Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Applausen gjør henne lettet og gir henne mer selvtillit. - The applause makes her relieved and gives her more self-confidence.

Applausen is the definite form: applaus (applause) + -en (the) → applausen = the applause.
Norwegian often uses the definite form where English also uses the:
- Applausen gjør henne lettet … = The applause makes her relieved …
The indefinite form would be en applaus (an applause), but that sounds more like some random applause or a round of applause; here, we are talking about that specific applause she receives.
So Applausen is the subject of the sentence: The applause.

What exactly is gjør doing here? How does gjøre + object + adjective work?

gjøre literally means to do or to make, but in this pattern it means to make (someone/something) + adjective.
Structure: gjøre + object + adjective
- Applausen gjør henne lettet
- Subject: applausen
- Verb: gjør
- Object: henne
- Resulting state: lettet
Very similar to English: The applause makes her relieved.
More examples:
- Nyheten gjør ham trist. – The news makes him sad.
- Det gjør meg glad. – It makes me happy.

Why is it henne and not hun in this sentence?

hun is the subject form (like she in English).
henne is the object form (like her in English).
In this sentence, she is not the one doing the action; she is the one being affected by it:
- Applausen (the applause) = subject
- gjør / gir = verbs
- henne (her) = object
So you must use the object form henne, just like in English you say:
- The applause makes her relieved, not The applause makes she relieved.

Why is henne repeated? Can I say Applausen gjør henne lettet og gir mer selvtillit?

In this sentence, each verb has its own object:
- gjør henne lettet
- gir henne mer selvtillit
In standard, clear Norwegian, you normally repeat the object when two verbs share the same object:
- Applausen gjør henne lettet og gir henne mer selvtillit.
Applausen gjør henne lettet og gir mer selvtillit feels incomplete or at least stylistically odd, because gir now has no clear object.
You can avoid repetition by rephrasing:
- Applausen gjør henne lettet og mer selvsikker. (now both lettet and mer selvsikker describe henne after gjør)
But with gjør and gir together, it’s most natural to repeat henne.

What is lettet grammatically? Is it a past tense verb or an adjective?

lettet is originally a past participle of the verb å lette (to relieve / to lighten), but here it functions as an adjective meaning relieved.
Norwegian often uses past participles as adjectives to describe a state:
- trøtt – tired
- overrasket – surprised
- sjokkert – shocked
- lettet – relieved
Compare:
- Hun er lettet. – She is relieved. (lettet clearly works like an adjective)
- Applausen gjør henne lettet. – The applause makes her relieved.
Don’t confuse lettet with lett (light / easy).
- en lett oppgave – an easy task
- hun er lettet – she is relieved

Could I say Applausen letter henne instead of gjør henne lettet?

In practice, no – Applausen letter henne is not idiomatic Norwegian in this meaning.
The verb å lette can mean things like to lift, to lighten, or to take off (for an airplane), but using it transitively with a person in this sense sounds wrong or very unusual.
To express make someone relieved, you normally say:
- gjøre noen lettet – Applausen gjør henne lettet.
- få noen til å føle seg lettet – Applausen får henne til å føle seg lettet.
- or simply: Hun blir lettet av applausen. – She becomes/is relieved by the applause.
So gjør henne lettet is the natural pattern here.

What exactly does selvtillit mean, and how is this word built?

selvtillit is a compound noun:
- selv – self
- tillit – trust, confidence
Put together, selvtillit literally means self-trust, and idiomatically means self-confidence.
It is usually treated as an uncountable noun:
- Hun har mye selvtillit. – She has a lot of self-confidence.
- Mer selvtillit. – More self-confidence.
There is also selvsikkerhet, which is close in meaning, but selvtillit is the more common word in this kind of sentence.

Why is it mer selvtillit and not mye selvtillit?

mye = much / a lot of
mer = more (the comparative form of mye)
In English, you say more self-confidence, not much self-confidence in this context, and Norwegian is the same here:
- Hun har mye selvtillit. – She has a lot of self-confidence.
- Applausen gir henne mer selvtillit. – The applause gives her more self-confidence.
So use mer when you are comparing / increasing an amount:
- Jeg vil ha mer kaffe. – I want more coffee.
- Han trenger mer tid. – He needs more time.

Could the word order be changed, like Applausen gir henne mer selvtillit og gjør henne lettet? Is that still correct?

Yes, that alternative is grammatically correct and natural:
- Applausen gir henne mer selvtillit og gjør henne lettet.
Both originals and the reversed version follow normal Norwegian word order:
- Subject (S): Applausen
- Verb (V): gjør / gir
- Object (O): henne
- Complement: lettet / mer selvtillit
You are just changing the order of the two coordinated verb phrases, which is allowed and only slightly changes the emphasis.
The original puts more focus first on the emotional relief, then on the confidence; the reversed version does the opposite.

Could I use bli instead of gjøre? For example, Applausen gjør at hun blir lettet?

Yes, bli is another common way to express a change of state, and what you wrote is grammatical:
- Applausen gjør at hun blir lettet og får mer selvtillit. – The applause makes (it so) that she becomes relieved and gains more self-confidence.
But the original sentence is more compact and natural:
- Applausen gjør henne lettet og gir henne mer selvtillit.
Typical patterns:
- bli + adjective: Hun blir lettet. – She becomes / is relieved.
- gjøre + object + adjective: Applausen gjør henne lettet. – The applause makes her relieved.
gjøre at is often used when you introduce a whole clause:
- Det gjør at hun føler seg trygg. – That makes her feel safe.

What role does og play here? Is it just linking two verbs that share the same subject?

Exactly: og = and, linking two coordinated verb phrases that share the same subject (Applausen).
Structure:
- Subject: Applausen
- Verb phrase 1: gjør henne lettet
- Conjunction: og
- Verb phrase 2: gir henne mer selvtillit
This is very common in Norwegian:
- Han åpner døren og går ut. – He opens the door and goes out.
- Musikken roer dem ned og gjør dem glade. – The music calms them down and makes them happy.
You do not repeat the subject after og here, because it’s clearly the same subject for both verbs.

How do you pronounce gjør, lettet, and selvtillit?

gjør
- IPA (approx.): /jøːr/
- The gj- is like the y in English yes (but a bit softer); you do not pronounce a hard g.
- The vowel is like the u in French tu or German über (a front, rounded y sound).
lettet
- IPA (approx.): /ˈlɛtːət/
- Stress on the first syllable: LET-tet.
- Double tt gives a long t sound.
- Final -et is pronounced roughly -e(t), often with a very light or almost silent t in casual speech.
selvtillit
- IPA (approx.): /ˈsɛl(t)iˌlit/
- Usually pronounced with two stresses: main stress on selv-, secondary on -lit: SELV-ti-lit.
- The v in selv is often weak or partly assimilated into the following t, so you may hear something close to seltillit in fast speech.