Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg drikker melk.

In Norwegian, drikker is the present tense form of the verb å drikke (“to drink”). You use drikker when you’re talking about what you are doing right now or do regularly. The infinitive form is drikke, used for “to drink” or after certain helper verbs like å ville drikke (“to want to drink”).

Is there a difference between “I drink milk” and “I am drinking milk” in Norwegian?

No, there isn’t. Norwegian doesn’t have separate forms for the simple present and present continuous. Jeg drikker melk can mean both “I drink milk” (habitually) and “I am drinking milk” (right now).

Why is it just melk and not melken here?

In Norwegian, you typically use the indefinite form (melk) when talking about something in general. The definite form (melken) would be used if you’re referring to specific milk that both the speaker and listener know about, for example: Jeg drikker melken i kjøleskapet (“I’m drinking the milk in the fridge”).

Does the subject always come first in a Norwegian sentence?

In simple, straightforward sentences, the subject often comes first: Jeg drikker melk. However, Norwegian has a flexible word order. You can start with other elements (e.g., an adverb of time or place), but remember that the verb must still come in the second position. For instance: I dag drikker jeg melk (“Today, I drink milk”).