Jeg skal spærre kortet.

I have to block the card.

Breakdown of Jeg skal spærre kortet.

• jeg: I
• kortet: the card
• skulle: must
• spærre: to block

Questions & Answers about Jeg skal spærre kortet.

What does skal mean here?

Here, skal means something like must, have to, or need to. It expresses necessity or obligation.

So Jeg skal spærre kortet is literally close to I must block the card or I have to block the card.

In other contexts, skal can also be used for future meaning, but in this sentence it mainly shows obligation.

Why is it spærre and not a different form of the verb?

Because after skal, Danish normally uses the infinitive form of the main verb.

• skal = modal verb
• spærre = infinitive

This works much like English:

• I must block
• Jeg skal spærre

You do not put at after skal, so Jeg skal at spærre kortet is incorrect.

What does spærre mean exactly?