Learn Hardcore Swedish: Ja, jag kommer att boka två biljetter, men jag vill förklara först. - Yes, I will book two tickets, but I want to explain first.

ska often expresses intention, plan, promise, or obligation (volitional “will”). It’s very common for things you’ve decided to do: Jag ska boka två biljetter.
kommer att is more neutral/predictive (“is going to”), often used for outcomes or things likely to happen, less about your will: Det kommer att regna.

In everyday speech about your own planned action, ska is typically more natural. Kommer att doesn’t sound wrong here, but it can feel a bit more detached or matter‑of‑fact about the future event happening.

Why is there att after kommer but no att after vill?

komma att + infinitive is the standard future construction, so you keep att: kommer att boka.
After modal(-like) verbs such as vill, ska, kan, måste, bör, brukar, Swedish omits the infinitive marker att: vill förklara, not vill att förklara.

Note: vill att is used when you want someone else to do something: Jag vill att du förklarar (“I want you to explain”).

Can I drop att and say Jag kommer boka? What about kommer och boka?

Jag kommer boka (without att) is common in colloquial speech and increasingly seen, but many style guides still recommend keeping att in careful writing.
kommer och boka is a spoken/dialectal variant; avoid it in standard writing. Use kommer att.

Could I just use the present tense for the future, like Jag bokar två biljetter?

Yes. Swedish often uses the present for near‑future plans or scheduled arrangements, especially with context:

On the phone/in a chat: Jag bokar två biljetter (nu).
In general plans: Jag bokar imorgon.

Without context, present tense can sound like a habitual statement, so add a time word or rely on the situation.

Where can I put först, and does the word order change?

All of these are correct but differ in emphasis:

Jag vill förklara först. Neutral; “first” is an afterthought.
Jag vill först förklara. Slightly stronger focus on the order: first explain, then something else.
Först vill jag förklara. Strongest focus on “first.” Because Swedish is a V2 language, fronting Först puts the finite verb (vill) in second position, before the subject (jag).

Tip: först (adverb “first/firstly”) is different from första (ordinal “the first”: den första dagen).

Do I need the comma before men?

Yes, this is standard. In Swedish, a comma is normally placed before men when it links two main clauses:

…boka två biljetter, men jag vill…

Don’t put a comma before subordinate clauses introduced by att, som, etc., unless there’s another reason.

Why is it biljetter and not biljetterna? When would I use the definite plural?

biljetter = indefinite plural (“tickets” in general): två biljetter.
biljetterna = definite plural (“the tickets”).
If you mean specific, previously known tickets: de två biljetterna (“the two tickets”).

You cannot say två biljetterna; you need the determiner de with the definite plural: de två biljetterna.

Why is it en biljett and not ett biljett even though it ends with “-ett”?

Spelling doesn’t determine gender. biljett happens to be a common‑gender noun:

Singular: en biljett, biljetten
Plural: biljetter, biljetterna

Memorize gender with each noun; endings can be misleading.

What’s the difference between boka, boka in, reservera, and beställa?

boka: to book/reserve (generic). Jag ska boka två biljetter.
boka in: to book/schedule in (emphasizes putting something in a calendar/slot). Vi bokar in ett möte.
reservera: to reserve (hold something for someone, sometimes without full purchase). Kan ni reservera ett bord?
beställa: to order (place an order). For tickets it can work online/phone: Jag ska beställa biljetter, but for seats/events boka is often more idiomatic.

Is Jag vill förklara först polite enough? Are there softer alternatives?

It’s fine and neutral. To sound softer/more polite:

Jag skulle vilja förklara först. (conditional, more tentative)
Jag vill gärna förklara först. (adds willingness/kindness)
Kan jag bara förklara först? (indirect question, very polite in conversation)

Any pronunciation tips for tricky parts like kommer att, två, and först?

kommer: double consonant = short vowel; stress on the first syllable: KOM-mer.
att (infinitive marker): often reduced in speech, sounding close to a short å; kommer att may sound like “KOM-mer å…”.
boka: long o (like “boo”): BO‑ka.
biljetter: the j is a y sound: bil‑YET‑ter (stress on the second syllable).
två: long å; roughly “tvoh”.
först: ö like rounded “u” in “burn”; in many accents, rs becomes a retroflex “sh” sound, so it can sound like “fösht”.

Could I use fast instead of men?

Often, yes, but there’s nuance:

men = neutral “but” in all registers.
fast = colloquial “but/though,” common in speech. In writing, men is safer.
dock = “however,” more formal and placed inside the clause: Jag vill dock förklara först.

Is there anything special about mixing kommer att with a volitional clause like jag vill förklara först?

It’s grammatical, but style‑wise you’re expressing a predicted/neutral future (kommer att boka) and then a personal intention (vill förklara) in the same breath. Many speakers would simply use ska for the first part when it’s your own decision: Ja, jag ska boka två biljetter, men jag vill förklara först.