kommer til at
Going to (Kommer Til at)
Kommer til at is Danish's most common way to say 'going to.' In the present tense, it predicts what will happen. In the past tense (kom til at), it describes things that happened by accident.
How It Works
The pattern kommer til at is a versatile 'workhorse' in Danish conversation. It has two primary functions:
1. The Future (Predictions)
When used in the present tense, it often functions like the English 'going to.' It is used for predictions that feel certain or are the natural result of current circumstances. Unlike skal (which implies a plan) or vil (which implies desire or abstract future), kommer til at focuses on the outcome.
- Det kommer til at regne. (It is going to rain — I see the clouds).
2. The Accidental or Involuntary
This is a unique Danish nuance. The construction indicates that the subject did not intend for the action to happen. While most common in the past tense (kom til at), it is also used in the present tense to describe habitual accidents.
- Jeg kom til at spilde kaffe. (I accidentally spilled coffee).
- Jeg kommer tit til at glemme mine nøgler. (I often accidentally forget my keys).
Grammar Note: The verb following at must always be in the infinitive form. If you need to negate the sentence, place ikke immediately after the conjugated verb (kommer/kom).
- Det kommer ikke til at regne. (It is not going to rain).
Examples (5)
- Det kommer til at tage lang tid.
It is going to take a long time.
Word by Word: It comes to to take long time.
A prediction about the future based on current facts.
- Du kommer til at elske den her film!
You are going to love this movie!
Word by Word: You come to to love this here film!
Used here to express a certain prediction about someone's reaction.
- Undskyld, jeg kom til at sige det højt.
Sorry, I accidentally said it out loud.
Word by Word: Sorry, I came to to say it loud.
In the past tense, this pattern indicates the action was unintentional.
- Jeg er kommet til at slette filen.
I have accidentally deleted the file.
Word by Word: I am come to to delete file-the.
Using the perfect tense (er kommet) to show a past accident with present relevance.
- Tror du, det kommer til at sne i morgen?
Do you think it's going to snow tomorrow?
Word by Word: Think you, it comes to to snow in tomorrow?
A common way to ask for a prediction about the weather.
Common Mistakes
Adding an -r to the second verb (the nutids-r error).
Du kommer til at elsker det.Du kommer til at elske det.The verb following 'at' must be in the infinitive (elske), not the present tense (elsker).
Using 'har' instead of 'er' in the perfect tense.
Jeg har kommet til at...Jeg er kommet til at...Because 'komme' is a verb of motion/change, it uses 'være' (to be) as its auxiliary verb in the perfect tense.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'kommer til at', you need to be familiar with present tense conjugation, the use of the infinitive marker 'at', and the basic preposition 'til', as these elements combine to form this specific future tense expression.
Related Patterns
- skal + InfinitiveShall / Going to (Skal)
Skal is used for plans and obligations, whereas kommer til at is for predictions.
Level 2 - vil + InfinitiveWill / Want to (Vil)
Vil often implies desire or a more formal/distant future compared to the immediate kommer til at.
Level 2 - er + Past ParticiplePerfect with Er
Explains why we use 'er' instead of 'har' when using this pattern in the perfect tense.
Level 2 - Weather Expressions
Kommer til at is frequently used with weather verbs to make predictions.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice kommer til at in Bubblegum
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