Studioet ligger i sentrum.

Because studio is a neuter noun in Norwegian: et studio.

To make a neuter noun definite singular (the studio), you usually add -et:

• et studio = a studio
• studioet = the studio

So Studioet ligger i sentrum starts with the studio, not a studio.

Ligger is the present tense of the verb å ligge.

• å ligge = to lie / to be located
• ligger = lies / is located

So grammatically, the sentence is in the present tense:

• Studioet ligger i sentrum = The studio is located in the center / downtown

In Norwegian, ligge is very commonly used for the location of buildings, places, towns, apartments, and similar things.

So for a place being situated somewhere, ligger often sounds more natural than er:

• Studioet ligger i sentrum = natural
• Studioet er i sentrum = understandable, but less idiomatic in many contexts

A useful shortcut is:

• er = is
• ligger = is located / lies

Because i is the normal preposition for being in an area, place, or region.

So:

• i sentrum = in the center / downtown

This is the standard expression. English speakers sometimes wonder if it should be something like på sentrum, but that is not the normal Norwegian phrasing here.

Because i sentrum is the normal, idiomatic expression for in the center / downtown.

Even though sentrum can have a definite form (sentrumet), Norwegian usually uses the bare noun in this fixed location phrase:

• i sentrum = downtown / in the town center

So this is something you often just learn as a set expression.

Yes. That is correct Norwegian.

When you move i sentrum to the front, the verb still has to stay in second position. This is the normal V2 word order rule in Norwegian.

• Studioet ligger i sentrum
• I sentrum ligger studioet

Both are correct, but they put the emphasis a little differently. The second version highlights i sentrum more.

You add ikke after the verb:

• Studioet ligger ikke i sentrum.

That means The studio is not located in the center.

This placement is very common in Norwegian main clauses:

• subject + verb + ikke + ...

For a yes/no question, Norwegian usually puts the verb first:

• Ligger studioet i sentrum?

That means Is the studio located in the center?

So the pattern is:

• statement: Studioet ligger i sentrum.
• question: Ligger studioet i sentrum?