Breakdown of Det finns inget kaffe, men det finns te.
kaffet
the coffee
det
it
men
but
finnas
to exist
ingen
no
teet
the tea
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Questions & Answers about Det finns inget kaffe, men det finns te.
Why is it det finns and not det är?
Both can translate as there is/are, but they’re used differently:
- Det finns states existence or availability in general: Det finns te (Tea exists/there is tea).
- Det är points to what is present in a specific place/situation or identifies something: Det är te i kannan (There is tea in the pot), Det är te (It is tea).
What is the det here—does it refer to anything?
No. It’s a dummy subject (expletive). Det doesn’t refer to any specific thing; it just fills the subject slot for the verb finns.
Why inget kaffe and not ingen kaffe?
Because kaffe is a neuter noun (an ett-word). The negative determiner agrees with gender/number:
- en-word (common gender): ingen
- ett-word (neuter): inget
- plural (either gender): inga So you say inget kaffe and (for the second clause) implicitly (inget) te, since te is also neuter.
Are kaffe and te countable in Swedish?
Mostly they’re mass nouns (no article): Det finns kaffe/te. But in cafés you’ll hear them used countably to mean a serving or type:
- Natural/neutral: en kopp kaffe / en kopp te
- Also heard: ett kaffe / ett te (a coffee/tea, portion/type)
- Very common in speech: en kaffe / en te (by ellipsis from en kopp) When talking about kinds, people often say olika kaffesorter/tesorter rather than use awkward plurals.
Why is there no article before te?
Mass nouns in Swedish don’t take an article in the indefinite: Det finns te (There is tea). You only add an article when you make it countable (en kopp te, ett te) or definite (teet = the tea).
Can I say Det finns inte kaffe?
Prefer Det finns inget kaffe or the slightly more formal Det finns inte något kaffe. Using bare inte directly before a mass noun after finnas is uncommon and sounds odd in most contexts. Compare:
- Good: Det finns inget kaffe (här).
- Also fine (a bit heavier): Det finns inte något kaffe (här).
- Odd: Det finns inte kaffe.
Could I use utan instead of men here?
Use utan after a negation when you mean but rather (a replacement):
- Elliptical: Inte kaffe, utan te.
- Full clauses: Det finns inte kaffe, utan det finns te. Your sentence with men is the neutral “but” and is perfect: Det finns inget kaffe, men det finns te.
Does finns change for singular vs plural?
No. Swedish verbs don’t agree with number/person. Use det finns for both:
- Det finns en kopp.
- Det finns koppar.
What are the other forms of finnas?
- Infinitive: finnas
- Present: finns
- Past: fanns
- Supine: funnits Note: finnas is an s-verb (not the passive of finna “to find”).
How do you pronounce kaffe, finns, and te?
- kaffe: stress the first syllable; short a + double f: roughly “KAH-feh”.
- finns: short i, final s: “fins”.
- te: long e: “teh” with a long vowel (no y-glide).
Is te ever spelled té?
The modern standard spelling is te. té is an older/variant spelling you may still see, but te is what you should use.
Can I drop the second det finns and say Det finns inget kaffe, men te?
In casual speech/writing, yes, by ellipsis. In careful Swedish, it’s smoother to repeat it: … men det finns te.
Can inget stand on its own?
Yes. Det finns inget means “There is none” or “There’s nothing (of it).”
How do I negate a plural noun?
Use inga:
- Det finns inga koppar.
- Det finns inga kakor.
Could I say Det är te somewhere?
Yes, when identifying or talking about contents/presence at a location:
- Det är te i koppen.
- Det är te kvar. For general availability/existence, stick to det finns.
Why is there a comma before men?
Swedish normally puts a comma before the coordinating conjunction men when it links two main clauses: … kaffe, men … te.
Can I use något or lite to mean “some”?
Yes:
- Det finns något te can mean “there is some tea” (at least some/possibly a kind).
- Det finns lite te = “there is a little (some) tea” (quantity). For amounts with mass nouns, lite is very common.
Adjectives: is it inget varm kaffe or inget varmt kaffe?
Neuter singular indefinite adjectives take -t:
- inget varmt kaffe
- inget gott te Examples: Det finns inget kallt vatten.
Is en kaffe correct?
In everyday speech at cafés, en kaffe (and en te) is very common (ellipsis of en kopp kaffe/te). In careful writing, prefer en kopp kaffe/te. You may also see ett kaffe/ett te to mean a serving or a type.
Can I use dock or däremot instead of men?
Yes, but they’re adverbs, not conjunctions, so the structure changes:
- Det finns inget kaffe; däremot finns det te.
- Det finns inget kaffe; dock finns det te.