Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Møtet starter akkurat klokken åtte. - The meeting starts exactly at eight o'clock.

The basic noun is et møte = a meeting.
Møte is a neuter noun; its definite singular ending is -et.
So:
- et møte = a meeting (indefinite, singular)
- møtet = the meeting (definite, singular)

In this sentence we are talking about a specific meeting that the speaker and listener already know about, so Norwegian uses the definite form møtet.

Why is starter in the present tense if it’s talking about the future?

Norwegian very often uses the present tense for scheduled future events, especially with times:

Møtet starter akkurat klokken åtte.
= The meeting starts at eight o’clock (future).

This is normal and sounds completely natural. You can also use a future construction:

Møtet skal starte klokken åtte.
Møtet kommer til å starte klokken åtte.

But for timetabled or planned events, the simple present (starter) is the most common and natural.

What is the difference between starter and begynner?

Both starter and begynner can mean “starts/begins”, and in this sentence you could say:

Møtet starter klokken åtte.
Møtet begynner klokken åtte.

The difference is small:

starte is slightly more neutral and often used for technical things, processes, events:
Filmen starter, motoren starter, møtet starter.
begynne can feel a bit more about the initial moment of starting, and is also very common:
Kurset begynner, dagen begynner, han begynner å lese.

In most everyday contexts like a meeting or a movie, both verbs are fine and almost interchangeable.

What does akkurat add to the meaning? Can I leave it out?

Akkurat here means exactly / right / precisely.

Møtet starter klokken åtte.
= The meeting starts at eight o’clock.
Møtet starter akkurat klokken åtte.
= The meeting starts exactly at eight o’clock (not 8:05, not “around” eight).

You can definitely leave it out; the sentence is still correct.
Including akkurat emphasizes punctuality.

Common synonyms in this context:

presis / presis klokken åtte
på slaget åtte (literally “on the stroke of eight”, a bit more idiomatic)

Why is it klokken and not klokka or klokke?

The base noun is en klokke = a clock. The definite forms are:

klokken – standard written Bokmål (more formal/neutral)
klokka – also correct Bokmål, more colloquial and common in speech

In time expressions, the definite form is used:

klokken åtte / klokka åtte = (at) eight o’clock

You would not say *klokke åtte in this meaning. So:

Møtet starter klokken åtte. – neutral/formal
Møtet starter klokka åtte. – more colloquial, very common in speech

Both are grammatically correct Bokmål.

Why is there no word like “at” before klokken åtte?

In Norwegian, the time expression with klokken/klokka + time itself functions as an adverbial meaning “at X o’clock”. You don’t add an extra preposition:

Møtet starter klokken åtte.
literally: The meeting starts clock-the eight.

You do not say:

*Møtet starter på klokken åtte.
*Møtet starter ved klokken åtte.

So klokken åtte already means “at eight o’clock”; no extra word is needed.

Can I change the word order, like Akkurat klokken åtte starter møtet?

Yes. Norwegian word order is fairly flexible as long as the V2 rule is respected (the finite verb is in the second position in main clauses).

Your original sentence:

Møtet (1) starter (2) akkurat klokken åtte.

Alternative, moving the time to the front:

Akkurat klokken åtte (1) starter (2) møtet.

Both are correct and natural, just with a slightly different emphasis:

Møtet starter akkurat klokken åtte.
→ Focus more on what (the meeting) and when it starts.
Akkurat klokken åtte starter møtet.
→ Stronger focus on the exact time.

What you cannot do is put the verb anywhere but in that “second slot”:

*Møtet akkurat starter klokken åtte. (wrong)

Does klokken åtte mean 8 in the morning or 8 in the evening?

By itself, klokken åtte is ambiguous, just like “at eight o’clock” in English.

To specify, Norwegian usually adds a time-of-day phrase:

klokken åtte om morgenen – 8 in the morning
klokken åtte om kvelden – 8 in the evening
klokken åtte om natten – 8 at night (usually very late, 03–05 is om natten)
klokken åtte om ettermiddagen – 8 in the afternoon (less common; in practice, people often just say om kvelden for 20:00)

So if you need to be clear, you can say for example:

Møtet starter klokken åtte om morgenen.

Is there any difference between writing 08.00 and åtte in a sentence like this?

Yes, both are possible, with a slight stylistic difference:

Møtet starter klokken åtte. – more “text-like”, typical in prose.
Møtet starter kl. 08.00. – more “schedule-like”, typical in timetables, invitations, programs.

Notes:

kl. is a common abbreviation of klokken/klokka.
In Norwegian, time is often written with a dot: 08.00, though 08:00 also appears.
In running text, using words (åtte) is often preferred, but numbers are very common in practical contexts.

All of these are acceptable:

Møtet starter klokken åtte.
Møtet starter kl. åtte.
Møtet starter kl. 08.00.

What is the full set of forms for møte (møtet, møter, møtene)?

The noun møte (neuter) is declined like this in Bokmål:

Singular
- Indefinite: et møte – a meeting
- Definite: møtet – the meeting
Plural
- Indefinite: møter – meetings
- Definite: møtene – the meetings

Examples:

Vi har et møte i dag. – We have a meeting today.
Møtet starter klokken åtte. – The meeting starts at eight o’clock.
Vi har mange møter denne uken. – We have many meetings this week.
Alle møtene varer en time. – All the meetings last one hour.

How do you pronounce Møtet starter akkurat klokken åtte?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA (standard Eastern Norwegian):

Møtet → [ˈmøːtɛ] (the final -t is often very weak or almost silent)
starter → [ˈstɑːʈər]
akkurat → [ɑkʊˈrɑːt] (colloquially often [ˈɑkʊɾɑt])
klokken → [ˈklɔkːən]
åtte → [ˈɔtːə]

Whole sentence (one natural version):
[ˈmøːtɛ ˈstɑːʈər ɑkʊˈrɑːt ˈklɔkːən ˈɔtːə]

Key sounds for English speakers:

ø in møtet is like the vowel in French peu or German schön.
å in åtte is like the vowel in British English “hot”, but rounded and a bit shorter.
Stress is mainly on MØ-, STAR-, AK- (or -RU- depending on dialect), KLO-, ÅT-.

Could we leave out akkurat and say just Møtet starter klokken åtte? Is there a nuance difference?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

Møtet starter klokken åtte.

This is the default, neutral way to state the time.

Adding akkurat gives a nuance of strict punctuality:

Møtet starter klokken åtte.
→ It is scheduled for eight.
Møtet starter akkurat klokken åtte.
→ It will start exactly at eight, not late (and probably not early either).

So akkurat is optional and adds emphasis on precision rather than changing the basic meaning.