Jeg drikker ikke kaffe, og min søster drikker heller ikke kaffe.

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Breakdown of Jeg drikker ikke kaffe, og min søster drikker heller ikke kaffe.

• og: and
• drikke: to drink
• min: my

Questions & Answers about Jeg drikker ikke kaffe, og min søster drikker heller ikke kaffe.

Why is ikke placed after drikker in Jeg drikker ikke kaffe?

In a normal Danish main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, and ikke normally comes after that verb.

So the pattern is often:

• subject + verb + ikke + object

That gives:

• Jeg drikker ikke kaffe

English uses do in a sentence like I do not drink coffee, but Danish does not need an extra helping verb here.

A useful comparison:

• Main clause: Jeg drikker ikke kaffe
• Subordinate clause: ... fordi jeg ikke drikker kaffe

In subordinate clauses, ikke usually comes before the verb.

What does heller ikke mean?

Heller ikke means not either or neither.

So:

• min søster drikker heller ikke kaffe

means:

• my sister does not drink coffee either

It connects the second negative statement to the first one.

Compare:

• Jeg drikker ikke kaffe. = I do not drink coffee.
• Min søster drikker heller ikke kaffe. = My sister does not drink coffee either.

A very important point: the standard expression is heller ikke, not ikke heller.