Svararket ligger på bordet.

Because svararket is the definite singular form: the answer sheet.

• et svarark = an answer sheet
• svararket = the answer sheet

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

Since svarark is a neuter noun, the definite ending is -et:

• et svarark
• svararket

The ending -et marks the noun as definite singular for many neuter nouns.

So here:

• svararket = the answer sheet
• bordet = the table

This is very common in Norwegian:

• et hus → huset = the house
• et brev → brevet = the letter

So both nouns in this sentence are in the definite form.

Because Norwegian usually puts the at the end of the noun.

In English:

• the table
• the answer sheet

In Norwegian:

• bordet
• svararket

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English. Instead of a separate article before the noun, Norwegian often uses a suffix.

Norwegian often prefers a verb of position where English would simply use is.

• ligger literally means lies or is lying
• In natural English, you would usually translate it as is

So Svararket ligger på bordet is literally something like The answer sheet lies on the table, but idiomatically it means The answer sheet is on the table.

Norwegian commonly uses:

• ligger for something lying flat
• står for something standing upright
• sitter for something sitting or attached in a certain way

For a sheet of paper on a table, ligger is the natural choice.

På means on in this sentence.

So:

• på bordet = on the table

It is the usual preposition for something resting on a surface.

Examples:

• Boka ligger på stolen = The book is on the chair
• Mobilen ligger på gulvet = The phone is on the floor

The word order is:

Subject + Verb + Prepositional phrase

So:

• Svararket = subject
• ligger = verb
• på bordet = where it is

This is the normal word order for a simple statement in Norwegian.

English speakers usually find this straightforward because it matches ordinary English word order:

• The answer sheet / is / on the table

Yes. Svarark is a compound noun.

It is made from:

• svar = answer
• ark = sheet / piece of paper

So svarark means answer sheet.

Compound nouns are extremely common in Norwegian, just as in English:

• skolebok = schoolbook
• fotballbane = football field
• svarark = answer sheet

Then the definite form becomes svararket.

You usually learn the gender together with the noun:

• et svarark
• et bord

The article et shows that the noun is neuter.

That matters because it affects the definite form:

• et svarark → svararket
• et bord → bordet

A good habit is to memorize Norwegian nouns with their article:

• en bil
• ei bok
• et bord

That helps you build correct forms later.

Yes, you could, and it would be understood.

• Svararket er på bordet = The answer sheet is on the table
• Svararket ligger på bordet = The answer sheet is lying/is on the table

However, ligger sounds more natural when talking about the physical position of a flat object like a sheet of paper. Using er is more neutral and less descriptive.

So er is possible, but ligger is often the more idiomatic choice.

A helpful approximate pronunciation for English speakers is:

SVAHR-ar-keht

A few tips:

• sv at the start is pronounced together, like sv in Svendsen
• the a is broader than in many English words
• the r is clearly pronounced
• the final -et is usually unstressed

You do not need perfect pronunciation immediately, but it helps to notice that Norwegian often keeps compounds flowing together as one word: svar-ark-et.

Sometimes, but Norwegian has stricter rules about verb placement.

The neutral sentence is:

Svararket ligger på bordet.

If you move something to the front, the verb usually has to come immediately after it:

• På bordet ligger svararket.

This is grammatical and means roughly On the table lies the answer sheet or The answer sheet is on the table with emphasis on location.

What you normally cannot do is move things around freely without changing the verb position. Norwegian is a verb-second language in main clauses, so the finite verb often stays in the second position.