Jeg presser lime over salaten, mens hun setter fram rømme og vann.

Presser is the present tense of the verb å presse (to press / to squeeze).

Many Norwegian verbs form the present tense by adding -r to the infinitive:

• å presse → presser
• å sette → setter

So Jeg presser lime means I squeeze / I am squeezing lime.

Also, Norwegian usually does not need a separate form like English am squeezing for an action happening right now. The simple present often covers that meaning.

In Norwegian, the present tense is often used where English would use either:

• I squeeze
• I am squeezing

So Jeg presser lime over salaten can mean:

• I squeeze lime over the salad
• I am squeezing lime over the salad

The exact meaning depends on context. Norwegian does have ways to emphasize an ongoing action, but in everyday language the simple present is very common.

Norwegian often leaves out the article with substances, ingredients, and uncountable or general food items.

So lime here is understood as lime in a general sense, often meaning the juice from a lime or some lime being squeezed.

Compare:

• Jeg presser lime over salaten. = I squeeze lime over the salad.
• Jeg presser en lime over salaten. = I squeeze a lime over the salad.

Using en lime would make it sound more like you are talking about one whole lime fruit. Without the article, the focus is more on the ingredient/substance.

It can suggest either, but in this sentence it most naturally means lime juice from a lime.

Norwegian often uses the noun itself without spelling out juice if the meaning is obvious from the verb:

• presser lime naturally suggests squeezing the fruit so the juice comes out

So even though the word is lime, the practical meaning is usually lime juice being squeezed over the salad.

Both over and på can relate to something ending up on the salad, but they give slightly different perspectives.

• over salaten focuses on the action happening above it, as you squeeze something so it falls down onto it
• på salaten focuses more on the result: something is on the salad

With å presse or å klemme liquids from something, over is very natural:

• presse sitron over fisken
• presse lime over salaten

So over salaten is a very idiomatic choice here.

Salaten is the definite form, meaning the salad.

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added as an ending:

• en salat = a salad
• salaten = the salad

So over salaten means over the salad, probably a specific salad that both speakers know about.

Mens means while.

It connects two actions happening at the same time:

• Jeg presser lime over salaten = I squeeze lime over the salad
• mens hun setter fram rømme og vann = while she puts out sour cream and water

So the full sentence describes two simultaneous actions.

Because mens introduces a subordinate clause, and in Norwegian subordinate clauses the word order is usually more straightforward:

• subject + verb
• hun setter fram

So:

• Jeg presser lime over salaten = main clause
• mens hun setter fram rømme og vann = subordinate clause

In a main clause, Norwegian often uses verb-second word order, but after mens, the subject normally comes before the verb.

Å sette fram means to put out, to set out, or to place on the table/in front of people.

In this sentence, hun setter fram rømme og vann means she is putting the sour cream and water out so they are available, probably for a meal.

It is a very common expression for food, drinks, plates, and similar things.

Because fram is a particle that belongs to the verb sette.

This is similar to English phrasal verbs like:

• put out
• set up
• bring in

In Norwegian, many such verbs are written as two words in normal use:

• sette fram
• ta med
• slå på

So setter fram is the present tense of å sette fram.

You may also see frem instead of fram. Both are used; fram is often associated with Nynorsk and informal Bokmål, while frem is also very common in Bokmål.

Rømme is a Norwegian dairy product, usually translated as sour cream, though the exact type can vary a bit depending on context and country.

It is a very common food word in Norwegian. In this sentence, it is being served along with water.

Like many food substances, it appears without an article here:

• rømme = sour cream
• vann = water

That sounds natural when talking about serving food or ingredients in a general way.

Because they are treated as mass nouns or general food/drink items here.

Norwegian often omits articles with substances:

• Hun setter fram rømme og vann.
• She puts out sour cream and water.

If you add an article, the meaning changes:

• en rømme would usually not sound right in this meaning
• et vann would usually mean a lake in many contexts, not some water

So in this sentence, the article-less forms are the natural ones.

The comma separates the two clauses:

• Jeg presser lime over salaten
• mens hun setter fram rømme og vann

In written Norwegian, a comma is often used to make the structure clearer, especially when two clauses are joined and the sentence becomes longer. With mens, using a comma here is very normal.

Yes. In Bokmål, both fram and frem are accepted in many contexts.

So these are both possible:

• hun setter fram rømme og vann
• hun setter frem rømme og vann

They mean the same thing. The choice is usually a matter of style, dialect influence, or personal preference.

Yes, it sounds natural.

It describes two ordinary actions during a meal or food preparation:

• one person is squeezing lime over the salad
• another person is putting out sour cream and water

The vocabulary and grammar are both normal and idiomatic Norwegian.