Question 1

What does setter mean, and how do I conjugate å sette?

Accepted Answer

Setter is the present tense of å sette (to set or to put). Conjugation:
• Present: jeg setter, du setter, han/hun setter  
• Past: jeg satte, du satte, han/hun satte  
• Past participle: har satt  
In the example han setter simply means he puts or he sets.

Question 2

Why is en pute indefinite but skuffen definite?

Accepted Answer

En pute uses the indefinite article en (a cushion) because we’re introducing the pillow for the first time. Skuffen is the definite form of skuff (drawer) by adding the suffix -en, so skuffen means the drawer. Norwegian marks definiteness with suffixes on the noun.

Question 3

Why is there i before skuffen, and could I use på skuffen instead?

Accepted Answer

The preposition i means in, showing the pillow goes inside the drawer. På would mean on, as in on top of the drawer, which changes the meaning. To say in the drawer, you always use i.

Question 4

How does the for å + infinitive construction work to express purpose?

Accepted Answer

To express purpose (in order to) in Norwegian, you use for å + infinitive of the verb:
for å spare plass = in order to save space.  
You must include å before the verb; you cannot say for spare plass.

Question 5

Why is plass not preceded by an article, and can I say for å spare plassen?

Accepted Answer

Plass is a mass noun (like space in English) and normally doesn’t take an article when speaking generally. You wouldn’t say for å spare plassen unless you mean to save that specific space. Here it’s indefinite, so you use zero article: for å spare plass.

Question 6

Why is there no comma before for å spare plass?

Accepted Answer

In Norwegian you generally don’t put a comma before a purpose clause. You write it as one sentence:
Han setter en pute i skuffen for å spare plass.  
If you front the purpose clause, you can optionally add a comma after it:
For å spare plass, setter han en pute i skuffen.

Question 7

What’s the difference between å sette and å legge when putting something away?

Accepted Answer

Å sette implies placing something upright or in a designated spot, while å legge means laying something down flat. With a pillow either verb can sometimes work, but sette focuses on placing it neatly in position, which is why it’s used here.

Question 8

How would I say this sentence in the past tense?

Accepted Answer

Replace the present tense setter with the past tense satte:
Han satte en pute i skuffen for å spare plass.

Han setter en pute i skuffen for å spare plass.

Breakdown of Han setter en pute i skuffen for å spare plass.

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