Tom drikker vann.

Tom

Breakdown of Tom drikker vann.

• drikke: to drink
• vann: the water

Questions & Answers about Tom drikker vann.

Why is the word drikker used here instead of drikke?

In Norwegian, drikker is the present tense form meaning drinks. Drikke is the infinitive form meaning to drink. Since this sentence describes what Tom is currently doing, the present tense (drikker) is correct.

Why don’t we say Tom drikker et vann with an article like in English (Tom drinks the water)?

In Norwegian, vann (water) is typically treated as an uncountable noun, so we don’t use an article like et (a) or det (the) in this straightforward statement. If you need to be specific, you could say Tom drikker det vannet (Tom drinks the water), but that changes the meaning to refer to a particular water.

Why is the word order Tom drikker vann and not Drikker Tom vann?

In Norwegian, the usual word order in a statement is subject – verb – object, so we start with the subject Tom, followed by the verb drikker, and then the object vann. Drikker Tom vann is still grammatically possible, but it often indicates a question or puts special emphasis on Tom.

Do I need to capitalize vann since it’s a noun?

No, in Norwegian, you only capitalize proper nouns (like Tom, Oslo, or Norge). Ordinary nouns (such as vann, bil, bord) are not capitalized.

Do I need to use a preposition or helper word like på or i before vann, similar to some other European languages?

No, you don’t. In Norwegian, when you say someone drinks something, you just use the direct object (e.g., drikker vann, drikker juice, drikker kaffe). You don’t add extra prepositions for this kind of statement.