Du må være tålmodig.

You must be patient.

Breakdown of Du må være tålmodig.

• være: to be
• du: you
• må: must
• tålmodig: patient

Questions & Answers about Du må være tålmodig.

What does må mean in this sentence and how is it used?

må is a modal verb from å måtte, meaning must or have to. It expresses necessity or obligation. In Norwegian, modal verbs like må are followed by an infinitive, so må være = “must be.”

How is Du må være tålmodig different from the imperative Vær tålmodig?

• Du må være tålmodig (“You have to be patient”) states a requirement or necessity.
• Vær tålmodig! (“Be patient!”) is a direct command (imperative).
  In the imperative you drop the subject pronoun and start with the verb; with a modal you keep du.

Why do you need være before tålmodig? Can you say Du må tålmodig?

tålmodig is an adjective, and to link a subject to an adjective you need the copula være (“to be”). You cannot say Du må tålmodig—that’s ungrammatical. The correct structure is må + infinitive (være) + adjective.

What part of speech is tålmodig, and does it change form?

tålmodig is an adjective meaning patient. Its indefinite singular form (masculine/feminine/neuter) is tålmodig. In the plural it takes -e: tålmodige. For example:

• en tålmodig lærer
• et tålmodig barn
• to tålmodige venner

Can you omit du in Du må være tålmodig?

No. When you use a modal verb like må, you normally keep the subject du. Dropping du would sound ungrammatical:

• Correct: Du må være tålmodig.
• Incorrect: Må være tålmodig.
  You only drop du in the simple imperative: Vær tålmodig!

How do you say “you don’t have to be patient” in Norwegian?

You avoid må ikke (which means “must not”) and use trenger ikke (å) + infinitive:

• Du trenger ikke å være tålmodig.
  Many speakers also say Du trenger ikke være tålmodig.

How is tålmodig pronounced, and how do you pronounce å?

• å is pronounced like the ‘aw’ in law or the ‘o’ in more.
• tålmodig typically sounds like [ˈtoːlmudi] or [ˈtoːlmʊdi], with a soft or nearly silent d and a short i at the end. You might approximate it in English as “TAWL-moo-dig” (soft d).

What’s the difference between tålmodig and tålmodighet?

• tålmodig is an adjective: He is patient = Han er tålmodig.
• tålmodighet is a noun: patience = tålmodighet, e.g. Vis litt tålmodighet! (“Show some patience!”)