Jeg må kontrollere passet.

I must check the passport.

Breakdown of Jeg må kontrollere passet.

• jeg: I
• måtte: must
• passet: the passport
• kontrollere: to check

Questions & Answers about Jeg må kontrollere passet.

What does må mean in this sentence?

må is a modal verb meaning must/have to. It expresses necessity or obligation. So Jeg må kontrollere passet translates to “I have to check/inspect the passport.”

Does må change form for different persons?

No. må is invariant across all subjects. You use må with jeg, du, han, vi, de, etc. (e.g., jeg må, du må, vi må).

Why is passet in the definite form?

In Norwegian, you add -et to make a neuter noun definite. pass (passport) becomes passet (the passport). Here you refer to a specific passport, so you use the definite form.

Could I use sjekke instead of kontrollere?

Yes. sjekke is more informal (“to check”), while kontrollere sounds more formal or thorough (“to inspect”). Both verbs work; choose based on register.

Why is there no preposition before passet?