Learn Hardcore Norwegian: For å få statsborgerskap må hun fylle ut et langt søknadsskjema på nett. - To get citizenship she must fill out a long application form online.

For å få statsborgerskap = In order to get citizenship
Just å få statsborgerskap would be more neutral: to get citizenship (without clearly expressing purpose).

So:

For å få statsborgerskap må hun … = In order to get citizenship, she must …
Hun må fylle ut skjemaet for å få statsborgerskap.

You can’t drop for here if you want that “in order to” meaning at the start of the sentence.

Why is it må hun and not hun må after for å få statsborgerskap?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb in second position).

The first “slot” in the sentence is taken by For å få statsborgerskap (an adverbial/infinitive clause).
After that, the finite verb must come next.

Structure:

First element: For å få statsborgerskap
Finite verb: må
Subject: hun
Rest: fylle ut et langt søknadsskjema på nett

So we get:

For å få statsborgerskap må hun fylle ut …

If you start with the subject instead, you get the more neutral order:

Hun må fylle ut et langt søknadsskjema på nett for å få statsborgerskap.

Why is there no å before fylle? Why isn’t it må hun å fylle ut?

In Norwegian, modal verbs (like må, kan, skal, vil, bør) are followed directly by the infinitive without å.

Hun må fylle ut skjemaet. (must fill out)
Hun kan fylle ut skjemaet. (can fill out)
Hun skal fylle ut skjemaet. (shall/will fill out)

But with a “normal” verb you need å:

Hun liker å fylle ut skjemaer. (She likes to fill out forms.)

So:

Correct: Hun må fylle ut …
Incorrect: ✗ Hun må å fylle ut …

What’s the difference between fylle and fylle ut?

fylle on its own means “to fill” (with some substance):
- å fylle et glass med vann – to fill a glass with water
fylle ut is a particle verb meaning “to fill out / fill in (a form)”:
- å fylle ut et skjema – to fill out a form

The particle ut changes the meaning of the verb, similar to English phrasal verbs like “fill out” vs “fill”.

In different tenses the particle stays close to the verb:

Hun må fylle ut skjemaet.
Hun har fylt ut skjemaet.
Hun fylte ut skjemaet i går.

Why is it et langt søknadsskjema and not en lang søknadsskjema?

The word skjema (form, schema) is neuter gender in Norwegian:

et skjema – a form
skjemaet – the form

Because søknadsskjema is a compound with skjema as the last part, the whole word is also neuter:

et søknadsskjema – an application form
søknadsskjemaet – the application form

The adjective must agree with the noun’s gender and number. For neuter singular indefinite, lang becomes:

langt

So you get:

et langt søknadsskjema – a long application form

Compare:

en lang dag – a long day (masculine)
ei lang bok – a long book (feminine)
et langt brev – a long letter (neuter)
lange bøker – long books (plural/definite)

What is søknadsskjema made of, and why are there two s’s?

Søknadsskjema is a compound noun:

søknad – application
skjema – form

Norwegian often combines nouns into a single word, sometimes adding a linking -s:

søknad + skjema → søknadsskjema
arbeid + dag → arbeidsdag (workday)
stat + borger + skap → statsborgerskap (citizenship)

Here, the base søknad ends in -d, then you add a linking -s, and the next word starts with s (skjema). That gives -dss-, which is written as -dss- and pronounced with a long /s/-sound:

søknadsskjema – roughly “søknads-skjema” in feel.

Why is it just statsborgerskap without an article? Could we say et statsborgerskap?

Yes, statsborgerskap is a neuter noun:

et statsborgerskap – a citizenship
statsborgerskapet – the citizenship

In this sentence, though, it’s used in a general/abstract sense, like English “to get citizenship” rather than “to get a citizenship”.

Norwegian often drops the article with abstract or generic nouns, especially after å få when you mean any/that status in general:

å få jobb – to get a job (in general)
å få straff – to get punishment
å få statsborgerskap – to get citizenship

If you say et statsborgerskap, it can sound a bit more specific or countable (one particular citizenship), which is less natural here.

Why is the adjective langt and not lenge in et langt søknadsskjema?

Norwegian distinguishes between “long” as an adjective and “long” as an adverb of time:

lang / langt / lange – adjective, describes nouns (a long thing)
lenge – adverb, describes time (for a long time)

So:

et langt søknadsskjema – a long application form (adjective → agrees with et)
Det tar lenge. – It takes a long time. (adverb)

You cannot use lenge directly in front of a noun:

✗ et lenge søknadsskjema – incorrect
✓ et langt søknadsskjema – correct

What exactly does på nett mean, and how is it different from på nettet or på internett?

All three relate to being online / on the internet, but with slightly different usage:

på nett
- Very common, quite informal.
- Often functions like an adverb meaning “online”.
- Hun søker jobb på nett. – She looks for jobs online.
på nettet
- Literally “on the net”, with definite form.
- Often used when talking about the internet as a place/source.
- Jeg leste det på nettet. – I read it on the internet.
på internett
- Slightly more formal or explicit; literally “on the internet”.
- Skjemaet ligger på internett. – The form is on the internet.

In your sentence, på nett is a natural, everyday way to say “online”.

Can I move for å få statsborgerskap to the end of the sentence?

Yes. Both versions are grammatical, just with a slightly different emphasis:

For å få statsborgerskap må hun fylle ut et langt søknadsskjema på nett.
→ Focuses first on the purpose (“In order to get citizenship…”).
Hun må fylle ut et langt søknadsskjema på nett for å få statsborgerskap.
→ Starts with what she must do, then adds the purpose.

Word order inside each part stays the same; you only move the whole purpose clause.