We can refer to actions happening in the future in two different ways in Swedish. This lesson deals with the first way, which is based on the word SKA.

What does SKA actually stand for in Swedish? It is an equivalent of the English WILL. Please, note that you may come across (mainly in books or in some older texts) a word SKALL, which means absolutely the same — WILL and is very formal.

How do we even use ska in a sentence? The construction is pretty straightforward:

ska + infinitive form of the verb = ska göra

And here come some examples:

Vad ska du göra i kväll?
 What will you do this evening?

Jag ska köpa den nya bilen nästa vecka.
I will buy the new car next week.

We usually use ska whenever there is a certain plan or decision to do something or make something happen.

We can use a present simple tense to refer to future as well. We can say for example: Jag flyger till New York imorgon. This sentence basically means pretty much the same as the following one: Jag ska flyga till New York imorgon.

Use ska or a present simple tense whenever you feel that it is very certain that the action is going to happen and it is going to happen soon.

Good job! That is all for today’s lesson. The second part of the lessons deals with the second way of referring to upcoming events. See you soon, bye bye.