De vasker bordduken samtidig som vi teller donasjonen.

It could be either in principle:

• de = they
• De = you (formal, old-fashioned/polite)

But in this sentence, De is at the beginning, so it is capitalized anyway. That means the capital D does not tell you for sure which one it is.

So you need context to know whether the sentence means:

• They are washing the tablecloth while we count the donation or
• You are washing the tablecloth while we count the donation

In modern Norwegian, formal De is quite rare in everyday language, so learners will often assume they unless the situation is clearly formal.

Both are in the present tense:

• vasker = wash / are washing
• teller = count / are counting

Norwegian often uses the present tense where English might use either:

• the simple present: they wash
• or the present continuous: they are washing

So De vasker can mean both they wash and they are washing, depending on context.

Because bordduken is the definite form: the tablecloth.

The noun is:

• en bordduk = a tablecloth
• bordduken = the tablecloth

Norwegian often puts the definite article at the end of the noun as a suffix:

• -en for many masculine nouns
• -a / -en / -et depending on gender and form

So:

• bordduk = tablecloth
• bordduken = the tablecloth

For the same reason: donasjonen is the definite form, meaning the donation.

• en donasjon = a donation
• donasjonen = the donation

The ending -en marks definiteness here too.

So the sentence is talking about a specific donation, not just any donation.

Samtidig som means at the same time as or more naturally in English, while.

It connects two actions that happen at the same time:

• De vasker bordduken
• vi teller donasjonen

Together:

• De vasker bordduken samtidig som vi teller donasjonen
• They wash/are washing the tablecloth while we count/are counting the donation

It is a common way to show simultaneous actions.

Yes, often you can.

For example:

• De vasker bordduken mens vi teller donasjonen.

This also means They are washing the tablecloth while we are counting the donation.

The difference is mainly one of nuance:

• mens = plain, common while
• samtidig som = more explicit emphasis on at the same time

In many everyday situations, mens sounds more natural and simpler.

Because samtidig som introduces a subordinate clause.

The clause is:

• vi teller donasjonen

In Norwegian subordinate clauses, the subject usually comes before the verb in the normal way:

• vi teller
• han kommer
• de vasker

So here:

• samtidig som vi teller donasjonen

That is standard subordinate clause word order.

Because Norwegian does not usually build the present continuous the way English does.

English:

• They are washing
• We are counting

Norwegian usually just uses the present tense:

• De vasker
• vi teller

So one Norwegian form can cover both:

• they wash
• they are washing

The idea of an action happening right now usually comes from the context, not from a separate are + -ing structure.

Yes, it is a normal Norwegian noun, and like many Norwegian words, it is a compound.

It is made from:

• bord = table
• duk = cloth

So:

• bordduk = tablecloth
• bordduken = the tablecloth

Compound words are very common in Norwegian, and they are usually written as one word, not two.

Because telle normally takes a direct object when you mean count.

So:

• telle penger = count money
• telle stemmer = count votes
• telle donasjonen = count the donation

You do not normally need a preposition there.

Yes, a learner might notice that.

Grammatically, it is fine, but in real life the wording may depend on what donasjonen refers to:

• If the donation is money, then counting the donation makes sense.
• If it is an object or a general gift, speakers might choose a different verb.

For money, Norwegian might also say things like:

• teller pengene i donasjonen = count the money in the donation
• teller opp donasjonen = count up the donation

So the original sentence is understandable, but the exact naturalness depends on context.

The main clause is:

• De vasker bordduken

The subordinate clause is:

• samtidig som vi teller donasjonen

A useful clue is that samtidig som works like a linking expression introducing the second clause.

So structurally, the sentence is:

• Main clause
  • subordinate clause

That is why the sentence starts with the action De vasker bordduken, and then adds the time relationship afterward.

Yes. You can say:

• Samtidig som vi teller donasjonen, vasker de bordduken.

That is also correct.

Notice what happens in the main clause after the introductory subordinate clause:

• vasker de bordduken

This is because Norwegian main clauses normally follow the verb-second rule, so when something else comes first, the verb comes before the subject in the main clause.

So:

• De vasker bordduken samtidig som vi teller donasjonen.
• Samtidig som vi teller donasjonen, vasker de bordduken.

Both are correct, but the word order changes in the second version.