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Questions & Answers about Legg kjøttet på tallerkenen.
Why is legg used instead of legge?
Legg is the imperative form of the verb å legge (“to put”). In Norwegian, you drop the infinitive ending -e to form the command: legg means “put!” or “place!” when you’re telling someone what to do.
Why does kjøttet end with -et?
The noun kjøtt (“meat”) is a neuter noun. In Norwegian, neuter nouns form the definite singular by adding -et. So kjøtt → kjøttet = “the meat.”
What gender is kjøtt, and how does that affect its forms?
Kjøtt is neuter gender. Neuter nouns use et in the definite singular (kjøttet) and no article in the indefinite singular (kjøtt). Plural would be kjøtt as well (unchanged).
Why do we need the preposition på here?
In Norwegian, på is used where English uses “on.” It indicates location or placement on a surface. So på tallerkenen literally means “on the plate.”
Why is tallerkenen in the definite form rather than tallerken?
Because the sentence refers to a specific plate (“the plate”). Definite singular for feminine nouns normally takes -en, so tallerken → tallerkenen = “the plate.”
Could I say Legg kjøttet på en tallerken instead?
Yes. en tallerken means “a plate,” indefinite. If you don’t care which plate, use that. With en, the noun remains in its base form plus the indefinite article.
Is the word order always verb–object–prepositional phrase in imperatives?
Yes, the typical order for a transitive imperative is Verb + Direct Object + Prepositional Phrase. You wouldn’t normally split that order in a simple command.
How do you pronounce kjøttet correctly?
It’s pronounced [ˈçœtːə]. The kj is a voiceless palatal fricative (like a soft “hy” sound), the double tt signals a long /t/ stop, and the final -e is a schwa [ə].
Are there other verbs you can use instead of legg in this context?
Yes. You can also use sett (from å sette, “to set/put”) and say Sett kjøttet på tallerkenen. It’s slightly more formal but means essentially the same thing.