Startknappen starter tidsnedtellingen.

Because Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as one word.

So Startknappen is made from:

• start = start
• knapp = button
• -en = the (definite ending)

Together, startknappen means the start button.

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

The -en is the definite ending, which often corresponds to English the.

So:

• en knapp = a button
• knappen = the button

And in the compound:

• en startknapp = a start button
• startknappen = the start button

Norwegian usually adds definiteness to the end of the noun, not as a separate word in front like English does.

Yes. starter is the present tense of the verb å starte = to start.

So:

• å starte = to start
• starter = starts / is starting

In this sentence:

• Startknappen = the start button
• starter = starts
• tidsnedtellingen = the countdown

So the structure is:

The start button starts the countdown.

Because they come from the same basic word, but they play different roles here.

• In Startknappen, start is part of a noun compound: start button
• starter is a verb: starts

So even though they look related, they are doing different jobs in the sentence.

This is similar to English in a sentence like:

The start button starts the countdown.

English also repeats start as both part of a noun and as a verb.

It literally breaks down into parts like this:

• tid = time
• nedtelling = countdown
• -en = the

So tidsnedtellingen means the countdown or more literally something like the time-countdown.

In natural English, you would normally just say the countdown.

That -s- is a linking sound/letter often used in Norwegian compounds.

So:

• tid
  • nedtelling
• becomes tidsnedtelling

This -s- does not usually have a meaning by itself. It just helps form the compound in a way that sounds natural in Norwegian.

You will see this in many Norwegian compound words, but it is not always predictable, so it often has to be learned word by word.

Because -en makes it definite, meaning the countdown rather than a countdown.

Compare:

• en tidsnedtelling = a countdown
• tidsnedtellingen = the countdown

In this sentence, the speaker is referring to a specific countdown, so the definite form makes sense.

Yes. This is a very normal Norwegian subject–verb–object sentence:

• Startknappen = subject
• starter = verb
• tidsnedtellingen = object

So the pattern is:

The start button + starts + the countdown

That is completely standard.

No. In Norwegian, verbs usually do not change for person or number in the present tense.

So you get:

• jeg starter = I start
• du starter = you start
• han starter = he starts
• vi starter = we start

The form starter stays the same.

This is easier than English, where you have to say starts with he/she/it.

No. Norwegian common nouns are not normally capitalized like German nouns are.

It is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence.

If it appeared in the middle of a sentence, it would normally be written:

startknappen

A rough guide for an English speaker is:

START-knap-en STAR-ter TEEDS-ned-tell-ing-en

A few helpful notes:

• r in Norwegian is usually clearly pronounced
• knapp has a short vowel and a strong final pp
• tid sounds roughly like teed
• -en at the end of nouns is a very common definite ending

Pronunciation varies a bit by dialect, but this rough version will help you recognize the words.

More or less, yes:

• Startknappen = the start button
• starter = starts
• tidsnedtellingen = the countdown

So a very close translation is:

The start button starts the countdown.

That is both literal and natural English, which makes this sentence a nice beginner example.