Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Norsktimen starter klokken åtte. - The Norwegian lesson starts at eight o’clock.

In Norwegian, when two nouns (or an adjective + noun) belong tightly together like this, they are normally written as one word, not separated as in English. So:

en norsktime = a Norwegian lesson
norsktimen = the Norwegian lesson

Writing Norsk time or Norsk timen would be incorrect in standard Norwegian.

What does the -en at the end of Norsktimen mean?

The ending -en is the definite singular ending for most masculine nouns in Bokmål.

en time = a lesson / an hour (indefinite, singular)
timen = the lesson / the hour (definite, singular)

When you make a compound, the definite ending goes at the very end:

en norsktime = a Norwegian lesson
norsktimen = the Norwegian lesson

So Norsktimen means the Norwegian lesson / the Norwegian class, not just a Norwegian lesson.

Why is Norsktimen capitalized here? Are school subjects normally capitalized in Norwegian?

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

In Norwegian, names of languages and school subjects are not capitalized in the middle of a sentence:

Jeg liker norsktimen. = I like the Norwegian lesson.
Han har engelsktimen nå. = He has the English lesson now.

So if norsktimen appeared in the middle of a sentence, it would normally be written with a lowercase n: norsktimen.

What is the difference between starter and begynner? Could the sentence also be Norsktimen begynner klokken åtte?

Both starter and begynner can be translated as starts / begins, and in this sentence they are almost fully interchangeable:

Norsktimen starter klokken åtte.
Norsktimen begynner klokken åtte.

Both are natural.

Subtle tendencies:

starter is often used for events, processes, machines, or scheduled things (a movie, a meeting, a washing machine).
begynner is slightly more general and can also be used about abstract things (a career, a story, learning something).

For lessons and courses, both verbs are common and acceptable.

Why is the present tense starter used, when in English we might say “will start”?

Norwegian often uses the present tense for future events that are scheduled or clearly planned, especially with a time expression:

Norsktimen starter klokken åtte.
= The Norwegian class starts at eight. / The Norwegian class will start at eight.

This is similar to English sentences like:

The train leaves at six.
School starts tomorrow.

You can also use a future construction in Norwegian, but it is not necessary here:

Norsktimen skal starte klokken åtte. (more explicit future, sometimes more formal)

Why is there no separate word for at before eight? Why not something like på åtte?

The phrase klokken åtte itself corresponds to at eight o’clock.

Literally, klokken åtte means the clock eight, but idiomatically it is used like at eight or at eight o’clock. Norwegian does not add a preposition here:

Møtet starter klokken åtte.
= The meeting starts at eight.
Vi ses klokken tre.
= We’ll see each other at three.

So you do not say på åtte in this context. The time expression klokken + number already includes the idea of at.

What does klokken mean, and why does it also have -en at the end?

Klokken is the definite form of klokke:

ei/en klokke = a clock / a watch
klokken = the clock

In time expressions like klokken åtte, klokken is used idiomatically:

klokken åtte = (lit.) the clock eight → (idiom.) at eight (o’clock)

The -en here is again the definite singular ending, just like in norsktimen. So in this short sentence you actually have two definite nouns:

Norsktimen = the Norwegian lesson
klokken = the clock (in time expression klokken åtte)

I often see klokka instead of klokken. What is the difference?

Klokken and klokka are both correct Bokmål.

klokken – more formal/standard, very common in writing
klokka – more informal/colloquial, very common in speech

So you might hear and say:

Norsktimen starter klokka åtte. (very natural in everyday speech)

In writing (especially in textbooks or formal contexts), klokken is often preferred, but using klokka is also accepted Bokmål.

Can I drop klokken and just say Norsktimen starter åtte?

No, not in standard Norwegian. You generally need klokken/klokka or a similar time word before the number when you mean at [clock time].

Correct:

Norsktimen starter klokken åtte.
Norsktimen starter klokka åtte.
Norsktimen starter kl. 8. (with the abbreviation)

Without klokken/klokka/kl., åtte alone would just mean eight, and the sentence would sound incomplete or wrong to a native speaker in this context.

Can I move the time expression to the beginning, like in English: “At eight o’clock, the class starts”?

Yes. Norwegian word order is flexible for adverbials like time expressions, as long as you keep the verb in second position (the V2 rule). For example:

Klokken åtte starter norsktimen.
Klokka åtte starter norsktimen.

Here, klokken åtte comes first, so the verb starter must come second, and the subject norsktimen moves after the verb.

All of these are correct:

Norsktimen starter klokken åtte. (neutral, very common)
Klokken åtte starter norsktimen. (a bit more marked/emphatic on the time)

How do you pronounce Norsktimen and åtte?

Approximate guidance (for English speakers):

Norsktimen
- norsk:
  - nor roughly like north but without the th, and shorter
  - the rs is often pronounced like a kind of sh sound in many accents
- timen:
  - ti is like tee
  - men is close to men in English, but with a shorter, cleaner vowel
So a rough approximation: “NORSH-tee-men” (but shorter and smoother).
åtte
- å is a vowel similar to the o in more or law, but shorter
- the double tt is a clear, short t
- final e is a short uh sound
Roughly: “OHT-teh”.

This is only an approximation; listening to native audio is the best way to get the sounds right.

Can I write 8 instead of åtte? For example, Norsktimen starter klokken 8.

Yes. In everyday writing it is very common to use digits for clock times.

You will often see:

Norsktimen starter klokken 8.
Norsktimen starter kl. 8. (with kl. as an abbreviation of klokken)

Spelling it out (åtte) is more typical in continuous prose or beginner textbooks, but both versions are correct and natural.

Is there a different version of this sentence in Nynorsk?

Yes, in Nynorsk (the other written standard of Norwegian), the sentence would most naturally be:

Norsktimen startar klokka åtte.

Key differences:

starter (Bokmål) → startar (Nynorsk present tense)
klokken (formal Bokmål) → klokka (standard in Nynorsk)

The structure and meaning stay the same.