Grammar 12: Modal Verbs in the Present Tense

Lesson 12: Modal Verbs in the Present Tense

Modala hjälpverb i presens

Lesson Objectives:

Understand how modal verbs work in Swedish.
Learn the most common modal verbs used in everyday conversation.
Practice forming sentences expressing ability, intention, necessity, permission, and desire.

What Are Modal Verbs?

Modal verbs help modify the main verb in a sentence. In Swedish, modal verbs are followed by the infinitive (basic form) of another verb — without "att".

Structure:
[Subject] + [Modal Verb] + [Main Verb in Infinitive]

Common Modal Verbs in Swedish

Modal Verb	English Equivalent	Example (Swedish)	Translation
kan	can	Jag kan simma.	I can swim.
vill	want to	Vi vill äta pizza.	We want to eat pizza.
ska	will / shall	Hon ska resa imorgon.	She will travel tomorrow.
måste	must / have to	Du måste läsa boken.	You must read the book.
får	may / allowed to	Ni får ställa en fråga.	You may ask a question.
bör	should	Man bör sova mer.	One should sleep more.

Sentence Examples

Jag kan tala svenska. (I can speak Swedish.)
De vill resa till Sverige. (They want to travel to Sweden.)
Han måste arbeta idag. (He must work today.)
Vi ska gå på bio. (We are going to the cinema.)
Du får inte röka här. (You are not allowed to smoke here.)

Important Notes:

Modal verbs do not use "att" before the main verb:

❌ Jag kan att tala svenska.
✅ Jag kan tala svenska.

When negating modal verbs, place inte after the modal:

Jag kan inte simma. (I can’t swim.)
Hon vill inte gå. (She doesn’t want to go.)

Practice: Translate to Swedish

I can speak English.
She wants to drink coffee.
They must study today.
We will cook dinner.
You are not allowed to drive here.

Answers:

Jag kan tala engelska.
Hon vill dricka kaffe.
De måste studera idag.
Vi ska laga middag.
Du får inte köra här.

Language Tip:

In Swedish conversation, ska + infinitive is commonly used to express the future — similar to “going to” in English.
Ex: Jag ska köpa mat. (I’m going to buy food.)