Breakdown of Du må ikke forstyrre lægen.
du
you
lægen
the doctor
ikke
not
måtte
to be allowed to / must
forstyrre
to disturb
Questions & Answers about Du må ikke forstyrre lægen.
Why does ikke come right after må and before forstyrre?
In Danish main clauses, the word ikke (not) usually comes right after the first verb. When you use a modal verb like må and an action verb like forstyrre, ikke splits them up. The pattern is always modal verb + ikke + infinitive verb.
Doesn't må usually mean 'may'? Why does the translation say 'must not'?
That is a tricky part of Danish! While må often means 'may' or 'is allowed to' in positive sentences, when you add ikke to make må ikke, it means 'must not'. It expresses a strict rule or prohibition.
Why is forstyrre used instead of a present tense form?
The verb forstyrre is in the infinitive (the basic dictionary form). It stays in this form because it follows the modal verb må. Just like in English, modal verbs pair directly with the infinitive without needing an extra word like 'to'.
Why is the word for 'the doctor' written as lægen instead of læge?
Læge means 'doctor'. To say 'the doctor', Danish attaches the word 'the' to the end of the noun as a suffix. Since læge is an en-word and already ends in an -e, we just add an -n to the end to make it lægen.
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