Questions & Answers about Du måste stanna här.
Why does stanna end in an 'a' instead of being stannar?
Stanna is in its infinitive (dictionary) form. Whenever you use a modal verb like måste (must), the main verb that follows it takes the bare infinitive form. This means you drop the present tense -r and you don't use the word att (to) before it.
Doesn't the verb stanna mean "to stop"?
It actually means both "to stop" and "to stay"! You have to figure out which one it is from the context. If you are driving, it usually means "stop," but if someone is telling you where to wait, it means "stay."
If I want to say "You must not stay here," do I just say Du måste inte stanna här?
No, this is a very common trap! In Swedish, Du måste inte means "You don't have to" (it's not required). If you want to tell someone they are strictly not allowed to stay somewhere ("You must not"), you use the modal verb får instead: Du får inte stanna här (literally "You may not stay here").
Why do we use här instead of hit for "here"?
Swedish has two words for "here." You use här for a fixed location (where something already is). You use hit for a destination (when someone or something is moving towards here). Because the verb stanna means staying still in one place, we use the location word här.
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