Kaffen varmer meg når jeg fryser.

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Breakdown of Kaffen varmer meg når jeg fryser.

• når: when
• kaffen: the coffee
• meg: me

Questions & Answers about Kaffen varmer meg når jeg fryser.

Why is it kaffen and not kaffe?

Kaffen is the definite form of kaffe, so it means the coffee.

In Norwegian, definiteness is often added as an ending:

• kaffe = coffee
• kaffen = the coffee

So Kaffen varmer meg literally means The coffee warms me.

Using kaffe without the ending would sound more like coffee in a general sense, not a specific coffee.

Why does kaffen have -en at the end?

The ending -en is the common definite singular ending for many masculine nouns in Norwegian.

Here:

• en kaffe = a coffee
• kaffen = the coffee

So the noun keeps its stem and adds the definite ending. This is a very important pattern in Norwegian, because unlike English, Norwegian usually marks the by attaching it to the noun.

Why is it varmer and not varm?

Varmer is a verb, while varm is an adjective.

• varm = warm
• å varme / å varme opp / å varme = to warm
• varmer = warms / is warming

In this sentence, kaffen is doing something, so you need a verb:

• Kaffen varmer meg = The coffee warms me

If you used varm, it would not work grammatically in this sentence.