Breakdown of Hunden ligger på gulvet.
hunden
the dog
ligge
to lie (be lying down) / to be located
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
gulvet
the floor
Questions & Answers about Hunden ligger på gulvet.
Why does this sentence use på instead of i?
In Danish, på usually means on and is used for surfaces, while i means in and is used for enclosed spaces. Since the dog is resting on the flat surface of the floor, på is the correct choice here.
Both hunden and gulvet mean the dog and the floor, but they end differently. Why?
Danish attaches the word the to the end of the noun. Because hund is a common gender word (an en-word), it takes -en to become hunden. However, gulv is a neuter word (an et-word), so it takes -et to become gulvet.
Does ligger mean lies or is lying?
It means both! Danish does not have a separate continuous tense like English does. Hunden ligger translates to both the dog lies and the dog is lying depending on what sounds best in English.
Could I just say Hunden er på gulvet (The dog is on the floor)?
You could, and people would understand you. However, Danish prefers to be specific about the physical position of things. Since dogs usually rest horizontally, using ligger (lies) sounds much more natural to a native speaker than just using er (is).