Dørdemperen sitter på hengslet.

Because Norwegian, like English, often makes compound nouns, but Norwegian usually writes them as one word.

So dørdemperen can be broken down like this:

• dør = door
• demper = damper / softener / closer-type device
• -en = the for a masculine/feminine singular noun

So the core noun is dørdemper and the full form dørdemperen means the door damper / the door closer.

This is very normal in Norwegian:

• dørhåndtak = door handle
• bilnøkkel = car key
• kjøleskapdør = refrigerator door

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word before it.

That is why you get:

• en dørdemper = a door damper
• dørdemperen = the door damper

And:

• et hengsel = a hinge
• hengslet = the hinge

So in this sentence, both nouns are definite through their endings:

• dørdemperen = the door damper
• hengslet = the hinge

The dictionary form is en dørdemper.

That means:

• indefinite singular: en dørdemper
• definite singular: dørdemperen

This noun is treated as a common-gender noun, so it takes -en in the definite singular.

This is a very common question, because Norwegian uses position verbs much more than English does.

Sitte literally means sit, but it is also used for things that are:

• fixed in place
• attached somewhere
• positioned in a certain way

So Dørdemperen sitter på hengslet does not mean the object is literally sitting like a person. It means something like:

• it is mounted there
• it is attached there
• it is positioned there

Norwegian often prefers:

• står for things standing upright
• ligger for things lying
• sitter for things attached, fitted, or sitting in place

Using er is sometimes possible in other contexts, but sitter sounds much more natural here.

Yes, absolutely. That is very normal in Norwegian.

Examples:

• Knappen sitter på skjorta. = The button is attached to the shirt.
• Bildet sitter på veggen. = The picture is on the wall / attached to the wall.
• Lokket sitter fast. = The lid is stuck.

So in this sentence, sitter tells you the door damper is physically attached or mounted on the hinge.

The preposition på often means on, but prepositions do not always match English perfectly. In Norwegian, på is very commonly used for something resting on, attached to, or located on a surface or object.

Here, på hengslet means the door damper is attached on the hinge or to the hinge, depending on how the object is constructed.

Even if English might sometimes prefer on or to, Norwegian naturally uses på here.

This is something learners usually just have to get used to through exposure, because prepositions are often idiomatic.

The dictionary form is et hengsel.

Forms:

• indefinite singular: et hengsel
• definite singular: hengslet

This is a neuter noun, which is why the indefinite article is et and the definite ending is -et.

Because hengsel is a neuter noun.

In Norwegian:

• common-gender nouns often take -en in the definite singular
• neuter nouns often take -et in the definite singular

So:

• en stol → stolen
• et bord → bordet
• et hengsel → hengslet

That is why the sentence has hengslet.

The word order is the standard Norwegian main-clause pattern:

Subject + verb + prepositional phrase

So:

• Dørdemperen = subject
• sitter = verb
• på hengslet = prepositional phrase

This is very straightforward word order.

If you moved another element to the front, Norwegian would still keep the verb in second position:

• På hengslet sitter dørdemperen.

That sounds more marked or literary, but it is grammatically possible.

Yes. Norwegian makes a lot of compounds, and they are often quite transparent.

A learner can often understand them by splitting them up:

• dør
  • demper
• bord
  • bein
• vask
  • maskin

This is one of the most useful habits in Norwegian: when you see a long noun, try to identify the parts.

Also remember that the last part is usually the main noun:

• a dørdemper is a kind of demper
• a bildebok is a kind of bok
• a kaffekopp is a kind of kopp

A natural plural version would be:

Dørdemperne sitter på hengslene.

Breakdown:

• dørdemperne = the door dampers
• sitter = are attached / sit
• på hengslene = on the hinges

Singular to plural:

• en dørdemper → dørdemperen → dørdempere → dørdemperne
• et hengsel → hengslet → hengsler → hengslene

The letter ø is often difficult for English speakers.

A rough guide:

• ø is a rounded vowel that does not really exist in standard English
• your lips should be rounded, more than for many English vowels

In dør, the vowel is not like English door, even though they may look related.

Very roughly:

• dør sounds something like duhr, but with rounded lips and a different vowel quality
• demperen has stress mainly on the first syllable of the whole compound: DØR-demperen

A useful tip: do not try to make it exactly like an English vowel. It is better to learn ø as its own sound.

Yes, depending on what you want to emphasize.

For example:

• Dørdemperen sitter på døra. = The door damper is on the door.
• Dørdemperen sitter ved hengslet. = The door damper is by the hinge.
• Dørdemperen sitter over hengslet. = The door damper is above the hinge.

But på hengslet specifically tells you that it is attached on the hinge itself, not just somewhere on the door.

So the choice of phrase affects how precise the location is.