Jeg setter saltet på bordet.

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Breakdown of Jeg setter saltet på bordet.

• på: on
• bordet: the table
• sette: to put

Questions & Answers about Jeg setter saltet på bordet.

Does "setter" mean "put" or "set," and can this sentence mean "I am putting the salt on the table"?

Both. Norwegian present tense covers both simple and progressive meanings. So "Jeg setter saltet på bordet" can mean either "I put the salt on the table" (habitual) or "I am putting the salt on the table" (right now). If you want to stress an ongoing action, you can add "holder på": "Jeg holder på å sette saltet på bordet," but in most contexts the plain present is enough.

Why is it "saltet" and not just "salt"?

Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix. salt = "salt"; saltet = "the salt." Here we’re talking about a specific, known salt (usually the salt shaker/cellar). If you say "Jeg setter salt på bordet," it sounds like you’re putting some salt as a substance onto the table surface.

Why does it end in -et (saltet) and not -en (salten)?

Because salt is a neuter noun in Bokmål. Neuter definite singular takes -et; masculine takes -en.

• Indefinite singular: salt
• Definite singular: saltet
• Indefinite plural: salter (used for different kinds of salts)
• Definite plural: saltene "Salten" is not standard for this noun in Bokmål.

Why is it "på bordet" and not "til bordet" or "i bordet"?