Check-in-skranken ligger i afgangshallen.

In Danish, nouns are often joined into compound words, and the last part is the main noun. Here:

• skranke = counter, desk
• check-in-skranke = check-in counter / check-in desk

The hyphen is used because check-in is a borrowed foreign expression. Danish often uses a hyphen in compounds when one part is foreign, abbreviated, or would otherwise be hard to read.

Also notice the ending -en:

• en check-in-skranke = a check-in counter
• check-in-skranken = the check-in counter

So check-in-skranken means the check-in counter.

Because Danish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front, as English does.

For common-gender nouns:

• en skranke = a counter
• skranken = the counter

This is very common in Danish:

• en bil → bilen
• en station → stationen
• en hal → hallen

So check-in-skranken literally has the attached to the noun.

Because Danish strongly prefers compound nouns. What English often writes as several words, Danish often writes as one.

Here:

• afgang = departure
• hal = hall
• afgangshal = departure hall
• afgangshallen = the departure hall

The s in the middle is a linking s that often appears in compounds. It does not have a separate meaning by itself; it just helps connect the parts.

So:

• afgangshal = departure hall
• afgangshallen = the departure hall

It is a linking s used in many Danish compound nouns.

• afgang
  • hal → afgangshal
• with definiteness: afgangshallen

This s does not mean possession in the English sense. It is just part of how compounds are formed in Danish.

You will see this a lot:

• arbejde
  • tid → arbejdstid
• by
  • center → bycenter
• barn
  • bog → børnebog (not all compounds use s)

There is no single simple rule for when the linking element appears, so learners usually pick it up word by word.

Yes, ligger literally comes from ligge = to lie, but in Danish it is also very commonly used to talk about location.

So in sentences about where something is situated, Danish often uses:

• ligger = is located / is situated

Examples:

• Hotellet ligger tæt på stationen. = The hotel is near the station.
• Toiletterne ligger til venstre. = The toilets are on the left.

In this sentence, Check-in-skranken ligger i afgangshallen means that the check-in counter is located in the departure hall.

Sometimes, but ligger sounds more natural when talking about physical location.

Compare:

• Check-in-skranken er i afgangshallen.
  = The check-in counter is in the departure hall.
  This is understandable, but a bit more neutral/plain.

• Check-in-skranken ligger i afgangshallen.
  = The check-in counter is located in the departure hall.
  This is the more typical Danish way to describe where something is.

So er is not wrong in every context, but ligger is the more idiomatic choice here.

Because i means in, and a departure hall is understood as an enclosed space or area you are inside.

So:

• i afgangshallen = in the departure hall

Danish uses different prepositions depending on how the place is viewed:

• i = in / inside
• på = on / at (often for islands, surfaces, institutions, some transport contexts, and certain fixed expressions)

Since a hall is an indoor space, i is the natural choice.

Because Danish usually expresses definiteness by adding an ending to the noun.

Instead of English:

• the hall

Danish usually says:

• hallen

This is called the postposed definite article.

But Danish can also use a separate definite word in some cases, especially when there is an adjective:

• hallen = the hall
• den store hal = the big hall

In your sentence, there is no adjective, so the normal form is the noun with the definite ending:

• check-in-skranken
• afgangshallen

No, this sentence has standard Danish main-clause word order:

• Check-in-skranken = subject
• ligger = verb
• i afgangshallen = prepositional phrase (location)

So the structure is:

Subject + Verb + Place

This is very normal:

• Bussen holder udenfor.
• Toiletterne ligger til højre.
• Gaten er lukket.

Danish does have V2 word order, which means the verb usually comes in the second position in main clauses. In this sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb follows it directly.

A rough learner-friendly guide would be:

• check-in: much like English check in
• skranken: roughly SKRANG-gen or SKRANG-kən, depending on accent and how carefully someone speaks

A few things to notice:

• sk before r is pronounced like sk in screen, not like sh
• a in skranke is more open than in English crane
• the ending -en is often pronounced as a light unstressed syllable

The exact pronunciation varies by speaker, but if you say something close to check-in-SKRANG-gen, you will be understood.

A rough guide is:

AF-gangs-hal-en

More approximately:

• afgang: something like AHF-gang
• hallen: something like HAL-en

A few points:

• g in Danish can sound softer than English speakers expect
• the s in the middle belongs to the compound
• the final -en is unstressed

You do not need perfect pronunciation at first; the most important thing is to stress the main parts clearly:

• afgang
• hallen

Yes. It sounds natural and useful, especially in written information, signs, announcements, or staff instructions.

It is a straightforward way to say where the check-in counter is located. In very casual spoken Danish, someone might also say things like:

• Check-in er i afgangshallen.
• Skranken ligger i afgangshallen.
• Du finder check-in-skranken i afgangshallen.

But your original sentence is completely normal and idiomatic.

Here are the basic forms:

• check-in-skranken → dictionary form: en check-in-skranke
• ligger → dictionary form: at ligge
• afgangshallen → dictionary form: en afgangshal

So if you wanted to look them up, you would normally search for:

• check-in-skranke
• ligge
• afgangshal