Jeg setter glasset på bordet før vi spiser middag.

Setter is the present tense of å sette (to put / to set / to place).

So:

• å sette = infinitive, to put
• setter = present, put / am putting
• satte = past, put
• har satt = past participle, have put

In Jeg setter glasset på bordet, the speaker is describing something happening now or as a habitual action, so Norwegian uses the present tense setter.

Here, å sette means to place / put, especially something upright or in a stable standing position.

That is why it works well with glasset (the glass), since a glass normally stands upright on a table.

A useful distinction is:

• å sette = put something upright / set it down
• å legge = lay something down, often flat
• å stille = place/position, often more formal or deliberate

So:

• Jeg setter glasset på bordet = I put the glass on the table
• Jeg legger boka på bordet = I lay the book on the table

This is not an absolute rule in every context, but it is a very common pattern in Norwegian.

Glasset means the glass, while et glass means a glass.

The ending -et is the definite article for many neuter nouns in Norwegian.

So:

• et glass = a glass
• glasset = the glass

In this sentence, Norwegian is talking about a specific glass, not just any glass.

In Norwegian, nouns have grammatical gender. Glass is a neuter noun, so its article is et.

That gives you:

• et glass = a glass
• glasset = the glass

Unfortunately, noun gender often has to be learned with the noun itself. So it is best to memorize words as:

• et glass
• et bord
• en bil
• ei bok / en bok depending on style

Learning the article together with the noun is very helpful.

Bordet means the table, while bord would usually mean table in a more general or indefinite sense.

So:

• et bord = a table
• bordet = the table

In på bordet, Norwegian is referring to a specific table, or the table that is understood from the situation.

This is very natural in Norwegian, just like in English we often say on the table rather than on a table when the table is already known.

På can correspond to both on and onto in English, depending on context.

In this sentence, Jeg setter glasset på bordet, there is movement toward a destination, so in English we might think of it as onto the table. But Norwegian still uses på.

So:

• Glasset står på bordet = The glass is on the table
• Jeg setter glasset på bordet = I put the glass on/onto the table

Norwegian does not usually make the same strict on vs onto distinction that English does here.

Because før already works as a subordinating conjunction meaning before.

So:

• før vi spiser middag = before we eat dinner

You do not need an extra word like that.

This is similar to English, where we also say before we eat dinner, not before that we eat dinner.

Because før introduces a subordinate clause, and Norwegian word order changes in subordinate clauses.

Main clause:

• Vi spiser middag. = We eat dinner.

Subordinate clause after før:

• før vi spiser middag = before we eat dinner

In subordinate clauses, the subject usually comes before the verb in ordinary statements.

Compare:

• Main clause: Vi spiser middag.
• Main clause question: Spiser vi middag?
• Subordinate clause: før vi spiser middag

So spiser vi would sound like question order, which is not what is needed here.

Norwegian often uses the present tense for future meaning when the context makes the time clear.

So før vi spiser middag can mean:

• before we eat dinner
• before we are going to eat dinner

This is very normal in Norwegian.

English does something similar in some cases:

• Call me before you leave.

That is present tense in form, but future in meaning.

In Norwegian, meals are often used without an article.

So:

• spise frokost = eat breakfast
• spise lunsj = eat lunch
• spise middag = eat dinner

That is why middag appears without en or another article here.

If you add an article, the meaning usually becomes more specific:

• en middag = a dinner, an evening meal, sometimes a dinner event

But in the general activity eat dinner, Norwegian normally says spise middag.

Middag usually means dinner, the main meal of the day.

Depending on region, family habits, and context, it can sometimes refer to a meal eaten earlier or later than what an English speaker expects. Historically, the timing of middag has varied, and in some dialects meal terminology can differ.

But for most learners, the safest translation is simply dinner.

You might hear something like that in some situations, and people would probably understand you, but setter is the more natural choice for a glass.

That is because a glass normally stands upright, and å sette fits that idea well.

A rough guide:

• sette et glass på bordet = natural
• legge en bok på bordet = natural
• legge glasset på bordet = sounds more like laying the glass down rather than setting it upright

So for this sentence, setter is the best choice.

Yes. If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause must follow normal Norwegian V2 word order, meaning the verb comes second.

Original:

• Jeg setter glasset på bordet før vi spiser middag.

With the før clause first:

• Før vi spiser middag, setter jeg glasset på bordet.

Notice that it is setter jeg, not jeg setter.
That happens because Før vi spiser middag takes the first position in the sentence, so the finite verb setter must come next.

Yes. Jeg setter glasset på bordet is a complete main clause:

• Jeg = subject
• setter = finite verb
• glasset = direct object
• på bordet = prepositional phrase showing where the glass is being placed

Then før vi spiser middag adds extra information about time.

So the whole sentence is:

• main clause: Jeg setter glasset på bordet
• subordinate time clause: før vi spiser middag

Depending on context, it could correspond to things like:

• I put the glass on the table before we eat dinner.
• I’ll put the glass on the table before we eat dinner.
• I’m putting the glass on the table before we eat dinner.

Norwegian present tense is flexible, so the exact English translation depends on whether the speaker means a general routine, a present action, or a near-future action.

A few useful points:

• Jeg is often pronounced roughly like yai, yay, or jai, depending on dialect.
• setter has a short vowel in the first syllable and a clear double consonant feel: set-ter
• glasset is roughly GLAH-set
• bordet is roughly BOOR-de
• spiser is roughly SPEE-ser
• middag has a doubled consonant feel in the middle: MID-dahg or MID-dag, depending on accent

Pronunciation varies quite a lot across Norway, so do not be surprised if native speakers say these words somewhat differently.

The structure is:

Jeg + setter + glasset + på bordet + før vi spiser middag

You can think of it as:

• Jeg = subject
• setter = verb
• glasset = object
• på bordet = place/destination
• før vi spiser middag = time clause

So the sentence means:

I put the glass on the table before we eat dinner.

That is a very common Norwegian pattern: main clause first, then a time clause introduced by før.