Vannskålen står ved kattelemmen.

Because -en is the definite ending for many masculine nouns in Norwegian. Instead of putting a separate word like the in front, Norwegian usually adds the definiteness to the end of the noun.

So:

• en vannskål = a water bowl
• vannskålen = the water bowl

This is a very common pattern in Norwegian.

For the same reason: it is a definite noun, meaning the cat flap.

The basic form is:

• en kattelem = a cat flap
• kattelemmen = the cat flap

Notice that the definite form here becomes -emmen, not just -en added mechanically to the full word. That is because the noun is kattelem, and in the definite form Norwegian doubles the m: kattelemmen. This is a normal spelling pattern for some nouns.

Because Norwegian usually expresses the by attaching an ending to the noun.

So English says:

• the water bowl
• the cat flap

But Norwegian says:

• vannskålen
• kattelemmen

This is one of the biggest differences from English. The definiteness is built into the noun itself.

Står literally means stands, but in Norwegian it is very often used for objects that are positioned upright or are placed somewhere.

So Vannskålen står ved kattelemmen sounds natural in Norwegian because the bowl is understood as being located there in a physical position.

Norwegian often prefers verbs like:

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

where English often just uses is.

If you said Vannskålen er ved kattelemmen, it would be understandable, but står sounds more natural for a bowl placed somewhere.

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

In this sentence, it shows location: the bowl is positioned close to the cat flap.

It does not necessarily mean direct contact. It usually means something like:

• by
• beside
• near

The exact English translation depends on the situation.

Yes. Norwegian very often combines nouns into one word.

So:

• vann = water
• skål = bowl

Together:

• vannskål = water bowl

The same happens in:

• kattelem
  • katt = cat
  • lem = flap/hatch

English often writes these as two words, but Norwegian commonly writes them as one compound noun.

This is the normal Norwegian word order for a simple statement:

subject + verb + adverbial/place phrase

So:

• Vannskålen = subject
• står = verb
• ved kattelemmen = place phrase

This is very similar to English word order in a basic sentence: The water bowl stands / is by the cat flap.

Both vannskål and kattelem are normally masculine nouns in Bokmål.

That is why their indefinite forms take en:

• en vannskål
• en kattelem

And their definite forms usually end in -en:

• vannskålen
• kattelemmen

Knowing the gender helps you form both the indefinite and definite versions correctly.

Sometimes, yes, depending on style and dialect.

In Bokmål, many feminine nouns can take either:

• -a
• or -en

But vannskål is often treated as masculine, so vannskålen is the safest standard form here.

You may hear vannskåla in some dialects or in speech if someone treats skål as feminine, but vannskålen is a very solid choice for learners.

Then the sentence would use the indefinite forms:

• En vannskål står ved en kattelem.

That means A water bowl is standing by a cat flap.

Compare:

• Vannskålen står ved kattelemmen. = specific bowl, specific cat flap
• En vannskål står ved en kattelem. = not specific

So the original sentence is talking about identifiable things: the bowl and the cat flap.