Questions & Answers about Jeg må få fikset lysbryteren, for den er ødelagt.
What does må imply here—strong obligation or just “need to”?
Må usually expresses a fairly strong necessity/obligation: “must / have to.” In everyday speech it can also mean “need to” in a practical sense. In Jeg må få fikset lysbryteren, it’s typically “I need to get the light switch fixed” (practical necessity), not moral obligation.
Why is it få fikset instead of just fikse?
Å få + past participle is a common Norwegian construction meaning “to get something done / have something done (by someone).”
So Jeg må få fikset lysbryteren = “I must get the light switch fixed” (often implying you’ll arrange for someone else to do it, like an electrician).
If you say Jeg må fikse lysbryteren, that more directly implies you will fix it yourself.
Is fikset a past tense verb here?
No. Fikset here is a past participle used after få in the “get something done” structure. It functions more like an adjective/participle than a simple past tense.
Comparable pattern: Jeg fikk reparert bilen = “I got the car repaired.”
Do I need å (the infinitive marker) anywhere in this sentence?