Vi må respektere naboene.

Breakdown of Vi må respektere naboene.

vi
we
måtte
must
naboen
the neighbor
respektere
to respect
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Questions & Answers about Vi må respektere naboene.

What does express here, and how strong is it compared to bør or skal?
  • = must/have to (necessity/obligation). Strong.
  • bør = should/ought to (advice/recommendation). Weaker.
  • skal = is supposed to/shall (plan, arrangement, rule, or promise), not pure necessity.
  • You’ll also see trenger å/behøver å = need to (practical need, often weaker than ).

So in this sentence, conveys a clear obligation: “We must …”.

Why is there no å before respektere?

After modal verbs in Norwegian—kan, vil, må, skal, bør—the next verb is in the bare infinitive without å:

  • Vi må respektere …
  • Compare: Vi prøver å respektere … (no modal, so you use å).
Why is it respektere and not respekterer?

Because a modal verb () is followed by the infinitive (respektere). If you simply state a fact in the present without a modal, you use the present tense:

  • With modal (obligation): Vi må respektere naboene.
  • Simple present (habit): Vi respekterer naboene.
What does the ending -ene in naboene indicate?

It’s the definite plural suffix: “the neighbors.” Paradigm:

  • Singular: en nabo (a neighbor) → naboen (the neighbor)
  • Plural: naboer (neighbors) → naboene (the neighbors)
How do I say “our neighbors” or make it singular?
  • “Our neighbors” (Bokmål): naboene våre. You can also say våre naboer (both are correct; the first is more common).
  • Singular “the neighbor”: naboen. Examples:
  • Vi må respektere naboene våre. (We must respect our neighbors.)
  • Vi må respektere naboen. (We must respect the neighbor.)
How do I negate this, and what’s the difference between “mustn’t” and “don’t have to”?
  • Prohibition (mustn’t): Vi må ikke respektere naboene. This literally means “We must not respect the neighbors” (a strong prohibition). It’s grammatically correct but odd in meaning here—use it only when you really mean “mustn’t.”
  • Lack of necessity (don’t have to): Vi trenger ikke å respektere naboene. or Vi behøver ikke å respektere naboene. Placement: ikke goes after the modal in main clauses: Vi må ikke …
How do I ask “Do we have to respect the neighbors?” and answer it?
  • Question (inversion): Må vi respektere naboene?
  • Short answers:
    • Yes: Ja, det må vi.
    • No: Nei, det må vi ikke. Norwegian main clauses use V2 word order: the finite verb () comes in second position in statements, and first in yes/no questions.
How do I talk about the past or other tenses with ?
  • Past (had to): Vi måtte respektere naboene.
  • Present perfect (have had to): Vi har måttet respektere naboene.
  • Future-like necessity: Norwegian often still uses present with a future time reference, or uses a periphrastic form:
    • I morgen må vi respektere naboene.
    • Vi kommer til å måtte respektere naboene.
Does respektere need a preposition, or can it take a direct object?

Respektere is transitive and takes a direct object—no preposition:

  • respektere naboene If you use the noun respekt, you add for:
  • vise respekt for naboene (show respect for the neighbors)
How should I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate guide (varies by dialect):

  • Vi: “vee”
  • : long “mo” (like British “more” without the r)
  • respektere: “reh-spehk-TEH-reh” (stress on -te-)
  • naboene: “NAH-bo-eh-neh” (often simplified to “NAH-bo-neh”) Tip: Norwegian r is often a tap or trilled; all vowels are pronounced (final -e is a light schwa in many dialects).
Are there other natural ways to express the same idea?

Yes, very common and idiomatic alternatives:

  • Vi må vise respekt for naboene.
  • Vi må ta/vis hensyn til naboene. (take/show consideration for the neighbors)
  • Command style (signs/notices): Respekter naboene. / Vis hensyn til naboene.
How would this look in Nynorsk?
  • Vi/Me må respektere (respektera) naboane. Key changes: naboane (definite plural), and many Nynorsk speakers use me for “we.” The verb can appear as respektere or the Nynorsk form respektera.