The modal skulle is the busiest verb in spoken Danish. It looks like English shall, but translating it that way will mislead you nine times out of ten. Skal most often means "have to," "am supposed to," or marks an arranged plan — and, in a use that surprises every learner, it can report a rumour ("is said to"). Its forms are skal (present), skulle (past), skullet (perfect participle).
| Infinitive | Present | Past | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| at skulle | skal | skulle | har skullet |
Like all modals (see the modals overview), skulle takes a bare infinitive, no at.
Obligation and necessity: "have to / must"
The most frequent meaning is obligation — something you have to do, whether imposed from outside or by the situation. English usually says have to or must here, rarely shall.
Du skal lytte, når læreren taler.
You have to listen when the teacher is talking.
Jeg skal aflevere opgaven inden fredag.
I have to hand in the assignment before Friday.
Vi skal skifte dæk, før vinteren kommer.
We need to change the tyres before winter comes.
Arranged plans and the future
Skal is the workhorse of the planned future. When something is on the calendar — an appointment, a trip, a fixed arrangement — Danish says skal, often with no verb of motion at all when a destination is given.
Jeg skal til tandlæge på torsdag.
I'm going to the dentist on Thursday. (skal + destination, no 'go' needed)
Vi skal til Norge i sommerferien.
We're going to Norway over the summer holidays.
Hvad skal du i aften?
What are you doing tonight? (asking about plans)
Notice that in jeg skal til tandlæge there is no infinitive — the destination phrase til tandlæge is enough, and skal alone conveys "am going / am due to go." This compact pattern is extremely common. Contrast it with ville: jeg vil til tandlæge would mean "I want to go to the dentist," not "I'm going." Plans take skal; wishes take vil.
Commands, rules and instructions
For rules, laws, and firm instructions — what one must do — Danish uses skal, frequently with the generic subject man ("one / you in general").
Man skal stoppe ved rødt lys.
You must stop at a red light.
Børn skal have cykelhjelm på.
Children must wear a bike helmet.
Du skal ikke tale med fremmede.
You mustn't talk to strangers. (skal ikke = a prohibition)
The reportative: "is said to / supposedly"
This is the use that catches everyone off guard. Skal can mark hearsay — that you are passing on what is rumoured or reported, not stating it as fact yourself. Han skal være meget rig does not mean "he has to be very rich"; it means "he's supposedly very rich" / "they say he's very rich."
Den nye restaurant skal være rigtig god.
The new restaurant is supposed to be really good. (I've heard so)
Han skal efter sigende have solgt firmaet.
He's reportedly sold the company.
Filmen skal være ret skræmmende, har jeg hørt.
The film is said to be quite scary, I've heard.
Hypothetical past: "were to"
The past form skulle can set up a hypothetical — English "were to" or "should" in the sense of if it should happen. It frequently appears in conditional clauses after hvis.
Hvis det skulle regne, tager vi paraplyen med.
If it should rain, we'll bring the umbrella.
Skulle du få brug for hjælp, så ring bare.
Should you need help, just call. (inversion drops the 'if')
Vi skulle have mødtes i går, men hun blev forsinket.
We were supposed to meet yesterday, but she got delayed. (skulle = arranged-but-unfulfilled past plan)
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg skal til tandlæge — meaning 'I shall to the dentist' as a formal/archaic phrasing in your head.
The English crutch 'shall' misleads you about register; skal here is just a neutral plan, not formal.
✅ Jeg skal til tandlæge på torsdag.
Correct — everyday way to state an appointment; 'shall' is the wrong mental gloss.
❌ Han skal være rig. (read as 'he has to be rich')
Wrong reading — out of context this is the reportative: 'he's supposedly rich', not an obligation.
✅ Han skal være meget rig — har jeg hørt.
Correct — skal + a quality = 'is said to be'; the context confirms hearsay.
❌ Jeg skal at arbejde i morgen.
Wrong — never put at after a modal.
✅ Jeg skal arbejde i morgen.
Correct — skal + the bare infinitive arbejde.
❌ Vi skal til Norge at rejse i juli.
Wrong and redundant — skal + destination already means 'are going'; no extra verb needed.
✅ Vi skal til Norge i juli.
Correct — skal + til Norge = 'we're going to Norway'.
Key Takeaways
- skal / skulle / har skullet — mostly obligation ("have to") and arranged plans/future, not "shall."
- Skal
- a destination (no verb) = "am going / due to go": jeg skal til tandlæge.
- For rules: man skal...; for prohibitions: skal ikke...
- The reportative skal = "is said to / supposedly": han skal være rig.
- Past skulle = hypothetical "were to" (hvis det skulle ske) or an unfulfilled past plan (vi skulle have mødtes).
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Start learning Danish→Related Topics
- Modal Verbs: An OverviewA2 — The six core Danish modals — kunne, ville, skulle, måtte, burde, turde — their present and past forms, and the iron rule that they take a bare infinitive with no at.
- Expressing the FutureA2 — Danish has no future tense — it uses the plain present, vil, or skal, each with a different nuance. The key is the skal (plan) vs vil (volition) split that English 'will' obscures.
- SkulleA1 — The modal verb skulle — obligation, plans and arrangements, the reportative 'is said to', and skal vi…? — with full principal parts and tenses.
- Ville: Volition, Future and ConditionalA2 — The modal ville (vil/ville/villet) — wanting (vil have = 'want'), prediction/future, willingness, and the conditional ville gerne ('would like').