Learn Swedish: Jag hämtar inte kaffet idag. - I am not fetching the coffee today.

In Swedish main clauses, the verb is almost always the second piece of information (this is called the V2 rule). Because the subject Jag is in the first position, the verb hämtar must be second. The negation word inte steps in immediately after the verb.

Could I say Jag inte hämtar kaffet idag instead?

No, because that would push the verb hämtar into the third position, which breaks the V2 rule. In a simple main clause, inte must always come after the verb to keep the verb in the second spot.

Where is the word for "am" in this sentence?

Swedish doesn't use a helping verb like "am" or "are" for actions happening right now. The single verb hämtar means both "fetch" and "am fetching". Therefore, Jag hämtar inte covers both "I do not fetch" and "I am not fetching".

Why does the word for coffee have a -t at the end here?

The base word for coffee is kaffe, which is an ett-word. To say "the coffee" instead of just "coffee", you add the definite ending -t to the end of the word, making it kaffet.