Vi må laste opp en kopi som vedlegg.

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Breakdown of Vi må laste opp en kopi som vedlegg.

• vi: we
• måtte: must
• som: as

Questions & Answers about Vi må laste opp en kopi som vedlegg.

What does må express here, and how is it different from skal or bør?

• må = must / have to (strong necessity or obligation).
  
  • Vi må laste opp … = We have to / must upload …
• skal can mean:
  • future plan/intention: Vi skal laste opp … = We are going to upload …
  • sometimes obligation (especially if coming from rules/authority), but usually a bit weaker or more “scheduled” than må.
• bør = should (advice, recommendation, weaker than må).
  
  • Vi bør laste opp … = We should upload … (a good idea, but not absolutely necessary).

In this sentence, må clearly expresses a requirement, not just a plan or advice.

Why is it må laste opp and not må å laste opp?

With modal verbs in Norwegian (like kan, vil, må, skal, bør, måtte, skulle, ville):

• You use the bare infinitive of the main verb, without å:
  • Vi må laste opp …
  • Jeg kan snakke norsk.
  • Hun vil spise nå.

If there is no modal verb, you normally need before an infinitive: