Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.

The social studies class starts at nine o'clock.

Breakdown of Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.

• starte: to start
• klokken: the clock
• ni: nine
• samfunnsfagtimen: the social studies class

Questions & Answers about Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.

What does the long word Samfunnsfagtimen literally mean, and how is it built up?

Samfunnsfagtimen literally means “the social studies lesson/class (period)”.

It’s a compound made of several parts:

• samfunn = society
• • a linking s
• fag = subject (school subject, academic field)
  → samfunnsfag = social studies (school subject)
• time = hour / lesson / class period
  → samfunnsfagtime = a social studies lesson
• -en = the (definite article, masculine)
  → samfunnsfagtimen = the social studies lesson / class

So the whole sentence is: “The social studies class starts at nine o’clock.”

Why is Samfunnsfagtimen written as one long word instead of several separate words?

Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as one word, not as separate words like English does.

• English: social studies class
• Norwegian: samfunnsfagtimen

Other examples:

• ice cream → iskrem
• bus driver → bussjåfør
• English lesson → engelsktime(n)

If you split samfunnsfagtimen into spaces (samfunns fag timen), it looks wrong or changes the meaning. You might occasionally see a hyphen to make long words easier to read (e.g. samfunnsfag-timen), but as one word is the normal spelling.

Why does Samfunnsfagtimen end in -en?

The -en at the end is the definite article (“the”) attached as a suffix.

• en time = a lesson / an hour
• timen = the lesson / the hour

In a compound, the definite ending is added to the whole compound:

• en samfunnsfagtime = a social studies lesson
• samfunnsfagtimen = the social studies lesson

This matches English “the social studies class”.
Without -en, it would be more like “A social studies class starts at nine.” (very generic).

Where does the s in samfunns‑ (in samfunnsfag) come from?

The s in samfunnsfag is a common linking consonant in Norwegian compounds.

• samfunn = society
• fag = subject
• combined → samfunnsfag

The s doesn’t mean anything by itself; it just makes the compound sound natural. English sometimes does something similar with 's (e.g. women’s studies), but in Norwegian this s is just part of the standard compound spelling, not a separate word or ending you would translate.

Can you use begynner instead of starter here? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can. Both are correct:

• Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.
• Samfunnsfagtimen begynner klokken ni.

They both mean “The social studies class starts/begins at nine.”

Nuance:

• begynne = to begin; very common and neutral for events starting.
• starte = to start; also common, slightly more technical in some contexts (machines, processes), but often used for events too.

In everyday school context, timen begynner klokken ni is probably the most typical, but starter doesn’t sound wrong.

Why is the present tense starter used, if this is about a future event?

Norwegian often uses the present tense for scheduled or planned future events, especially timetables and routines.

• Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.
  = “The social studies class starts at nine (o’clock).” (future schedule)

Other examples:

• Bussen går klokken åtte i morgen.
  “The bus leaves at eight tomorrow.”
• Filmen begynner klokken sju.
  “The movie starts at seven.”

You can also say skal starte (“will start”), but for fixed times and schedules, plain present tense is very natural.

What does klokken mean here, and why is it in the definite form?

Klokken literally means “the clock”, but in time expressions it functions like “o’clock / at … o’clock”.

• klokken ni = literally “the clock nine” → idiomatically “at nine o’clock / nine sharp”
• Klokken er ni. = “It is nine o’clock.”

It’s definite (klokken, not bare klokke) because Norwegian normally uses the definite form when telling the time:

• klokken tre = three o’clock
• klokken halv fire = half past three
• klokken fem på tolv = five to twelve

Can you say klokka ni instead of klokken ni? Are both correct?

Yes, both klokken ni and klokka ni are correct in Bokmål.

The noun klokke can be treated as:

• masculine:
  
  • en klokke – klokken
  • used often in slightly more formal or written language
• feminine:
  
  • ei klokke – klokka
  • very common in everyday spoken language

So:

• Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni. (more neutral/formal)
• Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokka ni. (more informal/spoken)

They mean exactly the same thing.

Do you need a preposition like på or om before klokken ni?

No. You don’t add a preposition in this kind of time expression.

You say:

• Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.
  (NOT starter på klokken ni or starter om klokken ni)

The whole phrase klokken ni functions as a time adverbial (“at nine o’clock”) by itself.

If you want more vague times, you might use other expressions:

• ved ni‑tiden = around nine o’clock
• om morgenen = in the morning

But for an exact clock time, no preposition is used with klokken ….

Can you drop klokken and just say Samfunnsfagtimen starter ni?

In standard written Norwegian, you should keep klokken/klokka:

• Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.

If you say Samfunnsfagtimen starter ni, it tends to sound:

• very colloquial, and
• a bit influenced by English (“starts at nine”).

Some speakers might say this in fast, informal speech, but for a learner, it’s better (and more natural) to always include klokken/klokka in writing and in careful speech.

Can you change the word order, for example Klokken ni starter samfunnsfagtimen?

Yes, that word order is correct:

• Klokken ni starter samfunnsfagtimen.

This puts extra emphasis on the time, but the meaning is the same.

It still follows the basic Norwegian verb‑second (V2) rule:

1. First element: Klokken ni (a time expression)
2. Second element: starter (the finite verb)
3. Then: samfunnsfagtimen (the subject)

What you cannot do is something like:

• Klokken ni samfunnsfagtimen starter ✗ (breaks the V2 rule)

So both of these are fine:

• Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni.
• Klokken ni starter samfunnsfagtimen.

Is Samfunnsfagtimen the name of a subject like “Social Studies”? Should it usually be capitalized?

In Norwegian, school subjects are normally not capitalized in running text.

• samfunnsfag = social studies (subject name, usually lower‑case)
• norsk = Norwegian
• engelsk = English
• matematikk = mathematics

In the sentence Samfunnsfagtimen starter klokken ni., the word is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence.

If it appeared mid‑sentence, you would usually write:

• Vi har samfunnsfagtimen etter friminuttet.
  “We have the social studies lesson after recess.”

Does time in Norwegian mean the same as English “time”, or does it specifically mean “lesson / hour” here?

Norwegian time overlaps with English “time”, but in this context it specifically means “hour / lesson / class period”.

Common meanings of time:

• an hour of the clock
  
  • Det tar en time. = “It takes an hour.”
• a lesson / class period
  
  • Vi har tre timer i dag. = “We have three lessons/classes today.”

So in samfunnsfagtimen, it clearly refers to the class period, not “time” in the abstract sense.