Hvis honningen er for hard, legger hun glasset i varmt vann en stund.

Hvis means if. It introduces a condition:

• Hvis honningen er for hard = If the honey is too hard

So the whole sentence has the structure If X, then Y.

Here for means too, not the usual English for.

• for hard = too hard
• for varm = too warm
• for dyr = too expensive

This is a very common Norwegian use of for.

Because hard is describing honningen as a predicate adjective after er.

• honningen is a singular common gender noun in Bokmål
• with a singular common gender noun, the adjective usually stays in its basic form

So:

• Honningen er hard = The honey is hard

Compare that with a neuter noun:

• Brødet er hardt = The bread is hard

So the ending depends on the gender/number of the noun being described.

Because vann is a neuter noun.

When an adjective comes before a neuter singular noun, it usually takes -t:

• varmt vann = warm water
• kaldt vær = cold weather
• stort hus = big house

But hard is used after er with honningen, and honningen is not neuter, so it stays hard.

This is because Norwegian follows the verb-second rule in main clauses.

The first part of the sentence is a subordinate clause:

• Hvis honningen er for hard

After that, the main clause begins, and the finite verb must come in the second position:

• legger hun glasset i varmt vann en stund

So even though English would say she puts, Norwegian says puts she after that opening clause.

Compare:

• Hun legger glasset i varmt vann.
• Hvis honningen er for hard, legger hun glasset i varmt vann.

This is very important word order in Norwegian.

Here legger means puts or places.

The verb å legge often means to lay or put something somewhere:

• Hun legger boka på bordet. = She puts the book on the table.
• Hun legger glasset i varmt vann. = She puts the jar in warm water.

So it is a normal choice for placing an object somewhere.

Literally, glasset means the glass, but in context it often means the jar or the glass container.

Since the sentence is about honey, glasset most naturally refers to the honey jar.

Norwegian often uses glass for a glass container or jar, depending on context.

• et glass = a glass / a jar / a glass container
• glasset = the glass / the jar

Because it is definite: the jar, not just a jar.

The sentence is referring to a specific jar, namely the one containing the honey. That is why Norwegian uses the definite form:

• et glass = a jar
• glasset = the jar

This is very natural when the object is already understood from context.

Because vann is being used as an uncountable substance, like water in English.

Just as English says:

• in warm water

Norwegian says:

• i varmt vann

No article is needed here.

En stund means for a while or for some time.

So:

• i varmt vann en stund = in warm water for a while

It is a common expression:

• Vent en stund. = Wait a moment / wait a little while.
• Jeg sov en stund. = I slept for a while.

Honningen is the definite form: the honey.

• honning = honey
• honningen = the honey

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a specific honey, probably the honey in that jar, so the definite form is natural.

Yes, sometimes Norwegian can use så in this type of structure, but it is not necessary here.

For example:

• Hvis honningen er for hard, så legger hun glasset i varmt vann en stund.

This is understandable and natural in many contexts, but the version without så is also completely normal:

• Hvis honningen er for hard, legger hun glasset i varmt vann en stund.

Both mean the same thing here.