Før gjestene kommer, setter jeg fram glassene og tallerkenene.

Før means before. Here it introduces a subordinate clause: Før gjestene kommer = Before the guests arrive.

In Norwegian, subordinate clauses usually keep the normal order:

• subject + verb
• gjestene kommer = the guests arrive

So you do not invert the verb and subject after før inside that clause.

The full structure is:

• Før gjestene kommer = subordinate clause
• setter jeg fram glassene og tallerkenene = main clause

Because the sentence begins with the subordinate clause, the main clause then uses inversion:

• setter jeg not
• jeg setter

That is a very common Norwegian pattern.

This is because Norwegian follows the V2 rule in main clauses. V2 means the finite verb must come in the second position.

Here, the entire phrase Før gjestene kommer counts as the first element of the sentence. That means the verb of the main clause must come next:

• Før gjestene kommer, setter jeg fram glassene og tallerkenene.

If you started directly with the subject, you would say:

• Jeg setter fram glassene og tallerkenene før gjestene kommer.

Both are correct, but when the before-clause comes first, the main clause must be:

• setter jeg, not jeg setter

Gjestene is the definite plural form of gjest:

• en gjest = a guest
• gjester = guests
• gjestene = the guests

The sentence refers to specific guests, so Norwegian uses the definite form:

• før gjestene kommer = before the guests arrive

If you said før gjester kommer, it would sound incomplete or unnatural in this context.

Glassene and tallerkenene mean the glasses and the plates.

Norwegian often uses the definite form when talking about the items being set out for a meal, because they are understood as the specific glasses and plates needed in that situation.

Forms:

• et glass → glass → glassene
• en tallerken → tallerkener / tallerkener (or often tallerkener in older style, but tallerkener/tallerkenene varies by usage) → tallerkenene = the plates

So:

• glassene og tallerkenene = the glasses and the plates

This sounds natural because the speaker means the tableware for the guests, not just random glasses and plates.

In Norwegian, definiteness is often shown by adding an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

Examples:

• gjestene = the guests
• glassene = the glasses
• tallerkenene = the plates

So Norwegian usually does this:

• noun + definite ending

Instead of English:

• the
  • noun

That is why you do not need a separate word for the here.

Sette fram means to put out, set out, or place out for use, especially things like food, dishes, glasses, or chairs.

In this sentence:

• setter jeg fram glassene og tallerkenene means
• I put out / set out the glasses and plates

It suggests preparing things before the guests arrive.

This is a common verb phrase in household and hosting situations.

Because sette fram is a verb plus a particle, similar to an English phrasal verb.

In main clauses, the particle often stays after the object or after the verb depending on the structure:

• Jeg setter fram glassene.
• Jeg setter glassene fram.

Both can occur, though setter fram glassene is very natural here.

Framsette also exists as a word, but it usually means something different, such as present, propose, or put forward in more formal language:

• framsette et forslag = put forward a proposal

So in this sentence about preparing a table, sette fram is the right choice.

Yes. Fram and frem are both correct in Bokmål.

So these are both acceptable:

• setter jeg fram glassene
• setter jeg frem glassene

The difference is mainly stylistic or regional preference. Fram is often felt to be a bit more informal or closer to spoken language in many contexts, but both are standard.

Norwegian often uses the present tense for future events when the meaning is clear from context.

So:

• Før gjestene kommer literally looks like
• Before the guests come but in natural English it usually means
• Before the guests arrive

This is very common in Norwegian:

• Vi drar i morgen. = We are leaving tomorrow.
• Når han kommer, spiser vi. = When he comes, we’ll eat.

So the present tense here is completely normal.

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly.

• Før gjestene kommer = Before the guests arrive
• Før gjestene skal komme = Before the guests are supposed to come / before the time when the guests are due to arrive

The version with skal can sound a bit more like you are referring to a planned future event. The simpler sentence with kommer is more natural in everyday Norwegian here.

Yes:

• Jeg setter fram glassene og tallerkenene før gjestene kommer.

This means the same thing.

The difference is mainly in emphasis:

• Før gjestene kommer, setter jeg fram glassene og tallerkenene.
  This emphasizes the time frame first.
• Jeg setter fram glassene og tallerkenene før gjestene kommer.
  This starts with what I do.

Both are natural.

Yes. Glassene og tallerkenene is simply a coordinated noun phrase:

• the glasses and the plates

Both are the objects of setter fram.

You do not need to repeat anything:

• setter fram glassene og tallerkenene

This works just like English:

• I set out the glasses and the plates

A couple of useful things:

• Før is pronounced with a vowel sound that English speakers often find tricky.
• gj in gjestene can also be difficult; in many pronunciations it sounds somewhat like a y-like sound at the beginning.
• In natural speech, the sentence often flows in two chunks:
  • Før gjestene kommer,
  • setter jeg fram glassene og tallerkenene.

That pause after the first clause matches the comma and helps you hear the structure clearly.