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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Seksuell helse er viktig. - Sexual health is important.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Taking a mobile phone in for repair
/Seksuell helse er viktig.

Seksuell helse er viktig.

Seksuell helse er viktig.

Sexual health is important.

Breakdown of Seksuell helse er viktig.

Questions & Answers about Seksuell helse er viktig.

What does each word in Seksuell helse er viktig mean?

seksuell = sexual
helse = health
er = is / are
viktig = important

So the structure is very close to English: Sexual health is important.

Why is there no article before seksuell helse?

Norwegian often leaves out the article with general or abstract ideas, just like English does in sentences such as Health is important.

Here, seksuell helse means sexual health in a general sense, not a sexual health or the sexual health.

Compare:

Seksuell helse er viktig. = Sexual health is important.
Den seksuelle helsen er viktig. = The sexual health is important / Sexual health is important in a more specific, definite sense

In everyday usage, the article-less version sounds natural when speaking generally.

Why is it seksuell and not seksuelle or seksuelt?

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Because seksuell is describing helse, and helse is a singular indefinite noun.

In Norwegian, adjectives change form depending on gender, number, and definiteness.

For seksuell:

en seksuell vane = a sexual habit
et seksuelt forhold = a sexual relationship
seksuelle vaner = sexual habits
den seksuelle helsen = the sexual health

Since helse is singular and indefinite, the basic form seksuell is used.

Why is it viktig and not viktig with some other ending like viktige?

Viktig is a predicate adjective here, because it comes after er.

Predicate adjectives in Norwegian agree with what the subject is:

common gender singular: basic form
neuter singular: usually -t
plural or definite: usually -e

Since helse is singular, the correct form is viktig.

Compare:

Helsen er viktig. = The health is important.
Livet er viktig. = Life is important.
Tingene er viktige. = The things are important.

So in your sentence, viktig is the correct singular form.

What type of word is er?

Er is the present tense of the verb å være, which means to be.

So:

å være = to be
er = am / is / are, depending on context

Examples:

Jeg er trøtt. = I am tired.
Du er snill. = You are kind.
Seksuell helse er viktig. = Sexual health is important.

Norwegian does not change the present-tense form for different persons, so er works for all subjects.

What is the normal word order in this sentence?

The normal Norwegian word order here is:

subject + verb + adjective/complement

So:

Seksuell helse = subject
er = verb
viktig = complement

This is the same basic pattern as English:

Sexual health
- is
  - important

Norwegian main clauses usually follow a verb-second pattern, and in simple statements like this, the subject comes first and the verb comes second.

Is helse a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun?

Helse is usually treated as a common gender noun in Bokmål, and in practice you will often see:

en helse in dictionary-style listing, though this noun is not very commonly used with an indefinite article in normal speech
helsen = the health

Because it is not neuter, you do not use seksuelt here. That is one reason the adjective is seksuell.

How do you pronounce Seksuell helse er viktig?

A rough English-friendly guide could be:

sek-sue-ELL HEL-seh ær VIK-tih

A few notes:

seksuell has stress near the end: seksuELL
helse has two syllables: HEL-se
er is often pronounced like a short ær
viktig is often pronounced roughly VIK-tih, with the final g not sounded like a strong English g

Pronunciation varies by dialect, but that approximation will help you get started.

Can I say Seksuell helsa er viktig?

In some dialects and in Nynorsk-influenced or colloquial usage, you may hear helsa, which is the feminine definite form meaning the health.

But in standard Bokmål, the sentence you were given is:

Seksuell helse er viktig.

That is the safest version to learn first.

If you said:

Den seksuelle helsa er viktig, that would sound more dialectal or more natural in varieties that use feminine forms actively.

Is seksuell helse a fixed expression?

Yes, it is a very natural and common expression meaning sexual health.

It works like many adjective + noun combinations in Norwegian:

psykisk helse = mental health
fysisk helse = physical health
god helse = good health

So seksuell helse is not strange or unusual grammatically; it is a standard phrase.

Could I also say this in another way?

Yes. A few alternatives are possible, depending on style:

God seksuell helse er viktig. = Good sexual health is important.
Det er viktig med seksuell helse. = Sexual health is important. / It is important to have sexual health.
Seksuell helse er svært viktig. = Sexual health is very important.

But the original sentence, Seksuell helse er viktig, is simple, correct, and very natural.

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