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Jeg ser fotografiet på bordet.

Jeg ser fotografiet på bordet.
I see the photograph on the table.
FromLesson 10inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Jeg ser fotografiet på bordet.

jeg
I
se
to see
på
on
bordet
the table
fotografiet
the photograph
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Questions & Answers about Jeg ser fotografiet på bordet.

What is the difference between ser and ser på?

Ser is the present tense of å se used transitively, meaning “to see” (to perceive something). Å se på means “to look at” or “to examine.”
• Jeg ser fotografiet = “I see the photograph” (I perceive it).
• Jeg ser på fotografiet = “I’m looking at the photograph” (I’m focusing my gaze on it).

Why is the definite article attached as a suffix in fotografiet and bordet, instead of a separate word?

In Norwegian the definite article generally goes on the end of the noun.
• Neuter nouns take -et in the singular definite form.
• Masculine/feminine nouns take -en.
Since fotografi and bord are neuter (et fotografi, et bord), they become fotografiet and bordet when definite.

How do I know that fotografi and bord are neuter nouns?
Noun gender is learned together with each new word. As a rule, if a noun uses et as its indefinite article—et fotografi, et bord—it is neuter. Neuter nouns always add -et to form the singular definite.
Why is på used in på bordet for “on the table”? Could I use i or over?

Norwegian prepositions for place are quite specific:
• på = on (a surface) → på bordet (“on the table”)
• i = in (inside something) → i esken (“in the box”)
• over = over/above but not necessarily touching → over bordet (“above the table”)
Only på correctly conveys “on the table.”

Can I invert the word order to På bordet ser jeg fotografiet? Why does the verb come before the subject there?

Yes. When you put any adverbial or object first (here på bordet), Norwegian uses V2 word order: the finite verb comes second, pushing the subject after it. So you get:
På bordet (adverbial) – ser (verb) – jeg (subject) – fotografiet (object).

How would I express “I see the photographs on the tables” (plural)?

Both nouns must be in the plural definite:
• fotografi → fotografier (plural indefinite) → fotografiene (plural definite)
• bord → bord (same form for plural indefinite) → bordene (plural definite)
Thus: Jeg ser fotografiene på bordene.

How do I pronounce the final -et in fotografiet and bordet?

The -et ending is a reduced vowel sound, often [ə] or [e].
• fotografiet ≈ [fu-to-gra-FI-ət]
• bordet ≈ [bʊr-ət]