Jag måste gå till biblioteket idag.

I must go to the library today.

Breakdown of Jag måste gå till biblioteket idag.

• jag: I
• måste: must
• gå: to go
• till: to
• biblioteket: the library
• idag: today

Questions & Answers about Jag måste gå till biblioteket idag.

Why do we use måste here?

We use måste (must) to express a necessity or obligation. It’s similar to using have to in English, emphasizing that it’s something you really need to do.

Why is it biblioteket instead of just bibliotek or something like ett bibliotek?

In Swedish, -et at the end of biblioteket makes it the definite form, meaning "the library." If you just said ett bibliotek, it would be "a library."

Why do we say gå till the library instead of, for example, åka till?

Gå means "to walk," while åka means "to go/drive/ride" using a vehicle. If you’re literally walking, you use gå. If you’re traveling by car or bus, you could say åka.

Why does idag appear at the end of the sentence?

In Swedish, adverbs often come after the direct object or prepositional phrase. Placing idag at the end follows the common word order in Swedish: Subject + Verb + Object + Time Expression.

Are there any pronunciation tips for måste?

Pronounce måste as "MOH-stuh," with a short "o" sound, similar to "must" in English but with a softer "u" and a vocalic "e" at the end. Be careful not to elongate the "o," as it’s typically short in Swedish.