Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg legger stolen tilbake i boden etter at gjestene går. - I put the chair back in the storage room after the guests leave.

The infinitive is å legge (“to lay/put”). In the present tense it becomes legger for all persons: jeg legger, du legger, han/hun legger, vi legger, dere legger, de legger.

What role does tilbake play? Is it part of the verb?

tilbake means “back” and combines with legge to form the separable verb legge tilbake (“to put back”). The particle tilbake remains after the object in main clauses: legger stolen tilbake.

Could we say legger tilbake stolen instead of legger stolen tilbake?

Yes, Norwegian allows both legger tilbake stolen and legger stolen tilbake. However, putting the object before the particle (legger stolen tilbake) is more common with noun objects. If the object were a pronoun (e.g. den), you must say legger den tilbake.

Why is i boden used instead of på boden or til boden?

i means “in” and is used to indicate placement inside something. på would mean “on” or “on top of,” and til would express motion toward rather than final placement. So i boden = “in the storage room.”

Why is boden in the definite form? Why not just bod?

In Norwegian you attach a suffix to make a noun definite. bod is “a storage room,” boden is “the storage room.” Here the speaker assumes you know which storage room is meant, so the definite -en is added.

Why is etter at used? Could we use når gjestene går instead?

etter at means “after (that),” marking that one action follows the completion of another. når gjestene går (“when the guests leave”) is also grammatically correct, but etter at more clearly signals the sequence: first they leave, then you put the chair away.

Why is the present tense går used for the guests’ departure? Isn’t that future or past?

In Norwegian the present tense frequently covers near-future events (“when the guests leave”). If you want to emphasize that the leaving has fully happened before you act, you could use the present perfect: etter at gjestene har gått.

What’s the difference between jeg legger stolen tilbake and jeg setter stolen tilbake?

Both legge (“to lay/put”) and sette (“to set/put upright”) can describe placing objects. legge often implies a horizontal placement, sette a more upright one, but in everyday language they’re largely interchangeable when referring to a chair.

Could jeg legger stolen tilbake inn i boden be used instead of i boden?

You can say inn i boden (“into the storage room”) to stress the motion of going in. However, once the direction is clear, simple i boden suffices to indicate final placement inside.