Learn Hardcore Swedish: Ska vi gå ut efter fikan? - Shall we go out after the coffee break?

Here ska makes a friendly suggestion/invitation. Ska vi …? is the go‑to way to propose something together, roughly “Shall we…?” or “How about we…?”.

As a future marker, ska can also mean planned/intended “will”: Vi ska gå ut i kväll = “We’re going out tonight.”
If you want a neutral future (no sense of plan/intent), use kommer att: Vi kommer att gå ut = “We will (are going to) go out.”

Why is it gå and not går?

After a modal like ska, the main verb is in the infinitive: ska gå, ska äta, ska träffa. You do not conjugate it: not “ska går”, not “ska äter”.

What exactly does gå ut mean?

Gå ut literally means “go out” and can mean:

“Go outside” (leave the building).
“Go out (on the town),” e.g., to bars/restaurants: Ska vi gå ut i kväll?
With med, it’s “go out with (someone)” (date) or “take out (something)”: gå ut med någon, gå ut med soporna.

Why is it efter fikan and not efter fika?

All three occur, with slightly different feels:

Efter fikan/fikat = “after the fika (this specific coffee break).” Definite form points to a particular occasion.
Efter fika = “after coffee/fika (in general).” This is also idiomatic, much like efter lunch or efter frukost. It’s more generic or habitual.

Can I say efter fikat instead of efter fikan?

Yes. The noun fika appears with both genders in real usage:

Common gender: en fika → fikan (definite).
Neuter (colloquial/regional): often heard as fikat (definite).
Both efter fikan and efter fikat are common. For a learner, picking one pattern (most textbooks teach en fika → fikan) and sticking to it is perfectly fine.

Could I rephrase it with a clause, like “after we have had fika”?

Yes:

Ska vi gå ut efter att vi har fikat? (after that we have had fika)
More compact: Ska vi gå ut efter att ha fikat? (“after having had fika”)

What’s the difference between efter and efteråt?

Efter is a preposition and takes a noun phrase: efter fikan.
Efteråt is an adverb (“afterwards”) and stands alone: Ska vi gå ut efteråt?
Meaning is similar; efteråt is slightly vaguer (no noun specified).

Is ska vi the only way to make this kind of suggestion?

It’s the most common, but you can vary:

Vill du gå ut efter fikan? = “Do you want to go out after fika?” (asks about desire)
Kan vi gå ut efter fikan? = “Can we go out…?” (asks about possibility)
Borde vi gå ut efter fikan? = “Should we go out…?” (asks what’s advisable)
Ska du med (ut) efter fikan? = “Are you coming along (out) after fika?”

What’s the word order rule in this yes/no question?

In yes/no questions, the verb comes first (inversion): Ska vi gå …?
A statement would be Vi ska gå ut efter fikan.
You can sometimes use statement order with rising intonation to check/confirm: Vi ska gå ut efter fikan? But for making a suggestion, Ska vi…? is clearer.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate guide:

Ska [ska] (like “ska” in “skate” without the “te”).
vi [viː] (“vee,” long i).
gå [goː] (long o sound; Swedish å is like a long “oh”).
ut [ʉːt] (long, fronted “oo,” not exactly English “oo”).
efter [ˈɛftɛr] (both e’s short).
fikan [ˈfiːkan] (long “ee” in the first syllable, hard k before a).

Why does fikan end in -n like that?

Because fika (as an en‑word) forms its definite singular by dropping the final -a and adding -an: fika → fikan. This is the regular pattern for many a‑ending en‑nouns (e.g., karta → kartan).

Can I say efter vår fika (“after our fika”)?

Yes: efter vår fika. With possessives, Swedish does not add the definite suffix, so not “efter vår fikan.” Compare: efter lunchen but efter vår lunch.

Is skall acceptable instead of ska?

Skall is the older/more formal spelling. In modern everyday Swedish, ska is overwhelmingly preferred. Your sentence with skall would sound very formal or legalistic.

Could the sentence mean “go out on the town” rather than just “step outside”?

Yes; gå ut is flexible. Context clarifies. If you want to make “on the town” explicit, you can add something like på krogen or i kväll:

Ska vi gå ut på krogen efter fikan? = “Shall we go out to the pub after fika?”