Questions & Answers about Hon vill volontera i sommar.
Does vill mean English will?
No. Vill is the present tense of vilja, and it means want or wants to.
So:
- Hon vill volontera = She wants to volunteer
- English future will is not Swedish vill
Swedish often expresses future in other ways, for example with:
- ska
- kommer att
- the simple present together with a time expression
That is why vill is a very common false friend for English speakers.
Why is there no att before volontera?
Because after a modal verb like vill, Swedish normally uses the infinitive without att.
Common modal verbs include:
- vill = want to
- kan = can
- ska = will / am going to / should
- måste = must
- får = may / get to
So you say:
- Hon vill volontera
- Jag kan simma
- Vi måste gå
Not:
- Hon vill att volontera
Is volontera a common or standard Swedish verb?