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Questions & Answers about Jeg må reparere bilen.
What type of verb is må, and how is it translated into English?
Må is a modal auxiliary verb expressing necessity. It corresponds to English must or have to, indicating that something is required.
Why is there no å before reparere in this sentence?
After modal verbs like må, Norwegian uses the bare infinitive. You say må reparere, not må å reparere, so the infinitive marker å is dropped.
Why is bil written as bilen?
Norwegian marks definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun. Bil means “car,” and bilen (“bil + -en”) means “the car.” The -en ending is the definite article for a masculine noun.
How would you ask “Do I have to repair the car?” in Norwegian?
Invert the modal and the subject:
Må jeg reparere bilen?
How do you form the past tense “I had to repair the car”?
Use the past form of må, which is måtte:
Jeg måtte reparere bilen.
How do you express “I don’t have to repair the car”?
Use trenger ikke + bare infinitive:
Jeg trenger ikke reparere bilen.
You can optionally include å (Jeg trenger ikke å reparere bilen), but many speakers omit it.
How would you say “I have to repair my car”?
Place the possessive after the definite noun:
Jeg må reparere bilen min.
Here bilen is “the car,” and min (“my”) follows it.
Can you replace reparere with a more colloquial verb?
Yes. A common informal alternative is fikse:
Jeg må fikse bilen.
Can you drop the subject jeg and just say Må reparere bilen?
No. Norwegian normally requires an explicit subject in declarative sentences. Omitting jeg is ungrammatical in standard speech and writing, though you might see it in very casual notes or headlines.