Hovedkvarteret ligger i byen.

The ending -et makes the noun definite, so hovedkvarteret means the headquarters.

• et hovedkvarter = a headquarters
• hovedkvarteret = the headquarters

This is very common in Norwegian: instead of putting a separate word like the in front, Norwegian usually adds the definite ending to the noun itself.

Ligge literally means to lie, but in Norwegian it is also very commonly used to mean to be located.

So:

• Hovedkvarteret ligger i byen = The headquarters is located in the city

You often use ligger for places, buildings, towns, countries, and other things with a physical location.

Examples:

• Oslo ligger i Norge = Oslo is in Norway
• Huset ligger ved sjøen = The house is by the sea

Using er is not usually the natural choice when you are talking about location like this.

Because byen means the city, while by means city in a more general or indefinite sense.

• i en by = in a city
• i byen = in the city

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

Also notice the definite ending:

• en by = a city
• byen = the city

I usually means in.

So:

• i byen = in the city

This is the normal preposition for being inside an area, place, or location.

Examples:

• i Norge = in Norway
• i huset = in the house
• i sentrum = in the city center

This sentence has the basic Norwegian word order:

Subject + verb + other information

• Hovedkvarteret = subject
• ligger = verb
• i byen = location

So it works just like a simple English sentence:

• The headquarters
  • is located
    • in the city

Nothing unusual is happening here.

In Norwegian, verbs usually do not change depending on the subject.

So ligger stays the same with different subjects:

• Jeg ligger
• Du ligger
• Han ligger
• Hovedkvarteret ligger

That is much simpler than English, where you have forms like I am, he is, etc.

Hovedkvarter is a neuter noun, which is why it takes:

• et hovedkvarter = a headquarters
• hovedkvarteret = the headquarters

Yes, gender matters because it affects:

• the indefinite article (en, ei, et)
• the definite ending (-en, -a, -et)

Here, the -et ending shows that it is a neuter noun in the definite form.

Sometimes, yes. In English, headquarters looks plural, but it often refers to one organization’s main office and is treated as a singular idea.

In Norwegian, hovedkvarteret is clearly one definite noun: the headquarters.

If you needed a plural meaning in Norwegian, the context would usually make that clear, but here it is understood as the main headquarters / the main office.

Then you would use the indefinite form:

Et hovedkvarter ligger i byen.

Compare:

• Et hovedkvarter = a headquarters
• Hovedkvarteret = the headquarters

So the original sentence is definite, while this new one is indefinite.