Maten står på bordet och blir kall.

Because maten means the food, while mat means just food in a general sense.

• mat = food
• maten = the food

In this sentence, we are talking about specific food that is already known from the context, so Swedish uses the definite form maten.

For the same reason: bordet means the table, while bord means a table or table in a general sense.

• bord = table
• bordet = the table

Swedish often adds the definite article as an ending on the noun, instead of using a separate word like the in English.

This is a very common question. Swedish often uses position verbs where English simply uses is.

Here, står literally means stands, but in natural English the sentence is usually translated as:

• The food is on the table and is getting cold.

Swedish frequently chooses among:

• stå = stand
• sitta = sit
• ligga = lie

These are used for the physical position of things. With food, containers, plates, cups, and similar objects placed upright on a surface, Swedish often uses stå.

So Maten står på bordet is idiomatic Swedish, even though English would usually just say The food is on the table.

Yes, you sometimes can, but it is less specific.

• Maten är på bordet = The food is on the table
• Maten står på bordet = The food is standing/sitting there on the table, with a more physical sense of placement

Using står sounds more natural in many everyday contexts because Swedish likes these position verbs. Using är is grammatically possible, but often less idiomatic.

Because blir means becomes or gets, so it shows a change.

• är kall = is cold
• blir kall = is getting cold / becomes cold

So the sentence means the food is not just cold already; it is in the process of becoming cold.

Because kall agrees with maten, and mat is a common gender noun in Swedish.

In predicative position after verbs like är or blir, adjectives usually agree like this:

• common gender singular: kall
• neuter singular: kallt
• plural: kalla

So:

• Maten blir kall = The food gets cold
• Huset blir kallt = The house gets cold
• Rätterna blir kalla = The dishes get cold

Because Swedish, like English, usually does not repeat the subject when the same subject continues with another verb.

So:

• Maten står på bordet och blir kall.

means:

• The food is on the table and is getting cold.

Repeating maten would be grammatically possible, but it would sound unnecessarily repetitive in normal speech.

Both are possible, but and is getting cold is usually the most natural English translation.

• blir kall literally: becomes cold
• natural English in this situation: is getting cold

So a very natural full translation is:

• The food is on the table and is getting cold.

Both are in the present tense.

• står = stands / is standing
• blir = becomes / is getting

Swedish present tense verbs do not change according to person:

• jag står
• du står
• han/hon står
• vi står

The same is true for blir.

The basic structure is:

• Maten = subject
• står = verb
• på bordet = adverbial phrase of place
• och blir kall = coordinated verb phrase

So the pattern is roughly:

Subject + verb + place + and + verb + adjective

This is normal Swedish main-clause word order.

Very often, yes. It can give the sense that the food is sitting there on the table, perhaps waiting to be eaten, and meanwhile it is getting cold.

So the full sentence may carry a mild implication like:

• The food is sitting on the table and getting cold.

That is why it is such a natural sentence in everyday Swedish.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

• Maten ≈ MAH-ten
• står ≈ stor but with a rounded vowel
• på ≈ poh
• bordet ≈ BOOR-det
• och ≈ often like å in everyday speech
• blir ≈ bleer
• kall ≈ kahl

A rough full version might be:

MAH-ten stor poh BOOR-det å bleer kahl

The exact vowels are different from English, but this should get you close enough to be understood.