Word
Han må nyse hele tiden når han støvsuger.
Meaning
He has to sneeze all the time when he vacuums.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Han må nyse hele tiden når han støvsuger.
Why is there no å before nyse?
Because må is a modal verb. Norwegian modals take a bare infinitive (no å):
Does må mean “must” or “have to”? Any nuance I should know?
Both. Må expresses necessity/compulsion, including a physical urge:
- Han må nyse = He has to/must sneeze (he can’t help it).
Other nuances:
- Inference: Han må være allergisk = He must be allergic (speaker’s conclusion).
- Past: måtte (He had to) → Han måtte nyse.
- “Doesn’t have to”: use trenger ikke å or behøver ikke å, not må ikke (which means “must not”).
Why is når used here instead of da?
Could I use mens instead of når?