Learn Hardcore Norwegian: På fabrikken planlegger ingeniørene nye maskiner. - At the factory the engineers plan new machines.

på fabrikken = at the factory (as a workplace or site of activity)
- This is the normal way to talk about what happens at a factory.
i fabrikken would sound more like inside the physical building of the factory (emphasis on being physically inside, not on it as a workplace).

In this sentence, we’re talking about what happens at the workplace, so på is the natural choice: the engineers are doing this at the factory in general, not just inside the building.

Why does it say fabrikken and not just fabrikk?

Norwegian usually adds the definite article (the) as an ending on the noun, rather than as a separate word.

fabrikk = factory (indefinite, like a factory / factories in general)
fabrikken = the factory (definite singular)

So på fabrikken means at the factory, referring to a specific factory that speaker and listener can identify from context. Using just på fabrikk would sound more like at (a) factory in general, not a particular one.

Why does the sentence start with På fabrikken instead of Ingeniørene?

Norwegian allows you to start the sentence with different elements for emphasis or flow, as long as you follow the word order rule that the finite verb must be in second position.

You could say:

Ingeniørene planlegger nye maskiner på fabrikken.
– Neutral, subject-first: The engineers are planning new machines at the factory.

Starting with På fabrikken:

På fabrikken planlegger ingeniørene nye maskiner.

puts extra emphasis on the location: At the factory, the engineers are planning new machines. It sounds like you’re contrasting this with somewhere else or setting the scene.

Why does the verb planlegger come right after På fabrikken?

This is due to the V2 rule (verb-second rule) in Norwegian main clauses:

The finite verb (here: planlegger) must be the second element in the sentence.

In the sentence:

På fabrikken = element 1 (a prepositional phrase, treated as one unit)
planlegger = element 2 (the finite verb)
ingeniørene = element 3 (the subject)
nye maskiner = rest of the sentence

So when you move På fabrikken to the front, planlegger must come right after it, and the subject ingeniørene moves after the verb.

Does planlegger mean plan or are planning?

Norwegian has just one present tense form that covers both simple and progressive meanings in English.

planlegger = plan / are planning / do plan (present tense of å planlegge)

So På fabrikken planlegger ingeniørene nye maskiner. can be translated as either:

At the factory, the engineers plan new machines.
At the factory, the engineers are planning new machines.

English has to choose between those; Norwegian doesn’t make that distinction in the verb form.

What exactly does ingeniørene mean, and where is the word the?

In Norwegian, the is usually attached to the end of the noun as a suffix.

For ingeniør (engineer):

ingeniør = engineer (singular, indefinite)
ingeniøren = the engineer (singular, definite)
ingeniører = engineers (plural, indefinite)
ingeniørene = the engineers (plural, definite)

So ingeniørene itself already means the engineers. There is no separate word for the in front of it.

What’s the difference between ingeniør, ingeniører, and ingeniørene?

They’re different forms of the same noun:

ingeniør – an engineer / (any) engineer
ingeniører – engineers (some engineers, engineers in general)
ingeniørene – the engineers (specific engineers already known from context)

In the sentence, ingeniørene tells you we’re talking about particular engineers, not engineers in general.

Why is it nye maskiner and not ny maskiner?

The adjective ny (new) changes form to agree with the noun in gender, number, and definiteness.

Basic forms of ny:

ny – singular masculine/feminine (indefinite): en ny bil (a new car)
nyt – singular neuter (indefinite): et nyt hus (a new house)
nye – all plurals (indefinite) and all definite forms (both genders)

Since maskiner is plural (machines), you must use the plural adjective form:

nye maskiner = new machines

ny maskiner is grammatically wrong; the adjective and noun don’t agree in number.

What’s the difference between maskin, maskiner, and maskinene?

They are different forms of the noun maskin (machine):

maskin – a machine / machine (singular, indefinite)
maskinen – the machine (singular, definite)
maskiner – machines (plural, indefinite)
maskinene – the machines (plural, definite)

In nye maskiner, we have plural indefinite: new machines (not specified which ones).

Can I change the word order, for example put ingeniørene first?

Yes, as long as the finite verb stays in second position. Here are two correct versions:

Ingeniørene planlegger nye maskiner på fabrikken.
– Subject first, then verb. Neutral word order.
På fabrikken planlegger ingeniørene nye maskiner.
– Place phrase first for emphasis, then verb, then subject.

Both are correct. The meaning is essentially the same, but På fabrikken … emphasizes the location more.

Could I leave out nye and just say maskiner? What would change?

Yes, you could say:

På fabrikken planlegger ingeniørene maskiner.

Grammatically, that works, but the meaning changes:

nye maskiner = new machines (focus on the fact that they are new)
maskiner = machines (no information about whether they are new or not)

In natural Norwegian, if the fact that they’re new is important, you normally keep nye.

How do you pronounce ingeniørene and maskiner?

Approximate pronunciations (Urban East Norwegian):

ingeniørene: [ɪŋʃəˈnjøːrənə]
- ing like ing in sing
- sj (the sj sound) like sh in shoe but a bit further back in the mouth
- ø like the vowel in French peu or German schön
- Stress on -njør-: in-ge-NYØR-e-ne
maskiner: [mɑˈʃiːnər]
- ma like ma in mama
- ski with sk pronounced like sh before i: [ʃiː]
- Stress on -shi-: ma-SHI-ner

These are approximate; actual sound is best learned by listening to native speakers.