Ska
WiktionaryText

Etymology


Origin uncertain. Probably imitative of the crisp guitar sound; other suggestions include a contraction of American slang , or of .

Noun


ska
  1. A style of Jamaican dance music combining elements of Caribbean calypso and mento with American jazz and rhythm and blues.

Verb


ska
  1. will; denotes a promise or strong intent to perform a action in the future
    Jag ska göra det i morgon = I'll do that tomorrow
  2. shall, have to; be required to
    Nej, du ska göra det idag = No, you shall do it today.

Usage notes

  • Infinitive, supine and the participles are rarely (if ever) used, and may be considered archaic. Skall is an older or more formal spelling for the present tense.
  • kommer att may also be used to denote a future action, but while it denotes something inevitable (something absolutely certain); ska refers to something which is required, intended, or a promise. Compare also bör, which is a (very) strong recommendation, but not without possibility to wiggle out of; and måste (must) which is used when there is a compelling need to do something:
    Solen kommer att gå upp i morgon bitti = The Sun will rise tomorrow morning.
    Jag kommer att städa imorgon. = I will clean up tomorrow (There's no doubt about that)
    Jag ska städa imorgon. = I will (I promise to/I have been forced to promise to) clean up tomorrow.
    Jag måste städa imorgon. = I have to clean up tomorrow [since there are guests coming]
    Jag bör städa imorgon. = I should clean up tomorrow (=It would be good if I did some cleaning up tomorrow)
 
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