På skrivebordet ligger en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal.

On the desk there is a pencil, an eraser and a ruler.

Breakdown of På skrivebordet ligger en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal.

• en: a
• og: and
• på: on
• ligge: to lie
• skrivebordet: the desk
• et: an
• blyanten: the pencil
• viskelæret: the eraser
• linjalen: the ruler

Questions & Answers about På skrivebordet ligger en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal.

Why is it på skrivebordet and not i skrivebordet?

In Norwegian:

• på is used for being on a surface (on the table, on the floor, on the wall, on the desk).
• i is used for being inside something (in the box, in the bag, in the drawer).

A pencil, an eraser and a ruler are lying on top of the desk, not inside it, so you say:

• på skrivebordet = on the desk
• i skrivebordet would sound like “inside the desk” (e.g. in a built‑in compartment).

Why does skrivebordet end in -et?

The ending -et shows that skrivebordet is in the definite singular form: the desk.

• Indefinite singular: et skrivebord = a desk
• Definite singular: skrivebordet = the desk

Norwegian often adds the definite ending directly to the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

What is the grammatical gender of skrivebord and how do I know?

Skrivebord is a neuter noun.

• Indefinite: et skrivebord (a desk)
• Definite: skrivebordet (the desk)

Unfortunately, gender is not always predictable from the shape of the word, so you usually have to learn it with the noun:

• en blyant (masculine)
• et viskelær (neuter)
• en linjal (masculine)
• et skrivebord (neuter)

Many learners memorize nouns with their article from the start (e.g. en blyant, not just blyant).

Why do we say ligger instead of er in this sentence?

Norwegian often uses specific “position verbs” instead of a general er:

• ligger – lies / is lying (horizontal position)
• står – stands / is standing (vertical, upright)
• sitter – sits / is sitting (seated position)

For objects that are typically lying flat on a surface (pencil, eraser, ruler on a desk), the natural verb is ligger:

• På skrivebordet ligger en blyant …
  = On the desk (there) lies / is lying a pencil …

You can use er (På skrivebordet er en blyant …) but it sounds less natural; Norwegians strongly prefer ligger here.

Why does the verb ligger come before en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the verb is always in second position, no matter what comes first.

In this sentence:

1. First element: På skrivebordet (a prepositional phrase)
2. Second element (must be the verb): ligger
3. Then the rest: en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal

So:

• På skrivebordet (1) ligger (2) en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal.

If you start with the objects instead, the word order changes:

• En blyant, et viskelær og en linjal ligger på skrivebordet.

Here, en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal is the first element, so the verb ligger is still in second position.

Why do we use en with blyant and linjal, but et with viskelær?

Because they have different grammatical genders:

• en blyant – masculine
• et viskelær – neuter
• en linjal – masculine

The article has to match the noun’s gender:

• Masculine: en blyant, en linjal
• Neuter: et viskelær

This is something you mostly have to memorize, but over time your ear will get used to what sounds right.

Could I say en viskelær instead of et viskelær?

No, that would be incorrect standard Norwegian.

Viskelær is a neuter noun, so it must take et:

• et viskelær – an eraser
• viskelæret – the eraser

Using en viskelær will be heard as a grammar mistake by native speakers.

Why is there no word for “the” before skrivebordet?

Norwegian usually attaches definiteness to the noun instead of using a separate article like English the.

Compare:

• English: on the desk
• Norwegian: på skrivebordet

Breakdown:

• et skrivebord = a desk
• skrivebordet = the desk

So Norwegian doesn’t need a separate word for the here; it is expressed by the ending -et.

Why is there a comma after en blyant but not before og?

In Norwegian, in a simple list:

• You put commas between items:
  en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal
• You do not normally put a comma before og in a basic list.

So the usual pattern is:

• X, Y og Z
  not X, Y, og Z

The English “Oxford comma” (comma before and) is not standard in Norwegian in simple lists.

Can I leave out the articles and just say På skrivebordet ligger blyant, viskelær og linjal?

No, that sounds ungrammatical in normal Norwegian.

In singular and countable uses, you almost always need an article:

• På skrivebordet ligger en blyant, et viskelær og en linjal.

Leaving out the article is possible in some fixed expressions, headlines, or plural/mass nouns, but not here with ordinary singular items.

How would I say the same thing with a more “neutral” word order?

You can put the objects first and the place at the end:

• En blyant, et viskelær og en linjal ligger på skrivebordet.

This is also perfectly natural Norwegian. The meaning is the same; you just change what you emphasize or start with:

• På skrivebordet ligger … – emphasizes the location first.
• En blyant, et viskelær og en linjal ligger … – emphasizes the objects first.

What are the plural forms of these nouns?

Here are the regular plural forms:

• en blyant

  • indefinite plural: blyanter (pencils)
  • definite plural: blyantene (the pencils)

• et viskelær

  • indefinite plural: viskelær (erasers) – same as singular
  • definite plural: viskelærene (the erasers)

• en linjal

  • indefinite plural: linjaler (rulers)
  • definite plural: linjalene (the rulers)

• et skrivebord

  • indefinite plural: skrivebord (desks) – same as singular
  • definite plural: skrivebordene (the desks)