Breakdown of Børn må ikke tale med fremmede.
barnet
the child
tale
to speak
ikke
not
måtte
to be allowed to / must
med
with; by (bus, train) / of, to (the meaning or point of something)
den fremmede
the stranger
Questions & Answers about Børn må ikke tale med fremmede.
Why does må ikke translate to "must not" here?
The modal verb må usually means "may" or "is allowed to". However, when made negative as må ikke, it strictly means "must not" or "is not allowed to". If you want to say "do not have to", you would use behøver ikke instead.
Why do we use med (with) instead of a direct translation for "to"?
In Danish, you generally say "talk with" someone (tale med) rather than "talk to" them. If you say tale til (talk to), it sounds more like giving a speech or talking at someone rather than having a two-way conversation.
How does the word fremmede mean "strangers"?
Fremmed is originally an adjective meaning "strange" or "foreign". In Danish, you can often use adjectives as nouns. By adding the plural -e ending, it becomes fremmede, meaning "strangers" or "unknown people".
Why doesn't the word børn have a standard plural ending like -er?
Børn is the irregular plural form of et barn (a child). Instead of adding a standard plural suffix, it only changes its internal vowel from a to ø. This is an irregular pattern you simply have to memorize.
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