Questions & Answers about Jeg vil betale lånet af, før renten stiger.
Why is it vil betale and not vil betaler?
Because vil is a modal verb, and modal verbs are followed by the infinitive form of the next verb. So Danish says vil betale, not vil betaler.
You see the same pattern with other modals too:
- Jeg kan betale
- Jeg skal betale
- Jeg må betale
What does vil mean here? Is it just future tense?
Not exactly. Vil can express several related ideas, such as:
- intention
- willingness
- desire
- future meaning
In this sentence, it most naturally sounds like a plan or intention. Danish often uses the present tense for future meaning, so using vil adds a sense of decision or intention rather than being just a neutral future marker.
Why is there an af at the end of betale lånet af?
Because betale ... af is a particle-verb expression. The af belongs with betale, but it is often separated and placed after the object.
So:
- betale lånet af
- betale det af
This is similar to English phrasal verbs such as pay off.
Is af really necessary? What is the difference between betale lånet and betale lånet af?