Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi må ta bort støvet fra bordet. - We must remove the dust from the table.

ta støvet = take the dust (could sound like “pick it up / take it with you”)
ta bort støvet = remove the dust / take the dust away (from somewhere)

Other common variants:

ta vekk støvet – also “remove the dust”
more formal: fjerne støvet – “remove the dust”

So for “remove the dust from the table”, ta bort støvet (or ta vekk støvet) is the natural choice.

Can I move bort to another position, like Vi må ta støvet bort fra bordet?

Yes, that version is also grammatically correct and natural:

Vi må ta bort støvet fra bordet.
Vi må ta støvet bort fra bordet.

Both are fine. The difference is small:

ta bort støvet: particle comes right after the verb
ta støvet bort: particle comes after the object

With a full noun like støvet, both orders are generally possible.

What is not natural is:

Vi må ta bort fra bordet støvet. (wrong / very unnatural)

A useful rule of thumb:

With pronoun objects, the particle usually goes after the pronoun:
- Ta det bort. (Take it away.)
With noun objects, both positions are usually fine:
- Ta bort støvet. / Ta støvet bort.

Why is it støvet and not just støv?

Støv is a neuter mass noun in Norwegian:

støv = dust (in general)
støvet = the dust (a specific dust that we know about)

The -et ending is the neuter definite suffix (like “the”):

støv (indefinite)
støvet (definite: “the dust”)

In your sentence, we’re clearly talking about the dust that is on the table, so the definite form makes sense:

Vi må ta bort støvet fra bordet.
= We must remove *the dust from the table.*

If you said:

Vi må ta bort støv fra bordet.

it would mean We must remove *(some) dust from the table* – more indefinite / non-specific, not necessarily all of it.

Why is it fra bordet and not av bordet or på bordet?

Fra means “from” and is the normal preposition to show movement away from something:

fra bordet = from the table (movement away from the table)

So:

ta bort støvet fra bordet
= remove the dust *from the table*

Other options:

på bordet = on the table
- Used to describe location, not removal:
  - Det er støv på bordet. – There is dust on the table.
av bordet = off the table (in some contexts)
- Common in set phrases like:
  - Ta tallerkenene av bordet. – Take the plates off the table.
  - Tørke støvet av bordet. – Wipe the dust off the table.

Notice the last example:

tørke støvet av bordet is natural because the verb is different (tørke av / tørke støv av is an established pattern).

With ta bort, the natural choice is fra:

ta bort støvet fra bordet (preferred)
ta bort støvet av bordet (sounds odd/wrong)

Why does bordet have -et at the end? Where is the word for “the”?

Norwegian usually puts “the” as a suffix on the noun, not as a separate word:

bord = table
bordet = the table

So:

Vi må ta bort støvet fra bordet.
Literally: We must take away the-dust from the-table.

For neuter nouns like bord:

indefinite singular: et bord (a table) / bord (table in general)
definite singular: bordet (the table)
indefinite plural: bord (tables)
definite plural: bordene (the tables)

That’s why you see -et both in støvet and bordet – both are neuter definite singular forms.

Is there any difference between ta bort støvet and fjerne støvet?

Both can translate as “remove the dust”, but there are nuances:

ta bort støvet
- more everyday / colloquial
- feels more physical, like literally taking/wiping it away
- very common with things sitting somewhere:
  ta bort støvet, ta bort snøen, ta bort boka
fjerne støvet
- slightly more formal / neutral
- can sound a bit more general or technical
- works well in written instructions, cleaning guides, etc.

In your sentence, you could say:

Vi må ta bort støvet fra bordet.
Vi må fjerne støvet fra bordet.

Both are correct; ta bort sounds a bit more like casual everyday speech.

Can I leave out Vi and just say Må ta bort støvet fra bordet?

In a normal statement, you must include the subject in Norwegian:

Vi må ta bort støvet fra bordet. (correct)
Må ta bort støvet fra bordet. (wrong as a normal sentence)

Norwegian does not normally allow subject-dropping like English sometimes does in informal speech (“Got to clean the table now”).

You can drop the subject only in special cases, for example in imperatives/commands:

Ta bort støvet fra bordet! – Take the dust off the table!
(This is a command, not the same as “We must …”)

So for your meaning “We have to remove the dust from the table”, you need Vi.

How would this sentence change if I talk about several tables, or about dust in general?

Some useful variants:

Several tables (definite plural):

Vi må ta bort støvet fra bordene.
= We must remove the dust from the tables.

Changes:

bordet → bordene (definite plural: the tables)

Dust in general (indefinite):

Vi må ta bort støv fra bordet.
= We must remove (some) dust from the table.

Here:

støv is indefinite (dust in general, not “the” dust)
sounds less like “all of it”, more like “there is dust; we should remove some”

Several tables and dust in general:

Vi må ta bort støv fra bordene.
= We must remove dust from the tables.

Each change (definite vs indefinite, singular vs plural) adds a small nuance about how specific you are.

How do you pronounce støvet and bordet?

Approximate pronunciation (standard Eastern Norwegian):

støvet: STØØ-ve
- ø is like the vowel in French “peu” or German “schön”
- both syllables are spoken, stø-ve
bordet: BOOR-de
- o is long, like English “oo” in door (but without the final glide)
- again, two syllables: bor-de

More precise (IPA, if you know it):

støvet: [ˈstøːvət]
bordet: [ˈbuːɾə] or [ˈbuːɾet] (the final t is often very weak or silent in everyday speech)

Key points:

Norwegian ø does not exist in English; rounding your lips while saying something like “eh” gets you close.
The -et ending is usually a separate, weak syllable: -e(t).