Questions & Answers about Vi må vente lengre, for bussen kommer sent.
Why does it say Vi må—what does må do here?
Må is the present tense of å måtte and means must / have to / need to.
So Vi må vente = We have to wait (a necessity, not a preference).
Is vente an infinitive? Why isn’t it venter?
Yes—vente is the infinitive of å vente (to wait).
After modal verbs like må, kan, vil, skal, bør, Norwegian uses the infinitive (without å) rather than a conjugated verb:
- Vi må vente (not vi må venter)
What’s the difference between lengre and lenger?
Both can mean longer here, and many learners meet both forms.
- lengre is the comparative form related to the adjective lang (long) and is common in writing.
- lenger is very common as an adverb meaning for a longer time / farther.
In everyday Bokmål, Vi må vente lenger is extremely common, but lengre is also accepted in many contexts. (Some style guides prefer lenger for time/distance as an adverb.)