Kameraremmen henger over skulderen.

Because Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as a single word.

So:

• kamera = camera
• rem = strap
• kamerarem = camera strap
• kameraremmen = the camera strap

This is very common in Norwegian. Where English often uses two words, Norwegian often joins them:

• bokhylle = bookshelf
• bilnøkkel = car key
• kamerarem = camera strap

Writing kamera remmen as two words would look wrong in standard Norwegian.

The ending -en is the definite singular ending here, meaning the.

The base noun is:

• en rem = a strap

When it becomes part of the compound:

• en kamerarem = a camera strap
• kameraremmen = the camera strap

So the whole word means the camera strap, not just camera strap.

This is different from English, which uses a separate word (the). Norwegian often adds definiteness to the end of the noun instead.

Henger is the present tense of the verb å henge.

• å henge = to hang
• henger = hangs / is hanging

So:

• Kameraremmen henger ... = The camera strap hangs / is hanging ...

Norwegian present tense often ends in -er:

• å snakke → snakker
• å vente → venter
• å henge → henger

English uses both hangs and is hanging, but Norwegian often uses the simple present in cases where English might prefer a continuous form.

It can correspond to both, depending on context.

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers what English expresses with either:

• hangs
• is hanging

So Kameraremmen henger over skulderen can describe the strap’s current position without needing a separate progressive form.

Norwegian does have ways to emphasize an ongoing action, but in an ordinary descriptive sentence, henger is completely natural.

Because skulderen is the definite form, meaning the shoulder.

The noun is:

• en skulder = a shoulder
• skulderen = the shoulder

So over skulderen means over the shoulder.

Using just skulder here would sound incomplete or unnatural in standard Norwegian.

Norwegian often leaves that unstated when it is obvious from context, especially with body parts and clothing.

So over skulderen often naturally means something like:

• over his shoulder
• over her shoulder
• over the person’s shoulder

if the situation already makes that clear.

This is similar to how Norwegian often prefers the definite form with body parts instead of a possessive. In many contexts, Norwegian sounds more natural with skulderen than with something like hans skulder or hennes skulder, unless the ownership needs emphasis.

Over is used because the strap is positioned across or over the shoulder.

In this sentence, over works much like English over in expressions such as:

• a bag over the shoulder
• a strap over the shoulder

It suggests that the strap passes across the top/front area of the shoulder rather than simply touching it.

A different preposition could change the meaning. For example, på skulderen would suggest on the shoulder, which can sound more like something resting directly on it, rather than hanging across it.

Sometimes, yes, but it would not mean exactly the same thing.

• over skulderen = over the shoulder / slung over the shoulder
• på skulderen = on the shoulder

With a strap, over skulderen is usually the more natural choice if you mean it is draped or hanging across the shoulder.

På skulderen could work in some situations, but it may suggest a slightly different physical position.

The word order is very standard:

• Kameraremmen = subject
• henger = verb
• over skulderen = prepositional phrase

So the pattern is:

subject + verb + place/location

This is the default order in a main clause.

Yes, you could. That is also grammatical.

If you move Over skulderen to the front, Norwegian still keeps the verb in second position:

• Over skulderen henger kameraremmen.

This is a classic Norwegian V2 pattern, where the finite verb comes second in main clauses.

Compare:

• Kameraremmen henger over skulderen.
• Over skulderen henger kameraremmen.

Both are correct, but the second version puts more emphasis on the location.

Not really. Kamera stays the same as the first part of the compound.

• et kamera = a camera
• kamera- = camera- in a compound

Then it combines with rem:

• kamera + rem → kamerarem

This is normal in Norwegian compounds: the first noun often appears in a basic form without any article.

In this sentence:

• et kamera = a camera (neuter)
• en rem = a strap (masculine)
• en skulder = a shoulder (masculine in Bokmål)

The important thing in the compound is the gender of the final noun, because that is the main noun of the compound.

So kamerarem takes the gender of rem:

• en kamerarem
• kameraremmen

You would use the indefinite forms:

• En kamerarem henger over en skulder.

That means:

• en kamerarem = a camera strap
• en skulder = a shoulder

But in real usage, the definite forms in the original sentence often sound more natural if you are talking about a specific visible situation:

• Kameraremmen henger over skulderen.

You would change the verb:

• å henge → hang in the past tense

So:

• Kameraremmen hang over skulderen.

That means The camera strap hung over the shoulder.

A useful mini-table:

• å henge = to hang
• henger = hangs / is hanging
• hang = hung
• har hengt = has/have hung

It is describing position/state, not an action of putting something there.

Kameraremmen henger over skulderen means the strap is in that hanging position.

This is important because Norwegian, like English, often uses to hang both for a state and for the result of placement, depending on context. Here it is clearly a description of how the strap is situated.