Jeg måtte vente på stationen.

I had to wait at the station.

Breakdown of Jeg måtte vente på stationen.

• jeg: I
• på: at
• vente: to wait
• måtte: must
• stationen: the station

Questions & Answers about Jeg måtte vente på stationen.

Does bolded verb måtte mean “had to” or “was allowed to” here?

In this sentence it most naturally means “had to”: Jeg måtte vente = “I had to wait.”
However, måtte can also mean “was allowed to” in other contexts, especially with gerne or in the negative:

• Jeg måtte gerne vente. = “I was allowed to wait.”
• Jeg måtte ikke vente. = “I wasn’t allowed to wait.”

How is måtte different from skulle and (blev/var) nødt til?

All three can translate as “had to,” but they differ in feel:

• måtte: necessity due to circumstances or rules right then and there. Neutral and very common.
• skulle: an expectation, plan, or requirement (often scheduled/assigned). “I was supposed to.”
• blev/var nødt til (at): strong, inescapable necessity. “I had no choice but to.”

Examples:

• Jeg måtte vente. = I had to wait (circumstances made me).
• Jeg skulle vente. = I was supposed/required to wait.
• Jeg blev nødt til at vente. = I had no choice but to wait.

Why is it vente and not the past form ventede after måtte?

Danish modal verbs (like må, kunne, skulle, ville, burde, turde) take a bare infinitive (no tense ending) after them. So you say:

• Jeg måtte vente (not “ventede”).
• Also note there is no at: modals drop at before the infinitive.

Where does negation ikke go, and what does it mean with måtte?

Place ikke right after the finite verb (here, after måtte):

• Jeg måtte ikke vente på stationen. = “I wasn’t allowed to wait at the station.”

Important: måtte ikke means “not allowed to,” not “didn’t have to.”
For “didn’t have to,” use:

• Jeg behøvede ikke at vente. = “I didn’t need to wait.”

Why is the preposition på used with stationen? Could I use i, ved, or til?

• på stationen = “at the station” (standard for institutions/places like school, hospital, station).
• i stationen = “inside the station building” (emphasizes being indoors).
• ved stationen = “by/near the station” (nearby, outside).
• til stationen = “to the station” (movement/direction).

Your sentence is about location while waiting, so på stationen is the default.

Why is it stationen with the ending -en?

Danish marks definiteness with a suffix. station = “station,” stationen = “the station.”
Use:

• på stationen = at the (specific/known) station.
• på en station = at a station (unspecified). There’s no separate word for “the”; it’s attached to the noun.

What if the station has a name? Do I still add the article?

No article with a proper name:

• på Nørreport Station, på Aarhus Hovedbanegård (no -en). But if you speak generically about “the station” (not naming it), use stationen.

Can I move the place phrase to the front? What happens to word order?

Yes. Danish main clauses are V2 (the finite verb is in 2nd position). If you front the place phrase, the finite verb (måtte) stays second:

• På stationen måtte jeg vente. Subject (jeg) then follows the verb.

How do I pronounce the full sentence?

A rough, learner-friendly guide:
“Jeg måtte vente på stationen” ≈ “yai MAW-duh VEN-te paw sta-SHYO-nen”

• jeg ≈ yai
• måtte: å like “aw” in “law,” final -te is a weak “tuh”
• på ≈ paw (long vowel)
• stationen: the tion is like a soft “shyoh,” final -en is a light “n”

Note: This is approximate; Danish has sounds and reductions that vary by region.

Can I say this in the present: Jeg må vente?

Yes, Jeg må vente usually means “I have to wait” (necessity).
Be aware må can also mean “may” (permission), but permission is usually clearer with gerne:

• Jeg må gerne vente. = “I’m allowed to wait.”

How do I say “I’ve had to wait” or “I had had to wait”?

Use the perfect forms of måtte:

• Jeg har måttet vente. = “I’ve had to wait.”
• Jeg havde måttet vente. = “I had had to wait.” Note the past participle måttet (double t).

Is there any difference between simply Jeg ventede and Jeg måtte vente?

Yes:

• Jeg ventede = “I waited” (neutral statement of what happened).
• Jeg måtte vente = “I had to wait” (adds necessity/obligation due to circumstances).

Could I use another word for “station,” like banegård?

Yes. (Hoved)banegård specifically means “(main) train station.”

• på banegården = at the (main) train station.
  station is common in everyday speech for a train station too, especially when context is clear.

Where would time expressions go, e.g., “yesterday” or “for an hour”?

Typical placements:

• End position: Jeg måtte vente på stationen i en time.
• Fronted time with V2: I går måtte jeg vente på stationen. You can also put short time adverbs after the finite verb: Jeg måtte i går vente… (possible, but less common in casual speech).