Modal Verbs in Danish

In Brief

The main Danish modal verbs are kan, vil, skal, må, and bør. They are followed by an infinitive (the basic form of a verb) without at: Jeg kan svømme (“I can swim”), not Jeg kan at svømme. The modal has the same present-tense form with every subject.

Overview

Modal verbs add an idea such as ability, willingness, obligation, permission, or advice to another verb. They let you say that someone can swim, must leave, may enter, or should rest. Because these meanings occur constantly in everyday conversation, Danish modal verbs are an essential A1 topic.

The basic Danish pattern is reassuringly close to English: compare kan svømme with “can swim.” Neither language uses “to” or at between the modal and the next verb. Danish is even more regular across different subjects: jeg kan, hun kan, and de kan all use exactly the same form.

The main challenge is meaning rather than formation. One Danish modal does not always match one English modal. In particular, må can mean either “must” or “may,” while vil can express wanting, willingness, or a future prediction. Context usually makes the intended meaning clear.

How It Works

The five core modals

Danish present form	Infinitive with at	Core meaning	Typical use
kan	at kunne	can, be able to; sometimes may	ability or possibility
vil	at ville	want to, will	desire, willingness, or prediction
skal	at skulle	must, be going to, shall	requirement, plan, or expectation
må	at måtte	must, have to; may	necessity or permission
bør	at burde	should, ought to	advice or recommendation

The infinitive is the dictionary-like verb form. Danish normally writes it with at, as in at spise (“to eat”) and at gå (“to go”). After a modal, however, the following infinitive is bare: it appears without at.

• Jeg kan svømme. — I can swim.
• Hun vil spise. — She wants to eat.
• Vi skal gå nu. — We must leave now.
• Du må komme ind. — You may come in.
• I bør vente. — You should wait.

In each sentence, the modal is the finite verb (the verb that carries tense and fits into the sentence’s verb position). The second verb stays in the infinitive. Do not add the normal present ending -r to it: use kan læse, not kan læser.

One form for every subject

Like Danish present-tense verbs generally, modals do not change according to who performs the action.

Subject	kan	Example
jeg (I)	kan	Jeg kan komme.
du (you)	kan	Du kan komme.
han/hun/den/det (he/she/it)	kan	Hun kan komme.
vi (we)	kan	Vi kan komme.
I (you, plural)	kan	I kan komme.
de (they)	kan	De kan komme.

The same principle applies to vil, skal, må, and bør. Unlike English, Danish does not require an -s form comparable to “she wants.” Danish simply has hun vil.

Statements, negatives, and questions

In a normal statement, the subject comes first, followed by the modal and the infinitive:

subject + modal + infinitive

• Peter skal arbejde. — Peter has to work.

A sentence adverb such as ikke (“not”) normally comes after the finite modal in a main clause:

subject + modal + ikke + infinitive

• Peter skal ikke arbejde i morgen. — Peter is not supposed to work tomorrow.
• Jeg kan ikke høre dig. — I cannot hear you.

In a yes/no question, put the modal before the subject:

modal + subject + infinitive?

• Kan du hjælpe? — Can you help?
• Må jeg komme ind? — May I come in?
• Skal vi gå? — Shall we leave?

If another element begins a main clause, Danish keeps the finite verb in second position. The subject then follows the modal:

• I morgen skal vi arbejde. — Tomorrow we have to work.
• Her må du ikke parkere. — You must not park here.

In a subordinate clause (a clause that depends on another part of the sentence), ikke normally comes before the modal:

• Jeg bliver hjemme, fordi jeg ikke kan komme. — I am staying home because I cannot come.

Choosing the right modal

Kan: ability and possibility

Use kan for an ability someone has or for something that is possible.

• Sara kan tale dansk. — Sara can speak Danish.
• Det kan ske. — It can happen.

For straightforward permission, må is often clearer than kan. English speakers commonly ask “Can I...?”, but Danish Må jeg ...? directly asks whether something is allowed.

Vil: desire, willingness, and prediction

With a person as subject, vil often means “want to” or “be willing to.”

• Jeg vil hjem. — I want to go home.
• Hun vil ikke vente. — She does not want to wait.

