Mit penalhus ligger i skuffen, men min datters notatbog er stadig i bilen.

Because penalhus is a neuter noun in Danish: et penalhus.

Possessive words like my change form depending on the gender and number of the noun they describe:

• min for common gender singular nouns (en-words)
• mit for neuter singular nouns (et-words)
• mine for plural nouns

So:

• mit penalhus = my pencil case
• min notatbog = my notebook
• mine bøger = my books

Because min agrees with notatbog, not with datter.

The head noun here is notatbog = notebook, and notatbog is a common gender noun: en notatbog. So the correct possessive is min.

Structure:

• min datters notatbog = my daughter’s notebook

A useful way to think about it is:

• the thing being owned is notatbog
• datters only tells you who owns it

So even though datter is inside the phrase, the possessive still matches notatbog.

It is the genitive form of datter and means daughter’s.

In Danish, you usually form the genitive by adding -s:

• en datter → datters
• Peter → Peters
• min mor → min mors

So:

• min datters notatbog = my daughter’s notebook

Unlike English, Danish normally does not use an apostrophe here.

Because they are in the definite singular form, meaning the drawer and the car.

In Danish, definiteness is often added to the end of the noun:

• en skuffe = a drawer

• skuffen = the drawer

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car

So:

• i skuffen = in the drawer
• i bilen = in the car

This is one of the big differences from English: Danish often uses a noun ending instead of a separate word like the.

Because Danish usually puts the onto the noun itself.

So instead of saying something like the drawer, Danish says:

• skuffen

And instead of the car:

• bilen

This is called the postposed definite article. It is very common in Danish.

In Danish, ligge is often used for things that are located somewhere, especially objects that are resting somewhere physically.

So:

• Mit penalhus ligger i skuffen literally feels like My pencil case lies/is lying in the drawer

In natural English, we usually just say is in the drawer, but Danish often prefers verbs like:

• ligge = lie, be lying
• stå = stand, be standing
• sidde = sit, be situated

Danish often describes location more physically than English does.

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different.

• er stadig i bilen focuses on the fact that it is still there
• ligger stadig i bilen would focus more on the notebook’s physical location as an object lying in the car

So the sentence as written emphasizes the situation: the notebook has not been moved and remains in the car.

That is why stadig fits especially well with er here.

Stadig means still.

In this sentence:

• er stadig i bilen = is still in the car

It shows that the situation continues. The notebook was in the car before, and it remains there now.

Examples:

• Han er stadig hjemme. = He is still at home.
• Jeg arbejder stadig. = I am still working.

Because in a normal Danish main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, and adverbs like stadig often come after it.

So:

• notatbog er stadig i bilen

This is normal Danish word order.

A simple pattern is:

• subject + finite verb + adverb + rest

For example:

• Hun kommer stadig for sent.
• Jeg er allerede klar.

Because Danish main clauses follow the V2 rule, which means the finite verb is usually in the second position.

In both parts:

• Mit penalhus = first element
• ligger = second element

and

• min datters notatbog = first element
• er = second element

This is a very important Danish pattern.

Because i usually means in/inside.

A drawer and a car are both understood as spaces you can be inside, so i is natural:

• i skuffen = in the drawer
• i bilen = in the car

Danish often uses i when something is enclosed or within something.

Yes. Danish uses compound nouns very often.

• penalhus is a compound noun meaning pencil case
• notatbog is a compound noun meaning notebook

In Danish, compound nouns are usually written as one word, not two.

That is very common and important to get used to as a learner.

Because men means but and joins two main clauses here:

• Mit penalhus ligger i skuffen
• min datters notatbog er stadig i bilen

The comma helps separate the two parts clearly. This is normal punctuation in Danish.