Foreskrives

Foreskrives is a verb form used in Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish that means “is prescribed” or “shall be prescribed.” It functions as the present passive form of the verb foreskrive, which means to prescribe or to lay down rules. The form is most common in formal, legal, and regulatory contexts, where it signals that a rule, instruction, or guideline has been established by law, regulation, or authority.

The related noun foreskrift refers to a directive or regulation, and its plural foreskrifter. The verb foreskrive has active counterparts: foreskriver (present active), foreskrev (past), and foreskrevet (past participle). In Swedish, the forms closely mirror Norwegian: föreskriver (active), föreskrives (present passive), föreskrevet/föreskrivet (participles). The etymology traces to fore- (“before”) and skriva/skriva (“to write”), reflecting the idea of writing down rules in advance.

Usage notes: In legal and administrative texts, foreskrives often appears in impersonal constructions: Det foreskrives i loven. In medical or policy contexts, it can denote mandated procedures or requirements.

Examples: It foreskrives i loven at arbeidsgivere skal gi de ansatte nødvendig verneutstyr. Det er foreskrevet av retningslinjene at alle pasienter skal få tilstrekkelig informasjon. In English, this is rendered as “is prescribed,” or “shall be prescribed,” by the regulations or guidelines.