Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg liker kaffe, men te er enda bedre på kvelden. - I like coffee, but tea is even better in the evening.

Liker is the present tense of the verb å like, meaning “to like.” In the sentence jeg liker kaffe, it works just like English “I like coffee.”

What does men mean, and is the comma before it required?

Men is the coordinating conjunction “but.” It connects two main clauses. In Norwegian it’s common (and clearer) to put a comma before men when it links independent clauses, although some styles allow you to omit it.

Why are there no articles before kaffe and te in this sentence?

Here kaffe and te are used as mass nouns (just like “coffee” and “tea” in English when you talk about them in general). You don’t need an indefinite article (en/et) when you mean the drink in a general sense.

What does enda mean in enda bedre, and how is it different from ennå?

– Enda bedre = even better (an intensifier).
– Ennå (double n) = yet or still, as in jeg har ikke drukket kaffe ennå (“I haven’t drunk coffee yet”).

Why is på kvelden used here? Could we use i kveld or om kvelden instead?

• På kvelden = “in the evening” (general time of day, uses definite kvelden).
• I kveld = “tonight” (this specific upcoming evening).
• Om kvelden = “in the evenings” (habitual/general).
Each is correct but carries a slightly different nuance.

Why is there no jeg in the second clause? Could we repeat it to say “but I like tea even better”?

The second clause’s subject is te, not jeg, so you omit jeg. If you want to repeat yourself, you can say men jeg liker te enda bedre, but it becomes a bit redundant.

How could you restructure the sentence to emphasize te, and what happens to word order?

You can front te for emphasis. Because Norwegian follows the V2 rule, the finite verb must stay in second position:
• Men te liker jeg enda bedre på kvelden.
Here te is first, liker (finite verb) is second, and jeg (subject) moves to third.