, though not exactly the same.

So:

• åpner starts with a broad å sound.

Also remember:

• å is a separate letter in Norwegian
• it is not the same as a

For learners, noticing the difference between a, o, and å is important for both pronunciation and spelling.