Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg må levere sykemeldingen til sjefen i morgen. - I must deliver the sick note to the boss tomorrow.

Most often it corresponds to English have to:
Jeg må levere … = I have to hand in …
Depending on context, it can be as strong as must, especially if it is a strict obligation:
I must hand in the sick note…

So må covers the same range as English must / have to / need to when you talk about something that is necessary, required, or unavoidable.

Why is it sykemeldingen and not just sykemelding?

Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, as a suffix:

sykemelding = a sick note / medical certificate
sykemeldingen = the sick note / the medical certificate

In this sentence, you are talking about a specific sick note that already exists (the one from your doctor), so the definite form sykemeldingen (with -en) is natural and expected.

How is the definite form sykemeldingen formed from sykemelding?

The noun sykemelding is a feminine/masculine noun ending in -ing.

The pattern is:

Indefinite singular: sykemelding (a sick note)
Definite singular: sykemeldingen (the sick note)

You add -en to make the noun definite. This is the regular pattern for many masculine and feminine nouns in Bokmål:

bil → bilen (car → the car)
bok → boken / boka (book → the book)
melding → meldingen (message → the message)

I’ve seen sykmelding without the e. Is sykemeldingen correct?

Yes, both spellings exist in Bokmål:

sykmelding / sykmeldingen – the modern, recommended spelling.
sykemelding / sykemeldingen – an older, still allowed spelling.

Official documents and public offices in Norway normally use sykmelding. As a learner, you’ll be safest using sykmelding / sykmeldingen, but sykemeldingen is still understood and accepted.

Can I also say levere inn sykemeldingen? What’s the difference between levere and levere inn?

Yes, you can say:

Jeg må levere sykemeldingen til sjefen i morgen.
Jeg må levere inn sykemeldingen til sjefen i morgen.

Both are correct.

levere = deliver, hand (something) to someone
levere inn = hand in, submit (a bit more explicit about giving it in to an authority, office, boss, etc.)

In everyday speech there’s very little difference here. Levere inn can feel slightly more like submit officially, but both sound natural.

Why is it til sjefen and not for sjefen?

In Norwegian:

til is used for direction and recipient (to, towards, to someone).
for has broader meanings: for, on behalf of, because of, in front of, etc.

When you give/hand something to someone, that person is the recipient, so you use til:

Gi boka til Maria. = Give the book to Maria.
Jeg må levere sykemeldingen til sjefen. = I have to hand the sick note to the boss.

Using for sjefen here would sound wrong; it could be understood as for the boss’ sake or on behalf of the boss, which is not what you mean.

Why don’t we say my boss? Would til sjefen min be wrong?

Norwegian often omits possessive pronouns where English requires them, especially with:

close relationships (mother, father, siblings, partner)
common roles in your life (boss, teacher, doctor, etc.)

So til sjefen is usually understood as to my boss from context.

However, til sjefen min is not wrong. It just makes the possession explicit:

til sjefen – to my boss (understood from context)
til sjefen min – clearly to my boss, not someone else’s

Both are correct; the shorter version without min is very natural.

Can I move i morgen to the front, like in English?

Yes. Both of these are correct:

Jeg må levere sykemeldingen til sjefen i morgen.
I morgen må jeg levere sykemeldingen til sjefen.

Norwegian word order rule (V2) says the finite verb (må) should be in the second position in main clauses. When you put i morgen first, må still comes second:

I morgen (1st element) må (2nd element) jeg levere …

Both word orders are natural; putting i morgen first slightly emphasizes when it has to be done.

How would I make this negative? Where does ikke go?

With a modal verb like må, ikke usually comes after the modal:

Jeg må ikke levere sykemeldingen til sjefen i morgen.

However, be careful with meaning:

Jeg må ikke … often means I must not / I am not allowed to.
If you want I don’t have to, Norwegian more naturally says:
- Jeg trenger ikke å levere sykemeldingen til sjefen i morgen.
  (I don’t need to / don’t have to hand in the sick note to my boss tomorrow.)

What’s the difference between må and skal in a sentence like this?

Both can appear in similar sentences, but they focus on different things:

Jeg må levere sykemeldingen …
→ Necessity/obligation. It’s required (by rules, the employer, the doctor, etc.).
Jeg skal levere sykemeldingen …
→ Plan/intention/future. It’s something you are going to do; it’s on your schedule.

So:

If you mean I have to, use må.
If you mean I am going to / I will (because that’s the plan), use skal.

Is this sentence okay in a formal context, like an email to my employer?

It is understandable and acceptable in many situations, but for a more formal style you might adjust some words.

Neutral/informal style (fine in many workplaces):

Jeg må levere sykemeldingen til sjefen i morgen.

More formal/neutral towards an employer or HR:

Jeg må levere sykmeldingen til arbeidsgiver i morgen.
Jeg må levere sykmeldingen til arbeidsgiveren min i morgen.

sjefen is quite colloquial (the boss). arbeidsgiver(en) (employer) or possibly leder(en) (manager) sound more formal in writing.

How do you pronounce sjefen and what is that sj sound?

Sjefen is pronounced roughly like:

[ʃeːfen] (IPA)
Similar to “SHAY-fen” in English, where:
- sj = sh sound (like she)
- e = like the vowel in bed, but often a bit more tense/clear
- stressed on the first syllable: SJEF-en

The sj sound appears in many common words:

sjokolade (chocolate)
skjorte (shirt)
sju (seven)

For English speakers, thinking of it as a “sh” sound is usually close enough.