Jeg foretrekker kaffe, men hun foretrekker te.

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Breakdown of Jeg foretrekker kaffe, men hun foretrekker te.

• hun: she
• men: but
• kaffen: the coffee

Questions & Answers about Jeg foretrekker kaffe, men hun foretrekker te.

Why does the verb look the same with “jeg” and “hun”?

Norwegian verbs don’t agree with the subject (no person/number endings). In the present tense, the verb typically ends in -r for everyone.

• Infinitive: å foretrekke (to prefer)
• Present: foretrekker (I/you/she/we/they prefer)
• Simple past: foretrakk
• Past participle: foretrukket (used with har: har foretrukket) Examples:
• Jeg foretrekker kaffe.
• Hun foretrekker te.
• I går foretrakk jeg kaffe.
• Jeg har alltid foretrukket kaffe.

Why is there no article before kaffe or te?

Because they’re treated as mass/uncountable nouns when you talk about them in general.

• General: Jeg foretrekker kaffe / te.
• Specific: Jeg foretrekker kaffen / teen. (“the coffee/tea”)
• A serving: en kaffe / en te (“a coffee/tea,” i.e., one cup). Note: te
  • the definite article becomes teen (spelled with double e).

Could I say men foretrekker hun te?