skal til at

About to (Skal Til at)

Level 3

skal til at + infinitive = 'to be about to [do something]'. It signals that an action is just seconds or minutes away.

How It Works

The construction follows the structure: Subject + conjugated 'skal/skulle' + til + at + infinitive.

Key features include:

  • Imminence: It is much more immediate than English 'going to'. If you say 'Jeg skal til at spise', you are likely sitting down at the table right now.
  • The 'Lige' Modifier: In natural Danish, the word lige (just) is almost always inserted to sound idiomatic: 'Jeg skal lige til at gå' (I'm just about to leave).
  • Tense: Use the present tense skal for current intentions and the past tense skulle to say you 'were about to' do something before being interrupted (e.g., 'Jeg skulle lige til at ringe').
  • Spoken Reduction: In fast speech, 'til at' often sounds like a single word: 'tilla'.
  • Word Order: In a subordinate clause, the sentence adverb (like ikke) moves before the finite verb (skal/skulle). For example: '...fordi jeg ikke skal til at gå' (because I am not about to leave).

Examples (4)

  1. Skynd dig! Filmen skal til at begynde.

    Hurry up! The movie is about to start.

    Word by Word: Hurry you! The movie shall to at begin.

    This shows the most common use: an event that is starting in the next few seconds.

  2. Jeg skal netop til at gå.

    I am just about to leave.

    Word by Word: I shall just to at go.

    The adverb 'netop' (just/exactly) is frequently used with this pattern to emphasize the timing.

  3. Vi skulle lige til at spise, da telefonen ringede.

    We were just about to eat when the phone rang.

    Word by Word: We should just to at eat, when the phone rang.

    Using the past tense 'skulle' describes an action that was imminent in the past.

  4. Jeg kan ikke tale nu, for jeg skal til at køre.

    I can't talk now, because I'm about to drive.

    Word by Word: I can not talk now, for I shall to at drive.

    This explains why the speaker is unavailable—they are in the process of starting the car.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'skal til at' when you have already started eating.

    Different MeaningJeg skal til at spise nu.
    Jeg er ved at spise nu.

    er ved at means you are currently in the middle of the action, while 'skal til at' means you haven't started yet.

  • Omitting the 'at' before the infinitive.

    Jeg skal til gå.
    Jeg skal til at gå.

    Unlike standard modal verbs, this specific construction requires the infinitive marker at.

  • Using 'skal til at' for distant future plans.

    Jeg skal til at rejse til Spanien næste år.
    Jeg skal rejse til Spanien næste år.

    'Skal til at' normally means the action is about to start. If the plan is months away, use the simple skal.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

skal til atLevel 3About to (Skal Til at)

Learn This First

To understand 'skal til at', you need to be familiar with the modal verb 'skal' (shall/going to) and how to use the infinitive marker 'at'. This pattern combines these elements with the preposition 'til' to express that an action is just about to happen.

Words in This Pattern

skulletilat