Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Skittentøyet ligger på gulvet, og jeg setter på vaskemaskinen. - The dirty laundry is on the floor, and I start the washing machine.

It’s from adjective agreement. skitten (dirty) becomes skittent in the neuter singular to match tøy (which is neuter). In the phrase “skittent tøy,” the space disappears in the compound, giving skittentøy.

Could I say Skittentøyet er på gulvet instead of ligger?

Yes, it’s grammatical, but ligger is more idiomatic because Norwegian prefers “position verbs” for where things are:

ligger = lies (things lying flat, e.g., clothes, a book)
står = stands (upright things, e.g., a bottle)
sitter = sits (things or people sitting)

So “Skittentøyet ligger på gulvet” sounds more natural than “er på gulvet.”

When do I use ligger, står, and sitter?

Use them to describe location with a nuance of posture/orientation:

ligger: objects resting flat/horizontally (a rug, clothes, a phone on a table)
står: objects upright/vertical (a vase, a bottle, a building)
sitter: people/animals sitting; sometimes small objects “sitting” snugly, but that’s less common than in English

Why is it på gulvet and not i gulvet?

Because the laundry is on the surface. på = on (a surface). i = in/inside. You’d say i gulvet only if something is inside/inlaid in the floor.

Why is it gulvet and not just gulv?

Definiteness. In Norwegian you often use the definite form for specific, known places/objects in the immediate context:

gulv (a/any floor)
gulvet (the floor—of this room we’re in)

What does setter på mean here?

It’s a particle verb meaning “to turn on/start (a machine/process).” With laundry it’s very common:

å sette på vaskemaskinen = to turn on/start the washing machine
Very idiomatic: å sette på en vask = to start a wash (a load/cycle)

How is setter på different from skrur på and slår på?

sette på: start a process/appliance cycle (washing machine, dishwasher, oven, “sette på en vask/kaffe/vann” = put a wash/coffee/water on).
skru på: physically “turn on” using a knob/valve or switch (lights, water, heat: “skru på lyset/kranen/varmen”).
slå på: generic “switch on” electronics/electrical devices (TV, PC, lights). You can say “slå på vaskemaskinen” for powering it on, but to start a wash you’d typically say “sette på en vask.”

Where does the object go with the particle verb sette på?

With a pronoun, it goes between verb and particle: Jeg setter den på.
With a full noun phrase, both orders are possible: Jeg setter på vaskemaskinen / Jeg setter vaskemaskinen på. The first is very common with this meaning.

Is Jeg setter på en vask correct?

Yes—very idiomatic for “I’m putting a wash on.” Avoid setter på vasken, because vasken also means “the sink,” which causes confusion.

Why is there a comma before og?

Norwegian typically uses a comma between two independent main clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction:

Skittentøyet ligger på gulvet, og jeg setter på vaskemaskinen. Each clause has its own subject and verb, so the comma is standard.

Why is it vaskemaskinen and not vaskemaskinet?

The head noun maskin is masculine in Bokmål, so:

indefinite: en vaskemaskin
definite: vaskemaskinen

In colloquial speech/dialects you may hear feminine forms (ei/–a): vaskemaskina, but standard Bokmål uses masculine here.

Can I use så instead of og to show consequence?

Yes, to highlight result you can say: Skittentøyet ligger på gulvet, så jeg setter på vaskemaskinen (“so I’m turning on the washing machine”). Og just links the two facts without stressing consequence.

What are the past forms of ligger and setter?

å ligge: present ligger, preterite lå, perfect har ligget
å sette: present setter, preterite satte, perfect har satt

How does the V2 (verb-second) rule show up here?

In main clauses the finite verb is in second position:

Normal: Skittentøyet ligger på gulvet.
If you front an adverbial, you invert: På gulvet ligger skittentøyet. After og in a new main clause, you still keep verb-second: … og jeg setter på vaskemaskinen.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky words here?

skittentøyet: “SHIT-ten-toy-eh” (sj-sound for sk before i; øy like English “oy” but more fronted)
ligger: “LIG-ger” (hard g, short i)
vaskemaskinen: “VAS-ke-ma-sheen-en” (sk before i → “shee”) Norwegian stress is typically on the first syllable of each content word here.