Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun legger hånden på bordet.

Legger is the present‐tense, third‐person singular form of the verb å legge (“to lay” or “to put something down”). You form it by taking the stem legg- and adding -er, doubling the g in the process.

Why is there no possessive pronoun (“sin” or “hennes”) before hånden?

In Norwegian, when you talk about a body part that belongs to the subject, you often omit the explicit possessive pronoun and simply use the noun in its definite form. Here hånden (“the hand”) implicitly means “her hand,” because the subject is hun (“she”). If you wanted to be extra clear, you could say hånden sin (referring back to “she”) or hånden hennes (“her hand”), but it’s usually redundant.

How do you form the definite singular of a feminine/masculine noun like hånd?

You add -en to the noun stem. So hånd (hand) → hånden (the hand). This is called the suffixed definite article.

Why is bordet also in the definite form, and why use på instead of another preposition?

Bordet means “the table.” It’s definite because we’re talking about a specific table—the one in front of her. The preposition på is used for “on” surfaces in Norwegian. You’d never say i bordet (“in the table”) unless you literally meant inside the table.

What is the usual word order in this sentence?

Norwegian follows a Subject-Verb-Object-Adverbial (SVOA) pattern when no fronted element is present. Here it’s:

Subject: Hun
Verb: legger
Object: hånden
Adverbial (prepositional phrase): på bordet

How do you pronounce hånden?

The å sounds like the “o” in English “born.” The “nd” at the end is realized as a plain nasal n. You stress the first syllable, so it’s roughly HOHN-den [ˈhɔ̂nːdən].

Could you use sette instead of legge here?

You could say Hun setter hånden på bordet, but it’s less common. Legge specifically means to lay something down horizontally, which fits better for a hand resting flat. Sette often implies placing something upright or seating.