Hørselsdagboken ligger på bordet.

Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as one word.

Here, the parts are:

• hørsel = hearing
• dagbok = diary

So hørselsdagbok is a compound meaning hearing diary.

The -s- in the middle is a linking sound/letter that often appears in compounds. It does not mean possession here.

The ending -en marks the noun as definite singular, so it works like English the.

• hørselsdagbok = a hearing diary
• hørselsdagboken = the hearing diary

So instead of putting a separate word before the noun, Norwegian often adds the definite article to the end of the noun.

Yes, in Bokmål that is often possible.

Dagbok is a feminine noun, and many feminine nouns in Bokmål can take either:

• -a in the definite singular
• or -en

So both of these can be correct:

• hørselsdagboka
• hørselsdagboken

The choice depends on style, dialect, and personal preference. The sentence you were given uses the -en form.

Because Norwegian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

In this sentence:

• hørselsdagboken = the hearing diary
• bordet = the table

This is very normal in Norwegian.

Norwegian often uses position verbs when saying where something is.

A diary resting on a table normally ligger = lies / is lying.

So:

• Hørselsdagboken ligger på bordet sounds very natural.
• Hørselsdagboken er på bordet is possible, but it is more neutral and less specific.

Norwegian often distinguishes between:

• ligger = lies
• står = stands
• sitter = sits
• henger = hangs

English often just uses is, but Norwegian likes to be more precise.

Ligger is the present tense of å ligge = to lie.

A useful thing for learners: Norwegian verbs do not change for person the way English verbs do.

So you get:

• jeg ligger
• du ligger
• han/hun ligger
• vi ligger

The form ligger stays the same.

Because på is the normal preposition for something being on a surface.

A diary resting on top of a table is på bordet = on the table.

Compare:

• på bordet = on the table
• i skuffen = in the drawer

So if the diary were inside something, Norwegian would usually use i, not på.

No, this is a very standard Norwegian sentence pattern:

• Hørselsdagboken = subject
• ligger = verb
• på bordet = place phrase

So the structure is:

subject + verb + place

You could also move the place phrase to the front:

• På bordet ligger hørselsdagboken.

That is still correct, and it shows an important Norwegian rule: in main clauses, the verb is normally in second position.

There is no exact English equivalent, which is why learners often find ø difficult.

A common pronunciation tip is:

• shape your lips as if you were going to say o
• but try to say a sound closer to e as in bed

That gives something close to Norwegian ø.

So hørsel has a vowel sound that English does not really have. Don’t worry if it takes practice.

Because Norwegian does not capitalize common nouns the way German does.

So:

• Hørselsdagboken is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence
• bordet stays lowercase because it is a normal noun, not a proper name

That is standard Norwegian spelling.