Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Legg nøklene nederst i vesken. - Put the keys at the bottom of the bag.

Legg is the imperative form of the verb å legge (to put / to lay). Imperatives in Norwegian usually use the verb stem and don’t include a subject:

Du legger nøklene … = You are putting the keys … (present tense statement)
Legg nøklene … = Put the keys … (command/instruction)

What exactly does nøklene mean, and why does it end in -ene?

Nøklene means the keys (definite plural).
Norwegian often marks definiteness with an ending:

en nøkkel = a key
nøkler = keys
nøklene = the keys

The ending -ene is a common definite plural ending (especially for many masculine nouns).

Could I also say Legg noen nøkler … instead?

Yes, but it changes the meaning:

Legg nøklene … = put the (specific) keys (the ones we both know about)
Legg noen nøkler … = put some keys (unspecified keys)

In instructions, definite form is common when the object is already understood in the situation.

What does nederst mean, and how is it different from nede?

Nederst means at the very bottom / lowest (part) of something—more specific than just down.

nederst i vesken = at the bottom of the bag
nede i vesken = down in the bag (inside, but not necessarily at the bottom)

So nederst emphasizes the lowest position.

Why is it i vesken and not på vesken?

Because the keys are going inside the bag:

i = in / inside
på = on (top of) / on the surface of

So:

Legg nøklene i vesken. = put them in the bag
Legg nøklene på vesken. = put them on the bag (on top of it)

Why is it vesken (definite) and not en veske?

Vesken means the bag (a specific bag that’s known from context). Norwegian commonly uses the definite form when the listener can identify which thing you mean:

en veske = a bag
vesken = the bag

In a real-life situation (you’re holding a bag, or there’s one obvious bag), vesken is natural.

Is vesken feminine or masculine, and could it be veska?

Veske is often treated as feminine, but many speakers also use the common gender form in Bokmål.

Definite singular options you may see/hear:

vesken (common gender, very common in Bokmål)
veska (feminine form, also common)

Both can be correct in Bokmål depending on style/dialect.

What’s the word order doing here—why is nederst placed before i vesken?

The structure is: Verb (imperative) + object + adverb (place/degree) + prepositional phrase

Legg (put)
nøklene (the keys)
nederst (at the bottom)
i vesken (in the bag)

You can also say:

Legg nøklene i vesken nederst. But nederst i vesken is a very natural “chunk” meaning at the bottom of the bag.

Could Norwegian also express this as at the bottom of the bag using another construction?

Yes. A very common alternative is:

Legg nøklene på bunnen av vesken. = Put the keys at the bottom of the bag.

nederst i vesken is slightly shorter and more “adverbial”; på bunnen av vesken is more explicit (literally on the bottom of the bag).

Is å legge always the right verb for “put”? What about sette or putte?

Å legge is a standard, general “put/lay” verb and works well here.

Other options have slightly different feel:

å sette = “set/put (upright)” (often for bottles, objects that stand)
å putte = “stuff/put (quickly) into” (more casual)
å plassere = “place/position” (more formal/precise)

For keys in a bag, legge or putte are the most natural.

How would I make this more polite, like “Could you put the keys…”?

Common polite versions:

Kan du legge nøklene nederst i vesken? = Can you put the keys at the bottom of the bag?
Legg nøklene nederst i vesken, vær så snill. = Put the keys at the bottom of the bag, please.

The plain imperative can be neutral (especially as an instruction), but adding kan du… or vær så snill softens it.

How would this look in Nynorsk?

A typical Nynorsk version would be:

Legg nøklane nedst i veska.

Key differences:

nøklene (Bokmål) → nøklane (Nynorsk)
vesken/veska (Bokmål) → often veska (Nynorsk)
nederst (Bokmål) → often nedst (Nynorsk)