Øvingsfilen ligger på mobilen.

Øvingsfilen is a compound noun:

• øving = practice / exercise
• fil = file
• -en = the definite ending for many masculine nouns

So:

• en øvingsfil = a practice file / exercise file
• øvingsfilen = the practice file / exercise file

Norwegian very often combines nouns into one word, where English would often use two or more words.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as an ending.

Compare:

• en fil = a file
• filen = the file

The same happens here:

• en mobil = a mobile phone
• mobilen = the mobile phone

So øvingsfilen and mobilen both already include the in English.

Norwegian often uses specific verbs of position where English simply uses is.

Here, ligger literally means lies, but it is very commonly used for things that are located somewhere.

So:

• Øvingsfilen ligger på mobilen. = The practice file is on the phone.

Even though English says is, Norwegian often prefers ligger for the location of an object.

A few common location verbs are:

• ligger = lies / is located (often for things resting somewhere)
• står = stands / is located upright
• sitter = sits / is located attached or seated in some way

So this is normal, natural Norwegian.

This is a very common question.

With phones, computers, tablets, and digital devices, Norwegian often uses på when talking about content, apps, files, or information available on the device.

So:

• på mobilen = on the phone
• på datamaskinen = on the computer

Even though English sometimes says in the phone or on the phone depending on context, Norwegian often prefers på for digital content.

I mobilen would usually sound less natural here, unless you were talking about something physically inside the phone itself.

Yes, in everyday Norwegian, mobil usually means mobile phone / cell phone.

So:

• en mobil = a mobile phone

In this sentence, mobilen means the phone.

The sentence follows the normal Norwegian statement pattern:

• Øvingsfilen = subject
• ligger = verb
• på mobilen = prepositional phrase showing location

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + place

This is the standard word order for a simple declarative sentence in Norwegian.

You would say:

En øvingsfil ligger på mobilen.

Compare:

• en øvingsfil = a practice file
• øvingsfilen = the practice file

So the only change is from the definite form to the indefinite form.

The letter ø does not exist in standard English, so it can feel unfamiliar.

A rough guide:

• ø is a rounded front vowel
• it is somewhat similar to the vowel in French deux or German schön

For English speakers, the most important thing is:

• keep your lips rounded
• try to make a vowel farther forward in the mouth than a normal English o

So øving starts with a sound that is not exactly o and not exactly u.

Yes, in many varieties of Bokmål, fila is also a natural definite form of fil.

So both can occur:

• filen
• fila

And therefore:

• øvingsfilen
• øvingsfila

Both can be correct, but filen is often the safer form for learners if you want a standard written Bokmål form.

You would usually say:

Øvingsfilen ligger på mobilen min.

Here:

• mobilen = the phone
• min = my

Notice that Norwegian often uses both the definite ending and the possessive:

• mobilen min = my phone

That is a very common pattern in Norwegian.