Learn Hardcore Danish: Regningen ligger på bordet i køkkenet. - The bill lies on the table in the kitchen.

So regningen already includes the meaning of “the bill”.
You can’t say den regning for “the bill” in normal, neutral Danish; you use the suffixed form regningen.

What gender is regning, and how does that affect the form regningen?

Regning is a common gender noun (the “en”-word type).

Indefinite: en regning (a bill)
Definite: regningen (the bill)

Common gender nouns usually take -en in the definite singular:

en stol → stolen (chair → the chair)
en bog → bogen (book → the book)
en regning → regningen (bill → the bill)

So the gender determines that the definite form must be regningen, not regninget or anything else.

Why is the verb ligger used here instead of er?

Danish often uses a “position verb” instead of the general verb er (is/are). The most common ones are:

ligger = lies / is lying (horizontal position, or just “is located”)
står = stands / is standing (upright position, often for bottles, buildings, etc.)
sidder = sits / is sitting (sitting position)
hænger = hangs / is hanging

In Regningen ligger på bordet i køkkenet, ligger suggests that the bill is lying flat on the table. It sounds very natural and specific in Danish.

Using er here is possible (see next question), but ligger paints a clearer picture of where and how the bill is positioned.

Can I say “Regningen er på bordet i køkkenet” instead? Is it wrong?

It’s not wrong; Danes will understand you perfectly.

However, there is a nuance:

Regningen ligger på bordet i køkkenet
→ Natural, specific, uses a position verb; very idiomatic.
Regningen er på bordet i køkkenet
→ Grammatically fine, but sounds a bit more neutral or less specific.

In everyday speech, Danes strongly prefer ligger/står/sidder/hænger when talking about physical objects and their location.

Does ligger always imply that something is literally lying flat?

Often yes, but not always in a strict, physical sense.

Literal lying position
- Bogen ligger på bordet.
  The book is lying on the table.
Just “is located” (for some nouns and contexts)
You can say:
- Huset ligger ved søen.
  The house is (located) by the lake.
Here huset is not “lying down”; ligger just means “is situated”.

For small objects on a surface like a bill, a book, keys, paper, using ligger is the default idiomatic choice.

Why is it på bordet and not i bordet?

Because in Danish, as in English, you are talking about something on the surface of the table:

på bordet = on the table
i bordet = in the table (inside the material or inside a compartment of the table – unusual meaning)

So på is used for contact with a surface (on top of something):

på bordet (on the table)
på gulvet (on the floor)
på væggen (on the wall)

Why is it bordet and not bord or et bord?

Bord is a neuter noun (the “et”-word type):

et bord = a table
bordet = the table

In the sentence, we mean “the table”, so we need the definite form bordet, not:

bord (table – general concept)
et bord (a table – indefinite)

So på bordet = “on the table”.

Why does køkken become køkkenet, with -et and not -en?

Køkken is a neuter (et-) noun, so its definite singular form takes -et:

et køkken = a kitchen
køkkenet = the kitchen

Compare:

en stue → stuen (living room → the living room) – common gender (en)
et køkken → køkkenet (kitchen → the kitchen) – neuter gender (et)

So køkkenet means “the kitchen” and matches the neuter gender of køkken.

What is the difference between køkken and køkkenet?

køkken = kitchen (general or indefinite)
- Vi har et stort køkken.
  We have a big kitchen.
køkkenet = the kitchen (specific, definite)
- Jeg er i køkkenet.
  I’m in the kitchen.

In Regningen ligger på bordet i køkkenet, we’re talking about a specific kitchen (the one both speaker and listener know about), so køkkenet is required.

Can I change the order and say “Regningen ligger i køkkenet på bordet”?

Yes, this is grammatically correct, but the usual and most natural order is:

på bordet i køkkenet

Danish tends to go from smaller location to larger location or vice versa depending on what is being emphasized, but in this kind of everyday sentence:

ligger på bordet i køkkenet is the typical, neutral order.

Regningen ligger i køkkenet på bordet might sound like you are first stressing that it’s in the kitchen (not in another room), and then adding that it’s on the table there.

Why is it i køkkenet and not på køkkenet?

Because you are inside the room, not on top of it.

i is used for being inside enclosed spaces:
- i køkkenet (in the kitchen)
- i stuen (in the living room)
- i huset (in the house)
på could be used if you literally mean “on top of” something, e.g.
- på taget (on the roof)

So i køkkenet is the normal way to say “in the kitchen”.

When would you use ved bordet instead of på bordet?

på bordet = on the table (on the surface)
ved bordet = at the table (by/next to the table)

Examples:

Tallerkenen står på bordet.
The plate is (standing) on the table.
Vi sidder ved bordet.
We are sitting at the table.

In your sentence, the bill is physically on the surface, so på bordet is correct, not ved bordet.

Are there any pronunciation traps in “Regningen ligger på bordet i køkkenet”?

Yes, a few:

Regningen:
- The gn in -ningen is pronounced like “ng-en” in English “sing-en”.
- Roughly: [ˈʁɑjnəŋən] (depending on accent).
ligger:
- The g is a soft sound; in many accents it’s almost like “li-yer”: [ˈleɡɐ] or [ˈliɐ̯].
bordet:
- The d in -det is very soft or almost silent: [ˈpoːɐ̯ð̩] / [ˈpoːɐ̯ə].
køkkenet:
- ø is like the vowel in British “bird” but with rounded lips.
- Double kk is a short, strong k.
- Final -et has a weak, reduced vowel: [ˈkøkənəd] (approx).

Danish often reduces or softens final consonants, so words can sound shorter and more blurred than they look in writing.