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Questions & Answers about Endelig kan jeg drikke kaffe.
Why isn’t there an å before drikke?
In Norwegian when you have a modal verb like kan, you don’t use å in front of the next verb. The infinitive after a modal is bare: kan drikke, vil spise, må gå, etc.
Why does the sentence start with Endelig and then kan instead of jeg?
Norwegian follows the “verb-second” (V2) rule. In a main clause, the finite verb must occupy the second position. Because Endelig is placed first for emphasis, kan must follow in second place, then the subject jeg, and so on.
Could I say Jeg kan endelig drikke kaffe instead?
Yes. Putting endelig after the subject is perfectly correct: Jeg kan endelig drikke kaffe. You still obey V2 because jeg is the first element and kan remains second. The meaning is essentially the same; the emphasis just shifts slightly.
Why is there no article before kaffe?
Here kaffe is treated as an uncountable (mass) noun—coffee in general. You only add an article when you refer to a specific portion, for example en kopp kaffe (“a cup of coffee”) or informally en kaffe (“a coffee,” meaning one serving).
What’s the difference between endelig and til slutt?
Both can translate as “finally” or “at last,” but endelig conveys a sense of relief or long-awaited satisfaction. Til slutt simply indicates the final point in a sequence without that extra nuance of relief.
How do you pronounce drikke?
Drikke is pronounced approximately [ˈdrɪk.kə]. The i sounds like the vowel in English “sit,” the double kk gives a hard /k/ sound, and the final e is a soft schwa (an “uh” sound), so it comes out like “DRIH-keh.”