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Questions & Answers about Vi mislyktes i går.
What is the base form of mislyktes, and what verb is it from?
Mislyktes is the past tense of the verb å mislykkes, which means to fail.
So:
- å mislykkes = to fail
- mislyktes = failed
This verb is often used when something did not succeed, rather than when someone actively fails something in the English sense.
Why is mislyktes one word and not something like lyktes ikke?
Because å mislykkes is its own verb in Norwegian. It is built from:
- lykkes = to succeed
- mislykkes = to fail / to not succeed
So mislyktes is not just succeeded not. It is a separate verb meaning failed.
Compare:
- Vi lyktes. = We succeeded.
- Vi mislyktes. = We failed.
What tense is this sentence in?
It is in the simple past tense.
- Vi = we
- mislyktes = failed
- i går = yesterday
So the whole sentence means We failed yesterday.
The past tense is shown by the verb form mislyktes.
Why doesn’t the sentence use an auxiliary verb like har?