Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner. - We like the moment before the meeting starts.

In this sentence, Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner, the idea is that we enjoy / appreciate that period of time. Using elsker would sound exaggerated and a bit odd, as if you have a deep romantic love for “the moment before the meeting starts”.

So liker is the natural verb for liking/enjoying situations, activities, times of day, food, music, etc.

Why is it stunden (definite form) and not just stund?

Norwegian usually uses the definite form when you talk about a specific thing that both speaker and listener can identify.

stund = (a) moment / period of time (indefinite)
stunden = the moment / the period of time (definite)

In this sentence you are talking about a specific moment: the moment before a particular meeting begins. That’s why you say:

Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner.
= We like the moment before the meeting starts.

If you said Vi liker en stund før møtet begynner, it would be more like “We like to have a bit of time before the meeting starts”, which slightly changes the meaning.

What gender is stund, and how does that affect its forms?

Stund is originally a feminine noun.

Indefinite singular: ei stund (or en stund in common Bokmål)
Definite singular (feminine form): stunda
Definite singular (masculine-style form): stunden

In Bokmål, many feminine nouns can optionally be treated as masculine. So you will often see:

en stund – stunden

That’s what happens in your sentence: stunden is the (masculine-style) definite form of stund. Both stunda and stunden are grammatically correct in Bokmål; stunden is more common in standard written Bokmål.

Why is it før møtet begynner and not før begynner møtet?

Norwegian subordinate clauses (clauses introduced by words like før, at, fordi, når) do not use the usual verb-second (V2) word order.

Basic pattern:

Subjunction – subject – verb – rest

So you get:

før møtet begynner
før (subjunction) + møtet (subject) + begynner (verb)

Using før begynner møtet would incorrectly put the verb before the subject inside the subordinate clause, which is not allowed there. That V2 word order belongs in main clauses, not in clauses introduced by før.

Why is it møtet (the meeting) and not just møte?

Same reason as with stunden: you are talking about a specific, known meeting, not meetings in general.

et møte = a meeting
møtet = the meeting (that we already know about or have just mentioned)

So:

Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner.
= We like the moment before the meeting starts (the one on the schedule right now).

If you said før et møte begynner, it would be more general: “before a meeting starts (any meeting)”.

Why is begynner in the present tense when English also uses present? Is this about the future?

Yes. In Norwegian, you often use the present tense to talk about future events when the time is clear from context:

Møtet begynner klokka ni.
= The meeting starts at nine.

In the sentence:

Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner.

both English and Norwegian use the present tense (begynner, starts/begins) to refer to a regular / typical future event (any time there is a meeting). You do not say:

før møtet vil begynne (that sounds unnatural here).

So the present tense begynner is the normal, idiomatic way to express “starts/begins (in that situation / at that time)” in Norwegian.

Do we need a comma before før in this sentence?

No comma is needed here, and it would normally not be written:

Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner. ✅

Here, før møtet begynner is a subordinate clause that closely describes stunden (it tells us which moment). It is integrated into the sentence, so no comma is used.

A comma would either be considered wrong or would at least change the rhythm and slightly separate the clause in an unnatural way:

Vi liker stunden, før møtet begynner. ❌ (odd / wrong in standard usage here)

Could we say Vi liker tiden før møtet begynner instead of stunden? What’s the difference?

You can say tiden, but there is a nuance:

tid = time (very general)
- tiden = the time
stund = a while, a shortish period, a “moment” in a looser sense
- stunden = the (special) moment / short period

Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner suggests you particularly enjoy that special, more limited period right before the meeting — it can sound a bit more vivid or slightly poetic.

Vi liker tiden før møtet begynner is more neutral: “We like the time before the meeting starts.” It doesn’t have the same nuance of a short, almost “charged” moment.

Could we say Vi liker øyeblikket før møtet begynner? How would that differ from stunden?

Yes, that is also possible, but again with a nuance:

øyeblikk = (short) moment, instant
- øyeblikket = the (very short) moment
stund = a (short) period of time, can be longer and vaguer than an instant

So:

Vi liker øyeblikket før møtet begynner.
Suggests a very brief instant right before the meeting starts (for example, the few seconds of silence just before it officially begins).
Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner.
Suggests a somewhat longer stretch: the general “before period” leading up to the start.

Both are grammatically fine, they just highlight different lengths/feels of time.

Could we move før møtet begynner earlier, like Vi liker før møtet begynner stunden?

No, that word order is incorrect.

Basic word order for a simple main clause is:

Subject – Verb – (Object / other elements)

In your sentence:

Vi (subject)
liker (verb)
stunden (object)
før møtet begynner (subordinate clause describing stunden)

So the natural structure is:

Vi liker stunden før møtet begynner.

You can move the whole før… clause to the front of the sentence, but then you must keep stund as the object after the verb:

Før møtet begynner liker vi stunden.

This is grammatical, but the original version is more neutral and common.