Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi drikker helst te etter middagen.

Helst means “preferably / would rather.” It’s the superlative form of gjerne (gladly). In practice it expresses your top preference among options: Vi drikker helst te = “We prefer to drink tea / We’d rather drink tea.”

Why does helst come after drikker?

Norwegian main clauses are verb-second (V2): the finite verb must be in second position. Adverbs like helst typically go after the finite verb (and after the subject). Hence: Vi (subject) drikker (verb) helst (adverb) te (object).

You can front the time phrase and still keep V2: Etter middagen drikker vi helst te.
You can also front helst for emphasis: Helst drikker vi te etter middagen.

How is helst different from heller and gjerne?

gjerne = gladly/voluntarily (no strong preference). Example: Jeg drikker gjerne te.
heller = rather (comparative, choosing A over B). Example: Jeg vil heller ha te enn kaffe.
helst = preferably (strongest preference, top choice). Example: Jeg vil helst ha te.

Could I say this with foretrekker instead?

Yes:

Vi foretrekker te etter middagen. (We prefer tea after dinner.)
Vi foretrekker å drikke te etter middagen. (We prefer to drink tea after dinner.)

Using drikker helst states both the action and the preference in one natural-sounding phrase, often used for habits. Foretrekker is a bit more explicitly “preference as a fact.”

Why is there no article before te?

Beverages like te, kaffe are mass nouns when speaking generally, so no article is used: drikker te = “drink tea.” If you mean “a tea” (one serving) in a café context, you can use en te: En te, takk.

Why is it middagen (definite) and not just middag?

The definite form middagen (“the dinner”) signals a specific, known dinner—often “today’s dinner.” With meals, both forms are possible:

Generic/habitual: etter middag (after dinner in general)
Specific: etter middagen (after the dinner we just had / will have)

Your sentence leans specific, but many speakers also say etter middag for a habitual routine.

What’s the difference between etter middagen, etter middag, and ettermiddag?

etter middagen = after the (specific) dinner.
etter middag = after dinner (generic/habitual).
ettermiddag (one word) = the afternoon (literally “after-midday”), a different word entirely. Don’t confuse etter middag with ettermiddag.

Can I move the time phrase to the front?

Yes: Etter middagen drikker vi helst te.
When you front an element, the verb must still be second (V2), so you invert subject and verb: time phrase – verb – subject – rest.

How would I negate this? Where does ikke go with helst?

Neutral negation: Vi drikker ikke te etter middagen. (We don’t drink tea after dinner.)
“Would rather not”: Vi drikker helst ikke te etter middagen. (helst ikke is a common collocation meaning “prefer not to.”)

Avoid Vi drikker ikke helst te; it’s odd unless you’re contrasting degrees of preference.

What does the present tense drikker convey here?

Norwegian present tense often expresses habits and general truths. Vi drikker helst te… naturally reads as a habitual preference (“We tend to prefer tea…”). It can also describe what is happening right now if the context makes that clear.

How do you inflect middag?

Indefinite singular: en middag
Definite singular: middagen
Indefinite plural: middager
Definite plural: middagene

Gender is masculine in Bokmål: en middag (not et middag).

Is this Bokmål or Nynorsk?

This is Bokmål. In Nynorsk you would typically write: Vi drikk helst te etter middagen.

Could I use etterpå instead of etter middagen?

Yes, if you mean “afterwards” without naming the event: Etterpå drikker vi helst te. If you specifically mean after the dinner meal, etter middagen (or generic etter middag) is clearer.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

Vi ≈ “vee”
drikker: short i, double k (geminate): “DRIK-ker”
helst: “helst” (clear e, final st pronounced)
te: long e: “teh” (like English “tay” without a diphthong)
etter: “ET-ter” (double t)
middagen: “MID-da-gen” (the d’s are pronounced; final -en is a schwa-like “ən” in many accents)

Dialectal variation exists, but these approximations will be understood.