Tøyet tørker på tørkestativet.

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Breakdown of Tøyet tørker på tørkestativet.

• tørke: to dry
• tørkestativet: the drying rack
• tøyet: the laundry

Questions & Answers about Tøyet tørker på tørkestativet.

Why do tøyet and tørkestativet end in -et?

Because both nouns are in the definite singular form.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

• tøy → tøyet = the laundry / the clothes
• tørkestativ → tørkestativet = the drying rack

The ending -et is typical for many neuter nouns.

Is tøy singular or plural here?

Grammatically, tøyet is singular definite, but its meaning is often collective.

That means it can refer to:

• the laundry as a mass of clothing, or
• the clothes as a group

So even though English often uses a plural idea, Norwegian can use singular grammar here.

What exactly is the difference between tøyet and klærne?

Both can refer to clothes, but the feeling is a bit different.

• tøyet often means the laundry / the clothes as a batch
• klærne means the clothes / the garments

So:

• Tøyet tørker på tørkestativet. = the laundry is drying on the drying rack
• Klærne tørker på tørkestativet. = the clothes are drying on the drying rack

In this context, tøyet sounds very natural if you are talking about washed clothes drying.