Norwegian modal verbs: kan, vil, skal, må, bør and får

The most common modals are kan, vil, skal, må and bør, and får behaves very similarly. Notice that the infinitive and the past are often identical (kunne – kunne) and that the present is irregular: it does not end in -r.

The modal is the finite verb, so it takes second position and ikke follows it: Jeg kan ikke komme, I morgen må jeg jobbe. See Norwegian word order for the full rules.

Because modals combine directly with the infinitive, without the particle å (roughly English “to”). This works exactly as in English: “I must go”, but “I like to read”. Almost every other verb does need å.

• Jeg kan snakke litt norsk.

  I can speak a little Norwegian.

  Modal: no å.

• Vi må gå nå.

  We have to go now.

  Modal: no å.

• Jeg liker å lese.

  I like reading.

  Ordinary verb: with å.

• Jeg prøver å forstå.

  I’m trying to understand.

  Ordinary verb: with å.

• Jeg har lyst til å reise.

  I feel like travelling.

  Phrase with a preposition: with å.

Kan expresses ability, possibility or permission (“can”); vil expresses a wish (“want”); and skal expresses plans, suggestions or decisions (“be going to”, “shall we…?”).

• Jeg kan svømme.

  I can swim.

• Kan du hjelpe meg?

  Can you help me?

• Det kan regne i morgen.

  It might rain tomorrow.

• Jeg kan norsk.

  I know Norwegian.

  With languages, “kan” is used even without another verb.

• Jeg vil lære norsk.

  I want to learn Norwegian.

• Jeg vil gjerne ha en kaffe.

  I’d like a coffee.

  The polite way to ask for something.

• Hva skal du gjøre i helgen?

  What are you doing at the weekend?

• Skal vi ta en kaffe?

  Shall we grab a coffee?

Må is an obligation (“must, have to”), bør is advice (“should”), and to say something is not necessary you use trenger ikke (å) (“don’t need to”). The trap is the negative: må ikke means “must not”, just like English “mustn’t”, not “don’t have to”.

• Du må ta medisinen hver dag.

  You have to take the medicine every day.

• Du bør gå til legen.

  You should see a doctor.

• Du må ikke røyke her.

  You mustn’t smoke here.

• Du trenger ikke å komme.

  You don’t need to come.

  Also heard without “å”: “trenger ikke komme”.

Får means “may” in the sense of being allowed, and it often appears in the phrase få lov til å (“be allowed to”). Note that after lov til you do need å, because there is a preposition in front.

• Får jeg komme inn?

  May I come in?

• Kan jeg få regningen?

  Could I have the bill?

  “Få” + noun = get, receive.

• Du får ikke lov til å parkere her.

  You’re not allowed to park here.

• Jeg fikk lov til å jobbe hjemmefra.

  I was allowed to work from home.

• Da får vi vente.

  Then we’ll have to wait.

  “Får” can also express resignation.

The past forms (kunne, ville, skulle, måtte, burde) are used for past events, but also to sound more polite or to talk about things that didn’t happen, much like English “could”, “would” and “should”. The perfect (har kunnet, har måttet) exists but is rare.

• Jeg kunne ikke komme i går.

  I couldn’t come yesterday.

• Jeg måtte jobbe hele helgen.

  I had to work all weekend.

• Jeg ville bare si takk.

  I just wanted to say thank you.

• Vi skulle reise, men flyet ble innstilt.

  We were going to travel, but the flight was cancelled.

• Du burde ha ringt.

  You should have called.

• Kunne du hjelpe meg?

  Could you help me?

  More polite than “Kan du…?”.

• *Jeg kan å snakke* → Jeg kan snakke. No å after a modal.
• *Jeg vil spise i morgen* meaning “I will eat tomorrow” → Jeg skal spise i morgen.
• *Du må ikke komme* meaning “you don’t have to come” → Du trenger ikke å komme.
• *Jeg vil en kaffe* → Jeg vil ha en kaffe.
• With verbs of motion, Norwegian often drops the verb: Jeg må hjem (“I have to go home”), Skal du til Oslo? (“Are you going to Oslo?”). That is not a mistake; it is the natural way to say it.

Skal and vil are also used for the future; see Norwegian verb tenses.