The Word “Must”: Meaning, Usage, and Translations Across 30 Languages
Definition: The word “must” is a modal verb that is used to express necessity, obligation, or a strong recommendation. It indicates that something is required, mandatory, or very important. “Must” can be used to give orders, offer advice, or indicate a logical conclusion. It can also express certainty or a strong belief about something.
Common Uses:
- Obligation or necessity: “You must wear a helmet when riding a bike.”
- Strong recommendation or advice: “You must visit the museum when you’re in Paris.”
- Logical conclusion: “She must be the new manager, I saw her in the office with the boss.”
- Expressing certainty: “That must be the best cake I’ve ever tasted!”
Example Sentences:
- “You must complete the assignment by Friday.”
- “He must attend the meeting tomorrow morning.”
- “We must leave now if we want to catch the train.”
- “This book is a must-read for anyone interested in history.”
Translations and Example Sentences in 30 Languages:
| Language | Translation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Debe | Debes estudiar para el examen de mañana. |
| French | Devoir | Tu dois terminer ton travail avant demain. |
| German | Müssen | Du musst deine Hausaufgaben machen. |
| Italian | Dovere | Devi finire questo lavoro oggi. |
| Portuguese | Dever | Você deve sair agora para chegar a tempo. |
| Dutch | Moeten | Je moet de documenten voor het einde van de week inleveren. |
| Russian | Должен (Dolzhen) | Ты должен закончить проект к следующей неделе. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 必须 (Bìxū) | 你必须按时完成任务。 |
| Japanese | 〜なければならない (Nakaereba naranai) | あなたは宿題を終わらせなければならない。 |
| Korean | 반드시 (Bandi) | 내일 회의에 반드시 참석해야 합니다. |
| Hindi | जरूरी (Jaruri) | तुम्हें इस काम को जल्द पूरा करना होगा। |
| Bengali | অবশ্যই (Abosshoi) | তুমি আগামীকাল পরীক্ষায় অবশ্যই উপস্থিত থাকতে হবে। |
| Turkish | Zorunlu | Bu dosyayı bu hafta sonuna kadar teslim etmen zorunlu. |
| Greek | Πρέπει (Prépei) | Πρέπει να τελειώσεις την εργασία μέχρι αύριο. |
| Hebrew | חייב (Chayav) | אתה חייב להגיש את העבודה לפני יום שישי. |
| Swedish | Måste | Du måste gå till läkaren om du inte mår bra. |
| Norwegian | Må | Du må fullføre oppgaven innen fredag. |
| Danish | Må | Du må tage med til mødet i morgen. |
| Finnish | Täytyy | Sinun täytyy lähteä ajoissa, jos haluat ehtiä junaan. |
| Polish | Musieć | Musisz oddać pracę do piątku. |
| Czech | Muset | Musíš dokončit úkol do zítra. |
| Hungarian | Kell | Be kell fejezned ezt a munkát. |
| Romanian | Trebuie | Trebuie să mergi la școală. |
| Thai | ต้อง (T̂xng) | คุณต้องทำการบ้านก่อน نهاية اليوم. |
| Vietnamese | Phải | Bạn phải hoàn thành công việc trước khi ra ngoài. |
| Indonesian | Harus | Kamu harus mengerjakan tugasmu sebelum Jumat. |
| Malay | Perlu | Anda perlu menyelesaikan projek ini sebelum minggu depan. |
| Swahili | Lazima | Lazima uwasilishe ripoti kabla ya kesho. |
| Filipino | Dapat | Dapat mong tapusin ang iyong proyekto bago ang deadline. |
| Arabic | يجب (Yajibu) | يجب عليك إنهاء تقريرك قبل يوم الجمعة. |
Additional Examples:
- Spanish:
- “Debes hacer ejercicio para mantenerte saludable.”
- French:
- “Il faut que tu viennes à la réunion demain.”
- German:
- “Sie müssen einen Reisepass für diese Reise haben.”
- Italian:
- “Devi restare a casa se non ti senti bene.”
- Russian:
- “Ты должен встретиться с клиентом завтра.”
- Chinese:
- “你必须提交申请表以便通过审核。”
- Japanese:
- “プロジェクトを今週中に完成させなければなりません。”
- Korean:
- “내일 회의에 반드시 참석해야 합니다.”
- Arabic:
- “يجب عليك تقديم طلبك قبل نهاية الشهر.”
- Bengali:
- “এটি একটি অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ কাজ, যা তোমার অবশ্যই করতে হবে।”
The word “must” is a versatile modal verb that plays a crucial role in expressing obligation, necessity, or strong recommendation. Whether in professional or everyday contexts, it is used to indicate something that is required or highly recommended. This modal verb helps establish expectations and outlines what must be done for things to progress successfully. With its clear expression of necessity, “must” ensures that ideas, instructions, and rules are communicated effectively across various settings. Its use in different languages underscores its universal importance in both casual and formal discourse.
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