Breakdown of Jeg må slå av komfyren før jeg åpner vinduet.
jeg
I
måtte
must
før
before
åpne
to open
vinduet
the window
komfyren
the stove
slå av
to turn off
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Questions & Answers about Jeg må slå av komfyren før jeg åpner vinduet.
What does må mean, and how is it used here?
må is the present tense of the modal verb å måtte, which means “must” or “have to.” In Jeg må slå av komfyren, må expresses obligation: “I have to turn off the stove.”
Why is av placed at the end of the clause in slå av komfyren?
slå av is a separable verb (a verb + prefix). When you use it with another finite verb like må, the prefix av detaches from slå and moves to the end of the clause. So literally you get “must turn … off the stove,” i.e. må slå av komfyren.
Why are komfyren and vinduet in the definite form?
In Norwegian you add a suffix to make a noun definite. komfyr (stove) becomes komfyren (“the stove”), vindu (window) becomes vinduet (“the window”). Because you’re talking about a specific stove and window you use the definite forms.
Could I say slå komfyren av instead of slå av komfyren?
Yes. With separable verbs you can place the prefix after the object: slå komfyren av. However, when you have a modal (må slå), the detached prefix normally goes to the very end: Jeg må slå av komfyren.
Why is the clause after før in normal word order, with jeg åpner vinduet?
før is a subordinating conjunction, so it introduces a subordinate clause that keeps the standard Subject-Verb-Object order in Norwegian. Hence jeg åpner vinduet, not åpner jeg vinduet.
Why use the present tense åpner for something happening later?
In Norwegian (and English) the present tense often expresses a near-future action when the context is clear. før jeg åpner vinduet simply means “before I open the window” in the future.
Why is jeg repeated before åpner? Can I drop it?
Norwegian is not a pro-drop language. Each finite clause must have its own explicit subject, so you need jeg both before må and again before åpner.
Could I use skal instead of må here?
skal indicates a planned or intended action (“will/shall turn off”), whereas må expresses necessity or obligation (“have to turn off”). Jeg skal slå av komfyren means “I am going to turn off the stove,” but Jeg må slå av komfyren means “I have to turn it off.”