"Is there coffee?"
Translation:Finns det kaffe?
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I answered 'Är det kaffe?"
Could someone please explain the difference between 'Finns det kaffe?' and 'Är det kaffe?'
Thanks!
Är det kaffe = is it coffee
Finns det kaffe = is there coffee
If you're, say, pointing to a container of some blackish beverage wondering whether it's coffee or oil, you'd say "är det kaffe?". If you're simply wondering whether there is coffee in the kitchen or similar situations, you'd ask "finns det kaffe?".
Does that help?
Swedish syntax is pretty similar to English. What a gift!!! Tack så mycket Svenska!
Why does Det finns kaffe not work here? I imagined it to mean the same thing, There exists coffee?
Det finns kaffe would be a statement, meaning 'There is coffee', not a question. Questions are created by putting the verb before the subject (first in the sentence, if there isn't a question word).
That actually makes a lot of sense. Kind of like how in English it changes from 'There is coffee,' to 'Is there coffee?'
Clear and concise answer making things easier, you guys are just great :)
Finns Kaffe is pretty barbaric. Finns det Kaffe gives a break in language to think of what youre trying to ask. To me, that is genius.
I am thoroughly convinced that Modern English should be re-categorized as a North Germanic Language. Its similarity to the Scandinavian languages via sentence structure and syntax is astonishing. Old-English on the other hand can remain in its current association, but there is definitely something that occurred to change the modern form to resemble the North Germanic categorization. =)
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Does finns det also mean "there exists?" I seem to remember my Swedish language teacher using it in that way.
