Jeg vasker bordet med kluten.

I wash the table with the cloth.

Breakdown of Jeg vasker bordet med kluten.

• jeg: I
• med: with
• vaske: to wash
• bordet: the table
• kluten: the cloth

Questions & Answers about Jeg vasker bordet med kluten.

What does the verb form vasker mean here? Is it like wash or am washing?

Vasker is the present tense of å vaske (to wash).

Norwegian present tense usually covers both English simple present and present continuous, so:

• Jeg vasker bordet.
  can mean
  
  • I wash the table. (in general, a habit)
  • I am washing the table. (right now, in progress)

Context decides which English form is best.

Why is it bordet and not just bord?

Norwegian usually shows definiteness with a suffix, not with a separate word like the.

• et bord = a table (indefinite, singular)
• bordet = the table (definite, singular)

In Jeg vasker bordet med kluten, bordet means the table – a specific table that both speaker and listener can identify from context.

Why is it kluten and not en klut?

Same pattern as with bordet:

• en klut = a cloth / a rag (indefinite)
• kluten = the cloth (definite)

Jeg vasker bordet med kluten implies there is a particular cloth already known in the situation (for example, the cleaning cloth that is normally used).

When would I say et bord or en klut instead of bordet and kluten?

Use the indefinite forms (et bord, en klut) when the object is not specific or not known yet:

• Jeg kjøpte et bord. – I bought a table.
• Har du en klut? – Do you have a cloth?

Use the definite forms (bordet, kluten) when you mean a specific, identifiable item:

• Jeg vasker bordet. – I’m washing the table (the one we both know about).
• Gi meg kluten. – Give me the cloth (the particular one in this context).

The English translation often has my. Why doesn’t Norwegian say mitt bord or kluten min?

Norwegian often omits possessive pronouns (my, your, his, etc.) when it is obvious who something belongs to, especially with body parts and personal belongings.

So:

• Jeg vasker bordet.
  in context can mean I’m washing my table.

You only need to add a possessive for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Jeg vasker mitt bord, ikke ditt. – I’m washing my table, not yours.
• Jeg vasker bordet mitt. – I’m washing my table. (more explicitly my)

Can I change the word order and say Jeg vasker med kluten bordet?

No, not in normal, neutral Norwegian. The natural order is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Other information

So:

• Jeg vasker bordet med kluten. ✓
  • Jeg (subject)
  • vasker (verb)
  • bordet (direct object)
  • med kluten (prepositional phrase: with what?)

You can move med kluten to the front for emphasis:

• Med kluten vasker jeg bordet. (With the cloth, I wash the table.)

But Jeg vasker med kluten bordet sounds ungrammatical.

Does med always mean with? Here is it “together with the cloth” or “using the cloth”?

Med covers both meanings of English with:

1. Instrument / tool (using something):

   • Jeg vasker bordet med kluten.
     = I wash the table with the cloth (using the cloth as a tool).

2. Company / together with:

   • Jeg går med vennene mine.
     = I walk with my friends (together with them).

You understand which meaning is intended from context: a klut is clearly a tool for washing, not a person you walk with.

What is the difference between vasker bordet, vasker på bordet, and vasker av bordet?

They all involve washing, but the preposition changes the nuance:

• vasker bordet
  = wash the table itself.

• vasker på bordet
  = literally wash on the table; can imply you are washing things that are on the table, or that the action is happening on that surface. Less common in this simple context; often needs more context.

• vasker av bordet
  = wash off the table (remove something from the surface by washing).
  Example: Jeg vasker flekkene av bordet. – I wash the stains off the table.

In your sentence, vasker bordet is the normal way to say you’re cleaning the table itself.

How do you pronounce Jeg vasker bordet med kluten?

Approximate, in a common Eastern Norwegian pronunciation:

• Jeg ≈ yai (often [jæi] or a bit like English “yay” with a short e sound)
• vasker ≈ VUSK-er (short a as in English “bus”, rolled or flapped r)
• bordet ≈ BOO-reh (long oo; the d is weak or almost silent; t not clearly released)
• med ≈ meh
• kluten ≈ KLOO-ten (long oo, clear t, final -en like en)

Spoken quickly, it can sound like: “Yai vusk-er boo-re meh kloo-ten.”

How would I say I am in the middle of washing the table more explicitly?

Norwegian can use holde på å to emphasize an action in progress:

• Jeg holder på å vaske bordet.
  = I am in the middle of washing the table / I’m in the process of washing the table.

Your original sentence Jeg vasker bordet is usually enough, but holder på å makes the “ongoing right now” aspect very clear.

How do I say this in the past or future?

Change the verb form (and possibly add a future marker):

• Past (preterite)

  • Jeg vasket bordet med kluten.
    = I washed the table with the cloth.

• Future with intention / plan

  • Jeg skal vaske bordet med kluten.
    = I am going to wash the table with the cloth.
  • Jeg vil vaske bordet med kluten.
    = I want to wash the table with the cloth. (more about desire)

There is no separate “will wash” tense; you use modal verbs like skal or context.

How do I turn Jeg vasker bordet med kluten into a yes–no question?

In a basic yes–no question, you put the verb first:

• Vasker du bordet med kluten?
  = Are you washing the table with the cloth?

Pattern: Verb – Subject – (Object …)

You could also keep jeg and add question intonation in informal speech:

• Jeg vasker bordet med kluten? (spoken with rising tone, like “I’m washing the table with the cloth?”)

But the standard written question is:

• Vasker du bordet med kluten?