Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Bensinstasjonen selger også kaffe til sjåførene. - The gas station also sells coffee to the drivers.

bensinstasjonen is the definite singular form of the compound noun bensinstasjon (“gas station”). It’s built from bensin (“gasoline”) + stasjon (“station”), and the suffix -en marks definiteness. In Norwegian you attach the article to the noun rather than use a separate word the.

Why is there no article before kaffe?

Here kaffe (“coffee”) is an uncountable (mass) noun used in a general sense. Norwegian omits the indefinite article with mass nouns when speaking about them broadly. If you want to say “a coffee” (meaning a cup of coffee), you’d use en kaffe.

What is the role of også, and why is it placed after the verb selger?

også is an adverb meaning also or too. In a positive main clause, Norwegian typically places adverbs right after the finite verb. Hence Bensinstasjonen selger også kaffe…. You can move også for emphasis (e.g. Bensinstasjonen selger kaffe til sjåførene også – “… also to the drivers”).

Why do we use til sjåførene, and could we replace that with a pronoun?

The verb selge (“to sell”) takes an indirect object marked by til to show the recipient: selge kaffe til sjåførene = “sell coffee to the drivers.” You can replace til sjåførene with the object pronoun til dem (“to them”) if the referent is clear.

What does sjåførene mean, and what does the -ene suffix indicate? How is it different from sjåfører?

sjåførene is the definite plural of sjåfør (“driver”). You form the plural with -er (sjåfører = “drivers”) and make it definite with -ene (sjåførene = “the drivers”).

What is the basic word order in this sentence? Why isn’t it like English?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here the order is Subject (Bensinstasjonen) – Verb (selger) – Adverb (også) – Object/Prepositional Phrase (kaffe til sjåførene). English SVO word order doesn’t impose the same strict V2 requirement on adverbs.

How is selger formed, and does it change for different subjects?

selger is the present-tense form of selge (“to sell”). Regular Norwegian verbs ending in -e add -r for the present. This form is identical for all persons:
jeg selger, du selger, han selger, vi selger, osv.

How do I pronounce Bensinstasjonen selger også kaffe til sjåførene? Where do I put the stress?

Stress each word on its first syllable, especially the first element of the compound:
– BEN-sins-sta-sjo-nen
– SEL-ger
– OGS-å
– KAF-fe
– til
– SJÅ-fø-re-ne
The digraph sj is like English “sh” (/ʃ/), and å sounds like the “aw” in “saw” (about /oː/).