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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.
Can I say Kaffen er alt for sterk or must I write altfor as one word?
The preferred written form is altfor (one word) when it means “way too” or “far too.” So Kaffen er altfor sterk = “The coffee is way too strong.” Writing alt for (two words) also occurs in informal writing or dialogue, but standard usage is altfor.
How do I turn Kaffen er for sterk into a yes/no question?
Norwegian uses verb-second (V2) word order. For a yes/no question you invert subject and verb:
Er kaffen for sterk?
Literally: “Is the coffee too strong?”
How would I say “the coffee is not strong enough” in Norwegian?
You negate er and use nok (“enough”) after the adjective:
Kaffen er ikke sterk nok.
= “The coffee is not strong enough.”
How can I make the statement a bit softer or more polite?
You can hedge with litt (“a little”) or a phrase like jeg synes (“I think”):
- Kaffen er litt for sterk.
- Jeg synes kaffen er for sterk.
These soften the critique compared to the blunt Kaffen er for sterk.