Breakdown of Jag lägger boken på bordet.
boken
the book
bordet
the table
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
lägga
to lay, to put down
Questions & Answers about Jag lägger boken på bordet.
Why does this sentence use lägger for "put"?
In Swedish, you have to be specific about how you place an object. You use lägger when you put something down flat. Since a book is usually laid flat on a table, lägger is the correct choice here.
What if I put the book standing upright on a shelf instead?
If you place the book vertically, you cannot use lägger. Instead, you would use ställer, which means to put something in a standing position. Swedish always distinguishes between laying things flat and standing them upright.
Why do boken and bordet have different endings if they both mean "the"?
This is because they belong to different noun groups. En bok is an en-word, so it takes the -en ending to become boken (the book). Ett bord is an ett-word, so it takes the -et ending to become bordet (the table).
How should I pronounce the rd in bordet?
In most Swedish dialects, when an r and a d are next to each other, they merge into a single sound. You curl your tongue back slightly to make a new d-sound, and the individual r is not pronounced separately.