Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Sykepleieren gir henne en mild tablett og sier at hun må drikke vann. - The nurse gives her a mild tablet and says that she must drink water.

hun = subject form (like she)
- Hun må drikke vann. → She must drink water.
henne = object form (like her)
- Sykepleieren gir henne en tablett. → The nurse gives her a tablet.

So hun does the action, and henne receives the action.

Do henne and hun refer to the same person here?

They can, but it’s not guaranteed from the sentence alone.

henne = some female person who gets the tablet
hun = some (possibly the same) female person who must drink water

Without context, there are two possible readings:

Same person: The nurse gives her a mild tablet and says that she (the same woman) must drink water.
Different people: The nurse gives one woman a tablet and says that another woman must drink water.

In real texts or speech, context usually makes it clear.

Why does the adjective come before the noun in en mild tablett?

In Norwegian, as in English, descriptive adjectives normally go before the noun:

en mild tablett = a mild tablet
et stort hus = a big house
ei rød bok = a red book

So the word order adjective + noun is the standard pattern.

Why is it en mild tablett and not en milde tablett?

The form of the adjective depends on definiteness and number:

Indefinite singular: basic form
- en mild tablett (a mild tablet)
- et stort hus (a big house)
Definite singular or plural: -e ending
- den milde tabletten (the mild tablet)
- milde tabletter (mild tablets)

Here it is indefinite singular, so we use the basic form mild, not milde.

How do I know to use en and not ei or et with tablett?

Norwegian has three grammatical genders:

en = masculine
ei = feminine (often optional; many speakers just use en)
et = neuter

The noun tablett is masculine, so its indefinite article is en:

en tablett (a tablet)
tabletten (the tablet)

You usually have to learn the gender with each new noun (dictionaries mark it, e.g. tablett m. = masculine). Over time you get a feel for common patterns.

Could I also say Sykepleieren gir en mild tablett til henne?

Yes, that is a correct alternative.

You have two main options:

Sykepleieren gir henne en mild tablett.
Sykepleieren gir en mild tablett til henne.

Both mean the same. The first version (without til) is very common when the indirect object (henne) comes directly after the verb. Using til plus an object is also fine and sometimes used for clarity or emphasis.

Why is there no til after gir in gir henne en mild tablett?

Some verbs can take two objects without a preposition, like English “give someone something”:

å gi noen noe = to give someone something

Pattern:

Subj + gir + indirect object + direct object
- Sykepleieren gir henne en tablett.

If you put til in, you normally move that phrase after the direct object:

Sykepleieren gir en tablett til henne.

So you either say gir henne en tablett or gir en tablett til henne, but not gir henne til en tablett or similar.

Why do we say må drikke and not må å drikke?

In Norwegian, modal verbs (like må, kan, vil, skal) are followed by the bare infinitive, without å:

Hun må drikke vann. (must drink)
Hun kan drikke vann. (can drink)
Hun vil drikke vann. (wants to / will drink)

You only use å with a normal (non‑modal) verb before an infinitive:

Hun liker å drikke vann. (She likes to drink water.)

So: må drikke, not må å drikke.

What does må express exactly? Is it like must or have to?

Må expresses necessity or obligation:

Often like English must or have to:
- Hun må drikke vann. = She must / has to drink water.

Whether it feels more like must or have to depends on context and intonation, not on a strict grammar difference. It can be:

a rule: She has to drink water.
a strong recommendation: She really should drink water.
a physical necessity: She needs to drink water.

Why is the word order at hun må drikke vann in the subordinate clause?

At introduces a subordinate clause (that-clause). In such clauses, Norwegian word order is:

Subject – (modal) verb – other stuff

So:

at hun må drikke vann
- hun (subject)
- må (modal verb)
- drikke (main verb)
- vann (object)

You do not invert subject and verb after at, so you do not say:

✗ at må hun drikke vann (wrong here)

That kind of inversion appears in main clauses (especially after adverbs or question words), but not after at.

Why is it just vann and not vannet or noe vann?

Vann is a mass noun (like water in English), and in many contexts you use the bare form:

Hun må drikke vann. = She must drink water.

Alternatives:

vannet = the water (specific water)
- Hun må drikke opp vannet. = She must drink up the water.
noe vann = some water (emphasizing quantity)
- Hun må drikke noe vann. = She must drink some water.

In this sentence, we’re just talking about drinking water in general, so plain vann is natural.

What tense are gir and sier, and can this also refer to the future?

Gir and sier are present tense.

å gi → gir (gives / is giving)
å si → sier (says / is saying)

Norwegian present tense is used for:

actions happening now
habitual actions
and often for near future, when the context makes that clear

So Sykepleieren gir henne en mild tablett og sier at hun må drikke vann most naturally describes something happening now, but in a story it can also be a “present narrative” of events.

Is tablett the normal word for a medicine pill in Norwegian?

Both tablett and pille are used, but there are slight tendencies:

tablett
- common in medical or neutral contexts
- often used on packaging, prescriptions, etc.
pille
- more informal or everyday
- appears in phrases like p-piller (birth control pills)

In this sentence, en mild tablett sounds natural and slightly more neutral/technical than en mild pille.