Recommended resources
The freely available resources this lesson will direct you to.
Hei! Last time, you practised telling a receptionist or clinician what is wrong and how long it has been going on. The next part of the conversation may be more demanding: someone explains what to do with a medicine, how to prepare for a test, or what happens after the appointment.
This lesson is about understanding the action you need to take, not memorising medical terminology. You will practise listening for four things: what to do, when to do it, for how long, and what condition might change the plan. Allow about 40 minutes, including the short readings and a spoken review.
Find the instruction inside the sentence
A clinician may say more than you need to retain at once. Consider this illustrative sentence:
Du skal ta medisinen sammen med mat to ganger om dagen i fem dager.
“You should take the medicine with food twice a day for five days.”
The information has distinct jobs. Ta medisinen is the action; sammen med mat tells you how to take it; to ganger om dagen gives the frequency; and i fem dager gives the duration. If you miss one part, you know what needs clarifying.
Listen especially for the words that determine whether an action is required or merely possible:
- Du må … — “You must …”
- Du skal … — “You are to …”
- Du bør … — “You should …”
- Du kan … — “You can / may …”
- Ikke … — “Do not …”
Also notice who is acting. Du må ringe oss means you must call; Vi ringer deg means we will call you. That distinction can determine whether you need to arrange anything after a visit.
These are language examples, not instructions for taking a particular medicine. For an actual treatment, follow the directions given to you and check anything you are unsure about with a clinician or pharmacist.
Medication: hear the schedule and its limits
In medication instructions, small time expressions carry a great deal of meaning. To ganger om dagen means “twice a day,” whereas hver dag means “every day” without specifying how many times. I fem dager means “for five days”; om fem dager means “in five days’ time.” Listen for i and om rather than relying on the number alone.
You may also hear før mat (“before food”), sammen med mat (“with food”), or etter mat (“after food”). These are not interchangeable. Likewise, ved behov means “as needed”; it is different from a fixed daily schedule.
Read the short passages below to see the kind of wording used in Norwegian medicine guidance. The point is to recognise instructions and limits, not to choose a medicine or dose for yourself.
Reseptfrie smertestillende legemidler - Helsenorge
Read Helsenorge’s guidance for examples of how Norwegian instructions express dosage limits, package directions, food, and a missed dose.
Under “Hvor mye smertestillende kan du ta?”, read the dosage guidance. Focus on “Les alltid pakningsvedlegget”: the package leaflet gives the directions for the specific medicine. Then, near the end of “Vanlige spørsmål om reseptfrie smertestillende medisiner,” find the points beginning with taking paracetamol with food. Read food and missed-dose advice; stop before the discussion of alcohol. Notice that “Ikke ta dobbel dose” is a prohibition, not a suggestion to adjust the schedule yourself.
A typical spoken instruction might contain both a routine and a limit:
Ta medisinen som avtalt. Ikke ta mer enn det som står på pakningen.
“Take the medicine as agreed. Don’t take more than it says on the package.”
You do not need to catch every word immediately to hear that the second sentence places a restriction on the first. But if a number, frequency, or restriction is unclear, do not fill it in from memory. Ask the speaker to repeat it and, if possible, have them point to the written directions.
Tests: distinguish preparation from what happens during the test
A blodprøve is a blood test. Instructions about one may concern before, during, or after the sample is taken. The picture shows the testing setting; the most important language may be spoken before you sit down.
For example, Ta med legitimasjon means “Bring identification.” Sitt i ro før prøven means “Sit still before the test.” Faste means “to fast,” but not every blood test requires fasting. The instruction that applies to you depends on the test ordered.
Read the patient information on blood tests for authentic wording about preparation, fasting, medication, and what happens after the sample is taken.
In “Før,” read preparation advice. Then, under “Ta med legitimasjon,” read from identification and paperwork. In “Ofte stilte spørsmål,” go to “Hvordan skal jeg forberede meg?” and read the preparation rule. Under “Hva vil det si å være fastende?”, read the definition of fasting. Under “Kan jeg ta medisiner før blodprøvetakingen?”, read the conditional sentence; its opening words matter. Finally, in “Etter,” read the pressure instructions. Under “Resultat av undersøkelsen,” read who receives results.
The sentence Hvis du ikke har fått andre instruksjoner, kan du ta medisiner som vanlig begins with a condition: “If you have not received other instructions …” Do not drop that first part when interpreting what follows. Similarly, if someone tells you to fast, confirm whether you should fast and for exactly how long; do not assume that the general explanation on a webpage is your personal test instruction.
Immediately after a blood draw, you might hear Trykk lett her og hold til blødningen stopper: “Press gently here and hold until the bleeding stops.” Til marks the endpoint—keep holding until the bleeding stops.
Follow-up: know whether to wait or act
After a test, listen for the plan for its result. Prøvesvar means “test result,” and ta kontakt means “get in touch.” Compare these possible statements:
Vi kontakter deg når prøvesvaret er klart.
“We will contact you when the test result is ready.”
Hvis du ikke hører fra oss, ta kontakt.
“If you don’t hear from us, get in touch.”
The first tells you who will initiate contact. The second adds a condition under which you should act. Hvis (“if”) often introduces a change to the usual plan; når (“when”) identifies the time at which something will happen. A clinician might also say Hvis du blir verre, må du ta kontakt igjen—“If you get worse, you must get in touch again.”
For a brief listening rehearsal, read one of the example instructions in this lesson aloud into a voice recorder, then listen without looking at the text. Identify the action, its timing, and any condition. If another person can read it to you instead, you will get useful practice hearing an unfamiliar voice. Treat this as a language rehearsal, not as a source of personal medical directions.
Conclusion
To understand a basic healthcare instruction, listen first for the action and who must take it. Then identify its timing, duration, restrictions, and conditions. Medication directions often hinge on frequency and limits; test directions distinguish preparation from aftercare; follow-up directions tell you whether to wait for contact or initiate it yourself. If any detail that affects what you will do is unclear, ask before acting.
Next, you’ll practise asking targeted questions when a healthcare instruction is unclear—so you can resolve a missing detail rather than simply asking for the whole explanation again.