Learn Hardcore Norwegian: La oss henge luen og morgenkåpen på kroken før vi legger oss. - Let's hang the cap and the bathrobe on the hook before we go to bed.

La oss literally means let us, just like let’s in English. It’s a way to make a suggestion involving the speaker and the listener (first-person plural). You use La oss + infinitive to say “let’s do something.”

Why is henge in the infinitive form instead of the imperative heng?

After La oss, you always follow with the infinitive of the main verb. Imperative forms (like heng!) are used when you directly tell someone else what to do. With La oss you’re including yourself, so you use the infinitive: La oss henge.

Why are luen and morgenkåpen in the definite form (ending in -en) even though they are objects?

In Norwegian, you use the definite form when you talk about specific items you both know about, just as in English you say “the hat” and “the robe.”
• lue → luen (the hat)
• morgenkåpe → morgenkåpen (the morning gown/robe)

What exactly is morgenkåpen, and how is it built as a word?

Morgenkåpen is a compound of morgen (morning) + kåpe (coat or robe), with -en marking it as definite: the morning robe (like a bathrobe you wear in the morning).

How does på kroken translate, and why is kroken definite?

på means on and kroken is the hook (krok + -en). It’s definite because you’re referring to a specific hook (e.g. the one on the wall), just as in English you’d say “on the hook.”

Why is the word order før vi legger oss instead of før legger vi oss?

Før (before) is a subordinating conjunction. In subordinate clauses, Norwegian uses normal Subject-Verb-Object order. So you keep vi (we) before legger (put/lay) and oss (ourselves).

What does legger oss mean, and why is oss used?

The verb legge seg is reflexive and means to lie down or go to bed. For we you use the reflexive pronoun oss:
• legger = present tense of lay/put
• oss = ourselves
Together legger oss = go to bed or lie down (we).

Could you omit La oss and just say Heng luen og morgenkåpen på kroken?

Yes. Heng is the second-person singular/plural imperative of henge.
• Heng luen og morgenkåpen på kroken! = Hang the hat and robe on the hook!
But La oss henge… means Let’s hang… (we).

Is there a difference between henge på and henge opp, and which is more natural here?

Both can mean hang up:
• henge på + object + på + surface = hang something on something
• henge opp + object = hang up
With a krok, henge på kroken is very natural (“hang on the hook”), but you could also say heng opp luen og morgenkåpen and it would be understood.

Can you make the same suggestion as a question, like shall we?

Yes. Replace La oss with Skal vi and add a question mark:
Skal vi henge luen og morgenkåpen på kroken før vi legger oss?
= Shall we hang the hat and robe on the hook before we go to bed?