Jeg koker vann før jeg lager kaffe.

I boil water before I make coffee.

Breakdown of Jeg koker vann før jeg lager kaffe.

• jeg: I
• vannet: the water
• før: before
• kaffen: the coffee
• lage: to make
• koke: to boil

Questions & Answers about Jeg koker vann før jeg lager kaffe.

Why is the verb koker in the present tense—does it mean right now or in general?

Norwegian present tense covers several uses, including:

• Habitual/general actions: I boil water before I make coffee (as a routine).
• Actions happening now (with context): I’m boiling water before I make coffee.
• Near-future plans sometimes too (again, with context).

So Jeg koker vann før jeg lager kaffe can describe a routine or what you’re doing at the moment; context decides.

Why do we say jeg lager kaffe instead of using something like jeg gjør kaffe?

In Norwegian, lage is the common verb for make/prepare food and drinks: lage kaffe, lage middag, lage te.
Gjøre usually means do (actions/tasks), and it’s not the normal choice for preparing coffee.

Why is jeg repeated after før? Can it be left out?

It can’t normally be left out. før introduces a new clause, and Norwegian clauses generally need an explicit subject:

• … før jeg lager kaffe = … before I make coffee.

You could avoid repeating jeg only by rephrasing, e.g. using a noun or passive-like structure, but the straightforward normal version repeats the subject.

Is før a preposition or a conjunction here, and does that matter?

Here før functions as a subordinating conjunction (often called a subjunction) meaning before, because it introduces a clause: før jeg lager kaffe.

It can also be a preposition when followed by a noun phrase, e.g. før middag (before dinner). The grammar differs because:

• With a clause: før + subject + verb
• With a noun: før + noun

Why is the word order after før “normal” (subject before verb)? I expected some kind of inversion.

In Norwegian:

• Main clauses often have V2 word order (the finite verb in position 2), which can create inversion: I dag lager jeg kaffe.
• Subordinate clauses (like after før) usually keep subject–verb order and do not use V2.

So før jeg lager kaffe is typical subordinate clause word order.

Should there be a comma before før?

In standard Norwegian writing, you normally put a comma between a main clause and a subordinate clause:

• Jeg koker vann, før jeg lager kaffe.

In informal writing people sometimes omit it, and you will see both, but in more careful/standard writing, the comma is recommended.

Why is it vann with no article? Shouldn’t it be like a water or the water?

Vann is a mass noun, and Norwegian often uses mass nouns without an article when talking about an unspecified amount:

• Jeg koker vann = I boil water (some water).

If you mean a specific, known water (e.g. the water already in the kettle), you might use the definite form:

• Jeg koker vannet = I boil the water.

What is the difference between koke vann and koke opp vann?

Both are possible, but they can feel slightly different:

• koke vann: boil water (general; can imply the process of boiling)
• koke opp vann: bring water to a boil (often emphasizes reaching the boiling point)

If your goal is specifically to get the water to the boiling point, koke opp is very common.

How are the verbs conjugated here—what are the infinitives?

The infinitives are:

• å koke → jeg koker
• å lage → jeg lager

For most regular verbs in Norwegian Bokmål, the present tense is formed by adding -r to the infinitive (after removing the å, which is just the infinitive marker).

Could I swap the clauses and still be correct? What happens to word order then?

Yes, you can start with the før-clause:

• Før jeg lager kaffe, koker jeg vann.

Now Før jeg lager kaffe is in first position, so the main clause follows the V2 rule and you get inversion: koker jeg (verb before subject).