Vi vasker såret.

Vi means we. It is the subject pronoun in the sentence.

• vi = we
• vasker = wash / are washing
• såret = the wound

So Vi vasker såret literally follows the same basic order as English: We wash the wound.

Vasker is the present tense of the verb å vaske (to wash).

A very common pattern in Norwegian is:

• infinitive: å vaske = to wash
• present tense: vasker = wash / am washing / is washing / are washing

So:

• jeg vasker = I wash / I am washing
• du vasker = you wash / are washing
• vi vasker = we wash / are washing

Unlike English, Norwegian usually uses the same present form for all persons.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Norwegian present tense often covers both:

• We wash the wound
• We are washing the wound

The exact English translation depends on the situation. If the meaning has already been shown to the learner, that context decides which English version fits best.

Because såret is the definite form of the noun sår.

• et sår = a wound
• såret = the wound

Norwegian often adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

Here, sår is a neuter noun, and many neuter nouns take -et in the definite singular.

So:

• sår = wound
• et sår = a wound
• såret = the wound

Because Norwegian usually expresses the by adding an ending to the noun.

Compare:

• English: the wound
• Norwegian: såret

This is one of the biggest differences from English. Instead of a separate article before the noun, Norwegian often uses a suffix:

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car
• et hus = a house
• huset = the house
• et sår = a wound
• såret = the wound

No, this sentence has the normal basic word order for a simple statement:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Vi = subject
• vasker = verb
• såret = object

So it works just like English:

• We wash the wound

If you started the sentence with another element, then Norwegian word order would change because of the V2 rule, but in this simple sentence there is nothing unusual.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• såret ≈ SOH-reh

A few helpful points:

• å is pronounced like a long aw/o sound, not like English a in cat
• the r is pronounced in a Norwegian way, which varies by dialect
• the final -et is usually not pronounced like English ate; it is much shorter and lighter

Also note that såret has two syllables: så-ret.

Yes, in other contexts såret can also be connected to the verb å såre (to wound / to hurt emotionally) or the adjective/participle såret (hurt, wounded, offended).

But in Vi vasker såret, the most natural reading is clearly the noun:

• såret = the wound

That is because vasker (wash) fits naturally with a physical object like the wound.

You would say:

Vi vasker ikke såret.

Here ikke means not.

The usual order is:

subject + verb + ikke + object

So:

• Vi vasker såret = We wash / are washing the wound
• Vi vasker ikke såret = We do not wash / are not washing the wound

Vasker is perfectly natural if you mean wash / clean the wound.

But depending on context, other verbs might also be possible, for example:

• renser såret = clean the wound
• skyller såret = rinse the wound

So Vi vasker såret is correct and natural, but in a medical setting another verb might sometimes sound more precise.