Questions & Answers about De må avlyse kampen i kveld.
Does De here mean they or formal you?
In this sentence De is almost certainly they.
- In modern Norwegian, the formal you (De/Dem) is very rarely used, and mostly in very formal letters.
- At the beginning of a sentence, De is capitalized anyway, so you have to use context.
- In normal, everyday language, when you see De as the subject of a sentence like this, you should read it as they.
What exactly does må mean, and how is it different from måtte?
Må is a modal verb meaning must / have to in the present tense.
- De må avlyse … = They have to / must cancel … (now or in the near future).
- De måtte avlyse … = They had to cancel … (past tense).
So:
- må = present
- måtte = past
There is also a past participle måttet, but it is rarely used and you can basically ignore it at beginner/intermediate level.
Why is avlyse in the infinitive without å after må?