Breakdown of Jeg mister lysten til å arbeide uten kaffe.
jeg
I
til
to
å
to
arbeide
to work
kaffen
the coffee
uten
without
miste
to lose
lysten
the desire
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Questions & Answers about Jeg mister lysten til å arbeide uten kaffe.
What does mister mean here?
It means to lose.
Why is it mister and not taper?
miste is used for losing intangible things (like a desire, keys, memory), whereas tape is for losing a game, competition or bet.
Why is it lysten and not just lyst?
You use the definite form when talking about a specific desire you already have. lyst is “desire” (indefinite), lysten is “the desire” (definite), referring back to your existing wish to work.
Could I say Jeg mister min lyst til å arbeide uten kaffe?
You could, but Norwegians usually drop the possessive min when it’s clear from context. Saying lysten already implies “my desire.”
Why is there til å arbeide instead of just å arbeide?
After the noun lyst, the pattern is lyst til å + verb. The til marks the link between lyst and the infinitive å arbeide.
What does uten kaffe literally mean?
It means without coffee. uten = “without,” and kaffe is a mass noun referring to coffee in general.
Why isn’t there an article before kaffe?
Because it’s uncountable here and refers to coffee in general. If you meant “the coffee,” you’d say kaffen; for “a (cup of) coffee,” you’d use en kaffe.
Can I replace arbeide with jobbe?
Yes. arbeide is somewhat formal, while jobbe is more colloquial. Both work: lyst til å jobbe.
Could I place uten kaffe at the beginning for emphasis, like Uten kaffe mister jeg lysten til å arbeide?
Yes. Moving uten kaffe to the front is grammatically correct and puts stronger emphasis on “without coffee.”