Ska or kommer att? The future tense in Swedish explained

The short answer

Swedish has no single future tense. Use ska for plans, intentions, promises and arrangements that depend on someone's will: Jag ska resa till Spanien i sommar (I'm going to Spain this summer). Use kommer att for predictions and things nobody decides: Det kommer att regna i morgon (It's going to rain tomorrow). And very often, just use the present tense with a time word: Jag ringer dig i kväll (I'll call you tonight). Tänker adds the idea of "intend to", and blir covers "will be" with nouns and adjectives.

A simple test: is someone deciding this? Then ska. Is it just going to happen? Then kommer att.

The five ways to talk about the future

Notice that English "will" and "going to" do not map neatly onto these. I'll call you is usually Jag ringer dig or Jag ska ringa dig, almost never kommer att.

Ska: plans, promises and arrangements

Ska expresses what someone has decided or agreed. It is the most common way to talk about your own future.

Plans and intentions

• Jag ska börja plugga i höst. (I'm going to start studying this autumn.)
• Vad ska du göra i helgen? (What are you doing this weekend?)
• Vi ska äta ute i kväll. (We're eating out tonight.)
• Hon ska bli läkare. (She's going to be a doctor; she has decided.)

Promises and offers

• Jag ska ringa dig i morgon, jag lovar. (I'll call you tomorrow, I promise.)
• Ska jag hjälpa dig? (Shall I help you?)
• Det ska jag fixa. (I'll sort that out.)

Suggestions with "ska vi"

Ska vi...? is the standard way to suggest something, like English "Shall we...?" or "Should we...?":

• Ska vi gå? (Shall we go?)
• Ska vi ta en fika? (Shall we grab a coffee?)
• Ska vi säga klockan sju? (Shall we say seven o'clock?)

Ska without a main verb

When the meaning is "go somewhere", Swedish drops the verb of motion:

• Jag ska till Göteborg i morgon. (I'm going to Gothenburg tomorrow.)
• Ska du hem nu? (Are you going home now?)
• Vi ska på bio. (We're going to the cinema.)

Other meanings of ska

Ska is not only about the future. It also expresses obligation and hearsay, and you need to recognise these:

The weather example is worth noting: Det ska regna i morgon usually means "The forecast says it'll rain", not that anyone has decided it.

Kommer att: predictions

Kommer att expresses what you think will happen, regardless of anyone's will. It is used for predictions, consequences, and events that are simply going to occur.

• Det kommer att regna hela veckan. (It's going to rain all week.)
• Du kommer att älska den här filmen. (You're going to love this film.)
• Han kommer att bli trött i morgon. (He's going to be tired tomorrow.)
• Priserna kommer att stiga. (Prices will rise.)
• Hon kommer att fylla 40 i juni. (She'll turn 40 in June.)
• Det kommer att ta tid. (It will take time.)

Kommer att is also common for future events that are certain but not personal decisions, like birthdays, the seasons and official changes: Butiken kommer att vara stängd under julen (The shop will be closed over Christmas).

Kommer att or kommer?

In speech, and increasingly in writing, att is dropped: Det kommer regna. Språkrådet does not treat this as an error, but recommends keeping att in formal writing. Do not drop kommer: Det att regna is impossible.

And do not confuse future kommer att with the verb komma (come): Han kommer i morgon means "He's coming tomorrow", with no att.

Ska vs kommer att: pairs that show the difference

The same English sentence can need either form depending on whether someone is deciding.

The most typical learner mistake is using kommer att for personal plans:

• Unnatural: Jag kommer att gå på bio i kväll.
• Natural: Jag ska gå på bio i kväll. (I'm going to the cinema tonight.)

It is not exactly wrong, but it sounds like you are predicting your own behaviour from the outside.

The present tense with a time word

Swedish uses the plain present tense for the future far more than English does. If a time word makes it clear that you mean the future, the present is natural and often the best choice.

