lægger

Lægger is a present-tense verb form in Danish that comes from the verb lægge, meaning to lay, place, or put. It is used to describe the action of placing something somewhere or preparing something by placing it. In Danish, the form lægger corresponds to the third-person singular (“he/she/it lays”). The related forms exist in other Scandinavian languages as well, for example legger in Norwegian Bokmål and lägger in Swedish.

Common uses of lægger include placing objects on surfaces, arranging items, or setting things down as part of an action or process. For example, in Danish one might say, Jeg lægger bogen på bordet (I am laying the book on the table). In Norwegian, the equivalent is Jeg legger boka på bordet. The verb also appears in contexts such as “to lay down a plan” or “to lay a foundation” when describing the initiation or establishment of something. For animals, the cognate forms describe laying eggs, as in lægger æg in Danish or legger egg in Norwegian.

Etymology and cognates: lægge derives from older Germanic roots shared with other Germanic languages. The verb is closely related to the Swedish lägga, and the English lay shares a common ancestral concept, though the exact forms differ across languages. The noun form for the act of laying in Danish is lægning, and in Norwegian legging, both referring to the action itself rather than the object laid.

Notes: Spelling varies between languages and dialects, with Danish using lægger (æ) and Norwegian often rendering leg ger (without the Danish ligature). The core meaning remains the act of placing or laying something.