Jag ska resa till Spanien i juli.

I will travel to Spain in July.

Breakdown of Jag ska resa till Spanien i juli.

• jag: I
• i: in
• till: to
• ska: will
• resa: to travel
• juli: July
• Spanien: Spain

Questions & Answers about Jag ska resa till Spanien i juli.

What does ska mean in this sentence?

In Swedish ska is used with an infinitive (here resa) to form a simple future tense, similar to English “will” or “going to.”
Example: Jag ska resa = “I will travel” or “I’m going to travel.”

What’s the difference between ska and kommer att when talking about the future?

Both express future actions, but there’s a nuance:

• ska + infinitive implies intention or plan: you’ve decided to do it.
• kommer att + infinitive is more neutral or predictive: you state a future fact.
  Examples:
  • Jag ska resa till Spanien. (I plan/intend to travel to Spain.)
  • Jag kommer att resa till Spanien. (It will happen that I travel to Spain.)

Why is till used before Spanien? Could I say i Spanien instead?

With verbs of motion (like resa) you use till to indicate destination: resa till Spanien (travel to Spain).

• i Spanien means “in Spain” (you’re already there).
  Example:
  • Jag ska resa till Spanien. (I’m going to Spain.)
  • Jag är i Spanien i juli. (I’m in Spain in July.)

Why is Spanien capitalized but juli is not?

Swedish orthography rules say:

• All proper nouns (countries, cities, personal names) are capitalized: Spanien, Stockholm, Anna.
• Months, days of the week and seasons are written in lowercase: juli, måndag, sommar.

Why don’t we use any article before Spanien?

In Swedish you never put an indefinite or definite article before country names. You simply say Spanien, Sverige, Frankrike without en, ett or den/det.

Why is the time expression i juli placed at the end, and can it go elsewhere?

Swedish main clauses follow a V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (ska) must be the second element. Time expressions can come first or last, as long as you keep that order:
• Standard: Jag ska resa till Spanien i juli.
• Emphasis on time: I juli ska jag resa till Spanien.

Could I use åka instead of resa here?

Yes. Both verbs can mean “to go/travel,” but with a slight difference:

• resa is more general or formal (“to travel”).
• åka often implies traveling by vehicle (car, train, plane) and is more colloquial.
  Examples:
  • Jag ska resa till Spanien. (I’m going to travel to Spain.)
  • Jag ska åka till Spanien. (I’m going to go/drive/fly to Spain.)