Fødelandet står på det nasjonale ID-kortet.

Because fødelandet is the definite form of the noun, meaning the country of birth.

• et fødeland = a country of birth
• fødelandet = the country of birth

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added to the end of the noun:

• land = country / land
• landet = the country

So fødelandet is built from:

• fød(e)- = birth
• land = country
• -et = the definite ending for a neuter noun

Here it refers to a specific item of information, so the definite form makes sense.

Literally, står is the present tense of stå, which usually means stand.

But in this sentence, it has a more idiomatic meaning: is written, appears, or is listed.

So:

• Fødelandet står på det nasjonale ID-kortet. = The country of birth appears / is listed on the national ID card.

This use is common in Norwegian when talking about text or information written somewhere:

• Det står på døra. = It says so on the door.
• Navnet står i passet. = The name is written in the passport.

So yes, the basic verb is stand, but the natural English meaning here is more like is shown or is written.

På often means on, and that is the idea here: the information is on the card.

• stå på kortet = be written on the card

Even though in English we might sometimes say in the passport or on the card, Norwegian often uses på for something printed on a physical surface or document.

Examples:

• Det står på arket. = It is written on the sheet.
• Bildet er på kortet. = The picture is on the card.

So på det nasjonale ID-kortet is very natural Norwegian.

This is because the noun phrase is definite: the national ID card.

In Norwegian, adjectives change form depending on whether the noun is indefinite or definite.

For a neuter singular noun like ID-kort, you get:

• et nasjonalt ID-kort = a national ID card
  
  • here the adjective takes the neuter indefinite form: nasjonalt

But in the definite form, Norwegian uses:

• a definite article before the noun: det
• the noun in its definite form: ID-kortet
• the adjective in its weak/definite form: nasjonale

So:

• det nasjonale ID-kortet = the national ID card

This pattern is very important:

• et stort hus = a big house
• det store huset = the big house

Same grammar here.

This is a classic Norwegian pattern called double definiteness.

In many definite noun phrases, Norwegian uses:

1. a definite article before the adjective
2. the definite ending on the noun

So:

• det = definite article
• nasjonale = adjective in definite form
• ID-kortet = noun in definite form

Together: det nasjonale ID-kortet

This is normal when a noun has an adjective in front of it.

Compare:

• kortet = the card
• det nasjonale kortet = the national card

Without an adjective, you usually just need the noun with the ending:

• kortet

With an adjective, Norwegian usually wants both:

• det ... kortet

Fødeland is a neuter noun.

You can tell from the dictionary form:

• et fødeland

That is why:

• indefinite: et fødeland
• definite: fødelandet

The same pattern applies to many neuter nouns:

• et land → landet
• et kort → kortet

So both fødeland and ID-kort are neuter nouns in this sentence.

Not quite.

Fødeland means country of birth, not just birthplace in the general sense.

English birthplace can mean:

• a town
• a city
• a hospital
• a country

But fødeland specifically refers to the country where someone was born.

If you wanted a more general word for birthplace, Norwegian often uses:

• fødested = place of birth / birthplace

So:

• fødeland = country of birth
• fødested = place of birth

That distinction is useful.

Because ID is an abbreviation, and Norwegian commonly uses a hyphen when an abbreviation is the first part of a compound noun.

So:

• ID-kort = ID card
• ID-kortet = the ID card

This is very normal in Norwegian spelling.

Other similar examples:

• TV-program
• EU-land
• IT-bransjen

Norwegian loves compound nouns, and the hyphen helps make them easier to read when one part is an abbreviation.

Yes, the words could be ordered differently, but this version is perfectly natural.

Norwegian main clauses usually follow the V2 rule, meaning the finite verb comes in the second position.

Here:

1. Fødelandet
2. står
3. på det nasjonale ID-kortet

So the structure is:

• Subject
  • verb
    • rest

That is the most neutral word order here.

You could also say:

• På det nasjonale ID-kortet står fødelandet.

This is also grammatical, but it sounds more marked or literary because it puts emphasis on where the information appears.

So the original sentence is the most straightforward and natural version for learners to model.

Yes, that is understandable, but står is more natural if you mean that the information is written/listed there.

Compare:

• Fødelandet er på det nasjonale ID-kortet.

  • The country of birth is on the national ID card.
  • Grammatically fine, but a bit less specific.

• Fødelandet står på det nasjonale ID-kortet.

  • The country of birth is written/listed on the national ID card.
  • More idiomatic in this context.

So er is possible, but står is better when talking about text or printed information.

A natural indefinite version would be:

• Et fødeland står på et nasjonalt ID-kort.

But this sounds odd in practice, because the sentence is usually about a specific piece of information on a specific document.

Still, grammatically it shows the pattern clearly:

• et fødeland = a country of birth
• et nasjonalt ID-kort = a national ID card

Compare with the definite sentence:

• Fødelandet står på det nasjonale ID-kortet.

This contrast helps you see the difference between:

• indefinite adjective form: nasjonalt
• definite adjective form: nasjonale
• definite noun ending: -et in kortet and fødelandet