Finns det kaffe kvar?

the coffee

Breakdown of Finns det kaffe kvar?

• det: it
• finnas: to exist
• kvar: left (remaining)

Questions & Answers about Finns det kaffe kvar?

Why does Swedish use finns det here instead of something like är det?

Because det finns is the standard Swedish way to say there is / there are when you are talking about existence or availability.

So:

• Det finns kaffe. = There is coffee.
• Finns det kaffe? = Is there coffee?

Using är det would usually mean is it... ?, not is there... ?

So in this sentence, finns det means is there.

Why is the word order Finns det... and not Det finns...?

Det finns is the normal word order in a statement:

• Det finns kaffe kvar. = There is coffee left.

In a yes/no question, Swedish usually puts the verb first. So:

• statement: Det finns kaffe kvar.
• question: Finns det kaffe kvar?

This is similar to English inversion:

• There is coffee left.
• Is there coffee left?

What does det mean here? Does it mean it?