Jeg sitter ved bordet.

I sit at the table.

Breakdown of Jeg sitter ved bordet.

• jeg: I
• ved: at
• bordet: the table
• sitte: to sit

Questions & Answers about Jeg sitter ved bordet.

What does ved mean in Jeg sitter ved bordet?

ved is a preposition meaning by or at, indicating the position “beside” or “at” something. Here it tells you that you’re seated next to or at the table.

Why is bordet in the definite form, and what gender is bord?

bord is a neuter noun.

• Indefinite singular: et bord (“a table”)
• Definite singular: bordet (“the table”)

In Norwegian you form the definite article by adding -et (for neuter nouns) as a suffix. We use the definite form here because we refer to a specific table.

How do you form the present tense of sitte (“to sit”), and does it change with different subjects?

You add -r to the infinitive to get the present tense:

• infinitive: sitte
• present: sitter

This form sitter is the same for all subjects: jeg sitter (I sit), du sitter (you sit), han sitter (he sits), etc.

Why is the verb sitter placed immediately after jeg instead of at the end of the sentence?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) word order. The finite verb must occupy the second position. Since jeg is the first element, sitter comes directly after.

Do you always have to include the subject pronoun jeg in Norwegian?

Yes. Norwegian is not a pro-drop language (unlike Spanish or Italian), so you must include the subject pronoun (jeg, du, han, etc.) even though the verb form doesn’t change.

What’s the difference between sitte ved and sitte på?

• sitte ved = sit by/at (beside something), e.g. sitte ved bordet (“sit at the table”)
• sitte på = sit on (on top of something), e.g. sitte på stolen (“sit on the chair”)

Using på with bordet would mean you’re literally sitting on the tabletop.

How do you pronounce Jeg sitter ved bordet?

Approximate guide:
YEY SIT-ter veh BOR-det

In IPA you might see: [jæɪ̯ ˈsɪtːər veː ˈbuːʈə]

• j in jeg sounds like English “y” in yes
• Double t in sitter is held longer ([tː])
• d in bordet is often soft or even dropped (flapped or realized as [ʈ] in Eastern dialects)