Questions & Answers about Du må si det tydelig.
What does må mean in Du må si det tydelig?
må is the present form of å måtte, which means must or have to. It’s a modal verb expressing necessity. So Du må si… translates to “You have to say…” or “You must say…”.
Why isn’t there an å before si?
After a modal verb (like må, kan, vil, skal), the main verb is used in its bare infinitive form—no å. That’s why you say må si instead of må å si.
What part of speech is tydelig here—adjective or adverb?
Here tydelig functions as an adverb, meaning clearly. In Norwegian, many words share the same form for adjective and adverb. When it tells how you say something, it’s adverbial.
Why is tydelig placed at the end of the sentence?
The normal word order with a modal verb is:
Subject – Modal Verb – Main Verb – Object – Adverb
So you get:
Du (subject) må (modal) si (verb) det (object) tydelig (adverb).
Can I use a different adverb instead of tydelig?