Sambandsradioen ligger på bordet.

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Breakdown of Sambandsradioen ligger på bordet.

• bordet: the table
• ligge: to lie (be located)
• sambandsradioen: the two-way radio

Questions & Answers about Sambandsradioen ligger på bordet.

Why does Norwegian use ligger here instead of er?

Because Norwegian often prefers a position/location verb where English would simply use to be.

• å ligge = to lie / to be lying
• å stå = to stand / to be standing
• å sitte = to sit / to be sitting

For an object resting horizontally on a surface, ligger is very natural. So Sambandsradioen ligger på bordet means the radio is located there, specifically lying on the table.

You can sometimes say Sambandsradioen er på bordet, but ligger sounds more idiomatic when describing where a physical object is placed.

What form is ligger, and what is the infinitive?

ligger is the present tense of å ligge.

• infinitive: å ligge
• present: ligger

So the sentence is in the present tense: The radio is lying / lies on the table.

Why is it sambandsradioen and not a separate word for the?