Jeg vasker klær for hånd.

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Breakdown of Jeg vasker klær for hånd.

• vaske: to wash
• klærne: the clothes
• for hånd: by hand

Questions & Answers about Jeg vasker klær for hånd.

What does vasker mean, and what tense is it?

vasker is the present‐tense form of the verb å vaske, which means to wash. In Norwegian you conjugate vaske like this:

• infinitive: å vaske
• present: (jeg) vasker
• past: (jeg) vasket
• perfect: (jeg) har vasket
  So jeg vasker = I wash or I am washing.

What does klær mean, and why isn't there an article before it?

klær means clothes. It’s an indefinite plural noun, so it does not take an article in Norwegian. If you want to refer to the clothes, you use the definite plural klærne.
Example:

• Jeg vasker klær (I wash clothes – in general).
• Jeg vasker klærne (I wash the clothes – specific ones).

What does for hånd mean?

for hånd is an adverbial phrase meaning by hand or manually. It indicates you are using your hands rather than a machine.

Why is it for hånd and not med hånden or ?