Skulle hon kunna komma snart?

Would she be able to come soon?

Breakdown of Skulle hon kunna komma snart?

• kunna: be able to
• hon: she
• komma: to come
• snart: soon

Questions & Answers about Skulle hon kunna komma snart?

Why is the past-tense-looking word skulle used here?

In Swedish, the preterite of modal verbs (like skulle, past of ska) is often used for tentativeness, politeness, or hypothetical situations—similar to English would. Here, Skulle hon kunna... softens the request: Would she be able to... rather than the more direct Can she....

What’s the difference between Skulle hon kunna komma snart? and Kan hon komma snart?

• Skulle hon kunna komma snart? = Polite/softer, indirect: Would she be able to come soon? (requesting a favor, checking possibility politely)
• Kan hon komma snart? = More direct: Can she come soon? (focus on ability or permission right now)

Both are correct; the first is more courteous.

Is it okay to have two modals together like skulle + kunna?

Yes. Swedish allows a modal + another modal in the infinitive. Common stacks include:

• skulle kunna (would be able to)
• skulle vilja (would like to)
• skulle behöva (would need to)

Why is it komma and not kommer?

After modal verbs (e.g., kan/kunna, ska/skulle, vill, måste, bör, får), Swedish uses the bare infinitive without att:

• Hon kan komma.
• Skulle hon kunna komma?