Breakdown of Jag dricker kaffe men jag dricker inte vatten.
jag
I
vattnet
the water
dricka
to drink
kaffet
the coffee
inte
not
men
but
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Questions & Answers about Jag dricker kaffe men jag dricker inte vatten.
What does the word dricker mean in this context?
Dricker is the present tense form of the verb dricka, which means "to drink." In this sentence, it shows that I drink coffee and, later, that I do not drink water.
How is negation expressed in this sentence using inte?
In Swedish, inte is used to negate a statement. In the phrase "jag dricker inte vatten," it comes right after the verb dricker to mean "do not drink." This placement is typical in Swedish sentence structure.
Why are the subject jag and the verb dricker repeated in both clauses?
Swedish grammar often treats each clause as a complete thought. Even though the two parts are connected by the contrasting conjunction men (meaning "but"), it’s common and grammatically correct to repeat jag dricker in the second clause for clarity.
What role does the conjunction men play in the sentence?
The conjunction men translates as "but" in English. It is used to connect two contrasting ideas—in this case, drinking coffee versus not drinking water—highlighting the exception or contrast between the two parts of the sentence.
How does the sentence structure in Swedish compare to English regarding negation and word order?
While the overall subject-verb-object order is similar in both languages, Swedish typically places the negation inte immediately after the verb. Additionally, repeating the subject and verb in each clause is more common in Swedish, ensuring that each clause remains a complete thought even when connected by a conjunction like men.