Godteriet ligger i skålen.

Because godteri is a neuter noun in Norwegian, and -et is the usual definite singular ending for many neuter nouns.

• godteri = candy / sweets
• godteriet = the candy / the sweets

So instead of using a separate word like English the, Norwegian often adds the definite ending directly to the noun.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• skål = bowl
• skålen = the bowl

and

• godteri = candy
• godteriet = the candy

This is one of the biggest differences from English. Where English says the bowl, Norwegian often says just skålen.

Norwegian often prefers position verbs where English simply uses to be.

Here, ligger comes from å ligge, which means to lie or to be lying. It is used for something that is resting somewhere.

So Godteriet ligger i skålen is more natural than using er if you want to describe where the candy is physically located.

A useful comparison:

• Boka ligger på bordet. = The book is on the table.
• Nøklene ligger i veska. = The keys are in the bag.

English uses is/are, but Norwegian often uses ligger for things resting in a place.

Ligger is the present tense of å ligge.

• infinitive: å ligge = to lie / to be located
• present: ligger = lies / is lying / is located

So the sentence is in the present tense: the candy is in the bowl.

Because the sentence refers to a specific bowl, so Norwegian uses the definite form:

• i en skål = in a bowl
• i skålen = in the bowl

If you said Godteriet ligger i en skål, that would mean The candy is in a bowl.
But Godteriet ligger i skålen means The candy is in the bowl.

I means in, and it is used because the candy is inside the bowl.

• i skålen = in the bowl

If something were resting on top of a surface, Norwegian would often use på instead.

For example:

• på bordet = on the table
• i skålen = in the bowl

This is a very common question because godteri behaves a bit differently from English.

Godteri is often treated like a mass noun or collective noun, similar to English candy. It can refer to candy in general or a quantity of sweets, not necessarily just one single piece.

So godteriet can mean:

• the candy
• the sweets
• the candy stuff / the pile of candy

The exact English translation depends on context.

The word order is very straightforward:

• Godteriet = subject
• ligger = verb
• i skålen = prepositional phrase showing location

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + place

This is the normal word order for a simple statement in Norwegian.

Grammatically, you may sometimes hear er in very simple learner-style sentences, but ligger is usually the more natural Norwegian choice for an object resting somewhere.

Compare:

• Godteriet er i skålen. = understandable, but less idiomatic for physical placement
• Godteriet ligger i skålen. = more natural

Norwegian often uses verbs like:

• ligge for things lying/resting
• stå for things standing
• sitte for things or people sitting

So learning these location verbs is very useful.

In this sentence, skålen shows that skål is being treated as a noun that takes the definite ending -en.

So:

• skål
• skålen

That is the normal definite singular ending for many masculine nouns, and also for many nouns that can be used as common gender in practice.

For a learner, the important thing is to remember the form:

• en skål = a bowl
• skålen = the bowl

Then you would use the indefinite form of skål:

Godteriet ligger i en skål.

Compare:

• Godteriet ligger i skålen. = The candy is in the bowl.
• Godteriet ligger i en skål. = The candy is in a bowl.

So the change is:

• skålen = the bowl
• en skål = a bowl