Vinylplaten ligger på platespilleren.

Because Norwegian often marks the definite form by adding the article to the end of the noun.

• en vinylplate = a vinyl record
• vinylplaten = the vinyl record
• en platespiller = a record player / turntable
• platespilleren = the record player / turntable

So instead of a separate word like English the, Norwegian commonly uses a suffix.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific record, not just any record.

• en vinylplate ligger på platespilleren would mean a vinyl record is lying on the record player
• vinylplaten ligger på platespilleren means the vinyl record is lying on the record player

So the definite form is used when the thing is already known or specific.

Norwegian often uses different verbs for location depending on how something is positioned.

Here, ligger comes from å ligge, which means to lie. It is used for things that are resting in a horizontal position or simply placed somewhere.

So:

• Vinylplaten ligger på platespilleren = the record is lying/resting on the turntable

If you used er, it would only say that it is there, but Norwegian very often prefers ligger, står, or sitter for physical location.

These are very common location verbs in Norwegian:

• ligger = lies, is lying, is located in a flat/resting way
• står = stands, is standing, is upright
• sitter = sits, is sitting, is attached/seated in place

Examples:

• Boka ligger på bordet. = The book is lying on the table.
• Flaska står på bordet. = The bottle is standing on the table.
• Bildet sitter på veggen. = The picture is on the wall.

For a record on a turntable, ligger is the natural choice.

På means on in this sentence.

So:

• på platespilleren = on the record player / turntable

This is the normal preposition when something is physically resting on top of something else.

Yes, it is one word because Norwegian forms compound nouns very freely.

• plate = record/disc
• spiller = player

Together:

• platespiller = record player / turntable

This is very typical in Norwegian. English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Norwegian usually combines them into one.

Ligger is the present tense of å ligge.

• å ligge = to lie
• ligger = lies / is lying

So the sentence is in the present tense.

Because in Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun itself.

Compare:

• English: the vinyl record

• Norwegian: vinylplaten

• English: the record player
• Norwegian: platespilleren

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English.

Yes. That is also correct.

Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the verb usually stays in the second position in main clauses.

So both are possible:

• Vinylplaten ligger på platespilleren.
• På platespilleren ligger vinylplaten.

The second version puts more focus on på platespilleren.

In Bokmål, many traditionally feminine nouns can often be treated either as feminine or as common gender/masculine-style in everyday usage.

So for some nouns, both forms may be possible depending on style and preference:

• ei plate → plata
• en plate → platen

In this sentence, vinylplaten is a perfectly normal Bokmål form. You may also hear vinylplata in some varieties of Norwegian.

Often yes in everyday use, but context matters.

• platespiller literally means record player
• In many situations, English speakers would translate it as turntable
• In other contexts, especially if it includes speakers or a full unit, record player may be a better translation

So the Norwegian word can cover both ideas depending on context.

Yes. Ligge is often used both for literal physical position and for location in a broader sense.

For example:

• Boken ligger på bordet. = The book is lying on the table.
• Byen ligger ved kysten. = The city is located by the coast.

So in Norwegian, ligger can be more natural than a direct equivalent of English is when talking about where something is.