Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet før møtet.

I put the notepad on the table before the meeting.

Breakdown of Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet før møtet.

• jeg: I
• på: on
• møtet: the meeting
• før: before
• bordet: the table
• legge: to put
• notatblokken: the notebook

Questions & Answers about Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet før møtet.

What is the verb legger, and how is it formed?

Legger is the present tense of the verb å legge (to lay / to put down in a lying position).

Basic forms of the verb:

• Infinitive: å legge
• Present: legger (I/you/he/we/they put/are putting)
• Past: la
• Past participle: lagt

So Jeg legger … = I put / I am putting … (right now or regularly).

Why is it legger and not legge in this sentence?

Norwegian, like English, usually needs a conjugated verb in a normal sentence:

• å legge = to put (infinitive, dictionary form)
• jeg legger = I put / I am putting (present tense)

You only use å legge after another verb or as a dictionary form:

• Jeg skal legge notatblokken på bordet. = I will put the notepad on the table.
• Jeg liker å legge den klar. = I like to put it ready.

In Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet …, legger is the main verb, so it must be in the present tense.

Why legger and not setter or putter?

Norwegian has several verbs that can all translate as to put, but they have different nuances:

• å legge – to lay something down so it lies (horizontal position)
• å sette – to set/put something so it stands (vertical/upright position)
• å stille – to place carefully / position (often for objects that stand)
• å putte – to put (often into something; more informal, a bit like “to pop/put in”)

For a notepad on a table, Norwegians normally imagine it lying flat, so:

• Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet.

If it were, say, a bottle you place upright, you’d more likely say:

• Jeg setter flasken på bordet.

What does the ending -en in notatblokken mean?

The ending -en marks the definite singular form of a masculine (or common gender) noun.

• Indefinite: en notatblokk = a notepad
• Definite: notatblokken = the notepad

So:

• Jeg legger en notatblokk på bordet. = I put a notepad on the table.
• Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet. = I put the notepad on the table (a specific one we both know about).

Why is there no word for “my” (like min) in notatblokken?

Norwegian can use a possessive, but it’s optional if context already makes it clear whose object it is.

Options:

• Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet.
  → Often understood as my notepad in a normal context.

• Jeg legger notatblokken min på bordet.
  → Explicit: I’m putting *my notepad on the table.*

Both are correct; adding min just emphasizes whose notepad it is.

Why is it på bordet and not på bord?

Bordet is the definite form of bord (table), and Norwegian normally uses the definite form when referring to a specific, known object.

• Indefinite: et bord = a table
• Definite: bordet = the table

So på bordet = on the table (the one we both understand or see).

På bord without -et is unusual here and would sound incomplete or very stylized.

Why do we use the preposition på with bordet?

På usually translates to on. For surfaces like tables, desks, floors, etc., Norwegian almost always uses på:

• på bordet = on the table
• på gulvet = on the floor
• på stolen = on the chair (on the seat)

Using i (in) would change the meaning to “in”:

• i skuffen = in the drawer
• i vesken = in the bag

So på bordet is the natural choice for something lying on top of the table.

What does før møtet literally mean, and why is møtet definite?

Før = before (time or order).
Møte = meeting (indefinite form).
Møtet = the meeting (definite singular; et møte → møtet).

So før møtet = before the meeting (a specific meeting that the speakers know about, just like in English).

If you mean meetings in general, you might use a different structure, e.g.:

• Før møter legger jeg alltid notatblokken på bordet.
  = Before meetings, I always put the notepad on the table.

Can før møtet go somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. Time expressions are fairly flexible in Norwegian. All of these are correct, with slightly different emphasis:

• Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet før møtet.
• Før møtet legger jeg notatblokken på bordet.
• Jeg legger, før møtet, notatblokken på bordet. (more marked / written style)

Norwegian word order rule: the finite verb (here legger) must be in second position (V2 rule).
So if you start with Før møtet, then legger must come next:

• Før møtet legger jeg … ✅
• Før møtet jeg legger … ❌

The English translation sounds future-like. Why is Norwegian using the present tense legger?

Norwegian often uses present tense to talk about the near future or scheduled events, especially when the time is clear from context:

• Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet før møtet.
  = I will put / I’m going to put the notepad on the table before the meeting.

Other examples:

• Vi drar klokka åtte. = We’re leaving at eight.
• Filmen begynner snart. = The movie starts soon.

You can use skal for future, but it adds more planning/intention:

• Jeg skal legge notatblokken på bordet før møtet.
  = I’m going to (I plan to) put the notepad on the table before the meeting.

What genders are notatblokk, bord, and møte, and how do their definite forms work?

• notatblokk – masculine (common gender)

  • Indefinite: en notatblokk
  • Definite: notatblokken

• bord – neuter

  • Indefinite: et bord
  • Definite: bordet

• møte – neuter

  • Indefinite: et møte
  • Definite: møtet

So in the sentence you see:

• notatblokken (the notepad)
• bordet (the table)
• møtet (the meeting)

Any tips on pronouncing the words in Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet før møtet?

Approximate pronunciation (Standard East Norwegian):

• Jeg – often /jæi/ or /jæ/; in everyday speech sometimes even /e/.
• legger – /ˈlegːər/; double g makes the sound longer, -er like a light “ehr”.
• notatblokken – /nuˈtɑːtˌblɔkːən/; stress on ta in notat-, and a secondary stress on blok-.
• på – /poː/; long o.
• bordet – /ˈbuːɾə/; or like a soft tapped r, d is not clearly pronounced.
• før – /føːɾ/; ø like the vowel in French peu.
• møtet – /ˈmøːtə/; again ø as in French peu, final -t is often very light or almost gone in casual speech.

In natural speech, words will flow together, for example:
Jeg legger notatblokken på bordet før møtet. becomes one smooth rhythm, without strong pauses between each word.