Jeg vil komme til tiden.

I will arrive on time.

Breakdown of Jeg vil komme til tiden.

• jeg: I
• ville: to want
• komme: to come
• til tiden: on time

Questions & Answers about Jeg vil komme til tiden.

Why does the sentence use "vil" instead of a special future tense like English "will"? Does Danish have a future tense?

Danish does not have a separate, dedicated future tense the way English has "will" or "going to".

Instead, Danish usually expresses the future in two main ways:

1. Present tense alone

   • Jeg kommer i morgen. – I’m coming tomorrow / I’ll come tomorrow.

2. Modal verb + infinitive, often "vil" or "skal"

   • Jeg vil komme til tiden. – I will come on time / I want to come on time.
   • Jeg skal komme til tiden. – I must/shall come on time (more obligation).

In your sentence, "vil" is a present‑tense modal verb that points to a future intention or will, roughly like English will or want to depending on context. There is no separate future tense ending on the main verb komme; the future meaning comes from "vil" + context.

What is the difference between "Jeg vil komme til tiden" and "Jeg kommer til tiden"?

Both can refer to the future, but the nuance is different:

• Jeg vil komme til tiden.

  • Focus: intention / decision / will.
  • Often understood as: I intend to be on time or I want to be on time.
  • Can sound a bit like a promise or statement of intent.

• Jeg kommer til tiden.

  • Present tense used with future meaning, very common in Danish.
  • Often used for neutral future plans or arrangements: I’ll be on time / I’m going to be on time.
  • Sounds more straightforward and natural in many everyday contexts.

In many situations, a Dane would more naturally say "Jeg kommer til tiden" or even "Jeg skal nok komme til tiden" (I’ll be on time, don’t worry), rather than "Jeg vil komme til tiden", which can sound a bit formal or slightly stiff depending on the context.

Does "vil" here mean "will" or "want to"?

It can mean both, depending on context, and that’s one of the confusing parts for English speakers.

• Literal / basic meaning of "vil": wants to

  • Jeg vil spise. – I want to eat.

• Future / intention meaning: like English will (as in I will do it – a decision or promise)

  • Jeg vil komme til tiden.
    
    • Could be understood as: I will be on time (I intend/promise to be on time).
    • Or: I want to be on time (I desire to be on time).

Often the difference is tone and context. In many future-like sentences, English “will” corresponds to Danish present tense or "vil". Just remember that "vil" always keeps a flavor of volition (will, desire, intention), not a purely neutral future marker.

Why is the verb order "Jeg vil komme" and not "Jeg komme vil" or something else?

Danish has a V2 (verb-second) word order in main clauses:

1. The first slot is usually the subject (Jeg = I).
2. The second slot must be a finite verb (here: vil, the conjugated modal).
3. Any non-finite verbs (infinitives, participles) go later.

So:

• Jeg (subject, position 1)
• vil (finite verb, position 2)
• komme (infinitive, later in the sentence)
• til tiden (adverbial phrase)

"Jeg komme vil" is ungrammatical in standard Danish, because the conjugated verb must come second, not at the end like in German.

Why is there no "at" before "komme"? Why is it "vil komme" and not "vil at komme"?

In Danish, some verbs are followed by an infinitive with "at", and some are followed by a bare infinitive (without "at").

Modal verbs like:

• vil (want to / will)
• skal (shall / must)
• kan (can)
• må (may / must)
• bør (ought to)

are followed by a bare infinitive:

• Jeg vil komme. – not Jeg vil at komme.
• Jeg kan tale dansk. – not Jeg kan at tale dansk.
• Jeg skal arbejde. – not Jeg skal at arbejde.

So the correct form is "Jeg vil komme til tiden." with no "at".

What exactly does "til tiden" mean? Is it just literally “to the time”?

Literally, "til tiden" is "to the time", but it functions as an idiom meaning "on time", i.e. at the agreed/scheduled time.

Usage:

• Toget kørte til tiden. – The train left on time.
• Mødet startede til tiden. – The meeting started on time.
• Jeg vil komme til tiden. – I will be on time.

