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Jeg setter glassene i oppvaskmaskinen.

Jeg setter glassene i oppvaskmaskinen.
I put the glasses in the dishwasher.
FromLesson 23inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Jeg setter glassene i oppvaskmaskinen.

jeg
I
i
in
sette
to put
glasset
the glass
oppvaskmaskinen
the dishwasher

Questions & Answers about Jeg setter glassene i oppvaskmaskinen.

What does setter mean in this sentence?
Setter is the present tense of å sette, which means to put or to place. Here it functions like the English word put.
Why is glassene spelled this way?

Glassene is the definite plural of glass. In Bokmål you form the four main forms like this:

  • Indefinite singular: et glass
  • Indefinite plural: glass
  • Definite singular: glasset
  • Definite plural: glassene
    The suffix -ene marks the glasses.
Why is the preposition i used instead of inn i or på?
In Norwegian i often covers both in and into, so i oppvaskmaskinen means into the dishwasher. Adding inn (as in inn i oppvaskmaskinen) can emphasize movement but isn’t required. You wouldn’t use på here, because på means on.
What does oppvaskmaskinen break down into?

Oppvaskmaskinen is a compound word:

  • oppvask = dishwashing (literally washing up)
  • maskin = machine
    Plus -en for the definite singular. Together it literally means the dishwashing machine, i.e. the dishwasher.
What is the typical word order in this sentence?

It follows the standard Norwegian SVO (Subject–Verb–Object) order, with the place phrase at the end:

  1. Subject: Jeg
  2. Verb: setter
  3. Object: glassene
  4. Place: i oppvaskmaskinen
How do I turn this into a question?

Use verb–subject inversion. Move the verb to the front:
Setter jeg glassene i oppvaskmaskinen?
That translates as Am I putting the glasses in the dishwasher?

How would I say the same thing in the past tense?

Replace setter with the preterite satte:
Jeg satte glassene i oppvaskmaskinen (i går).
This means I put the glasses in the dishwasher (yesterday).

How can I replace glassene with a pronoun?

Use the object pronoun dem:
Jeg setter dem i oppvaskmaskinen.
In Norwegian, dem (not de) is used after verbs and prepositions as an object form.

Could I use another verb instead of sette?

Yes. Common alternatives include:
• legge (to lay) – e.g. Jeg legger glassene i oppvaskmaskinen.
• plassere (to place) – more formal.
• putte (colloquial from English put) – Jeg putter glassene i oppvaskmaskinen.
Nuance: sette often implies placing something upright, which suits glasses well.

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