Norsktimen starter klokken åtte.

to start

Breakdown of Norsktimen starter klokken åtte.

• klokken: the clock
• åtte: eight
• norsktimen: the Norwegian lesson

Questions & Answers about Norsktimen starter klokken åtte.

Why is Norsktimen written as one word and not Norsk timen or norsk time?

Norwegian loves compound words. Norsktimen is a compound of:

• norsk = Norwegian
• time = lesson / class / hour
• -en = the (definite singular ending)

So norsktimen literally is the Norwegian lesson/class.

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.