skulle + Infinitive

Would (Conditional)

Level 3

'Skulle' means 'would'. It's used for things that would happen if something else were true. For example, 'I would go if I had time' becomes 'Jag skulle gå om jag hade tid'.

How It Works

The Swedish modal verb skulle often corresponds to English would. It's essential for expressing hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future events from a past perspective.

1. Conditional Sentences
A central use of skulle is the conditional result. It describes the result of a hypothetical or unreal condition. These sentences often use the conjunction om (if). The structure is typically:
Om [condition in past tense], skulle [subject] [infinitive verb]...

  • Om jag vann på lotto, skulle jag köpa ett hus. (If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.)
  • Vad skulle du göra om du hade en miljon kronor? (What would you do if you had a million kronor?)

2. Polite Requests and Offers
'Skulle' is used to soften requests, making them more polite, similar to 'could you' or 'would you' in English.

  • Skulle du kunna öppna fönstret? (Could you open the window?)
  • Skulle jag kunna få ett glas vatten? (Could I get a glass of water?)

3. Future in the Past
'Skulle' is used to talk about an action that was in the future at a specific point in the past. It's often used in reported speech.

  • Han sa att han skulle komma klockan fem. (He said that he would come at five o'clock.)
  • Vi trodde att det skulle regna, men det blev soligt. (We thought that it would rain, but it turned out sunny.)

Grammar Rule: When skulle takes a following verb, that verb is an infinitive without att. Context can also license omitted material, or a direction expression such as Jag skulle hem (I was going home).

  • Correct: Jag skulle resa. (I would travel.)
  • Incorrect: Jag skulle att resa / Jag skulle reste.

For past conditional situations (what 'would have' happened), you use the structure skulle ha + supinum.

Examples (5)

  1. Om jag hade mer tid, skulle jag resa jorden runt.

    If I had more time, I would travel around the world.

    Word by Word: If I had more time, would I travel the earth around.

  2. Skulle du kunna hjälpa mig med den här väskan?

    Could you help me with this bag?

    Word by Word: Would you be able to help me with this here bag?

    'Skulle du kunna...?' is a very common and polite way to ask someone to do something.

  3. Hon lovade att hon skulle ringa senare.

    She promised that she would call later.

    Word by Word: She promised that she would call later.

    This is an example of 'future in the past'. The promise to call was made in the past about a future event.

  4. Jag skulle aldrig säga något sådant.

    I would never say something like that.

    Word by Word: I would never say something such.

  5. Jag skulle ta tåget om jag var du.

    I would take the train if I were you.

    Word by Word: I would take the train if I were you.

    A common phrase for giving advice. Note the use of 'var' (was) instead of the subjunctive 'vore' (were), which is common in modern spoken Swedish.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a past tense verb after 'skulle' instead of the infinitive.

    Jag skulle reste om jag hade pengar.
    Jag skulle resa om jag hade pengar.

    In the shown skulle + verb pattern, use the infinitive resa, not the finite past form reste.

  • Using 'ska' (will) for hypothetical situations instead of 'skulle' (would).

    Om jag vann, ska jag köpa en bil.
    Om jag vann, skulle jag köpa en bil.

    For the intended hypothetical win and its hypothetical result, pair vann with skulle köpa. If vann refers instead to an actual past draw whose outcome is unknown, a present intention with ska can be meaningful. Tense choice depends on the intended situation, not simply the presence of om.

How It Connects

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

skulle + InfinitiveLevel 3Would (Conditional)

Learn This First

To use 'skulle' for conditional statements (would), you first need to understand its root auxiliary verb 'ska' and how Swedish uses auxiliary verbs followed by an infinitive. A solid grasp of tense shifts is also necessary to understand how a past-tense form creates a hypothetical meaning.

Words in This Pattern

skulle