Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun legger sølvskjeen på bordet. - She puts the silver spoon on the table.

Legger is the present tense of å legge (to lay/put). Norwegian verbs ending in –gge double the consonant before adding –er in the present. Conjugation of å legge in present tense is:
• jeg legger
• du legger
• han/hun legger
• vi legger
• dere legger
• de legger

What’s the difference between legge, ligge, and sette?

• Legge = to lay or put something down (often horizontally).
• Ligge = to lie, i.e. describe something’s position (it lies here).
• Sette = to set or put something (often upright or in position).

In this sentence, you use legge because you’re placing the spoon down.

Why is sølvskjeen written as one word, and what does the –en ending mean?

In Norwegian, compounds merge both words: sølv (silver) + skje (spoon) → sølvskje. To make it definite singular, add the suffix –en: sølvskjeen = the silver spoon. No separate definite article is needed.

Why is the preposition på used here instead of something else?

På means “on” or “onto” a surface. When you place an object on top of a table, you use på bordet. If you put something inside a container, you’d use i (e.g. i esken = in the box).

Why is bordet in the definite form, and how do you form definiteness for bord?

Bord is a neuter noun:
• Indefinite singular = et bord (a table)
• Definite singular = bordet (the table)

Here we refer to a specific table, so it’s bordet.

Why is the word order Hun legger sølvskjeen på bordet (SVO) rather than mixing the order?

Norwegian uses Subject-Verb-Object word order like English. So you start with the subject Hun (she), then the verb legger, then the object sølvskjeen, and finally any adverbial/prepositional phrase på bordet.

Could you use a different verb (e.g. plasserer) instead of legger here?

Yes, you could say Hun plasserer sølvskjeen på bordet, which is more formal. In everyday speech, however, legger is the common, natural choice for “putting/laying” something down.