Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Etter dusjen henger hun håndkleet opp og legger såpen i skuffen. - After the shower she hangs up the towel and puts the soap in the drawer.

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. When you front an adverbial like Etter dusjen (After the shower), the verb comes next, then the subject: Etter dusjen henger hun …. If you don’t front anything, you get the neutral order Hun henger ….

Why are dusjen, håndkleet, såpen, skuffen all definite?

They refer to specific, identifiable things in the situation: the shower she just took, the towel and soap she used, and the drawer in that bathroom. If you want it indefinite or generic:

Etter en dusj = after a shower (not a specific one)
henger et håndkle opp = hangs up a towel
legger såpe i en skuff = puts soap in a drawer (odd unless you mean any soap/any drawer)

What does opp add in henger … opp? Do I need it?

Opp is a particle that makes the verb mean “hang up” (a completed action, with an “up/onto” nuance). Without opp, henge can either be intransitive (“be hanging”) or transitive but usually with a place phrase:

Hun henger håndkleet opp. = She hangs the towel up.
Håndkleet henger på kroken. = The towel is hanging on the hook.
Hun henger håndkleet på kroken. = She hangs the towel on the hook. Using opp lets you say the action is done even without adding a location.

Where do I place the particle opp relative to the object?

With a full noun phrase, both are common: henger opp håndkleet / henger håndkleet opp (the first is the neutral default).
With a pronoun, the pronoun must precede the particle: Hun henger det opp, not ✗henger opp det.
With negation/adverbs, a common pattern is: Hun henger ikke opp håndkleet.

Why legger and not setter, putter, or ligger?

legge (transitive): put/lay something down. Here: legger såpen i skuffen.
sette (transitive): set/put something so it stands upright (bottle, cup).
putte (transitive): put/pop/place (informal, often into containers). You could say putter såpen i skuffen.
ligge (intransitive): lie/be lying; not used to mean “put.”

Should it be i skuffen or inn i skuffen?

Both work with placement verbs:

i skuffen is the normal choice.
inn i skuffen emphasizes movement into the drawer. Don’t use på skuffen unless you mean “on top of the drawer.”

Why is håndkleet spelled with two e’s? How do I say it?

Håndkle is neuter. The definite singular ending is -et, so you get håndkle + et → håndkleet (two e’s). Roughly pronounced like “HOND-kleh-et,” often with a light or silent final -t in many accents. Useful forms:

et håndkle → håndkleet (def. sg.)
håndklær → håndklærne (def. pl.)

Can I say såpa or skuffa instead of såpen/skuffen?

Yes. In Bokmål many common-gender nouns can be used as feminine:

en/ei såpe → såpen/såpa
en/ei skuff → skuffen/skuffa Pick the form you prefer and try to be consistent for each noun.

Could I say Etter at hun har dusjet, … or Etter å ha dusjet, … instead?

Yes:

Etter at hun har dusjet, henger hun … (subordinate clause with a verb)
Etter å ha dusjet, henger hun … (after having showered) Both are natural. Etter dusjen is a compact noun-phrase alternative.

What are the past forms of henge in this meaning?

Norwegian has two patterns:

Transitive action (hang something up): hun hengte håndkleet opp (preterite), har hengt (perfect).
Intransitive state (something is hanging): håndkleet hang på kroken (preterite), har hengt (perfect). Present is henger in both.

Do I need to repeat hun before legger?

No. When the subject is the same in a coordinated clause, you don’t repeat it: … henger hun … og legger …. Repeating hun is possible for emphasis but sounds heavy in a simple sentence.

Is the order legger såpen i skuffen fixed?

The neutral order is verb + object + place phrase: legger såpen i skuffen. You can front the object for emphasis: Såpen legger hun i skuffen. But Legger i skuffen såpen is not natural.

Does såpen mean a bar of soap or soap in general?

Context decides. It can mean the specific soap being used (a bar or a bottle). If you want to be explicit:

bar of soap: såpestykket (såpestykket/–et)
liquid soap: flytende såpe
soap dispenser: såpedispenseren

Why hun and not henne?

Hun is the subject form (she). Henne is the object form (her).

Subject: Hun henger håndkleet opp.
Object: Han ser henne.

Why present tense if the shower happens before the hanging and putting?

The adverbial Etter dusjen already sets the time sequence. Present tense here describes a habitual routine or a current narration: “After the shower she hangs … and puts …”. In the past you’d say Etter dusjen hengte hun … og la ….