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Questions & Answers about Jeg skulle drikke kaffe i går.
What does the modal verb skulle express in this sentence?
Skulle here indicates that an action was intended, scheduled, or planned for the past. In English, it often translates as "was going to" or "was supposed to."
Does the sentence specify whether the coffee was actually drunk?
No, the sentence only hints at the intention or plan to drink coffee yesterday. It doesn’t confirm if the action occurred, leaving its completion ambiguous.
Why is the main verb drikke in its base (infinitive) form and not conjugated further?
In Norwegian, when using a modal verb like skulle, the following verb must be in the bare infinitive form. That is why drikke remains unaltered, even though the sentence refers to a past context.
What role does i går play in this sentence?
I går means "yesterday" and functions as a time adverbial, indicating when the intended action of drinking coffee was planned.
How is the word order structured in this sentence?
The sentence follows a typical Norwegian structure: Subject – Modal Verb – Main Verb (Infinitive) – Object – Time Adverbial. Here it is broken down as follows: Jeg (subject), skulle (modal), drikke (main verb in infinitive form), kaffe (object), and i går (time adverbial).
Can skulle be switched with ville in this context, and what would the difference be?
Although ville can also express intention or desire, it carries a slightly different nuance. Skulle here emphasizes an intended or scheduled action (often with the implication that it might not have happened), whereas ville typically conveys a personal wish or want. Thus, replacing skulle with ville would shift the subtle meaning of the sentence.