• Jag ringer dig i kväll. (I'll call you tonight.)
• Vi ses i morgon! (See you tomorrow!)
• Tåget går 07.15. (The train leaves at 7.15.)
• Jag kommer på fredag. (I'm coming on Friday.)
• Hon slutar jobbet om en timme. (She finishes work in an hour.)
• Jag tar den blå. (I'll take the blue one.)

The last example is how you announce a decision in the moment, like ordering in a shop. English uses "I'll"; Swedish just uses the present.

For time words like på fredag, om en vecka and i kväll, see the prepositions guide and the time prepositions tool.

Tänker: intend to

Tänker literally means "think", but with an infinitive it means "intend to, be planning to". It is stronger and more personal than ska.

• Jag tänker ansöka om jobbet. (I'm going to apply for the job.)
• Vad tänker du göra åt det? (What are you going to do about it?)
• Jag tänker inte be om ursäkt. (I'm not going to apologise.)

Tänker inte often sounds like a refusal: Jag tänker inte städa ditt rum! (I'm not cleaning your room!)

Blir: will be

For "will be" with an adjective or noun, the most natural verb is often bli (become):

• Det blir kallt i morgon. (It'll be cold tomorrow.)
• Det blir 245 kronor. (That'll be 245 kronor.)
• Det blir pizza i kväll. (We're having pizza tonight.)
• Hur blir det med festen? (What's happening with the party?)

Lär: probably will

In modern Swedish, lär with an infinitive means "is likely to, will probably":

• Det lär bli svårt. (That's likely to be difficult.)
• Han lär inte komma. (He probably won't come.)

Future in the past: skulle

When you talk about the future from a point in the past, ska becomes skulle and kommer att becomes skulle or kom att:

• Hon sa att hon skulle ringa. (She said she would call.)
• Vi skulle åka i går, men tåget var inställt. (We were going to leave yesterday, but the train was cancelled.)
• Ingen visste då att han skulle bli statsminister. (Nobody knew then that he would become prime minister.)

Skulle is also the conditional: Jag skulle gärna följa med (I'd love to come). See Swedish modal verbs.

Common mistakes

The last one is a word-order mistake: the future verb is still the verb in second place. See Swedish sentence structure. To practise building sentences with ska in the right place, try the sentence builder.

FAQ

What is the difference between ska and kommer att?

Ska is used for plans, promises and arrangements that someone decides. Kommer att is used for predictions and things that will happen regardless of anyone's will. Jag ska resa (I'm planning to travel), Det kommer att regna (It's going to rain).

Does Swedish have a future tense?

Not as a separate verb form. Swedish expresses the future with ska, kommer att, tänker, blir, or simply the present tense with a time word like i morgon.

Can I drop "att" in "kommer att"?

Yes, in speech and informal writing: Det kommer regna. Språkrådet does not count it as an error, but recommends kommer att in formal writing.

How do I say "I will" in Swedish?

It depends. For a plan or promise: Jag ska. For a prediction: Jag kommer att. For a decision in the moment or a scheduled event, often just the present: Jag tar den (I'll take it), Jag ringer i kväll (I'll call tonight).

What does "ska vi" mean?

"Shall we?" It is the standard way to make a suggestion: Ska vi gå? (Shall we go?), Ska vi ses i morgon? (Shall we meet tomorrow?).

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-07.

• Teleman, Ulf, Staffan Hellberg & Erik Andersson (1999). Svenska Akademiens grammatik (on future reference with ska, kommer att and the present tense). Svenska Akademien.
• Hultman, Tor G. (2003). Svenska Akademiens språklära. Svenska Akademien.
• Språkrådet, Språkriktighetsboken (2005), on kommer att versus kommer without att. Språkrådet's language advice is published at isof.se.

Keep going

The difference between ska and kommer att settles when you hear it in hundreds of real conversations. Our free Season 1 course is built on natural spoken Swedish with synced transcripts and speaking practice. Start the free course. For all verb forms, use the verb conjugator and the Swedish verbs guide.