Tøflene står ved gjestesengen.

Because tøflene is the definite plural form of tøfler (slippers).

The pattern is:

• en tøffel = a slipper
• tøfler = slippers
• tøflene = the slippers

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

Norwegian often puts the onto the noun itself.

So instead of saying something like the slippers with a separate word, Norwegian says:

• tøflene = the slippers
• gjestesengen = the guest bed

This is very normal in Norwegian. The definite ending does the job that the does in English.

Norwegian often uses position verbs where English would just use is/are.

Here, står literally means stands, but in many cases it is used to describe where something is located.

Common Norwegian location verbs include:

• står = stands
• ligger = lies
• sitter = sits

So Tøflene står ved gjestesengen sounds natural in Norwegian if the slippers are thought of as being placed there in a standing/upright position, or simply as being there by the bed.

English usually just says The slippers are by the guest bed, but Norwegian often prefers a more specific verb.

Sometimes, yes, depending on how you imagine the slippers.

• står suggests they are placed in a way Norwegian treats as standing
• ligger suggests they are lying flat

Norwegian is more sensitive than English to the physical position of objects. For footwear, står is often used when they are set on the floor in a normal placed position, while ligger can be used if they are more just lying there.

So the choice is about how the object is positioned, not just about location.

Ved usually means by, beside, or near.

In this sentence, it shows that the slippers are located next to or by the guest bed.

Some useful comparisons:

• ved sengen = by the bed
• på sengen = on the bed
• under sengen = under the bed
• i sengen = in the bed

So ved is about being close to something, usually right next to it or by it.

Because Norwegian very often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

Here:

• gjest = guest
• seng = bed
• gjesteseng = guest bed
• gjestesengen = the guest bed

This is extremely common in Norwegian. Where English often writes two words, Norwegian often writes one.

More examples:

• barn
  • bok = barnebok (children’s book)
• sommer
  • ferie = sommerferie (summer holiday)

Because the sentence refers to the guest bed, not just a guest bed.

Compare:

• ved en gjesteseng = by a guest bed
• ved gjestesengen = by the guest bed

Again, Norwegian usually marks definiteness with an ending:

• gjesteseng = guest bed
• gjestesengen = the guest bed

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

Subject + verb + adverbial

So:

• Tøflene = subject
• står = verb
• ved gjestesengen = place/location phrase

This is very similar to basic English word order:

• The slippers / are standing / by the guest bed

So the structure is straightforward and natural.

A few pronunciation tips:

• ø in tøflene is a rounded vowel that does not exist in standard English. It is somewhat similar to the vowel in French deux or German schön.
• Tøflene is roughly TUF-leh-neh, but with ø instead of a normal English u sound.
• gj in gjestesengen can be tricky. In many dialects, it sounds like a soft y sound at the start, so gjest is close to yest.
• gjestesengen is roughly YES-teh-seng-en

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away; the main tricky parts are ø and the soft beginning of gjest.

The dictionary forms are:

• tøffel = slipper
• stå = to stand
• ved = by / near
• gjesteseng = guest bed

The sentence uses inflected forms:

• tøflene = definite plural of tøffel
• står = present tense of stå
• gjestesengen = definite singular of gjesteseng

This is useful because Norwegian learners often need to recognize the base word inside a changed form.

Yes, this is standard Bokmål Norwegian.

A learner should know that Norwegian has two written standards:

• Bokmål
• Nynorsk

This sentence is fully natural in Bokmål.