Swedish modal verbs: kan, vill, ska, måste, får, behöver, bör

The short answer

Swedish modal verbs are helper verbs that are followed by a plain infinitive, without att: Jag kan simma (I can swim), Du måste gå (You must go). The main ones are kan (can), vill (want), ska (will, shall), måste (must, have to), får (may, be allowed to), behöver (need) and bör (should). Everyday Swedish adds brukar (usually), orkar (have the energy to), hinner (have time to) and slipper (not have to).

The classic trap: must not is får inte, and don't have to is behöver inte. Du får inte röka här means "You must not smoke here". Du behöver inte komma means "You don't have to come".

The modal verbs at a glance

Strictly speaking, grammarians count only some of these as modal verbs, but for a learner the rule is the same: all of them take a bare infinitive. For the full conjugation of any verb, use the verb conjugator.

The golden rule: no att

After a modal verb, the next verb is in the infinitive, without att:

• Right: Jag vill lära mig svenska. (I want to learn Swedish.)
• Wrong: Jag vill att lära mig svenska.
• Right: Hon måste gå nu. (She has to go now.)
• Wrong: Hon måste att gå nu.

The exception is when you want someone else to do something. Then vill and similar verbs take an att clause:

• Jag vill att du kommer. (I want you to come.)
• Hon vill att vi ringer i morgon. (She wants us to call tomorrow.)

Kan: can, be able to, know

Kan covers ability, possibility and permission, like English "can".

• Kan du simma? (Can you swim?)
• Det kan regna i eftermiddag. (It may rain this afternoon.)
• Kan du hjälpa mig? (Can you help me?)
• Kan jag få notan? (Can I have the bill?)

With a noun, kan means "know" a language or subject: Jag kan svenska (I know Swedish), Hon kan mycket om vin (She knows a lot about wine). That is not the same as knowing a fact (veta) or a person (känna).

For polite requests, use skulle du kunna: Skulle du kunna stänga fönstret? (Could you close the window?)

Vill: want

• Jag vill åka hem. (I want to go home.)
• Vill du ha kaffe? (Would you like coffee?)
• Jag vill inte. (I don't want to.)

With a noun, Swedish says vill ha (want to have): Jag vill ha en kopp te (I'd like a cup of tea). Saying Jag vill en kopp te is a common learner mistake.

Polite version: Jag skulle vilja ha... (I would like...). This is what you say in a shop or restaurant.

Ska: will, shall, going to

Ska expresses plans, promises and suggestions: Jag ska ringa dig (I'll call you), Ska vi gå? (Shall we go?). It also expresses rules and hearsay. It has its own guide: ska or kommer att.

Måste: must, have to

Måste expresses necessity. It is the same in the present and past.

• Jag måste gå nu. (I have to go now.)
• Vi måste köpa mjölk. (We need to buy milk.)
• I går måste jag jobba över. (Yesterday I had to work late.)
• Du måste se den filmen! (You have to see that film!)

Får: may, be allowed to, and "get"

Får is the most confusing modal for English speakers, because it has two quite different jobs.

Permission: may, be allowed to

• Får jag komma in? (May I come in?)
• Här får man inte parkera. (You're not allowed to park here.)
• Du får gärna ringa mig. (Feel free to call me.)
• Får jag be om notan? (Could I have the bill, please?)

"Have to", when circumstances force it

• Jag fick vänta i två timmar. (I had to wait for two hours.)
• Du får ta bussen i dag. (You'll have to take the bus today.)
• Det får räcka för i dag. (That'll have to do for today.)

This "have to" is milder than måste: it suggests "that's how it turned out" rather than a strong necessity.

"Get", as a normal verb

With a noun, få is a normal verb meaning "get, receive":

• Jag fick en present. (I got a present.)
• Får jag en kaffe? (Can I get a coffee?)

The past fick can therefore mean "was allowed to", "had to" or "got": Vi fick gå hem can mean "We were allowed to go home" or "We had to walk home". Context decides.

Måste inte vs behöver inte: the big trap

English speakers naturally translate "must not" as måste inte. But in Swedish, måste inte does not mean "must not". When it is used at all, it means "don't have to", and many speakers find it less natural than behöver inte.

So:

• Prohibition = får inte. Barn får inte bada utan vuxna. (Children must not swim without adults.)
• No obligation = behöver inte. Du behöver inte ta av dig skorna. (You don't have to take your shoes off.)
• Relief = slipper. Vi slapp betala. (We didn't have to pay.)

