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Questions & Answers about Jeg har alltid elsket kaffe.
What is the overall structure of the sentence "Jeg har alltid elsket kaffe."?
The sentence follows a subject–auxiliary–adverb–past participle–object order. Jeg is the subject ("I"), har is the auxiliary verb used to form the perfect tense, alltid is the adverb meaning "always," elsket is the past participle of the verb elske ("to love"), and kaffe is the object.
Why is the perfect tense used here ("har elsket") instead of a simple past tense?
In Norwegian the perfect tense is commonly used to express actions or states that began in the past and continue to the present. In this case, "Jeg har alltid elsket kaffe." implies that the speaker’s love for coffee started in the past and still holds true, much like the English "I have always loved coffee."
What does the word alltid mean, and why is it placed between har and elsket?
Alltid means "always." In Norwegian perfect tense constructions, adverbs of frequency such as alltid are typically positioned between the auxiliary verb and the past participle. This specific word order might differ from English, where adverb placement can be more flexible.
What is the base form of elsket, and how is it modified to form the participle?
The base (infinitive) form is elske, which means "to love." In Norwegian, regular verbs often form the past participle by adding -t to the stem. Thus, elske becomes elsket for use with the auxiliary har in the perfect tense.
Does kaffe need an article in this sentence, and why is it used without one?
No, kaffe does not require an article because it is used in a general, uncountable sense—similar to how "coffee" is used in English. When referring to a substance or a general category, Norwegian often omits the article.