Jeg vil prøve at bage en kage i weekenden.

I

Breakdown of Jeg vil prøve at bage en kage i weekenden.

• i: in
• en: a
• at: to

Questions & Answers about Jeg vil prøve at bage en kage i weekenden.

Why is vil used here? Does it mean will or want to?

Vil can cover both ideas, depending on context. In this sentence it most naturally shows intention: the speaker plans or wants to try baking a cake.

So jeg vil prøve... can feel like:

• I will try...
• I want to try...

Danish often uses vil + infinitive to talk about the future, but it is not a separate future tense in the way English learners sometimes expect.

Why is there no at after vil?

Because vil is a modal verb. In Danish, modal verbs are followed by the bare infinitive:

• jeg vil prøve
• jeg kan bage
• jeg skal gå

So after vil, you do not use at.

Why is there at before bage?

Because prøve is not a modal verb. When prøve is followed by another verb, Danish normally uses at + infinitive:

• prøve at bage
• prøve at forstå
• prøve at komme tidligt

So the pattern is:

vil + prøve + at + bage

That is why there is no at after vil, but there is one before bage.

What exactly does mean? Is alone enough?