Klokkereimen lukkes med spennen.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

• klokkereim = watch strap
• klokkereimen = the watch strap

So the ending -en is doing the job that the does in English.

Also, klokkereimen is a compound noun:

• klokke = clock / watch
• reim = strap

Together: klokkereim = watch strap

Because Norwegian, like German, very often forms compound nouns by writing them as a single word.

So:

• klokke
  • reim → klokkereim

This is completely normal in Norwegian. English often uses two words where Norwegian uses one:

• watch strap → klokkereim
• car door → bildør
• school bus → skolebuss

Then the definite ending is added to the whole compound:

• klokkereim → klokkereimen

Lukkes is a passive form, built with -s.

• lukker = closes / is closing (active)
• lukkes = is closed / closes (passive-style meaning)

In this sentence, lukkes means something like:

• is closed with the buckle
• fastens using the buckle

The focus is on how the strap is closed, not on a person doing the action.

This -s passive is very common in Norwegian, especially in instructions, product descriptions, and general statements.

They are often very similar in meaning.

• Klokkereimen lukkes med spennen.
• Klokkereimen blir lukket med spennen.

Both can mean The watch strap is closed with the buckle.

But there is a slight difference in style:

• lukkes is often shorter, more neutral, and common in descriptions or technical language
• blir lukket can sound a bit more explicit or process-focused

In a sentence like this, lukkes is very natural.

Because med here means with / using, and it shows the instrument used to close the strap.

• med spennen = with the buckle / using the buckle

If you used av, that would usually mark the agent in a passive sentence, more like by in English:

• lukket av noen = closed by someone

So av spennen would suggest that the buckle is acting like the doer of the action, which is not the normal idea here. The buckle is the means or tool, so med is the natural choice.

Spennen is the definite form of spenne.

• en spenne = a buckle / clasp
• spennen = the buckle / clasp

Here it refers to the specific buckle on the watch strap.

So both nouns in the sentence are definite:

• klokkereimen = the watch strap
• spennen = the buckle

Because the sentence is talking about a specific strap and its specific buckle, not just any strap and any buckle.

That is very natural in Norwegian when describing the parts of an object:

• Klokkereimen = the strap of this watch
• spennen = the buckle belonging to that strap

English sometimes does the same, but Norwegian uses definite forms very naturally in this kind of general description.

It sounds natural, but it does have a slightly descriptive or instructional tone.

You might see this kind of wording in:

• product descriptions
• manuals
• webshop text
• technical explanations

In everyday conversation, people might also say something more direct, such as:

• Klokkereimen lukkes med en spenne.
• Man lukker klokkereimen med spennen.

But the original sentence is perfectly normal.

The basic order is:

Klokkereimen + lukkes + med spennen

That is:

• subject: Klokkereimen
• verb: lukkes
• prepositional phrase: med spennen

So it follows a normal Norwegian main-clause pattern, with the finite verb in second position.

Yes, depending on context, that can be a good natural English translation.

A very literal translation is:

• The watch strap is closed with the buckle.

But in smoother English, especially when talking about how a strap works, you might also say:

• The watch strap fastens with the buckle.
• The watch strap is fastened with the buckle.

So the exact English wording can vary, even though the Norwegian sentence stays the same.

No, reim is not the only possibility.

For watch straps, Norwegian may use words like:

• reim
• rem

Both are used, depending on spelling preference and usage. So you may also come across forms like:

• klokkerem
• klokkeremmen

But klokkereim / klokkereimen is also correct and natural.

You would remove the definite endings and use indefinite articles:

• En klokkereim lukkes med en spenne.

Compare:

• Klokkereimen lukkes med spennen. = The watch strap is closed with the buckle.
• En klokkereim lukkes med en spenne. = A watch strap is closed with a buckle.

So the main difference is:

• definite: -en
• indefinite: en before the noun

The main stress is usually on the first part of the compound, which is typical in Norwegian compounds.

So roughly:

• KLOK-ke-rei-men

And the important thing to remember is that it is pronounced as one compound word, not as separate words.

Even if pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, the compound stress pattern is the key thing learners should notice.