If you say Du måste inte röka här to a smoker, a Swede will understand "You don't have to smoke here", which is not what you meant.

Behöver: need

Behöver works like a modal (bare infinitive) and also takes nouns:

• Jag behöver sova. (I need to sleep.)
• Behöver du hjälp? (Do you need help?)
• Du behöver inte oroa dig. (You don't need to worry.)

Bör and borde: should, ought to

Bör gives advice or a recommendation; borde is its past form but is also used for the present, with a slightly softer sense:

• Man bör boka i förväg. (You should book in advance.)
• Du borde vila lite. (You ought to rest a bit.)
• Han borde vara hemma nu. (He should be home by now.)
• Jag borde ha ringt. (I should have called.)

Bör is common in formal texts and instructions; in conversation, borde is more common.

Brukar: usually

Brukar has no direct English equivalent. It means "usually do, tend to", and is used constantly.

• Jag brukar dricka kaffe på morgonen. (I usually have coffee in the morning.)
• Vad brukar du göra på helgerna? (What do you usually do at weekends?)
• Vi brukade åka till landet varje sommar. (We used to go to the countryside every summer.)

Learners often say Jag dricker vanligtvis kaffe, which is correct, but brukar is far more natural.

Orkar and hinner

These two are among the most useful words in everyday Swedish.

Orkar means "have the energy, strength or patience to":

• Jag orkar inte laga mat i kväll. (I can't face cooking tonight.)
• Orkar du gå hela vägen? (Can you manage to walk all the way?)
• Jag orkar inte med honom. (I can't stand him.)

Hinner means "have time to, make it in time":

• Jag hann inte äta frukost. (I didn't have time for breakfast.)
• Hinner vi till tåget? (Will we make the train?)
• Vi hinner prata sen. (We'll have time to talk later.)

Leaving out the main verb

When the meaning is "go somewhere", Swedish modals drop the verb of motion. This is correct in writing too:

• Jag måste hem. (I have to go home.)
• Vill du med? (Do you want to come along?)
• Jag ska till tandläkaren. (I'm going to the dentist.)
• Hinner du till affären? (Do you have time to get to the shop?)

Two modals together

Swedish happily combines modals, which English cannot do:

• Jag skulle vilja ha en kaffe. (I'd like a coffee.)
• Man måste kunna simma. (You have to be able to swim.)
• Du borde kunna komma. (You should be able to come.)
• Jag har inte kunnat sova. (I haven't been able to sleep.)
• Hon har velat flytta länge. (She has wanted to move for a long time.)

Word order with modals

The modal is the finite verb, so it takes the second position (V2), and inte comes after it in a main clause:

• Jag kan inte komma. (I can't come.)
• I dag kan jag inte komma. (Today I can't come.)
• …eftersom jag inte kan komma. (…because I can't come.)

See Swedish sentence structure for the full rules, and practise with the sentence builder.

FAQ

What are the modal verbs in Swedish?

The main ones are kan, vill, ska, måste, får, behöver and bör. Verbs like brukar, orkar, hinner and slipper behave the same way: they are followed by an infinitive without att.

How do you say "must not" in Swedish?

Får inte: Du får inte röka här (You must not smoke here). Måste inte means "don't have to", not "must not".

What is the difference between "måste inte" and "behöver inte"?

Both mean "don't have to", but behöver inte is the normal, natural choice: Du behöver inte vänta (You don't have to wait). Neither means "must not", which is får inte.

What does "får" mean in Swedish?

It can mean "may, be allowed to" (Får jag komma in?), "have to" (Jag fick vänta) or "get" (Jag fick ett brev). As a noun, ett får means "a sheep", but that is a different word.

Do you use "att" after modal verbs in Swedish?

No. Modal verbs take a bare infinitive: Jag vill åka, Du måste komma. Use att only to introduce a new clause: Jag vill att du åker.

What does "brukar" mean?

"Usually" or "tend to": Jag brukar gå och lägga mig vid elva (I usually go to bed around eleven). In the past, brukade means "used to".

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-07.

• Teleman, Ulf, Staffan Hellberg & Erik Andersson (1999). Svenska Akademiens grammatik, on auxiliary and modal verbs. Svenska Akademien.
• Hultman, Tor G. (2003). Svenska Akademiens språklära. Svenska Akademien.
• Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL), at svenska.se, for verb forms (måste, måst; bör, borde, bort).

Keep going

Modal verbs are in almost every sentence you will say, so they are best learned by hearing and saying them, not from tables. Our free Season 1 course uses real spoken Swedish with synced transcripts and speaking practice. Start the free course.