Lesson goal
After the lesson, the student will be able to describe how they feel, name common symptoms, say what hurts and where, understand basic doctor’s recommendations, and use vocabulary related to booking an appointment, examination, and treatment.
Usage context
This topic is used in conversations at home, at work, and in studies when it is necessary to explain why a person feels unwell, cancel a meeting, see a doctor, book an appointment, describe symptoms at a clinic or pharmacy, and also understand whether the treatment helped.
New vocabulary
helse — health — a general word for the topic of health and well-being
symptom — symptom — often used in the form symptomer when there is more than one symptom
undersøkelse — examination, check-up — used for a medical check by a doctor
behandling — treatment — can mean a course of treatment or a method of treatment
feber — fever, temperature — usually without an article when talking about the condition
hoste — cough — can be both a noun and a verb in another form
skade — injury, damage — about physical damage to the body
time — appointment, scheduled time — in medicine it often means a scheduled time with a doctor
frisk — healthy, well — often used in expressions about how someone feels
å føle seg — to feel — a basic verb for describing one’s condition
svimmel — dizzy — about a condition, not pain
kvalm — nauseous — used with a linking verb of state
forkjølet — having a cold — a common word for a mild illness
legen — the doctor — the definite form of lege, often in the expression hos legen
å bestille time — to book an appointment — a fixed expression for booking a doctor’s appointment
Useful phrases
Jeg har vondt i halsen. — I have a sore throat. — when you need to name a specific place of pain
Jeg har feber og hoste. — I have a fever and a cough. — for a brief description of symptoms
Hun føler seg ikke helt frisk i dag. — She does not feel quite well today. — when the condition is bad but there is no exact diagnosis
Du bør bestille time hos legen. — You should book an appointment with the doctor. — advice for symptoms that do not go away
Jeg trenger en time så snart som mulig. — I need an appointment as soon as possible. — for an urgent booking
Legen gjorde en undersøkelse. — The doctor carried out an examination. — after a visit to the doctor
Behandlingen hjalp etter noen dager. — The treatment helped after a few days. — to talk about the result
Han har fått en skade i beinet. — He has got an injury in his leg. — about an injury after a fall or sports
Jeg føler meg svimmel. — I feel dizzy. — for describing a condition without the pain construction
Nå er jeg frisk igjen. — Now I am well again. — when the condition has improved
Grammar
For pain, Norwegian very often uses the construction ha vondt i: literally “to have pain in.” After it, the body part is put in the definite form. For general condition, være or føle seg with an adjective are more often used.
ha vondt i + body part in the definite form: Jeg har vondt i hodet, hun har vondt i ryggen
People usually do not say jeg er vondt; here vondt does not describe the person but is part of a fixed construction
Condition without specific pain: jeg er forkjølet, jeg er kvalm, jeg føler meg dårlig, hun føler seg friskere
føle seg emphasizes a subjective feeling, while være is a more neutral description of the condition
After i, the definite form of the body part usually follows: halsen, magen, armen, beinet
Examples with explanation
Jeg har vondt i halsen. — I have a sore throat. The model ha vondt i + halsen in the definite form is used.
Hun har vondt i ryggen etter jobben. — She has back pain after work. The pain is linked to a cause, and the body part comes after i.
Jeg har vondt i magen, så jeg vil ikke spise nå. — I have a stomach ache, so I do not want to eat now. Here the symptom explains the action in the second part of the sentence.
Han føler seg ikke helt frisk i dag. — He does not feel quite well today. For general well-being, føler seg is used, not the pain construction.
Er du forkjølet, eller har du feber? — Do you have a cold, or do you have a fever? In one question, two different types of condition are shown: an adjective and a noun.
Jeg er kvalm og litt svimmel. — I feel nauseous and a little dizzy. Both words describe a condition through være.
Du bør bestille time hos legen hvis hosten ikke går over. — You should book an appointment with the doctor if the cough does not go away. The phrase is useful for giving advice; hosten is in the definite form as a specific symptom.
Legen gjorde en undersøkelse og sa at jeg måtte hvile. — The doctor carried out an examination and said that I had to rest. undersøkelse is a specific medical action during the appointment.
Behandlingen hjalp etter noen dager, og nå føler jeg meg bedre. — The treatment helped after a few days, and now I feel better. The result of the treatment and the change in condition are shown.
Hun fikk en skade i armen under trening. — She got an injury in her arm during training. The word skade is used for physical injury, not ordinary pain.
Typical mistakes
Jeg er vondt i halsen → Jeg har vondt i halsen — with pain, ha is used, not være
Jeg har vondt i hals → Jeg har vondt i halsen — after i, the definite form of the body part is usually needed
Jeg føler meg ikke frisk helt → Jeg føler meg ikke helt frisk — the adverb helt is usually placed before the adjective
Du må bestille en time til legen → Du bør bestille time hos legen — in typical advice, the fixed expression bestille time hos legen sounds more natural
Jeg har en feber → Jeg har feber — with feber, an article is usually not needed when talking about the condition
Han er skade i beinet → Han har fått en skade i beinet — injury is expressed through ha fått en skade or a similar construction
Mini-summary
ha vondt i is used for pain in a specific body part
For general condition, være and føle seg are more often needed
After ha vondt i, the body part is usually put in the definite form
bestille time hos legen is a basic phrase for booking a doctor’s appointment
frisk, forkjølet, kvalm, svimmel help describe the condition more precisely