Word
Du må hellere gå til lægen.
Meaning
You had better go to the doctor.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Du må hellere gå til lægen.
du
you
lægen
the doctor
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
gå
to walk / to go / to go out, to fail (of power)
Questions & Answers about Du må hellere gå til lægen.
Why does må mean "had better" here instead of "must"?
It is because of the word hellere. Together, må hellere forms a fixed expression that means "had better" or "should probably". Without hellere, the phrase Du må gå would just mean "You must go" or "You are allowed to go".
What does hellere actually mean on its own?
hellere translates to "rather". It is the comparative form of gerne which means gladly. So, the literal translation of this phrase is closer to "You must rather go", which matches the English idea of "You had better go".
Why is there no at before the verb gå?
Because må is a modal verb. Just like in English, modal verbs in Danish such as kan, vil, skal, and må are followed directly by the dictionary form of the next verb without the word at.
Why do we use the definite form lægen instead of just en læge?
Similar to English, Danish uses the definite form lægen meaning "the doctor" when talking about seeking medical help in general. You say you are going to the doctor even if you do not have one specific person in mind yet.