Breakdown of Snart skal vi gå hjem.
vi
we
skulle
to have to / must / to be going to
gå
to walk / to go / to go out, to fail (of power)
hjem
home
snart
soon
Questions & Answers about Snart skal vi gå hjem.
Why is the order skal vi and not vi skal?
This is because of the V2 rule (verb-second rule). In Danish, the main verb is almost always the second piece of information in a statement. Because we started the sentence with the time word snart (soon), the verb skal must come right after it to stay in the second position. This pushes the subject vi (we) to the third spot.
Why is the verb gå not in the present tense (går)?
gå is in the infinitive (the basic dictionary form) because it comes after the modal helper verb skal. Just like in English where we say "must go" instead of "must goes", Danish uses the infinitive form after verbs like skal, kan, and vil.
Why does the sentence use hjem instead of hjemme?
hjem is used for movement towards your home. Because the sentence involves going (gå), we use hjem. If you were already at your house not moving, you would use hjemme (for example: vi er hjemme, which means "we are at home").
Does skal only mean "must"?
Not always! While skal often translates to "must" or "have to", Danish also uses it to talk about future plans. Depending on the context, snart skal vi gå hjem could just mean "soon we are going home" or "soon we will go home" rather than a strict obligation.
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