Questions & Answers about Hun legger plastposen på bordet.
What does the verb legger mean here, and how is it used?
Legger is the present tense of å legge, which means “to lay” or “to put” something down. It’s a transitive verb, so it always takes a direct object (here plastposen). In English you can render Hun legger plastposen på bordet as “She puts the plastic bag on the table” or “She is putting the plastic bag on the table.”
How do you tell å legge (to lay/place) apart from å ligge (to lie)?
Use å legge when someone actively lays something down, so it needs an object:
– Jeg legger boka på bordet. (I lay the book on the table.)
Use å ligge when something is in a lying position by itself, so it has no object:
– Boka ligger på bordet. (The book is lying on the table.)
Why is it plastposen instead of en plastpose or just plastpose?
Plastposen is the definite form: “the plastic bag.” In Bokmål Norwegian, the definite article is suffixed to the noun.
– Indefinite singular: en plastpose (“a plastic bag”)
– Definite singular: plastposen (“the plastic bag”)
What gender is pose, and how do compounds get their gender?