Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Legen ber meg hente helsekortet før jeg bestiller ny time. - The doctor asks me to fetch the health card before I book a new appointment.

Ber is the present of å be and means “to ask/request (someone to do something)” or “to plead/pray,” depending on context. Here it’s “requests/asks.”
Contrast with å spørre (“to ask a question”).

Legen ber meg hente helsekortet = The doctor asks me to fetch the health card.
Legen spør meg om navnet mitt = The doctor asks me my name (asks a question).

Is ber meg hente correct without om å? Should it be ber meg om å hente?

Both are correct:

Legen ber meg hente … (bare infinitive after be)
Legen ber meg om å hente … (with om å) Meaning is the same. The version with om å is more explicit and common in careful writing; the bare infinitive is also very common and perfectly natural.

Why is it meg and not jeg?

Meg is the object form (“me”), and jeg is the subject form (“I”).

Legen ber meg … (me = the object of the verb “asks”)
… før jeg bestiller … (I = the subject of the subordinate clause)

Why is it bare infinitive hente and not å hente?

After å be (noen) (om å) you can either:

use the bare infinitive with no å: ber meg hente
or include om å
- infinitive: ber meg om å hente
  If you use om, you keep å; if you omit om, bare infinitive is normal.

What’s the word order after før? Why not “før bestiller jeg”?

In subordinate clauses, Norwegian does not use V2. The order is: før + subject + (adverb) + finite verb.

Correct: før jeg bestiller ny time
Wrong: før bestiller jeg ny time
In main clauses it’s V2: Jeg bestiller ny time (finite verb in second position).

Where do adverbs or negation go in that subordinate clause?

In subordinate clauses, adverbs (like ikke, ofte, allerede, faktisk) come before the finite verb:

før jeg ikke lenger bestiller time på nett
før jeg faktisk bestiller en ny time

Should there be a comma before før?

No comma is needed here: Legen ber meg hente … før jeg bestiller …
Use a comma if the subordinate clause comes first or is parenthetical:

Før jeg bestiller ny time, ber legen meg hente helsekortet.

Why is helsekortet in the definite form?

Because it refers to a specific, known card (“the health card”). Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix:

et helsekort (a health card, neuter) → helsekortet (the health card)

Could I say et helsekort instead?

Et helsekort would mean “a health card” (non-specific). In this context the doctor means your particular card, so helsekortet is the natural choice.

Why is there no article before ny time? Shouldn’t it be en ny time?

The set phrase is bestille time (“book an appointment”), and it commonly drops the article. Both are fine:

bestille ny time (very common, idiomatic)
bestille en ny time (also correct; a bit more explicit)
Note: en annen time means “a different/another appointment,” not necessarily “new.”

Does time mean “hour” or “appointment” here?

Here time means “appointment” (e.g., at the doctor’s). It can also mean “lesson/class period” or “hour” in other contexts.

en time hos legen = a doctor’s appointment
en skoletime = a class period
en time = one hour (by duration)

What gender and forms does time have?

In Bokmål, time is usually masculine: en time – timen. Feminine is also allowed by some speakers: ei time – timen.
With the adjective “new,” you’d say:

Masculine: en ny time (definite: den nye timen)
Note: In the set phrase, the article can drop: bestille (ny) time.

How do these verbs conjugate?

å be: ber (present), ba (preterite), har bedt (perfect)
å bestille: bestiller, bestilte, har bestilt
å hente: henter, hentet, har hentet

Why is the present tense used in før jeg bestiller to talk about the future?

Norwegian often uses the present for near or planned future, especially in time clauses:

før jeg bestiller = “before I (will) book.”
You wouldn’t normally say før jeg skal bestille unless you mean “before I’m supposed/going (scheduled) to book.”

Is hente the right verb? What about ta med or ha med?

hente = go and fetch/get something (likely from somewhere else).
ta med = bring something along (carry it with you).
ha med = have it with you.
If the doctor wants you to bring it to the appointment: Legen ber meg ta med/ha med helsekortet.

Why is it ber meg hente helsekortet and not ber hente meg helsekortet?

Word order changes the meaning:

ber meg hente helsekortet = asks me to fetch the card (meg = object of ber).
ber hente meg helsekortet would mean “asks (someone) to fetch me the card,” which is odd and ungrammatical as written. Keep the person asked (meg) right after ber.

Can I rephrase with vil at … skal?

Yes, very natural: Legen vil at jeg skal hente helsekortet før jeg bestiller ny time.
This means “The doctor wants me to fetch the health card before I book a new appointment.”

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky bits?

før has ø like French “peu” [føːr].
jeg/meg are often pronounced like “yai”/“mai” in many dialects.
helsekortet: the rt becomes a retroflex sound in many dialects ([ʈ]); stress is on the first syllable: HEL-se-kort-et.
legen: long e in le- ([ˈleːɡən]).
ber: long e ([beːr]).

Why is jeg lowercase? In English “I” is capitalized.

In Norwegian, pronouns are not capitalized mid-sentence. jeg is always lowercase unless it starts the sentence or is in a title.