Gjør det sånn.

This sentence is in the imperative, so the subject is normally left out in Norwegian, just like in English.

• Gjør det sånn. = Do it like this / Do it that way.

The hidden subject is you, but Norwegian usually does not say it in commands.

Gjør is the imperative form of å gjøre, which means to do or to make.

A useful mini-pattern is:

• å gjøre = to do
• gjør = do / does
• gjør! = do!

So in this sentence, gjør means do!

A detail that often confuses learners: the imperative and the present tense look the same here:

• Han gjør det. = He does it.
• Gjør det! = Do it!

The context tells you which one it is.

Det means it here, and it refers to the thing or action being done.

So the structure is basically:

• gjør = do
• det = it
• sånn = like this / that way

Norwegian often keeps this object explicit, just as English does in Do it like this.

If the context is very clear, you can sometimes hear Gjør sånn, especially if someone is showing the action physically, but Gjør det sånn sounds more complete.

Sånn means something like like this, like that, this way, or that way, depending on the situation.

It is often used when someone is demonstrating how something should be done.

For example:

• Gjør det sånn. = Do it like this / Do it that way.
• Ikke sånn. = Not like that.
• Sånn! = Like that! / There you go!

So sånn is about manner or method: the way something is done.

They are very close in meaning, and in this sentence they are usually interchangeable.

• Gjør det sånn.
• Gjør det slik.

Both are natural and mean basically the same thing.

The main difference is tone and style:

• sånn is often a bit more conversational
• slik can sound a bit more neutral or slightly more formal

A learner can safely understand both.

Not necessarily. It is direct because it is a command, but that is normal in many situations, especially when:

• giving instructions
• teaching someone
• showing how to do something
• correcting a process

Still, if you want to sound softer or more polite, you can say things like:

• Kan du gjøre det sånn? = Can you do it like this?
• Gjør det sånn, vær så snill. = Do it like this, please.
• Prøv å gjøre det sånn. = Try doing it like this.

So the basic sentence is fine, but the situation matters.

A rough learner-friendly approximation is:

yur de sonn

A few important notes:

• gj in gjør is often pronounced like y in many dialects
• ø has no exact English equivalent; it is similar to ö in German
• det is often pronounced more like de in everyday speech, with the final t weak or silent
• sånn has a short vowel and a clear nn

So you may hear something close to:

yør de sonn

The exact pronunciation varies by dialect, but that is a good starting point.

In this command, Gjør det sånn is the normal word order:

• verb + object + adverb

So:

• Gjør det sånn. = Do it like this.

If you change the order, you may get a different kind of sentence. For example:

• Sånn gjør du det. = This is how you do it. / That is how you do it.

That is not really a command anymore. It is more like an explanation or demonstration.

So these two are different:

• Gjør det sånn. = command
• Sånn gjør du det. = explanation

Yes. English often forces you to choose between this and that, but Norwegian sånn can cover both, depending on context.

If the speaker is actively showing the action, English might naturally translate it as like this.

If the speaker is referring to a method already mentioned, English might naturally translate it as like that.

So the exact English choice depends on the situation, even though the Norwegian stays the same.

Yes, it is acceptable, especially in informal or ordinary modern Bokmål.

• Gjør det sånn. sounds natural and everyday
• Gjør det slik. may look a little more neutral in careful writing

So sånn is not wrong at all, but slik is often the slightly more textbook-looking alternative.