Linkluten legges i hevekurven.

Legges is the present passive form of å legge (to lay / to place).

• å legge = infinitive
• legger = present active (places / is placing)
• legges = present passive (is placed / is being placed)

In this sentence, the focus is on what happens to the cloth, not on who does it.

Both can express a passive idea, but they are used a bit differently.

• legges = the -s passive
• blir lagt = the bli-passive

In practical instructions, recipes, manuals, and process descriptions, the -s passive is very common because it sounds compact and impersonal.

So Linkluten legges i hevekurven sounds very natural in an instructional context, like telling you how to prepare something.

Norwegian often uses the present tense in instructions and step-by-step descriptions.

This is similar to how English can say things like:

• You add the flour
• The dough rests for 30 minutes

So legges does not necessarily mean a general habit here. It can also mean this is what you do at this step.

Linkluten is a definite singular noun.

It is made up of:

• linklut = the basic noun
• -en = the definite ending for a masculine noun

So:

• en linklut = a ...
• linkluten = the ...

Norwegian usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word before it.

Hevekurven is also a definite singular noun.

It comes from:

• en hevekurv = an indefinite form
• hevekurven = the definite form

Again, -en means the.

So both nouns in the sentence are definite:

• linkluten = the cloth
• hevekurven = the proofing basket

Because Norwegian forms compound nouns by writing them as one word, much more consistently than English does.

For example:

• heve
  • kurv → hevekurv
• lin
  • klut can form a compound like linklut

English often writes similar ideas as separate words, but Norwegian usually combines them.

This is very important for learners: if English has a noun + noun combination, Norwegian often makes it one word.

I usually means in / inside.

It is used because the cloth is being placed inside the basket.

So:

• i hevekurven = in the proofing basket

If something were on top of something, Norwegian would more likely use på instead.

Because in Norwegian, definiteness is usually shown by an ending on the noun.

Compare:

• en kurv = a basket
• kurven = the basket

So instead of a separate word like English the, Norwegian often attaches definiteness directly to the noun.

That is why you see:

• linkluten
• hevekurven

rather than separate words before them.

Yes. This is normal Norwegian word order.

The structure is:

• Linkluten = subject
• legges = verb
• i hevekurven = prepositional phrase

So it follows the usual main-clause pattern:

Subject + verb + other information

Even though the sentence is passive, the word order is still straightforward.

Yes. An active version would include the person doing the action, for example:

• Du legger linkluten i hevekurven.

That means the same basic action, but now the subject is du (you), not the cloth.

The passive version is preferred when the instructions matter more than the person performing them.

This is a very common question.

• å legge = to lay / to put / to place something somewhere
  
  • this is an action
• å ligge = to lie / to be lying somewhere
  
  • this is a state

So here, legges is correct because something is being placed into the basket.

Compare:

• Linkluten legges i hevekurven. = the cloth is placed in the basket
• Linkluten ligger i hevekurven. = the cloth is lying in the basket

The first describes the action. The second describes the result or position.

Yes, very much so.

It has several features that are common in instructions:

• present tense
• passive form
• no mention of who performs the action
• practical, concise wording

That makes it sound like a procedural step in a recipe, manual, or guide.

It is not especially formal, but it is more instructional than conversational.

In everyday spoken Norwegian, someone might more naturally say:

• Legg linkluten i hevekurven.
  This is the imperative: Put the cloth in the proofing basket.

The version with legges sounds more like a written instruction or a neutral description of the process.

Yes, that is a good beginner shortcut.

In many cases:

• legges ≈ is placed
• brukes ≈ is used
• settes ≈ is put / is set

It is not always a perfect word-for-word match, but for this sentence that is a very useful way to understand it.