Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll?

Shall we watch the news tonight?

Breakdown of Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll?

• vi: we
• ska: shall
• titta på: to watch
• nyheten: the news
• i kväll: tonight

Questions & Answers about Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll?

What exactly does ska mean here? Is it like English shall, will, or are we going to?

Ska is a modal verb that often talks about the future or intention.

In this sentence, Ska vi titta…? is best understood as:

• “Shall we watch…?”
• or “Are we going to watch…?” (as a suggestion)

So it’s not just a neutral future like will; it often carries a sense of plan, intention, or suggestion when used with vi in a question.

Why is the verb titta in the infinitive without att after ska?

In Swedish, ska is a modal verb, and modal verbs are followed directly by the infinitive without att.

• Jag ska titta. – I will watch / I’m going to watch.
• Vi ska äta. – We will eat.

So you say ska titta, not ska att titta.
The pattern is: [modal verb] + [infinitive].

Why do we say titta på nyheterna and not just titta nyheterna?

In Swedish, titta på is the idiomatic way to say to watch (a program, the TV, the news, etc.).

• titta på TV – watch TV
• titta på filmen – watch the movie
• titta på nyheterna – watch the news

If you only say titta nyheterna, it sounds wrong to a native speaker. The preposition på is required with titta in this sense.

Why is it nyheterna and not just nyheter or something like a singular form?

Swedish uses a plural word for “news”:

• en nyhet – a piece of news (a single news item)
• nyheter – news (indefinite plural)
• nyheterna – the news (definite plural)

When you mean “the news” as a TV program or a regular news broadcast, you use nyheterna (definite plural), similar to English the news, which also behaves grammatically like a plural noun historically.

What is the difference between nyheter and nyheterna in meaning?

• nyheter (no article, indefinite plural) = news in a general sense:
  
  • Jag har goda nyheter. – I have good news.
• nyheterna (definite plural) = the news as something specific, often:
  • a specific set of news
  • the news broadcast on TV/radio

In titta på nyheterna, it refers to the TV news program, not just “news in general.”

Why is i kväll written as two words? I’ve also seen ikväll.

Both i kväll and ikväll are found in real usage.

Traditionally and in more formal/standard writing, it’s i kväll (two words):

• i = in
• kväll = evening

Together: “this evening / tonight”.

The ikväll spelling (one word) is common in informal contexts and online, but dictionaries and formal texts usually prefer i kväll. As a learner, it’s safest to write i kväll.

Does i kväll literally mean “in the evening”? How is it different from på kvällen?

Literally, i kväll is “in the evening,” but idiomatically it means “this evening / tonight” (the upcoming evening).

• i kväll – this evening (tonight), a specific evening
• på kvällen – in the evenings / in the evening (in general or as a habitual time)

Examples:

• Vi ska äta ute i kväll. – We’re going to eat out tonight.
• Jag brukar läsa på kvällen. – I usually read in the evening(s).

Why does the question start with Ska instead of Vi? How does question word order work here?

In yes/no questions, Swedish usually inverts the order of verb and subject:

• Statement: Vi ska titta på nyheterna i kväll. – We are going to watch the news tonight.
• Question: Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll? – Are we going to watch the news tonight? / Shall we watch the news tonight?

So ska (the verb) comes before vi (the subject) to mark it as a question. This is a standard pattern in Swedish main‑clause questions.

Could I say Kommer vi att titta på nyheterna i kväll? instead? What’s the difference from Ska vi…?

You can say:

• Kommer vi att titta på nyheterna i kväll?

This literally asks “Will we (end up) watching the news tonight?”, focusing more on whether something will happen (a more neutral future).

Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll? is more of a suggestion / proposal:
“Shall we watch the news tonight?”

So:

• Ska vi…? – invites the other person to agree or decide.
• Kommer vi att…? – asks more factually if it’s going to happen.

What’s the difference between Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll? and Vill du titta på nyheterna i kväll?

• Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll?
  – Inclusive: “Shall we watch the news tonight?”
  – Suggestion that you and the other person will do it together.

• Vill du titta på nyheterna i kväll?
  – “Do you want to watch the news tonight?”
  – Focuses on the other person’s desire; it doesn’t necessarily imply you will watch together (though you might).

So ska vi is a joint plan/suggestion; vill du is about the other person’s wish.

Is Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll? formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

It’s neutral and perfectly polite. You can say it:

• at home with family or friends (very natural)
• in most everyday situations (e.g. colleagues talking after work)

It’s not slangy, and not especially formal either. Just normal, standard Swedish.

Are there other common verbs I could use instead of titta på here, like se på?

Yes, both titta på and se på are used with TV and programs.

• titta på nyheterna – watch the news
• se på nyheterna – watch the news

Titta på often emphasizes the act of looking a bit more; se (på) can feel slightly shorter and more neutral. In everyday speech, titta på nyheterna is extremely common and completely natural.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

In a fairly standard Swedish (Central Swedish) pronunciation, something like:

• Ska vi titta på nyheterna i kväll?
  /skaː vi ˈtɪtːa poː ˈnʏːheˌtɛrna iː ˈkvɛlː/

Some notes:

• ska – long a: skaa
• titta – double t gives a clear, strong t sound.
• nyheterna – stress on ny, then secondary stress on te.
• kväll – short ä (like “bed” but a bit tenser), double l gives a long l.

Exact realization varies by region, but this is a good general guide.