Forsinkelsesårsaken forklarer ventetiden.

Because Norwegian very often forms compound nouns by joining words together.

Forsinkelsesårsaken can be broken down like this:

• forsinkelse = delay
• årsak = cause
• -en = the definite ending

So the structure is basically:

• forsinkelsesårsak = cause of delay / delay cause
• forsinkelsesårsaken = the cause of the delay

In English, we usually separate this idea into several words, but Norwegian often prefers one compound noun.

That -s- is a linking element used in many Norwegian compounds.

Here:

• forsinkelse
  • årsak
    becomes
• forsinkelsesårsak

This -s- does not mean possession in the same way as English 's. It is mainly a connector that helps the compound sound natural.

You will see this a lot in Norwegian compounds, for example in words where the first part ends in a noun and an -s- is inserted before the next part.

The ending -en marks the noun as definite.

• en årsak = a cause
• årsaken = the cause

Since Forsinkelsesårsaken is built on årsak, the final -en makes the whole compound definite:

• forsinkelsesårsak = a delay cause / cause of delay
• forsinkelsesårsaken = the cause of the delay

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

For the same reason: it is a compound noun.

It consists of:

• ventetid = waiting time
• -en = the definite ending

So:

• ventetid = waiting time
• ventetiden = the waiting time

The first part comes from the verb å vente = to wait, and together the compound means the period of time spent waiting.

Because Norwegian usually expresses definiteness by adding an ending to the noun.

Here you have:

• Forsinkelsesårsaken = the cause of the delay
• ventetiden = the waiting time

So English uses a separate word, but Norwegian often uses a suffix instead.

That is why you do not see a separate the before these nouns.

Forklarer is the present tense of å forklare = to explain.

Examples:

• jeg forklarer = I explain / I am explaining
• du forklarer = you explain
• han forklarer = he explains

Norwegian present tense is quite simple because the verb form does not change for different persons.

So in the sentence:

• Forsinkelsesårsaken forklarer ventetiden

the verb means explains.

In a normal Norwegian main clause, the usual word order is:

• subject + verb + object

So here:

• Forsinkelsesårsaken = subject
• forklarer = verb
• ventetiden = object

That means the cause of the delay is doing the explaining, and the waiting time is what is being explained.

Word order is very important in Norwegian for understanding who does what.

Yes, but if you move something to the front in a main clause, Norwegian normally uses verb-second word order.

For example, if you front the object, you would get:

• Ventetiden forklarer forsinkelsesårsaken.

But that actually changes the meaning, because now ventetiden becomes the subject.

If you want to front an element for style or emphasis, you must still keep the finite verb in second position. Norwegian is stricter about this than English in many cases.

This sentence is perfectly normal Bokmål.

The forms forklarer, forsinkelse, årsak, and ventetiden all fit standard Bokmål well.

Some words might also exist in Nynorsk, but as written, this looks most naturally like Bokmål to a learner.

A learner-friendly breakdown would be something like:

• for-SINK-el-ses-OR-sah-ken

A few useful points:

• å in årsak is a vowel somewhat like the vowel in British law or more, though not exactly the same.
• The stress is usually strongest on sink in forsinkelse and on år in the second part.
• Norwegian compounds are pronounced as one word, not as separate words.

The exact pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but that breakdown is a helpful start.

Often yes, depending on context.

• årsaken = the cause / the reason
• grunnen = the reason

So something like Forsinkelsesgrunnen would be understandable as a compound, but it is less natural than using more common phrasing such as:

• årsaken til forsinkelsen = the cause of the delay
• grunnen til forsinkelsen = the reason for the delay

Norwegian allows many compounds, but not every possible compound sounds equally natural. A learner should know that a grammatically possible form is not always the most idiomatic one.