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Ta med helsekortet når du går til legekontoret.

Ta med helsekortet når du går til legekontoret.
Bring the health card with you when you go to the doctor's office.
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Questions & Answers about Ta med helsekortet når du går til legekontoret.

Why does Norwegian use ta med instead of just ta?

Ta means take, but ta med means take along / bring (with you).
So Ta med helsekortet is literally Take along the health card, i.e. Bring the health card.

What kind of form is Ta med ...—a command?

Yes. Ta here is the imperative (command form) of å ta (to take).
Norwegian imperatives are usually just the verb stem:

  • å ta → Ta!
  • å gå → Gå!
Why is it hels ekortet with -et at the end?

-et marks the definite form (roughly the) for many neuter nouns.

  • et helsekort = a health card
  • hels ekortet = the health card

In Norwegian, the is usually attached to the noun rather than being a separate word.

What exactly is helsekortet in Norway?

In everyday Norwegian, helsekortet refers to your health card/health insurance identification, traditionally the physical card connected to the public health system (and in practice often tied to your national ID number). The exact card/system can vary over time, but the sentence is basically telling you to bring your official health ID.

Why is the word order når du går and not something like når går du?

Because når du går til legekontoret is a subordinate clause (introduced by når = when). In subordinate clauses, Norwegian usually keeps subject–verb order:

  • når du går ... (when you go ...)

Når går du ...? would be a question: When are you going ...?

Does når mean when or whenever here?

It can cover both, depending on context. In instructions like this, når often has a general sense: when/whenever you go to the doctor’s office.
If you mean a one-time past situation, Norwegian often uses da instead (though people sometimes mix them in casual speech).

Why is it går (present tense) instead of a future form like will go?

Norwegian frequently uses the present tense to talk about the future when it’s clear from context:

  • når du går ... = when you go ... / when you are going ...

Norwegian can also use skal (shall/going to) for planned future, but it’s not required here.

Why is it til legekontoret and not på legekontoret?

til expresses movement to/towards a destination:

  • gå til legekontoret = walk/go to the doctor’s office

på would typically describe being at a place (location):

  • på legekontoret = at the doctor’s office
What does legekontoret literally mean, and how is it formed?

It’s a compound noun:

  • lege = doctor
  • kontor = office
    Together: legekontor = doctor’s office / medical practice
    Then -et makes it definite: legekontoret = the doctor’s office.
Could this sentence be made more polite in Norwegian?

Yes. The plain imperative is common and not necessarily rude, especially in instructions. But you can soften it, for example:

  • Ta gjerne med helsekortet når du går til legekontoret. (Please bring your health card ...)
  • Husk å ta med helsekortet ... (Remember to bring ...)

Norwegian also has a polite pronoun De, but it’s rare in modern everyday use.

Can Ta med helsekortet be rearranged, like putting med elsewhere?

Sometimes, but ta med is a very fixed, natural combination. The most natural is exactly:

  • Ta med helsekortet.

You might also see:

  • Ta helsekortet med (deg).
    This is possible, but it often sounds more marked/colloquial, and deg (you) is more likely if you split it like that. The original version is the standard, clean instruction style.
Is du necessary, or can Norwegian drop it?

In a full sentence like this, du is normally included: når du går .... Norwegian generally doesn’t drop subject pronouns the way some languages do.
You can omit more in note-style instructions (headlines/signs), but in normal written Norwegian, keep du.