It can also help express a prediction: Det vil tage en time (“It will take an hour”). Danish has several ways to talk about the future, so English “will” should not automatically become vil in every sentence.

Use vil have when what is wanted is a thing rather than an action: Jeg vil have kaffe (“I want coffee”). In polite service encounters, Jeg vil gerne have ... is much softer and usually corresponds to “I would like ...”.

Skal: requirements, arrangements, and plans

Skal often presents an obligation as a rule, instruction, agreement, or circumstance.

• Du skal vise dit pas. — You must show your passport.
• Vi skal mødes klokken otte. — We are meeting at eight.

It also expresses a settled plan and is common where English uses “be going to” or the present continuous. In questions, Skal jeg ...? can offer to do something: Skal jeg åbne vinduet? (“Shall I open the window?”).

Må: permission or necessity

Må has two core readings that English normally keeps separate:

• Du må komme ind. — You may come in.
• Jeg må gå nu. — I must go now.

Words and situation supply the distinction. Må gerne clearly gives permission or says that something is welcome: Du må gerne tage en stol (“You may take a chair”). By contrast, må ikke means that something is forbidden: Du må ikke ryge her (“You must not smoke here”). It does not mean “you do not have to.”

Bør: advice

Bør gives advice, states what is sensible, or expresses a mild duty.

• Du bør tale med en læge. — You should speak to a doctor.
• Vi bør gå nu. — We should leave now.

It is usually less forceful than skal and må. In informal conversation, speakers may also use expressions such as Det er en god idé at ..., but bør is common and useful in both speech and writing.

Examples in Context

Danish	English	Note
Jeg kan svømme.	I can swim.	Ability with kan
Kan du høre mig?	Can you hear me?	Question: modal before subject
Hun vil spise nu.	She wants to eat now.	Desire with vil
Jeg vil gerne bestille en kaffe.	I would like to order a coffee.	Polite vil gerne
Det vil tage cirka ti minutter.	It will take about ten minutes.	Prediction with vil
Vi skal gå nu.	We must leave now.	Obligation or necessity
Jeg skal besøge min søster på lørdag.	I am going to visit my sister on Saturday.	Settled plan with skal
Skal jeg hjælpe dig?	Shall I help you?	Offer with skal
Du må komme ind.	You may come in.	Permission with må
Jeg må ringe til lægen.	I must call the doctor.	Necessity with må
I må gerne bruge køkkenet.	You may use the kitchen.	gerne makes permission clear
Man må ikke cykle her.	You must not cycle here.	Prohibition, not lack of necessity
Du bør drikke mere vand.	You should drink more water.	Advice with bør
I morgen skal vi stå tidligt op.	Tomorrow we have to get up early.	Modal remains in second position
Jeg bliver hjemme, fordi jeg ikke kan arbejde.	I am staying home because I cannot work.	ikke before the modal in a subordinate clause

Common Mistakes

Adding at after a modal

• Wrong: Jeg kan at svømme.
• Right: Jeg kan svømme.
• Why: A modal takes a bare infinitive. English follows the same pattern with “can swim,” not “can to swim.”

Using a present-tense form for the second verb

• Wrong: Hun vil spiser.
• Right: Hun vil spise.
• Why: Only the modal is finite. The next verb is an infinitive, so remove the present-tense -r.

Changing the modal for a third-person subject

• Wrong: Han kans tale dansk.
• Right: Han kan tale dansk.
• Why: Danish present-tense forms do not change with the subject. There is no equivalent of the English third-person -s here.

Treating må ikke as “do not have to”

• Wrong for the intended meaning: Du må ikke komme i morgen. — This means “You must not come tomorrow.”
• Right: Du behøver ikke komme i morgen. — You do not have to come tomorrow.
• Why: Må ikke prohibits an action. Behøver ikke says the action is unnecessary.

Translating every English “will” with vil

• Unnatural in some contexts: Jeg vil rejse i morgen when you simply mean that the trip is arranged.
• Better for a plan: Jeg skal rejse i morgen. — I am going to travel tomorrow.
• Why: Vil may sound like desire or willingness when the subject is a person. Skal is common for a plan or arrangement; Danish can also use the present tense for scheduled future events.

