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La oss sette i gang med leksene, så får vi gjort dem før middag.

La oss sette i gang med leksene, så får vi gjort dem før middag.
Let’s get started with the homework, so we get it done before dinner.
FromLesson 59inHardcore Norwegian

Questions & Answers about La oss sette i gang med leksene, så får vi gjort dem før middag.

Why does it start with La oss? Is that the Norwegian way to say let’s?

Yes. La is the imperative of å la (to let), and oss is us.
So La oss + infinitive = Let us + verb = natural Norwegian for Let’s …
Example pattern: La oss spise = Let’s eat.

What does sette i gang mean here, and why is it three words?

Sette i gang is an idiomatic phrasal verb meaning to get started / to start (something) up.

  • sette = set/put
  • i gang = literally in motion / going
    Together: sette i gang (med X) = start on X / get going with X.
Could I replace sette i gang with something simpler like starte?

Often, yes:

  • La oss starte med leksene = perfectly understandable and a bit more “neutral/direct”.
  • La oss sette i gang med leksene sounds slightly more idiomatic/encouraging, like “Alright, let’s get going.”
Why is it med leksene and not på leksene?

Both exist, but they’re used a bit differently:

  • sette i gang med leksene = get started with the homework (very common with sette i gang)
  • begynne på leksene = start on the homework (also very common)
    With sette i gang, med is the most natural choice.
What’s the difference between lekser and leksene?

It’s indefinite vs. definite plural:

  • (noen) lekser = (some) homework assignments (general/unspecified)
  • leksene = the homework (specific/known—usually your homework for today)

Formally: lekse (sg.) → lekser (pl.) → leksene (the pl.).

What is så doing in the middle, and why is there a comma?

Here så means then / so, linking two main clauses:

  • La oss …, så … ≈ Let’s …, and then/so …
    The comma separates the two coordinated main clauses (common Norwegian punctuation in this pattern).
Why is the word order så får vi and not så vi får?

Norwegian main clauses follow V2 word order (the verb is in the second position). When så comes first, the verb comes next, so the subject follows:

så vi får … would normally be read as introducing something more like a subordinate-style meaning (so that we get…) and is not the intended structure here.

What does får vi gjort mean grammatically? It looks like “get” + past participle.

That’s exactly the idea: å få + past participle is a common construction meaning manage to get something done / succeed in doing it.

  • får vi gjort dem ≈ we’ll get them done / we’ll manage to do them

It’s not simple future tense; få adds a sense of achieving a result.

Why is it gjort and not gjøre?

Because the construction is få + past participle, not få + infinitive here:

  • å gjøre → past participle gjort So: få gjort = get done / manage to do.
Why is the pronoun dem at the end of får vi gjort dem? Could it go earlier?

får vi gjort dem is the most neutral placement: participle first, object after.
You may also hear får vi dem gjort, which can sound a bit more emphatic/colloquial (bringing dem forward). For learners, får vi gjort dem is the safest default.

Why does it say før middag and not før middagen?

Norwegian often uses meal words without the definite article when you mean the general mealtime:

  • før middag = before dinner (time) (very common)
  • før middagen = before the dinner (more specific: a particular dinner/event)
Anything tricky about pronunciation in this sentence?

A few common learner points:

  • leksene: stress on the first syllable (LEK-), ending roughly -sə-nə in many dialects
  • gjort: the gj- is like a “y” sound for many speakers (≈ yort)
  • i gang: often said smoothly as one rhythm unit (i-GANG)
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