Questions & Answers about Jeg ser fotografiet på bordet.
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).
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.
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.”
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).
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.
The -et ending is a reduced vowel sound, often [ə] or [e].
• fotografiet ≈ [fu-to-gra-FI-ət]
• bordet ≈ [bʊr-ət]