Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg drikker gulrotjuicen før frokost. - I drink the carrot juice before breakfast.

drikker is the present tense of drikke (“to drink”). In Norwegian, most verbs form the present by adding -er to the infinitive stem: drikke → drikker.

Why is there no definite article before frokost? Shouldn't it be “the breakfast”?

When talking about meals in general, you omit the article. So før frokost means “before breakfast.” If you mean a specific breakfast, you’d say før frokosten, adding the definite ending -en.

Why do we say gulrotjuicen instead of gulrotjuice?

gulrotjuice is the indefinite form “carrot juice.” By adding -en to juice (a masculine noun en juice), you get the definite singular juicen. Together: gulrotjuicen (“the carrot juice”).

How would you say “I drink carrot juice before breakfast” without specifying “the” carrot juice?

Drop the definite ending: Jeg drikker gulrotjuice før frokost.

Why do we attach the article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like “the”?

In Norwegian, the definite article is a suffix. Masculine and feminine nouns add -en or -a, and neuter nouns add -et to form the definite singular, rather than using a separate word.

Can we move før frokost to the beginning of the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

Yes. Norwegian follows verb-second (V2) word order. You can say Før frokost drikker jeg gulrotjuicen. Notice the verb drikker stays in second position, followed by the subject.

What is the gender of juice, and how does that affect the ending?

juice is typically masculine (en juice), so its definite form is juicen. In some dialects it’s treated as feminine (ei juice), which would yield juica, but juicen is standard.

Why isn't there a preposition before gulrotjuicen (like “of” or “from”)?

When you drink something in Norwegian, you use drikke with the liquid as a direct object. You only need av or fra if you mean “drink from,” e.g. drikker av glasset (“drink from the glass”).