Kattesanden ligger ikke ved matskålen.

In Norwegian, the is often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front.

So:

• kattesanden = the cat litter
• matskålen = the food bowl

This is very common in Norwegian. English says the bowl, but Norwegian often says bowl-the, in effect.

That e is part of the compound form. In many Norwegian compounds, the first noun can appear in a linking form, and katt often becomes katte- when used this way.

So:

• katt = cat
• kattesand = cat litter

You should usually learn these compounds as whole words, since the linking pattern is not always fully predictable.

Norwegian often uses verbs like ligge for the physical location of things, where English might simply use is.

Here, ligger literally means lies / is lying, but in normal English translation it often just becomes is.

So Kattesanden ligger ikke ved matskålen is more natural Norwegian than using er. It emphasizes where the cat litter is physically placed.

People would probably understand it, but ligger is more natural when talking about where an object is located. Norwegian often prefers:

• ligger for things resting horizontally or just being situated somewhere
• står for things standing upright
• henger for things hanging

So for cat litter in a box or container, ligger sounds idiomatic.

Because in a normal Norwegian main clause, the finite verb usually comes before ikke.

So the pattern is:

subject + verb + ikke + rest

Here:

• Kattesanden = subject
• ligger = verb
• ikke = not

That gives: Kattesanden ligger ikke ved matskålen.

This word order is very important in Norwegian.

Ved means by, beside, or near, depending on context. In this sentence, it means that the cat litter is not next to or by the food bowl.

It suggests physical closeness, but not necessarily direct contact.

Because matskålen is the definite form, meaning the food bowl. The basic noun is:

• en matskål = a food bowl
• matskålen = the food bowl

So the sentence is talking about a specific food bowl, not just any food bowl.

Yes, in many varieties of Bokmål, that can also be correct. The noun skål can be treated as masculine or feminine, depending on style and dialect.

So you may see:

• matskålen = masculine definite form
• matskåla = feminine definite form

Both can be acceptable in Bokmål, but matskålen is very common and feels more neutral in many learning materials.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Kattesanden = the cat litter
• ligger = lies / is located
• ikke = not
• ved matskålen = by the food bowl

So the structure is:

subject + verb + negation + prepositional phrase

That pattern is very common in Norwegian statements.