Forgetting main-clause word order

• Wrong: I morgen vi skal arbejde.
• Right: I morgen skal vi arbejde.
• Why: In a Danish main clause, the finite verb normally occupies the second position. Starting with i morgen puts the modal before the subject.

Usage Notes

Gerne changes the tone

Gerne roughly expresses willingness or pleasure, but its best English translation depends on the sentence. It makes several modal expressions especially useful:

• Jeg vil gerne lære dansk. — I would like to learn Danish.
• Du må gerne åbne vinduet. — You may open the window / Feel free to open the window.
• Jeg kan godt hjælpe. — I can help / I am certainly able to help.

Do not try to assign gerne one fixed English word. Learn the whole patterns vil gerne and må gerne.

Modals can stand without a repeated verb

If the action is already obvious, Danish can leave the infinitive unspoken, just as English can:

• Kan du komme i morgen? — Ja, det kan jeg. — Can you come tomorrow? — Yes, I can.
• Må jeg åbne vinduet? — Ja, det må du gerne. — May I open the window? — Yes, you may.

The short answer repeats the modal rather than the main action verb.

Skal and må overlap, but are not identical

Both can express necessity. Skal often points toward a rule, instruction, plan, or expectation, while må often presents necessity arising from the speaker’s situation or conclusion. Compare Jeg skal arbejde i morgen (“I have to/am due to work tomorrow”) with Jeg må gå nu (“I must leave now”). This is a useful tendency, not a mechanical test; context and speaker perspective matter.

Beyond the Basics

You do not need to master the following patterns at A1, but you will meet them often as your Danish develops.

Several verbs can form one chain

A modal can be followed by another modal’s infinitive, and the final action still appears without at:

• Du skal kunne svømme. — You must be able to swim.
• Jeg vil gerne kunne tale dansk. — I would like to be able to speak Danish.

The first verb is finite (skal, vil); the remaining verbs are infinitives (kunne, svømme and kunne, tale).

Modals can express a judgment about truth

Besides ability and duty, modals can show how certain a speaker is. This is sometimes called epistemic modality (using a modal to judge whether something is likely or true).

• Det kan være rigtigt. — It may be right.
• Han må være hjemme. — He must be at home.

Here må does not describe an obligation. It marks a strong conclusion based on what the speaker knows.

Perfect infinitives look back in time

A modal can combine with have or være plus a past participle (a verb form used in constructions such as “has forgotten”) to refer to an earlier event:

• Hun må have glemt aftalen. — She must have forgotten the appointment.
• Han kan være gået hjem. — He may have gone home.
• Du burde have ringet. — You should have called.

Forms such as kunne, ville, skulle, and måtte are also central to past-time and hypothetical meanings. Study them separately rather than assuming they match English “could,” “would,” “should,” and “had to” in every context.

Future and conditional meanings need context

Danish has no single future-tense ending. Skal often presents an intended or arranged future, while vil can present a prediction. The present tense is also common for future events when a time expression makes the timing clear. Later, ville becomes important for hypothetical statements and polite wishes. These systems build on the simple modal pattern learned here.

Practice Tips

1. Build five sentence families. Choose one familiar verb, such as arbejde, and say Jeg kan arbejde, jeg vil arbejde, jeg skal arbejde, jeg må arbejde, and jeg bør arbejde. Notice how the modal changes the message while arbejde stays unchanged.
2. Transform each statement twice. Turn Du kan komme into the negative Du kan ikke komme and the question Kan du komme? This practises both the modal and Danish word order.
3. Learn meanings in short situations. Pair må gerne with permission, må ikke with prohibition, skal with a plan or rule, and bør with advice. Context-based cards are more useful than memorising five isolated English equivalents.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense — establishes the Danish rule that one present form is used with every subject.
• Related expression: Expressing Likes and Preferences — develops the fixed expression kunne lide and other ways to talk about preferences.
• Next step: Modal Verbs in Past — introduces kunne, ville, skulle, and måtte in past-time contexts.
• Next step: Future Tense — compares skal, vil, kommer til at, and the present tense for future meaning.
• Later topic: Conditional Mood — uses ville for hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future viewed from the past.