Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Barna må vaske seg etter at de har lekt ute i hagen. - The children must wash themselves after they have played outside in the garden.

Må is a modal verb that expresses necessity or obligation, similar to the English word must. It shows that the children are required to wash themselves.

Why is the reflexive pronoun seg used after vaske?

Norwegian often uses reflexive pronouns with certain verbs to indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself. In this sentence, vaske seg means to wash oneself, clarifying that the children are washing themselves rather than washing something else.

What does the phrase etter at mean, and how does it function in the sentence?

Etter at translates to after in English and is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a subordinate clause that provides the context or time frame for the main action. Here, it tells us that the washing occurs after they have played outside in the garden.

What is the tense and structure used in har lekt, and why is it important?

Har lekt is in the present perfect tense, formed by the auxiliary verb har (have) and the past participle lekt (played). This tense emphasizes that the playing was completed in the past but is relevant to the present situation—specifically, that the children have already played before needing to wash.

What does ute i hagen mean, and why is its placement significant?

Ute i hagen means outside in the garden. In Norwegian, adverbial phrases like this are often placed at the end of the sentence to add context, such as location or circumstance, in a natural way similar to English.