Vi må aflyse mødet, hvis læreren bliver syg.

to become

Breakdown of Vi må aflyse mødet, hvis læreren bliver syg.

• vi: we
• hvis: if
• mødet: the meeting

Questions & Answers about Vi må aflyse mødet, hvis læreren bliver syg.

Why is må used here, and does it mean must or may?

In this sentence, må means must / have to, not may.

So Vi må aflyse mødet means We must cancel the meeting or We have to cancel the meeting.

This can be confusing for English speakers because Danish må can sometimes look like English may, but in many everyday sentences it expresses necessity.

A few examples:

• Jeg må gå nu. = I must leave now.
• Vi må vente. = We have to wait.

Whether it sounds more like must or have to depends on context.

Why is it aflyse after må, not a changed verb form?

Because after a modal verb like må, Danish normally uses the infinitive form of the main verb.

So:

• må = modal verb
• aflyse = infinitive, to cancel

That is why you get:

• Vi må aflyse mødet

This works like English:

• We must cancel the meeting

Other similar examples:

• Jeg kan komme. = I can come.
• Du skal arbejde. = You must/work have to work.
• Hun vil lære dansk. = She wants to / will learn Danish.

What does aflyse mean exactly?