Question 1

What does the verb legger mean here, and how is it used?

Accepted Answer

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.”

Question 2

How do you tell å legge (to lay/place) apart from å ligge (to lie)?

Accepted Answer

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.)

Question 3

Why is it plastposen instead of en plastpose or just plastpose?

Accepted Answer

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”)

Question 4

What gender is pose, and how do compounds get their gender?

Accepted Answer

Pose (“bag”) is common gender (in Bokmål you say en pose). Compound nouns normally take the gender of their head (the last element), so plastpose inherits the common gender of pose. That’s why its indefinite article is en plastpose.

Question 5

Why is the object bordet definite here?

Accepted Answer

Just like plastposen, bordet has the definite suffix -et (“the table”). The indefinite form is et bord (“a table”). We use bordet because the sentence refers to a specific table: på bordet = “on the table.”

Question 6

Why is the preposition på used for “on the table”?

Accepted Answer

På generally covers “on” (a surface) and “at” (a location). When placing something on top of a flat surface, you use på:  
  – på bordet, på gulvet, på stolen.

Question 7

Is the word order in Hun legger plastposen på bordet always Subject-Verb-Object-Adverbial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The default order in a main clause is S-V-O-adverbial(s). Here:  
  Subject: Hun  
  Verb: legger  
  Object: plastposen  
  Adverbial of place: på bordet  
If you move an adverbial to the front, you must keep the verb in second position.

Question 8

How do you pronounce Hun legger plastposen på bordet?

Accepted Answer

A rough Bokmål transcription in IPA:  
  [ hʉn ˈlɛɡːər ˈplɑːstˌpʊːsən poː ˈbuːʈət ]  
Stress falls on the first syllable of legger, plastposen, and bordet.

Hun legger plastposen på bordet.

Breakdown of Hun legger plastposen på bordet.

Questions & Answers about Hun legger plastposen på bordet.

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