Tauet ligger på gulvet.

Because tauet is the definite singular form of tau.

• et tau = a rope
• tauet = the rope

Norwegian often adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the in English.

So in this sentence, tauet means that we are talking about a specific rope: the rope.

Yes. Tau is a neuter noun, so it takes et in the indefinite singular.

A common set of forms is:

• et tau = a rope
• tauet = the rope
• tau = ropes or rope in some general uses
• tauene = the ropes

Many neuter nouns in Norwegian have no ending in the indefinite plural, so the singular and plural can sometimes look the same.

Norwegian often uses special verbs for position or location, where English might simply use is.

Ligge means to lie / to be lying and is used for things that are:

• lying flat
• resting on a surface
• located somewhere in a way that suggests a lying position

So Tauet ligger på gulvet sounds natural because a rope typically lies on the floor.

If you said Tauet er på gulvet, it would not always be wrong, but ligger is usually more natural when describing where an object is physically resting.

Ligger is the present tense of ligge.

• å ligge = to lie
• ligger = lies / is lying

Norwegian present tense is often very simple compared with English. The same form can cover both:

• lies
• is lying

So Tauet ligger på gulvet can correspond to either of those ideas depending on context.

For the same reason as tauet: gulvet is the definite singular form.

• et gulv = a floor
• gulvet = the floor

So på gulvet means on the floor, not just on floor.

På usually means on.

Since the rope is resting on top of the floor surface, på is the natural choice:

• på gulvet = on the floor

That matches English quite closely in this sentence.

Yes. The basic word order here is:

• Tauet = subject
• ligger = verb
• på gulvet = location

So the standard order is:

• Tauet ligger på gulvet.

But Norwegian can also front the location:

• På gulvet ligger tauet.

That version is also correct, but it sounds more marked or stylistic, as if you are emphasizing where the rope is.

Because Norwegian is a V2 language, the verb usually stays in the second position in main clauses.

A rough guide for an English speaker is:

• tauet ≈ TAU-et
  The first part tau rhymes roughly with English now.
• ligger ≈ LIG-er
• på ≈ paw
• gulvet ≈ GUL-ve

A very rough full approximation could be:

TAU-et LIG-er paw GUL-ve

A few notes:

• g in ligger is pronounced
• å in på is a long vowel, somewhat like the vowel in British law
• the final -et in tauet and gulvet is usually unstressed

Pronunciation varies a bit by dialect, but this will get you close.

Usually, yes, or at least it suggests that the rope is resting there in a natural lying position.

That is one reason ligger is used: it gives a sense of physical placement, not just abstract location.

For many everyday objects in Norwegian:

• things that lie flat often ligger
• things that stand upright often står
• things that are hanging often henger

So Norwegian often describes location more precisely than English does.

You would usually say:

• Tauene ligger på gulvet. = The ropes are on the floor.

Here:

• tauene = the ropes
• ligger stays the same

Norwegian verbs do not change for singular and plural the way English verbs sometimes do, so ligger works for both one rope and multiple ropes.