Jeg må male rommet i helgen.

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Breakdown of Jeg må male rommet i helgen.

• i: in
• helgen: the weekend
• måtte: must

Questions & Answers about Jeg må male rommet i helgen.

Why is there no å before male in the sentence?

In Norwegian, when you use a modal verb like må (must/have to), the following verb stays in the bare infinitive form—no å. So you say jeg må male, not jeg må å male.

What does må mean here?

Må is a modal verb meaning must or have to, indicating obligation. So jeg må male rommet = I have to paint the room.

Why is it rommet instead of et rom?

Norwegian uses definite forms by adding a suffix.

• rom = a room (indefinite)
• rommet = the room (definite)

Since you’re talking about a specific room (the one you both know), you use the definite form rommet.

What’s the difference between i helgen and på helgen?

The common idiom for this weekend is i helgen. You might also hear i helga in spoken or dialectal Norwegian. På helgen is less common when referring to “this upcoming weekend.”

Why is i helgen at the end of the sentence?