Spruttrekket åpnes etter velten.

Because Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as a single word.

Here, spruttrekk is made from:

• sprut = spray, splash
• trekk = cover

So spruttrekk is a kind of spray cover / spraydeck / spray skirt.

This is very normal in Norwegian. Where English often uses two words, Norwegian often prefers one compound word.

The ending -et shows that the noun is:

• singular
• definite
• neuter

The base noun is et spruttrekk = a spraydeck / a spray skirt.

So:

• et spruttrekk = a spraydeck
• spruttrekket = the spraydeck

That final ending does the job that the does in English.

Because Norwegian usually adds definiteness to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

So:

• spruttrekket = the spraydeck
• velten = the capsize / the tip-over

This is one of the biggest differences from English. English says the before the noun; Norwegian often puts the definite marker on the noun itself.

Åpnes is an -s passive form.

Compare:

• åpner = opens / is opening
• åpnes = is opened / opens

In this sentence, åpnes most naturally means is opened.

Norwegian often uses this -s form in:

• instructions
• manuals
• technical descriptions
• formal statements

So Spruttrekket åpnes etter velten has the feel of a procedural instruction: The spraydeck is opened after the capsize.

Yes. It is present tense.

That can feel strange to an English speaker, because English uses a passive structure with is + past participle. Norwegian expresses the same idea more compactly here with åpnes.

So grammatically:

• Norwegian: present tense passive form
• English: present passive

This is very common in Norwegian instructional language.

Velten is the definite singular form of velt, which means something like a tip-over, fall, or capsize depending on context.

So:

• en velt = a capsize / a tip-over
• velten = the capsize / the tip-over

In this sentence, it refers to a specific event, so the definite form is natural.

Also, after etter, Norwegian does not need a separate article. The definiteness is already built into velten.

Potentially, yes. The -s form can sometimes be understood in a more general or middle-voice way.

So depending on context, åpnes can sometimes mean:

• is opened
• opens

But in this sentence, especially because it sounds like a safety or procedure instruction, is opened is the most natural interpretation.

A native speaker would rely on context to decide which reading is intended.

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct:

• Spruttrekket åpnes etter velten
• Etter velten åpnes spruttrekket

The difference is mainly emphasis.

If the sentence starts with Etter velten, Norwegian still keeps the verb in the second position. That is why it becomes:

• Etter velten åpnes spruttrekket

and not something like Etter velten spruttrekket åpnes.

This is a very important Norwegian word-order rule called V2: the finite verb usually comes second.

Yes, you could say:

Spruttrekket blir åpnet etter velten.

That also means The spraydeck is opened after the capsize.

The difference is mostly style:

• åpnes = shorter, more formal, common in instructions and technical language
• blir åpnet = more explicit passive, often a little more conversational or descriptive

Both are grammatical, but åpnes fits very well in a procedural sentence like this.