vilja (to want) | Swedish Grammar

vilja means "to want," and as a modal it takes a bare infinitive with no att: Jag vill åka hem, "I want to go home." Its present is the irregular vill, the same for every subject. The single most important thing for an English speaker is this: when you want a thing rather than to do something, Swedish does not say *vill + noun — it says vill ha + noun, literally "want to have." Jag vill ha vatten, "I want water." Missing the ha is the classic vilja stumble, and this card is built around fixing it.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Type
vilja	vill	ville	velat	(none)	modal, irregular

The present vill is identical for jag, du, hon, vi, de — modals never agree for person. The past ville ("wanted") and the supine velat ("wanted," after har/hade) complete the set, and there is no imperative (you can't command someone to want). After every form comes either a bare infinitive (to want to do something) or ha + noun (to want a thing).

Jag vill verkligen lära mig spela gitarr.

I really want to learn to play guitar. vill + lära — bare infinitive, no 'att'.

Som barn ville hon bli astronaut.

As a child she wanted to become an astronaut. ville = past of vilja.

Jag har alltid velat resa till Japan.

I've always wanted to travel to Japan. velat = supine, after har.

Use 1: wanting to do something — vilja + infinitive

To say you want to do an action, use vill + bare infinitive. This is the straightforward modal use, and it matches English "want to" closely (minus the "to").

Jag vill åka hem nu, jag är trött.

I want to go home now, I'm tired. vill + åka — bare infinitive.

Vill du dansa?

Do you want to dance? Inversion in the question: Vill du…?

Vi vill inte störa, vi går snart.

We don't want to bother you, we'll leave soon. Negated: vill inte + infinitive.

Use 2: wanting a thing — vill ha + noun

When the object of your wanting is a thing, not an action, Swedish inserts ha ("to have"): vill ha + noun. Literally "want to have," it is simply how Swedish says "want [something]." There is no version without ha — *Jag vill vatten is broken Swedish.

Jag vill ha ett glas vatten, tack.

I'd like a glass of water, please. vill ha + noun — 'want to have'. Never *vill vatten.

Vad vill du ha till middag?

What do you want for dinner? Asking about a thing → vill ha.

Barnen ville ha glass efter maten.

The children wanted ice cream after the meal. Past: ville ha + noun.

The logic is consistent: if the next word is a verb, no ha (vill åka); if the next word is a noun, you need ha (vill ha glass). English hides this because "want" takes both a verb and a noun directly ("want to go," "want ice cream"); Swedish marks the noun case with ha.

Use 3: the polite skulle vilja

Bare jag vill is blunt — "I want." To be courteous, Swedish uses the conditional skulle vilja, the exact match for English "I would like." This is the form to use with waiters, shop staff, and any polite request. It also pairs with ha: skulle vilja ha for a thing.

Jag skulle vilja boka ett bord för fyra.

I'd like to book a table for four. skulle vilja = the polite 'would like' — far softer than 'jag vill'.

Jag skulle vilja ha en kopp kaffe, tack.

I'd like a cup of coffee, please. skulle vilja ha + noun — polite AND the thing-pattern together.

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"Want a thing" needs vill ha + noun (literally "want to have") — Jag vill ha vatten, never *Jag vill vatten. "Want to do something" is vill + bare infinitive — Jag vill åka. Quick rule: a verb follows vill directly; a noun needs ha in between. And to be polite, soften vill to skulle vilja ("would like").

A homograph to watch: vill (from villa, "to err")

The form vill has a rare second life: it is also a form connected to villa / vilse ("to be lost, to go astray"), seen in the fixed phrase gå vilse ("get lost") and the literary/older vill in set expressions. In everyday Swedish this is almost never what vill means — it overwhelmingly means "want" — but if a sentence about wanting makes no sense, this archaic sense (literary/archaic) may be in play. Don't worry about producing it; just don't be thrown when "want" doesn't fit a very old or poetic text.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag vill kaffe.

Incorrect — wanting a thing needs ha: vill ha kaffe ('want to have coffee').

✅ Jag vill ha kaffe.

I want coffee.

❌ Jag vill att åka hem.

Incorrect — vilja is a modal; it takes a bare infinitive with no 'att'.

✅ Jag vill åka hem.

I want to go home.

❌ Vill du ha dansa?

Incorrect — 'ha' is only for wanting a thing. With a verb, drop it: vill du dansa?

✅ Vill du dansa?

Do you want to dance?

❌ Jag vill boka ett bord. (to a waiter)

Too blunt — for politeness use the conditional skulle vilja ('I'd like').

✅ Jag skulle vilja boka ett bord.

I'd like to book a table.

❌ Som barn villade hon bli läkare.

Incorrect — the past of vilja is ville, not a regular *villade.

✅ Som barn ville hon bli läkare.

As a child she wanted to become a doctor.

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