Vi må begrave kabelen.

we

Breakdown of Vi må begrave kabelen.

• må: must
• kabelen: the cable
• begrave: to bury

Questions & Answers about Vi må begrave kabelen.

Why is it må and not måtte?

Må is the present tense form of the modal verb å måtte, which means must / have to.

So:

• vi må = we must / we have to
• vi måtte = we had to

In Vi må begrave kabelen, the sentence is talking about a present need or obligation, so må is the correct form.

Why is begrave in the infinitive form?

Because after a modal verb like må, the next verb stays in the infinitive.

So the pattern is:

• vi må + infinitive
• jeg kan + infinitive
• du skal + infinitive

Examples:

• Vi må begrave kabelen = We must bury the cable
• Jeg kan hjelpe = I can help
• Du skal vente = You are going to wait / You must wait

Norwegian does not conjugate the second verb after a modal in this structure.

Why is there no word for to before begrave?