Learn Hardcore German: Ich muss jetzt weg.

In this sentence, weg is an adverb (a direction adverb) meaning “away.” It’s not acting as a verb here. The full idea comes from the separable verb weggehen, but in colloquial German, the gehen is often dropped.

Why is there no verb like gehen after weg?

German speakers frequently use ellipsis with separable verbs. Ich muss jetzt weg is short for Ich muss jetzt weggehen (“I have to go now”). In informal contexts, omitting the base verb is perfectly natural as long as the meaning remains clear.

Why is muss the second word, and jetzt the third?

German main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (muss) must occupy the second position. Here, the subject (Ich) is first, so muss comes next, followed by other elements like the time adverb jetzt and then the manner/direction adverb weg.

Can jetzt be placed elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. You can front jetzt to emphasize time:
Jetzt muss ich weg.
The conjugated verb stays in second position, and the subject shifts to third. Placing jetzt at the end (Ich muss weg jetzt) is grammatically possible but sounds odd—time adverbs generally precede manner/direction adverbs.

Can jetzt be omitted?

Absolutely. Ich muss weg simply means “I have to go,” without specifying “now.” Use jetzt when you want to highlight that it’s happening immediately.

How do you conjugate müssen in other persons?

Present-tense conjugation of müssen looks like this:
• ich muss
• du musst
• er/sie/es muss
• wir müssen
• ihr müsst
• sie/Sie müssen

What’s the difference between Ich muss jetzt weg and Ich muss jetzt los?

Both mean “I have to go now.” los (“off”) and weg (“away”) function very similarly as adverbs of departure in casual speech. Ich muss jetzt los might sound a bit more colloquial, but there’s no substantial difference in meaning.

What’s the difference between Ich muss jetzt weg and Ich gehe jetzt weg?

Ich muss jetzt weg emphasizes an obligation: “I have to go now.”
Ich gehe jetzt weg focuses on the action itself: “I’m going away now.” Use muss when you want to stress necessity, and gehe when you’re simply stating the action.