Oppvasken står på bordet.

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Breakdown of Oppvasken står på bordet.

• bordet: the table
• stå: to stand
• oppvasken: the dishes

Questions & Answers about Oppvasken står på bordet.

What does oppvasken mean here?

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.

Why does oppvasken end in -en?

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.

Why does bordet end in -et?

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.

Why is the verb står used instead of er?