Vannstasjonen står ved matboden.

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article on the end of the noun.

• vannstasjon = water station
• vannstasjonen = the water station
• matbod = food stall / food booth
• matboden = the food stall / the food booth

So the ending -en here works like English the.

In Norwegian, the most common way to say the is with a suffix attached to the noun.

So instead of saying something like the water station, Norwegian says vannstasjonen.

A separate determiner such as den is only used in certain situations, for example with an adjective:

• vannstasjonen = the water station
• den store vannstasjonen = the big water station

The base forms are:

• vannstasjon = water station
• matbod = food stall / food booth
• stå = to stand

In the sentence:

• vannstasjonen is the definite singular form of vannstasjon
• matboden is the definite singular form of matbod
• står is the present tense of stå

This is a very common question. In Norwegian, stå is often used for something that is physically standing or set up in a place, especially something upright or positioned somewhere.

So Vannstasjonen står ved matboden sounds natural if the water station is a physical setup, stand, or unit located there.

Compare:

• er = is
• står = stands / is standing / is located standing

In English, we often just say is, but Norwegian often prefers a posture verb like:

• stå = stand
• sitte = sit
• ligge = lie

So står here gives a more physical sense of placement.

Yes, it would be understandable, and in some contexts it may sound fine. But står is often more natural if you are talking about a booth, station, sign, table, or another physical structure that has been placed somewhere.

So:

• er ved = is by
• står ved = is standing by / is located there in a physically placed way

If you want the most natural everyday Norwegian for this kind of object, står is a good choice.

Ved usually means by, near, next to, or at, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means that the water station is located close to the food stall.

Common translations of ved include:

• by
• next to
• near
• sometimes at

The exact English choice depends on context, but the Norwegian word stays the same.

No, this is very standard Norwegian word order:

• Vannstasjonen = subject
• står = verb
• ved matboden = prepositional phrase showing location

So it follows the normal pattern:

subject + verb + place

That makes it a very straightforward declarative sentence.

Because Norwegian, like German, very often forms compound nouns by writing them as a single word.

So:

• vann
  • stasjon → vannstasjon
• mat
  • bod → matbod

This is completely normal in Norwegian. English often uses separate words where Norwegian prefers one compound word.

Both nouns here are treated as common gender in this sentence, which is why the definite singular ending is -en:

• vannstasjonen
• matboden

A useful rule is that compound nouns usually take their gender from the final part of the compound. So:

• vannstasjon gets its gender from stasjon
• matbod gets its gender from bod

For a learner, the most practical thing is to memorize nouns with their article or definite form when possible.

Står is the present tense of stå.

The verb forms are:

• infinitive: stå = to stand
• present: står = stands / is standing

This verb is a little irregular, so it is worth memorizing separately rather than expecting a completely predictable pattern.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

VAHN-stah-shoo-nen stor ve mat-boo-en

A few notes:

• å in står is a rounded vowel, somewhat like the vowel in British law, though not exactly the same.
• stasjon is pronounced more like sta-SHOON than it looks to an English speaker.
• bod has a long o sound.

This is only an approximation, but it can help you get started.