Oppvasken står på bordet.

In this sentence, oppvasken usually means the dishes or the washing-up.

It can refer to:

• the dirty dishes waiting to be washed
• sometimes the whole dishwashing situation in a general sense

So Oppvasken står på bordet is often understood as The dishes are on the table.

The ending -en is the definite article, attached to the noun.

So:

• en oppvask = a washing-up / a set of dishes
• oppvasken = the washing-up / the dishes

This is very common in Norwegian. Instead of using a separate word like the, Norwegian often adds the definiteness to the end of the noun.

For the same reason: bordet means the table.

Compare:

• et bord = a table
• bordet = the table

The noun bord is a neuter noun, so its definite singular ending is -et.

Norwegian often prefers verbs that describe position or posture, where English would often just use to be.

So:

• står = stands / is standing
• ligger = lies / is lying
• sitter = sits / is sitting

With objects, Norwegian often chooses one of these depending on how the thing is positioned.

In Oppvasken står på bordet, står suggests that the dishes are upright or placed there in a normal standing position.

English would usually just say The dishes are on the table, but Norwegian often uses står naturally here.

Yes, it is grammatically possible, and people would understand it. But it is often less natural than står in this kind of sentence.

Difference in feeling:

• Oppvasken står på bordet = natural, idiomatic Norwegian, focusing on where the dishes are placed
• Oppvasken er på bordet = more neutral, just stating location

So er is not wrong, but står is often the more Norwegian-sounding choice.

Because oppvasken often works like a collective noun.

It can refer to:

• the whole set of dishes
• the washing-up as a task
• the dish pile as one unit

English does something similar sometimes with words like the laundry or the washing-up. Even if many items are involved, the grammar can still be singular.

That is why the verb is står, not a plural verb form.

The difference is mainly indefinite vs. definite.

• oppvask = washing-up / dishes in a general or indefinite sense
• oppvasken = the washing-up / the dishes, something specific

Examples:

• Jeg tar oppvasken. = I’ll do the washing-up.
• Det er oppvask på bordet. = There are dishes on the table.
• Oppvasken står på bordet. = The dishes are on the table.

This is the normal Norwegian main-clause order:

subject + verb + other information

So here:

• Oppvasken = subject
• står = verb
• på bordet = place expression

This is the standard pattern in simple statements.

Yes. Norwegian often allows another element to come first, but then the verb must still stay in second position.

For example:

• På bordet står oppvasken.

This is also correct, but it sounds more marked or descriptive, as if you are emphasizing the location.

That verb-in-second-position pattern is very important in Norwegian main clauses.

Yes. på bordet means on the table in a literal, physical sense.

• på = on
• bordet = the table

So this part is straightforward: it tells you where the dishes are.

A rough guide for an English speaker is:

OPP-vahs-ken stor paw BOR-deh

A few notes:

• å in står sounds somewhat like the vowel in British more, though not exactly
• på has the same å sound
• r may be pronounced differently depending on dialect
• the final -et in bordet is usually not strongly stressed

The main stress is usually on:

• OPP in oppvasken
• står
• BOR in bordet

Yes, this is standard Bokmål.

A Nynorsk version might look different, for example:

• Oppvasken står på bordet could still be understood, but Nynorsk often prefers somewhat different vocabulary or forms depending on context and writer.

For a learner, the important point is that the sentence as given is perfectly normal Bokmål.