Barna må tie.

The children must be quiet.

Breakdown of Barna må tie.

• må: must
• barna: the children
• tie: to be quiet

Questions & Answers about Barna må tie.

What does barna mean grammatically?

Barna is the definite plural form of barn.

The noun pattern is:

• et barn = a child
• barnet = the child
• barn = children
• barna = the children

So in this sentence, barna refers to specific children, not children in general.

Why is there no separate word for the?

Because in Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• barn = children
• barna = the children

That means barna already contains the idea of the.

A separate definite word is normally used when there is an adjective:

• de stille barna = the quiet children

But by itself, barna is enough.

Why is it tie and not tier?

Because tie is the infinitive form, and after må you normally use the infinitive.

So:

• barna må tie = the children must be quiet
• barna tier = the children are being quiet / keep quiet

In your sentence, må is the finite verb, so the next verb stays in the infinitive: tie.

Why is there no before ?