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Jeg skreller poteter til suppen, og jeg skreller gulrøtter til salaten.

Jeg skreller poteter til suppen, og jeg skreller gulrøtter til salaten.
I peel potatoes for the soup, and I peel carrots for the salad.

Breakdown of Jeg skreller poteter til suppen, og jeg skreller gulrøtter til salaten.

jeg
I
og
and
poteten
the potato
suppen
the soup
salaten
the salad
til
for
gulroten
the carrot
skrelle
to peel
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Questions & Answers about Jeg skreller poteter til suppen, og jeg skreller gulrøtter til salaten.

Why is skreller the same form in both clauses—where’s the conjugation?

Norwegian verbs don’t change form for person/number in the present tense.
So å skrelle becomes skreller with jeg, du, vi, de, etc.:

  • jeg skreller (I peel)
  • vi skreller (we peel)
  • de skreller (they peel)
Is this sentence present tense meaning right now, or can it mean habitually?

Both. The Norwegian present tense often covers:

  • what’s happening now: Jeg skreller poteter (I’m peeling potatoes)
  • what you typically do: Jeg skreller poteter til suppen (I peel potatoes for the soup / when making soup)

Context decides which reading is intended.

Why is it poteter and not potetene?

poteter is the indefinite plural (potatoes) and is common when talking about an unspecified amount (like ingredients).
potetene would be definite plural (the potatoes)—used when the listener already knows which potatoes you mean (e.g., the ones on the counter).

Why do suppen and salaten have -en at the end?

That -en is the definite ending for common-gender nouns, meaning the:

  • en suppe → suppen (the soup)
  • en salat → salaten (the salad)

Norwegian typically marks definiteness on the noun itself (a “suffix article”), rather than using a separate word like English the.

What does til mean here—why not for?

til here means something like for / intended for / for use in:

  • poteter til suppen = potatoes intended for the soup
  • gulrøtter til salaten = carrots intended for the salad

Norwegian can also use til where English uses for in the “purpose/intended use” sense.

Could til be translated as to (direction) here?

Not in the physical-direction sense. While til often means to (going to a place), in this sentence it’s a purpose/intended-use phrase: for the soup, for the salad.

Why is there a comma before og?

Because og connects two full independent clauses, each with its own subject and verb:

  • Jeg skreller poteter til suppen,
  • og jeg skreller gulrøtter til salaten.

In Norwegian, a comma is normally used before og when it joins complete clauses like this.

Do I have to repeat jeg the second time?

No. You can omit it if the meaning stays clear:

  • Jeg skreller poteter til suppen og skreller gulrøtter til salaten.

Repeating jeg can sound a bit more deliberate or emphatic, or simply more “written-out” and clear.

Why is it gulrøtter (with øtter)—what’s the base form and plural pattern?

The base form is en gulrot (a carrot). The plural is irregular-ish:

  • en gulrot → flere gulrøtter
    and definite plural:
  • gulrøttene (the carrots)

This is a common plural pattern where the vowel changes and -er-type plural appears.

Is skrelle used for peeling vegetables specifically? What about peeling an orange or peeling paint?

å skrelle is common for peeling food (potatoes, carrots, fruit). You may also see skrelle av to emphasize removing a layer:

  • skrelle appelsinen / skrelle en appelsin (peel an orange)
    For paint/walls, Norwegian often uses other verbs depending on meaning (e.g., “peel off/flaking”), but skrelle is strongly associated with peeling a skin/peel layer.
Why are there no articles like noen (some) or de (the) before poteter and gulrøtter?

Norwegian frequently uses bare plural nouns for general/unspecified quantities, especially with ingredients or tasks:

  • Jeg kjøper epler. (I buy apples.)
  • Jeg skreller poteter. (I peel potatoes.)

You can add a determiner if you want to be more specific:

  • Jeg skreller noen poteter (I peel some potatoes)
  • Jeg skreller potetene (I peel the potatoes)
How would the sentence change if I meant “the soup” and “the salad” in a more general sense, like types of dishes rather than specific ones?

Norwegian still often uses the definite form for familiar/expected items in context (suppen, salaten), especially if it’s “the soup we’re making” / “the salad we’re making.”
If you truly mean “for soup” or “for salad” as categories, you might see alternative phrasing, but til suppen and til salaten are very natural in everyday cooking contexts.