Statsministeren snakker i dag.

Because -en is the definite article attached to the noun.

• statsminister = prime minister
• statsministeren = the prime minister

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like the in English.

So:

• en statsminister = a prime minister
• statsministeren = the prime minister

Snakker is the present tense of å snakke = to speak / to talk.

One very important difference from English is that Norwegian verbs usually do not change depending on the subject.

So you get:

• jeg snakker = I speak / I am speaking
• du snakker = you speak / you are speaking
• han snakker = he speaks / he is speaking
• de snakker = they speak / they are speaking

Unlike English, there is no speaks vs speak difference in the present tense.

It can mean both, depending on context.

In Norwegian, the simple present often covers both:

• speaks / talks
• is speaking / is talking

So Statsministeren snakker i dag could mean:

• The prime minister speaks today
• The prime minister is speaking today

Usually the situation tells you which one sounds most natural in English.

Because i dag is a fixed expression meaning today.

Literally:

• i = in
• dag = day

But together, i dag means today.

This is a very common expression, and it is normally written as two words in Norwegian:

• i dag

Because Norwegian does not need an extra verb here in the same way English often does.

In English, we often say:

• The prime minister is speaking today

Norwegian usually just uses the present tense verb:

• Statsministeren snakker i dag

So the idea of is speaking is often expressed simply by snakker.

Yes. Å snakke can often mean both to speak and to talk.

Examples:

• Han snakker norsk. = He speaks Norwegian.
• De snakker sammen. = They are talking together.

In your sentence, snakker could be understood as either speaks or is speaking / is giving remarks, depending on context.

Yes, in this sentence the word order is straightforward and similar to English:

• Statsministeren = subject
• snakker = verb
• i dag = time expression

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + time expression

This is a normal Norwegian sentence pattern.

Yes, absolutely.

That version means the same thing, but the emphasis is slightly different:

• Statsministeren snakker i dag. = neutral statement
• I dag snakker statsministeren. = puts more focus on today

This is a good example of Norwegian V2 word order: when you move i dag to the front, the verb still stays in the second position:

• I dag
  • snakker
    • statsministeren

Not:

• I dag statsministeren snakker ❌

Many English speakers find this word long, but it becomes easier if you break it into parts:

• stats
• minister
• -en

So you can think of it as:

stats + minister + en

A useful strategy is to say it slowly first, then speed up:

• stats-minister-en

You do not need to pronounce every letter with full English-style force. In natural speech, long compound words often flow together smoothly.

Because the definiteness is already built into the noun itself.

In English:

• the prime minister

In Norwegian:

• statsministeren

So you do not say:

• den statsministeren here, unless you mean something like that prime minister or you are using a special structure.

For a basic sentence like this, statsministeren by itself already means the prime minister.

Yes. Norwegian very often joins related words together into one compound noun.

Here:

• stat = state
• minister = minister
• together: statsminister = prime minister

Then the definite ending is added:

• statsminister = prime minister
• statsministeren = the prime minister

This is very common in Norwegian, so getting used to long compound words is important.