Contents · A1
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Swedish has no future tense of its own. A future event is expressed with the auxiliary ska and the infinitive, or with the present and a word that places it in the future.
The future: ska and the infinitive, or the present#
Formation
Ska is followed by the infinitive without att and has one form for every person: jag ska resa, de ska resa. In a question ska comes first or after the question word (Ska du arbeta i morgon?, Vad ska du göra i helgen?), in the negative inte comes between ska and the infinitive (Jag ska inte arbeta), and the short answer repeats ska: Ja, det ska jag. The present expresses the future when a time word or the situation places the event ahead: I morgon åker vi till Lund.
| With ska | With the present | |
|---|---|---|
| statement | Vi ska resa till Lund. | Vi reser till Lund i morgon. |
| time word first | I morgon ska vi resa. | I morgon reser vi. |
| question | Ska ni resa till Lund? | Reser ni i morgon? |
| negative | Vi ska inte resa. | Vi reser inte i morgon. |
Use
Ska expresses a plan, an intention or a decision: I kväll ska jag laga mat. The present with a time word is used for an arrangement, a timetable or a calendar fact: Bussen går klockan nio, På fredag är det jul. Without a time word the present is understood as now, so a plan with no time word is expressed with ska: Nu ska jag sova. A time word at the front is followed by the verb, by the verb-second rule: I kväll ska jag …, I kväll reser jag ….
- Jag ska träffa Karin i kväll.I’m going to meet Karin tonight.
- Vad ska ni göra i sommar?What are you going to do this summer?
- Lisa ska inte arbeta i sommar.Lisa isn’t going to work this summer.
- I morgon åker Lisa till Stockholm.Lisa is going to Stockholm tomorrow.
- Filmen börjar klockan sju.The film starts at seven.
- Ska du äta här? – Ja, det ska jag.Are you going to eat here? – Yes, I am.
Difference from English
English expresses the future with “will”, “going to” and the present progressive (“I’m meeting Karin tonight”). Swedish has no progressive form: an arrangement is in the plain present, Jag träffar Karin i kväll. “Going to” is not translated with gå: a plan is ska. Ska expresses a plan or an intention, not every English “will”: a prediction can be in the present with a time word, I morgon regnar det (“It will rain tomorrow”).
Common mistakes
Jag går att äta.→ Jag ska äta.“Going to” for a plan is ska.Vi ska reser i morgon.→ Vi ska resa i morgon.After ska the verb is in the infinitive.I morgon jag arbetar.→ I morgon arbetar jag.A time word at the front is followed by the verb.
Remember
A plan: ska + infinitive. A time fixed or a timetable: the present with a time word.
In short
| Point | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a plan, an intention | ska + infinitive | Jag ska resa. |
| question, negative | Ska du …?; ska inte + infinitive | Jag ska inte arbeta. |
| an arrangement, a timetable | present + time word | I morgon reser vi. |
Practise
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