Overtrædelseslinjen ligger på tilløbsbanen.

Because Danish, like English, often makes compound nouns by joining words together into one unit.

So Overtrædelseslinjen is built from:

• overtrædelse = violation / infringement
• linje = line
• -n / -en = the definite ending

Together, it means the violation line or, in context, something like the foul line.

English sometimes does this too, but less consistently. Compare:

• football
• runway
• foul line

In Danish, compounds are very commonly written as one word, not as separate words.

That -s- is a linking element between the parts of the compound.

So the word is:

• overtrædelse
• s
• linje

This linking s is very common in Danish compounds, but it is not added by a simple rule every time. Sometimes it appears, sometimes it does not, and learners often just have to get used to which compounds use it.

A few similar examples are:

• arbejdsdag = workday
• fødselsdag = birthday

So in overtrædelseslinje, the s helps connect the first noun to the second.

In Danish, the definite article the is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front.

So:

• linje = line
• linjen = the line

and:

• bane = track / lane / runway
• banen = the track / the runway

That is why the sentence has:

• Overtrædelseslinjen = the violation line / the foul line
• tilløbsbanen = the approach runway / the run-up track

This is very different from English, where the stands separately.

Ligger is the present tense of ligge, which literally means to lie.

But in Danish, ligge is very often used to mean to be located or to be situated, especially for things that have a physical position.

So here ligger means something like:

• is located
• lies
• is situated

Using er would be understandable, but ligger sounds more natural when talking about where something physically is.

Compare:

• Bogen ligger på bordet = The book is on the table
• Byen ligger ved kysten = The city is on the coast

So in this sentence, ligger is the normal choice for location.

It is another compound noun:

• tilløb = run-up / approach
• bane = track / lane / runway

So tilløbsbanen literally means something like the run-up track or the approach runway.

In a sports context, this is the area where an athlete runs before a jump or throw. The exact English translation depends on the sport, but the structure of the Danish word is straightforward once you split it up.

På usually means on, and it is used here because the line is understood as being on the surface of the runway/track.

So:

• på tilløbsbanen = on the runway / on the approach track

This is more natural than i, which usually means in or inside and suggests being inside something enclosed.

Compare:

• på bordet = on the table
• på banen = on the field / on the track
• i huset = in the house

Since a line is marked on a surface, på is the expected preposition.

Yes. This is a normal Danish main clause:

• Overtrædelseslinjen = subject
• ligger = verb
• på tilløbsbanen = prepositional phrase

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + location

That is a very standard pattern.

Danish also follows the V2 rule in main clauses, which means the finite verb is normally in the second position. So you could also move the location phrase to the front for emphasis:

På tilløbsbanen ligger overtrædelseslinjen.

That still works, because ligger remains in second position.

The dictionary forms are:

• overtrædelseslinje = violation line / foul line
• ligge = to lie / to be located
• tilløbsbane = approach runway / run-up track

In the sentence, the nouns appear in the definite singular form:

• overtrædelseslinjen
• tilløbsbanen

and the verb appears in the present tense:

• ligger

This is useful if you want to look the words up in a dictionary, since Danish dictionaries usually list the base form, not the inflected form from the sentence.

Those are two vowels that English speakers often find difficult.

• æ in words like træ is a front vowel somewhat like the vowel in cat, but not exactly the same.
• ø in tilløb has no exact English equivalent. It is similar to the vowel in German ö or French eu.

A few useful tips:

• Do not try to turn ø into a plain English o.
• Do not assume æ is always exactly like English a in cat.
• Listen to native audio if possible, because these sounds are much easier to learn by ear than from spelling alone.

Also, Danish compounds usually carry strong stress early in the word, especially on the first main element, which is another reason these long words can sound different from how an English speaker might first expect.