Flekken kan vaskes bort.

Flekken means the stain or the spot.

The base noun is en flekk = a stain / a spot.
When it becomes definite, Norwegian usually adds the article to the end of the noun:

• en flekk = a stain
• flekken = the stain

So -en here is the definite ending.

Norwegian main clauses usually follow the V2 rule, which means the finite verb comes in the second position.

In Flekken kan vaskes bort:

1. Flekken = first element
2. kan = finite verb, so it comes second

This is very normal Norwegian word order.

Kan usually means can in the sense of is able to, can be, or it is possible to.

In this sentence, it expresses possibility:

• Flekken kan vaskes bort = The stain can be washed away

It does not necessarily mean someone is washing it right now. It means the stain is removable.

Vaskes is the passive form of vaske (to wash).

A very common way to form the passive in Norwegian is with -s:

• vaske = to wash
• vasker = washes / is washing
• vaskes = is washed / can be washed

So kan vaskes means can be washed.

Yes. It is a passive sentence.

The active version would be something like:

• Man kan vaske bort flekken = One can wash away the stain
• Du kan vaske bort flekken = You can wash away the stain

The passive version focuses on the stain itself rather than on who does the washing:

• Flekken kan vaskes bort = The stain can be washed away

Norwegian has more than one way to express the passive.

Two common options are:

• s-passive: kan vaskes bort
• bli-passive: kan bli vasket bort

Both are possible, but the s-passive is often shorter and very natural in general statements like this one.

So:

• Flekken kan vaskes bort = natural, compact
• Flekken kan bli vasket bort = also grammatical, but a bit heavier

Bort adds the idea of away, off, or removed.

So:

• vaske = wash
• vaske bort = wash away / wash off / remove by washing

Without bort, Flekken kan vaskes would mean The stain can be washed, which sounds incomplete or less natural in this context. Bort makes it clear that the stain disappears as a result.

Yes, in a broad sense it works a lot like a phrasal verb in English.

The verb vaske combines with bort to create a more specific meaning:

• vaske = wash
• vaske bort = wash away / remove by washing

Norwegian often uses small particles like bort, opp, ut, av, and inn in this way.

Yes, in some sentence types it can.

With the infinitive construction, you often see:

• Man kan vaske bort flekken

In the passive sentence here, bort naturally stays at the end:

• Flekken kan vaskes bort

That placement is very normal and idiomatic.

You add ikke after the finite verb kan:

• Flekken kan ikke vaskes bort = The stain cannot be washed away

This follows normal Norwegian word order:

• subject + finite verb + ikke
  • rest

Yes, technically it is built with present-tense forms, but the meaning is about general possibility, not necessarily something happening right now.

That is very common with modal verbs like kan:

• Flekken kan vaskes bort = The stain can be washed away

It means the stain is washable/removable, not that the washing is currently taking place.

Yes. Flekk can mean spot, stain, or mark, depending on context.

So Flekken kan vaskes bort could be understood as:

• The stain can be washed away
• The spot can be washed off

The best English word depends on what kind of flekk it is.

Sometimes av can appear in similar contexts, but bort is the most natural choice here for removing the stain completely.

Compare:

• vaske bort = wash away, remove by washing
• vaske av = wash off

Both can overlap, but vaske bort flekken strongly emphasizes that the stain disappears. That is why bort fits very well in this sentence.