Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg foretrekker kaffe, men hun foretrekker te.

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?

Not in a neutral statement. Norwegian main clauses are V2 (the finite verb is in second position). After men, the next clause is just another main clause:

Correct statement: …, men hun foretrekker te. (Subject first, verb second)
Yes/no question: Foretrekker hun te? (Verb first) Saying men foretrekker hun te would sound like a question or be unidiomatic as a statement.

Can I use mens instead of men? What’s the difference?

men = “but,” simple contrast: Jeg foretrekker kaffe, men hun foretrekker te.
mens = “while/whereas,” contrasts two states or habits: Jeg foretrekker kaffe, mens hun foretrekker te. Both are fine here; mens adds a “whereas” flavor.

Do I need the comma before men?

Yes. In Norwegian, you normally put a comma before men when it links two clauses:

Jeg foretrekker kaffe, men hun foretrekker te.

How do you pronounce the sentence?

Approximate IPA (Standard Eastern), with a simple guide:

Jeg ≈ [jæi] (“yai”; the g is usually silent)
foretrekker ≈ [fʊrəˈtrɛkːər] (stress on TREK; long k sound)
kaffe ≈ [ˈkɑfːə] (“KAH-feh”)
men ≈ [mɛn] (“men”)
hun ≈ [hʉn] (fronted “u,” like a tight “oo”/German “ü”)
te ≈ [teː] (“teh” with a long e) So: “Yai fo-reh-TREK-ker KAH-feh, men hyoon fo-reh-TREK-ker teh.”

Where does ikke go if I want to say “I don’t prefer coffee”?

Place ikke after the finite verb:

Jeg foretrekker ikke kaffe.
Hun foretrekker ikke te. With a perfect tense, ikke follows the auxiliary:
Jeg har ikke foretrukket te.

Can I avoid repeating foretrekker in the second clause?

The most neutral Norwegian is to repeat the verb. Stylistically, you sometimes see ellipsis:

Jeg foretrekker kaffe; hun te. (semi-formal, written style) With men, you’ll also see: Jeg foretrekker kaffe, men hun te. This is informal and more common in headlines/notes than in formal prose. In everyday speech and neutral writing, keep the verb: …, men hun foretrekker te.

How else can I say “prefer” more conversationally?

General preference: Jeg liker kaffe bedre enn te.
In-the-moment choice: Jeg vil heller ha kaffe. / Jeg tar heller kaffe.
Explicit comparison: Jeg foretrekker kaffe framfor/fremfor te.

What’s the difference between hun, henne, and hennes?

hun = she (subject): Hun foretrekker te.
henne = her (object/after prepositions): Jeg snakket med henne.
hennes = her/hers (possessive): Det er hennes te. You may also see gender‑neutral hen in some contexts.

Are kaffe and te ever countable?

Yes, when you mean servings or types.

A serving: en kaffe / en te (in cafés this is common)
Plurals for types: ulike kaffer/teer (“different coffees/teas”) For ordering multiple servings, people often say: to kaffe / to te or to kopper kaffe/te.

How do I say it in the past or perfect tenses?

Simple past: Jeg foretrakk kaffe, men hun foretrakk te.
Present perfect: Jeg har foretrukket kaffe, men hun har foretrukket te.

Can I front the object for emphasis?

Yes. Norwegian still keeps V2:

Kaffe foretrekker jeg, men te foretrekker hun. This is emphatic/contrastive and sounds natural in the right context.

Can I use å + infinitive after foretrekker (prefer to do something)?

Yes: Jeg foretrekker å drikke kaffe. / Hun foretrekker å drikke te. You can also combine both:

Jeg foretrekker å drikke kaffe framfor å drikke te.