Jeg ser en film og drikker kaffe etterpå.

I watch a film and drink coffee afterwards.

Breakdown of Jeg ser en film og drikker kaffe etterpå.

• jeg: I
• en: a
• drikke: to drink
• se: to see
• og: and
• filmen: the film
• kaffen: the coffee
• etterpå: afterwards

Questions & Answers about Jeg ser en film og drikker kaffe etterpå.

What does ser mean, and what tense is it in?

ser is the present tense of the verb å se (“to see”). It covers both the simple present (“I see”) and the continuous/progressive sense (“I’m seeing” or “I’m watching”). Norwegian doesn’t have a separate progressive form, so you just use the simple present:
• jeg ser
• du ser
• han/hun ser
• vi ser, etc.

Why is there the indefinite article en before film, but no article before kaffe?

film is a countable, common-gender noun, so you need en to say “a film.”
kaffe, on the other hand, is a mass (uncountable) noun in Norwegian, so you just say drikker kaffe (“drink coffee”) when you mean coffee in general. If you wanted “a cup of coffee,” you’d specify en kopp kaffe.

What does etterpå mean, and why is it at the end of the sentence?

etterpå means “afterwards” or “then.” It’s an adverb of time that typically comes at the end of a main clause in Norwegian. You’ll often see time adverbs like etterpå, i går (“yesterday”) or snart (“soon”) placed after the object or verb phrase.

How does the V2 word-order rule apply here? What if I start the sentence with etterpå?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be the second element. In your sentence each clause obeys V2:
1) Jeg (1) – ser (2) – en film…
2) og (1) – drikker (2) – kaffe etterpå

If you front etterpå, you still keep the verb in second position:
“Etterpå (1) – drikker (2) – jeg kaffe.”
You could then continue “og ser en film,” but this ordering implies you had been doing something before “etterpå,” so it may change the nuance.

Why is jeg omitted in the second clause?

When two clauses share the same subject, Norwegian lets you drop the repeated pronoun in the second clause.
• Full: “Jeg ser en film, og jeg drikker kaffe etterpå.”
• Concise: “Jeg ser en film og drikker kaffe etterpå.”
Both are correct; omitting jeg makes it more compact and natural in spoken/written Norwegian.

Should there be a comma before og in this sentence?

Generally, you don’t use a comma before og when it links verbs or phrases with the same subject. So “Jeg ser en film og drikker kaffe etterpå” is correct without a comma. You can add one for clarity or style—especially if you repeat the subject:
“Jeg ser en film, og jeg drikker kaffe etterpå.”

Can I replace etterpå with og så, or use også instead?

You can replace etterpå with og så (literally “and then”) to show sequence:
“Jeg ser en film og så drikker jeg kaffe.”
Remember V2 if you start a new clause after og så.
You cannot use også here, because også means “also/too,” not “then.”