When scheduling plans or municipal works, you often need to set deadlines involving upcoming times of the year. In Swedish, you can refer to the next or upcoming season or holiday by using the preposition till.
Using till with Seasons and Holidays
To say that something will happen "by" or "for" an upcoming time of year, use till + the definite form of the season or holiday.
Notice that while English often leaves out the word "the" for times of year (saying "by winter" or "for Christmas"), Swedish strictly requires the definite ending (e.g., vintern, julen) when using this structure for the future.
| We are planning the snow clearance for the winter. | Vi planerar snöröjningen till vintern. |
Planning for the Seasons
When looking ahead to a specific season, just attach the appropriate definite ending to the season's name: våren (the spring), sommaren (the summer), hösten (the autumn), or vintern (the winter).
| We will use the street sweeper by the spring. | Vi ska använda sopmaskinen till våren. |
| We must clean the walkway for the autumn. | Vi måste städa gångbanan till hösten. |
Planning for Holidays
The exact same rule applies to major holidays like julen (Christmas), påsken (Easter), and midsommaren (Midsummer). Use till plus the definite form to set your timeline.
| Are we going to pave that walkway by Christmas? | Ska vi asfaltera den där gångbanan till julen? |
| We will pave the walkway by Easter. | Vi ska asfaltera gångbanan till påsken. |
| We will build the bicycle rack by Midsummer. | Vi ska bygga cykelstället till midsommaren. |