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Questions & Answers about Kaffen er for sterk.
Why is kaffen used instead of kaffe or en kaffe?
“Kaffe” is the indefinite form (“coffee” in general). To talk about a specific cup or batch of coffee you use the definite form, which for common-gender nouns like kaffe is formed by adding -en, giving kaffen (“the coffee”). If you said en kaffe, it means “a coffee” (one cup of coffee) in an indefinite sense.
What does for mean in Kaffen er for sterk? Is it the same as English for?
Here for is not the preposition “for” as in English, but an adverb meaning too. It intensifies the adjective that follows. So for sterk = “too strong.” If you removed for, you’d just say “strong.”
Why is the adjective sterk not sterkt, sterke, or sterkere?
Norwegian adjectives agree in gender, number, and definiteness:
- Common gender singular (e.g. en kaffe): sterk
- Neuter singular (e.g. et eple): sterkt
- Plural/definite form: sterke
- Comparative: sterkere Since kaffe is common-gender and definite here is expressed on the noun (kaffen), the adjective stays in its basic common-gender form: sterk.