Hjelpepinnen ligger på strikketøyet.

In Norwegian, the is often attached to the end of the noun instead of appearing as a separate word.

• hjelpepinnen = the cable needle / the auxiliary needle
• strikketøyet = the knitting / the knitting project

So the endings do the job that the does in English:

• en hjelp(e)pinne = a cable needle

• hjelpepinnen = the cable needle

• et strikketøy = a knitting project / a piece of knitting
• strikketøyet = the knitting project

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English.

Yes. hjelpepinnen is a compound noun.

It is built from:

• hjelpe- = help / auxiliary
• pinne = needle / stick

So hjelpepinne literally means something like helper needle or auxiliary needle. In knitting, this is often the tool called a cable needle in English.

Then the definite ending is added:

• hjelpepinne = a cable needle
• hjelpepinnen = the cable needle

Compound nouns are extremely common in Norwegian, just as in German and unlike modern English, which often prefers separate words.

Norwegian often uses position verbs where English might simply use is.

Here, ligger means lies / is lying and is used for something that is resting horizontally or placed somewhere.

So:

• Hjelpepinnen ligger på strikketøyet. = The cable needle is lying on the knitting.

Norwegian commonly distinguishes between different kinds of being somewhere:

• ligger = lies, is lying
• står = stands, is standing
• sitter = sits, is sitting
• er = is, exists, is generally

For an object like a needle resting on something, ligger sounds natural.

på usually means on in this kind of sentence.

So på strikketøyet means on the knitting / on the knitting project.

It tells you the location of the needle: it is resting on top of the knitting.

A learner often wonders why Norwegian sometimes uses a different preposition than English. That is a good question, because prepositions do not always match perfectly between the two languages. But in this sentence, på corresponds quite neatly to English on.

These two words are related to knitting, but they are not exactly the same.

• strikketøy usually means the knitting work, the knitting project, or the knitted piece you are working on
• strikking usually means knitting as an activity

So in this sentence, strikketøyet is the actual piece of knitting the needle is lying on.

Compare:

• Jeg liker strikking. = I like knitting.
  Here it means the activity.

• Hvor er strikketøyet mitt? = Where is my knitting project?
  Here it means the physical thing.

That is why strikketøyet is the natural choice in this sentence.

• hjelpepinne is a common-gender noun

  • en hjelpepinne
  • hjelpepinnen

• strikketøy is a neuter noun

  • et strikketøy
  • strikketøyet

This is why the definite endings are different:

• common gender singular definite: -en
• neuter singular definite: -et

So:

• hjelpepinn-en
• strikketøy-et

The normal, neutral word order here is:

• Hjelpepinnen ligger på strikketøyet.

That is the most straightforward way to say it.

But Norwegian can move the location to the front for emphasis:

• På strikketøyet ligger hjelpepinnen.

That sounds more marked or descriptive, as if you are focusing on where it is.

A key rule in Norwegian main clauses is that the finite verb usually stays in second position. So if you move på strikketøyet to the front, ligger still comes second:

• På strikketøyet
  • ligger
    • hjelpepinnen

This is often called the V2 rule.

There are a few sounds that may feel unfamiliar to an English speaker.

1. hjelpepinnen

• The beginning hj- is tricky.
• In many modern pronunciations, the h is weak or silent, and the word begins close to yelpe-.
• The j sound is like English y in yes.

So the beginning may sound roughly like YEL-pe-.

2. y in strikketøyet

• Norwegian y is not the same as English y.
• It is a rounded front vowel, somewhat like saying ee while rounding your lips.

3. ø

• The ø sound does not exist in standard English.
• It is a rounded vowel somewhat like the vowel in British bird, but with rounded lips.

4. strikketøyet

• This word can be broken into parts:
  • strikke
  • tøy
  • -et

A rough learner-friendly approximation might be:

• STRIK-ke-tøy-et

Not perfect, but useful as a first step.

In this sentence, yes: it is literal physical location.

• Hjelpepinnen ligger på strikketøyet. = the needle is physically resting on the knitting.

But ligger can also be used more broadly in Norwegian for location:

• Bergen ligger på Vestlandet. = Bergen is located in Western Norway.
• Problemet ligger i detaljene. = The problem lies in the details.

So ligger often means more than just is lying down in a strict physical sense. Still, in your sentence, the physical meaning is the natural one.

You might be understood, but it is less natural.

• Hjelpepinnen er på strikketøyet is grammatically possible.
• But Hjelpepinnen ligger på strikketøyet is better because it describes the object’s position in the way Norwegian normally likes to do.

English often uses is for everything:

• The needle is on the knitting.

Norwegian more often chooses the posture/location verb:

• ligger

So if you want natural Norwegian, ligger på is the better choice here.

Yes. Very often strikketøy refers to the knitting work as a whole: the piece, the yarn attached to it, and the project you are currently working on.

So depending on context, strikketøyet may mean:

• the knitted piece itself
• the work in progress
• your knitting project in general

That is why the sentence can sound natural even if the needle is resting on the partly finished item rather than only on a piece of fabric in a narrow sense.