Jeg legger pålegget i matboksen før barna går til skolen.

Legger is the present tense of the verb å legge.

• å legge = to lay / put / place
• jeg legger = I put / I am putting

In Norwegian, the infinitive usually ends in -e, and the present tense often adds -r:

• å snakke → snakker
• å bo → bor
• å legge → legger

So jeg legge would be ungrammatical here.

Here, pålegg means sandwich topping / sandwich filling—things like cheese, ham, liver pâté, etc., that you put on bread.

The ending -et makes it definite singular:

• et pålegg = a sandwich topping / filling
• pålegget = the sandwich topping / filling

This word can confuse learners because in other contexts pålegg can also mean something like an order or an instruction, but in everyday food-related contexts it usually means bread topping.

Because Norwegian often uses the definite form where English might use the or where English is a little looser.

• pålegg = sandwich filling / a filling
• pålegget = the filling

In this sentence, it sounds like the speaker is referring to a specific filling they are putting into the lunchbox, so pålegget is natural.

Depending on context, jeg legger pålegg i matboksen could also be possible, but pålegget sounds more like a specific, known item or portion.

Matboksen means the lunchbox, while en matboks means a lunchbox.

• en matboks = a lunchbox
• matboksen = the lunchbox

The sentence uses the definite form because it is probably talking about a particular lunchbox—most likely the children’s usual lunchbox.

This is very common in Norwegian. If the object is known from the situation, Norwegian often prefers the definite form.

Because Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender, and the definite ending depends on the gender.

• en matboks → matboksen
  masculine noun
• et pålegg → pålegget
  neuter noun

So:

• masculine singular definite: -en
• neuter singular definite: -et

This is one of the basic noun patterns in Norwegian.

Barna is the normal definite plural form of barn in Bokmål.

• et barn = a child
• barn = children
• barna = the children

The form barnene does exist, but it is more old-fashioned, formal, or literary. In everyday modern Norwegian, barna is much more common.

So før barna går til skolen simply means before the children go to school.

Because før can directly introduce a subordinate clause meaning before.

• før barna går til skolen = before the children go to school

You do not need at here.

This is similar to English, where you also just say before the children go to school, not before that the children go to school.

Because after før, you have a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses in Norwegian usually keep the subject before the verb.

So:

• main clause: Barna går til skolen
• subordinate clause after før: før barna går til skolen

This is normal Norwegian subordinate clause word order.

A useful thing to remember is that in many subordinate clauses, Norwegian does not use the usual main-clause inversion pattern.

Because til shows movement toward a place, while på usually shows location at a place.

• gå til skolen = go to school
• være på skolen = be at school

So in this sentence, the children are going there, not already there.

That is why til skolen is correct.

In Norwegian, expressions like gå til skolen often use the definite form.

• skolen = the school

Even though English usually says just go to school, Norwegian commonly says gå til skolen.

This does not necessarily emphasize one specific school in the same way English the school might. It is simply the normal Norwegian structure in many contexts.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Norwegian present tense often covers both:

• I put
• I am putting

So jeg legger pålegget i matboksen could mean:

• I put the filling in the lunchbox
• I am putting the filling in the lunchbox

If the sentence is describing a routine, it may mean something habitual. If it is describing what is happening right now, it can mean the ongoing action.

It could be either, because Norwegian present tense is flexible.

• As a routine: I put the sandwich filling in the lunchbox before the children go to school.
• As something happening now: I’m putting the sandwich filling in the lunchbox before the children go to school.

Without more context, both are possible. In everyday life, this kind of sentence often sounds like a routine or repeated action.

Yes, å legge is a very natural verb here.

It often means to lay, to place, or to put something somewhere, especially when you are placing an object down.

In this sentence:

• jeg legger pålegget i matboksen = I put/place the filling in the lunchbox

Norwegian has several verbs that can translate as put, such as sette, legge, and putte, but they are not always interchangeable.

Very roughly:

• legge = lay/place
• sette = set/put upright or in position
• putte = put/stick something into something, often more informal

Here, legger sounds completely natural.