Plantesaksen ligger ved stiklingen.

Because Norwegian usually forms compound nouns as one word, where English often uses two words.

• plante = plant
• saks = scissors / shear
• plantesaks = plant scissors / pruning scissors
• plantesaksen = the plant scissors / the pruning shears

So plantesaksen is a compound noun with the definite ending added at the end.

The ending -en is the definite article for many masculine and common-gender nouns in Norwegian. It often corresponds to English the.

So:

• en plantesaks = a plant scissors / a pruning shear
• plantesaksen = the plant scissors / the pruning shear

and

• en stikling = a cutting
• stiklingen = the cutting

Unlike English, Norwegian often puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

In Norwegian, when talking about where something is located, it is very common to use verbs like:

• ligge = lie / be lying
• stå = stand / be standing
• sitte = sit / be situated

So Plantesaksen ligger ved stiklingen sounds more natural than using er.

Here, ligger suggests that the pruning shears are lying next to the cutting. Norwegian often chooses a position verb where English would simply say is.

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

So ved stiklingen means something like:

• by the cutting
• near the cutting
• next to the cutting

It indicates proximity, not necessarily direct contact.

This is a very common question. In Norwegian, saks is typically a singular noun, even though the English equivalent scissors is plural in form.

So you get:

• en saks = a pair of scissors / scissors
• saksen = the scissors

In this sentence, plantesaksen ligger ..., the verb is singular because Norwegian treats it as one item.

A stikling is a cutting: a piece of a plant used for propagation so it can grow into a new plant.

So this is not just any plant part. It specifically refers to a propagation cutting, which is why the sentence fits gardening or houseplant vocabulary.

This is the normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

• subject
  • verb
    • other information

So:

• Plantesaksen = subject
• ligger = verb
• ved stiklingen = prepositional phrase showing location

This is very similar to basic English word order:

• The pruning shears
  • are lying
    • by the cutting

Yes, it is grammatically possible, but it is usually less natural in this context.

• er ved can sound more neutral: is by / is at
• ligger ved sounds more natural when an object is physically lying somewhere

So if you are describing where the shears are placed, ligger is the better choice.

You would use the indefinite forms:

En plantesaks ligger ved en stikling.

That means:

• en plantesaks = a pruning shear / some pruning scissors
• en stikling = a cutting

So the original sentence uses definite nouns:

• plantesaksen = the pruning shears
• stiklingen = the cutting

while this version uses indefinite nouns:

• en plantesaks = a pruning shear
• en stikling = a cutting

It is singular in Norwegian.

Even though English often says scissors or shears, Norwegian saks is usually treated as one singular noun. That is why the sentence uses ligger for a singular subject.

If you wanted the plural, you would need a different form, but in everyday Norwegian, saks is very often used as a singular count noun for the tool.

This is an important feature of Norwegian.

Very roughly:

• ligger is used for things lying flat, spread out, or simply resting horizontally
• står is used for things standing upright
• sitter is used for things attached, seated, or in a fixed position

So here, pruning shears are imagined as lying on a surface, so ligger makes sense.

Examples:

• Boka ligger på bordet. = The book is lying on the table.
• Flaska står på bordet. = The bottle is standing on the table.
• Bildet sitter på veggen. = The picture is on the wall.

English often just uses is, but Norwegian prefers these more specific verbs.