Når alt er på plass, kan vi begynne møtet.

Here Når means when in a general or future-looking sense: When everything is in place, we can start the meeting.

A useful rule is:

• når = when, for something habitual, general, or in the future
• da = when, for a specific event in the past

So in this sentence, Når is used because the sentence is about a condition or point in time that has not happened yet.

Alt means everything here.

Norwegian distinguishes between:

• alt = everything / all of it
• alle = all (people or countable things in a group)

So:

• Alt er på plass = Everything is in place
• Alle er på plass = Everyone is here / in place

In your sentence, the meaning is everything, not everyone, so alt is correct.

På plass is a very common expression. Literally it means something like in place, but in natural English it can also mean:

• ready
• set up
• arranged
• where it should be

So Når alt er på plass means something like:

• When everything is in place
• When everything is ready
• When everything has been arranged

It is an idiomatic expression, so it is best learned as a chunk: være på plass.

This is because Norwegian follows the verb-second (V2) rule in main clauses.

The sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Når alt er på plass

After that comes the main clause. In a Norwegian main clause, the finite verb usually comes in the second position, so you get:

• kan vi begynne møtet

not:

• vi kan begynne møtet

A simplified pattern is:

• Når ... , kan vi ...

This inversion is very common in Norwegian after something is placed first in the sentence.

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause:

• Når alt er på plass, = subordinate clause
• kan vi begynne møtet. = main clause

In Norwegian, it is normal to use a comma here when a subordinate clause comes first.

Yes, kan is the present tense of kunne, and it often corresponds to can in English.

In this sentence, though, it does not only express ability. It can also suggest:

• we can start the meeting
• we may start the meeting
• we’re able to start the meeting
• it will be possible to start the meeting

So the meaning is slightly broader than pure physical ability. It is more like: once everything is ready, starting the meeting becomes possible.

Møtet means the meeting.

Norwegian usually adds the definite article as an ending:

• et møte = a meeting
• møtet = the meeting

So in this sentence, the speaker is talking about a specific meeting that both speaker and listener know about.

Yes. Begynne møtet is completely normal and means start the meeting.

You may also hear:

• begynne med møtet

That can sound a little more like begin with the meeting or start off with the meeting, depending on context.

But in your sentence, begynne møtet is the straightforward and natural way to say start the meeting.

Begynne is the infinitive form of the verb, meaning to begin / to start.

After the modal verb kan, Norwegian uses the infinitive without å:

• kan begynne = can start

Compare:

• Vi kan begynne møtet. = We can start the meeting.
• Vi ønsker å begynne møtet. = We want to start the meeting.

So after kan, you do not say å begynne.

Literally, vi means we.

But just like in English, it can sometimes be used in a slightly flexible way depending on context:

• the speaker and listeners together
• a team
• an organization
• people involved in the meeting

So in this sentence, vi most naturally means the people who are about to begin the meeting.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Når = when
• alt = everything
• er = is
• på plass = in place / ready
• kan = can
• vi = we
• begynne = begin / start
• møtet = the meeting

So the structure is:

• When everything is ready, we can start the meeting.

Grammatically, it is:

1. subordinate clause: Når alt er på plass
2. main clause: kan vi begynne møtet

That makes it a very useful example of Norwegian word order.