No. 227 in Danish
måtte
"Must" or "may" (depending on context).
In a sentence
Jeg måtte tage bussen, da min cykel gik i stykker.
I had to take the bus as my bike broke down.
Here, 'måtte' means 'had to' and indicates necessity or compulsion in the past.
Du må gerne tage en kop kaffe, hvis du vil.
You may take a cup of coffee if you'd like.
In this context, 'må' (present tense) is used to express permission, and 'måtte' is its past form.
Han sagde, at jeg måtte vente udenfor.
He said that I had to wait outside.
Here, 'måtte' conveys necessity as reported speech in past tense.
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