This phrase is used when there is a fixed, known time (train departure, meeting, appointment, etc.), and you are not late relative to that time.

So you should think of "til tiden" as a standard idiomatic way to say "on time" in Danish.

What is the difference between "til tiden" and "i tide"?

Both relate to timing, but they’re not the same:

• "til tiden" = on time

  • Used with a fixed, agreed time: trains, meetings, classes, appointments.
  • Focus: not late for the scheduled time.
  • Eksempler:
    
    • Jeg kom til tiden. – I came on time.
    • Bussen kørte til tiden. – The bus left on time.

• "i tide" = in time

  • Means early enough / before it’s too late.
  • There may or may not be a specific clock time; the point is before some negative consequence.
  • Eksempler:
    
    • Jeg kom i tide til at redde situationen. – I arrived in time to save the situation.
    • Vi skal være færdige i tide. – We must finish in time (before the deadline / before it’s too late).

So in your sentence, "Jeg vil komme til tiden" fits, because you’re talking about a specific scheduled time and promising to be on time, not just “early enough” in a vague way.

Why not say "på tiden" instead of "til tiden"?

"På tiden" in Danish does not mean on time in the punctuality sense.

Instead, "på tide" (slightly different) is an idiom that means "it’s about time":

• Det er på tide, at vi går. – It’s about time we leave.

But:

• "på tiden" is not used to mean on time.
• For on time (punctual), you say "til tiden".

So:

• ✅ Jeg vil komme til tiden. – correct
• ❌ Jeg vil komme på tiden. – unidiomatic / incorrect in this meaning

Could I say "Jeg skal komme til tiden" instead? What is the difference between "vil" and "skal" here?

You can say "Jeg skal komme til tiden", but it has a different nuance:

• Jeg vil komme til tiden.

  • Focus on your intention / will / desire to be on time.
  • Roughly: I intend to be on time or I want to be on time.

• Jeg skal komme til tiden.

  • Focus on obligation / requirement.
  • Often implies someone else’s rule or expectation: I must be on time / I am supposed to be on time.

In practice:

• Talking about your own promise/decision → "Jeg vil komme til tiden" or more naturally "Jeg kommer til tiden" / "Jeg skal nok komme til tiden".
• Talking about a rule or duty (e.g. work policy) → "Jeg skal komme til tiden." (I’m required to be on time).

How would I make this sentence negative? Like "I will not be on time"?

In Danish, ikke (not) usually comes right after the finite verb in main clauses.

Your finite verb is "vil", so:

• Jeg vil ikke komme til tiden. – I will not come on time / I won’t be on time.

Word order pattern:

• Subject: Jeg
• Finite verb: vil
• Negation: ikke
• Infinitive: komme
• Adverbial: til tiden

Is it possible to front "til tiden" and say something like "Til tiden vil jeg komme"?

Grammatically, yes, but it would be unusual and quite marked in everyday speech.

Danish allows fronting of adverbials for emphasis, while keeping the finite verb in second position:

• Til tiden vil jeg komme.

This puts strong emphasis on "on time", almost like:

• As for being on time, I will be.
• Or a poetic / dramatic style: On time will I come.

In normal, neutral Danish, you would stick with:

• Jeg vil komme til tiden.
• Or more common: Jeg kommer til tiden.

How is "Jeg vil komme til tiden" pronounced, especially "jeg" and "vil"?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA:

• Jeg ≈ /jɑj/ or /jaj/

  • The g is silent.
  • Often sounds a bit like English "yie".

• vil ≈ /vil/ or more relaxed /vel/ in casual speech

  • Short i, not like English wheel.
  • Closer to English "will", but keep it short and clear, not "veel".
• komme ≈ /ˈkɔmə/
• til ≈ /til/ (or /tel/ in fast speech)
• tiden ≈ /ˈtiðn̩/ or /ˈtiðən/

Roughly (very roughly) in English-like spelling:
"Yie vil komme til ti-den."

So the full phrase would sound something like:
/jɑj vil ˈkɔmə til ˈtiðn̩/.