Keramikkverkstedet åpner i dag.

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

Here:

• keramikk = ceramics / pottery
• verksted = workshop
• keramikkverksted = ceramics workshop / pottery workshop

Then -et is added to make it definite:

• keramikkverksted = a pottery workshop
• keramikkverkstedet = the pottery workshop

So English often uses several words where Norwegian prefers one combined noun.

-et is the definite article ending for many neuter nouns in Norwegian.

So instead of putting a separate word like the in front, Norwegian often adds the definiteness to the end of the noun:

• et verksted = a workshop
• verkstedet = the workshop

Since keramikkverksted is built around verksted, it also takes the neuter definite ending:

• keramikkverkstedet = the pottery workshop

Because verksted is a neuter noun in Norwegian. Neuter nouns usually take:

• et in the indefinite singular
• -et in the definite singular

So:

• et verksted = a workshop
• verkstedet = the workshop

This grammatical gender has to be learned with the noun. It does not always match any logical real-world category.

Åpner is the present tense of å åpne = to open.

So:

• å åpne = to open
• åpner = opens / is opening

In this sentence, it means that the pottery workshop opens today.

In Norwegian, verbs are much simpler than in English in this way. The present tense form is the same for all subjects.

For example:

• jeg åpner = I open / I am opening
• du åpner = you open
• han åpner = he opens
• vi åpner = we open

So åpner stays the same no matter who is doing the action.

Because Norwegian often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• opens or
• is opening

So åpner can cover both ideas, depending on context.

Keramikkverkstedet åpner i dag can mean:

• the pottery workshop opens today
• the pottery workshop is opening today

Norwegian does have ways to express ongoing action, but very often the simple present is enough.

I dag is a time expression meaning today.

It is made of:

• i = in
• dag = day

But as a fixed expression, i dag simply means today.

It often tells when something happens:

• Jeg jobber i dag = I’m working today
• Butikken åpner i dag = the shop opens today

Yes, it can go in other positions.

The sentence Keramikkverkstedet åpner i dag is a perfectly normal word order:

• subject + verb + time expression

But Norwegian also allows the time expression first:

• I dag åpner keramikkverkstedet

That word order is also very common. When something other than the subject comes first in a main clause, Norwegian usually keeps the verb in second position. This is called the V2 rule.

So:

• Keramikkverkstedet åpner i dag
• I dag åpner keramikkverkstedet

Both are correct.

The letter å is a separate letter in Norwegian, not just an a with a mark on it.

In åpner, it is pronounced roughly like the vowel in English more or aw, though not exactly the same in every dialect.

A few useful points:

• å is always a vowel
• it is common in Norwegian
• it also appears in the infinitive marker å = to, as in å åpne = to open

So in åpner, the first letter is the vowel å, part of the verb itself.

By itself, the sentence most naturally means that the pottery workshop opens today, but the exact nuance depends on context.

It could mean:

• it opens for business today for the first time
• it opens today after being closed
• it opens today as part of a schedule

The sentence itself does not force only one interpretation. Context would tell you which one is meant.

Yes, if the context already makes it clear which workshop you mean.

• verkstedet = the workshop
• keramikkverkstedet = the pottery workshop

Using the longer compound noun is more specific. Using the shorter noun is more general. Norwegian often uses compounds to be precise in a compact way.

The basic form you would look up is usually the indefinite singular:

• verksted = workshop
• keramikkverksted = pottery workshop

Then the full forms are:

• et keramikkverksted = a pottery workshop
• keramikkverkstedet = the pottery workshop

So if you were checking a dictionary, you would normally search for verksted or keramikkverksted, not keramikkverkstedet.