sal
Will
Sal means will: Ek sal jou bel. (I will call you.) The other verb goes to the end.
How It Works
Word order. Sal stands in second place and the other verb closes the clause, with objects and time words in between: Ek sal die boek môre lees. (I will read the book tomorrow.) See Modal Verb Word Order.
What sal expresses.
- Promises: Ek sal jou help. (I will help you.)
- Predictions: Dit sal vanaand reën. (It will rain tonight.)
- Offers: Sal ek die venster oopmaak? (Shall I open the window?)
- Requests: Sal jy my help? (Will you help me?)
Wees and hê. After sal, is becomes wees and het becomes hê: Dit sal koud wees. (It will be cold.) Jy sal 'n jas nodig hê. See is/wees.
Negation. Nie follows sal, pronoun objects and most time words, and a second nie closes the sentence: Ons sal nie laat wees nie. See Double Negation.
Other ways to talk about the future. Sal is not the only choice, and it is often not the most common one in speech. For plans, use gaan + infinitive: Ek gaan môre swem. With a time word, the plain present also works: Ek kom môre. See present for future. Sal adds a feeling of promise or certainty.
Sal is not wil. Wil means want to: Ek wil kom is I want to come. See wil.
Would. The past form of sal is sou, which also means would: Dit sou lekker wees. See sou.
Examples (6)
- Ek sal jou môre bel.
I will call you tomorrow.
Word by Word: I will you tomorrow call.
A promise. The object jou and the time word môre come before the verb at the end.
- Dit sal vanaand reën.
It will rain tonight.
Word by Word: It will tonight rain.
- Sal jy my asseblief help?
Will you please help me?
Word by Word: Will you me please help?
A polite request. Sal starts the question.
- Ons sal nie laat wees nie.
We won't be late.
Word by Word: We will not late be not.
After sal, is becomes wees.
- Sal ek die venster oopmaak?
Shall I open the window?
Word by Word: Shall I the window open-make?
An offer. The separable verb oopmaak stays in one piece at the end after a modal.
- Ek belowe, ek sal dit nooit weer doen nie.
I promise, I will never do it again.
Word by Word: I promise, I will it never again do not.
Common Mistakes
Putting the verb straight after sal, as in English.
Ek sal bel jou môre.Ek sal jou môre bel.The verb goes to the end of the clause. The object and the time word come before it.
Keeping is after sal.
Dit sal koud is.Dit sal koud wees.After a modal verb, the form of to be is wees, not is.
Adding om te after sal.
Ek sal om te kom.Ek sal kom.Sal takes the plain verb directly, like every modal verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Sal follows the modal word order pattern.
Related Patterns
- gaan + InfinitiveGoing to: Gaan
Gaan is the everyday choice for plans, while sal adds promise or certainty.
Level 2 - Present Tense for the Future
With a time word, the present tense often replaces sal.
Level 2 - wilWant to
Wil means want, not will. Learners often mix the two up.
Level 1 - souWould: Sou
Sou is the past form of sal and also means would.
Level 2 - is/weesTo Be: Is and Wees
After sal, is becomes wees: Dit sal koud wees.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice sal in Bubblegum
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