Hun svarer, det vil si at hun er ved bevissthet.

Hun svarer means she answers / she responds.

The verb svarer is the present tense of å svare (to answer / to respond). Norwegian often uses the present tense the same way English does for something happening right now or for an observed condition.

In a context like this, it can sound a bit clinical or observational:

• Hun svarer = She is responding
• Han puster = He is breathing

So even if English might sometimes prefer is responding, Norwegian simply uses the present tense.

Because svare can be used without an object when the meaning is simply respond / answer.

Here, Hun svarer just means She responds.

You often use på when you say what someone is answering:

• Hun svarer på spørsmålet. = She answers the question.
• Han svarte på meldingen. = He replied to the message.

But if no object is mentioned, svare can stand alone:

• Hun svarer. = She responds.

Det vil si is a very common expression meaning:

• that is to say
• which means
• in other words

In this sentence, it introduces an explanation of the first part:

• Hun svarer → she responds
• det vil si at hun er ved bevissthet → which means that she is conscious

So the phrase is not really meant to be translated word-for-word. You should learn it as a set expression.

Because vil is a modal verb, and after a modal verb, Norwegian normally uses the infinitive of the main verb.

So:

• vil si = will say / means
• kan si = can say
• skal si = shall/will say

That is why it is:

• det vil si not
• det vil sier

Even though det vil si is a fixed expression, its grammar is still the normal modal + infinitive pattern.

The comma separates the main statement from an explanatory comment:

• Hun svarer, det vil si at hun er ved bevissthet.

The second part explains the first part: if she responds, that means she is conscious.

In English, this is similar to:

• She responds, which means that she is conscious.

So the comma helps mark det vil si at ... as an explanation or clarification.

At means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• det vil si at ... = that means that ...

The structure is:

• det vil si = that means / that is to say
• at hun er ved bevissthet = that she is conscious

In everyday English, that is sometimes omitted, but in Norwegian at is very commonly used in sentences like this.

Because at introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses usually have subject + verb order in Norwegian.

So you get:

• at hun er ved bevissthet

not:

• at er hun ved bevissthet

This is an important contrast with main clauses, where Norwegian often has verb-second word order.

Compare:

• Hun er ved bevissthet. = main clause
• Jeg vet at hun er ved bevissthet. = subordinate clause

After at, the subject normally comes before the verb.

Ved bevissthet means conscious or awake enough to respond.

It is a fixed expression, especially common in medical or formal contexts.

So:

• være ved bevissthet = to be conscious
• miste bevisstheten = to lose consciousness

It is best not to translate ved literally here. The whole phrase should be learned as one unit.

Yes. Ved bevissthet sounds more formal and often more medical.

• Hun er ved bevissthet. = clearly She is conscious in a medical/physical sense.
• Hun er bevisst. can also mean She is aware / conscious, but it may be less specifically medical depending on context.

For example:

• Hun er bevisst problemet. = She is aware of the problem.

So if you want to make it very clear that someone is not unconscious, ved bevissthet is often the safer phrase.

Because the second part is a full clause of its own:

• at hun er ved bevissthet

That clause needs its own subject, and the subject is hun.

English does the same thing:

• She responds, which means that she is conscious.

You cannot normally leave the subject out there, because at hun er ved bevissthet is a complete subordinate clause with its own grammar.