Modal Verbs in German
German Modal Verbs in Present Tense
German Modal Verbs. Have you ever wondered how to ask for permissions or how to talk about your likes, dislikes and wishes in German? There is just one answer- German Modal Verbs! You can also speak about your capabilities with the help of these verbs. Now, let’s try to understand this topic in detail.
German Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are named so because they modify / help the other verb in the sentence. This means that they help us to talk about another verb. For instance, I can dance. Here, I am talking about my ability to dance with the help of the modal verb “can”.
German modal verbs fall under the category of irregular verbs. They are normally accompanied by another verb. Modal verbs are conjugated depending on the subject of the sentence, and take the second position. The other verb is placed at the end of the sentence in its infinitive form.
For example, Du sollst jeden Tag joggen. (You should jog every day.) Here, the modal verb “sollen” is conjugated (Position 2) and the other verb “joggen” is not (At the end).
The 6 German modal verbs are können (to be able to / can), müssen (to have to / must), sollen (to be supposed to / should), wollen (to want to / wish to), dürfen (to be allowed to / may) and mögen (to like).
Mögen can be the only verb in a sentence. Whereas, all the other modal verbs are always used in combination with another verb in the infinitive form.
Memorizing the tables below will be a lot easier, if you note down these similarities:-
- The first person and third person singular forms are the same.
- The third person singular forms do not have the “-t” ending.
- The first person singular forms do not have the “-e” ending.
- The singular forms of all the German modal verbs do not have an “Umlaut”.
Conjugations of German Modal Verbs
können
It is used to express an ability.
| Person | Conjugation |
| ich | kann |
| du | kannst |
| er/ sie/ es | kann |
| wir | können |
| ihr | könnt |
| sie/ Sie | können |
müssen
It is used to express compulsion / necessity.
| Person | Conjugation |
| ich | muss |
| du | musst |
| er/ sie/ es | muss |
| wir | müssen |
| ihr | müsst |
| sie/ Sie | müssen |
sollen
It is used to express obligation.
| Person | Conjugation |
| ich | soll |
| du | sollst |
| er/ sie/ es | soll |
| wir | sollen |
| ihr | sollt |
| sie/ Sie | sollen |
wollen
It is used to express desires / wishes.
| Person | Conjugation |
| ich | will |
| du | willst |
| er/ sie/ es | will |
| wir | wollen |
| ihr | wollt |
| sie/ Sie | wollen |
dürfen
It is used to ask permissions.
| Person | Conjugation |
| ich | darf |
| du | darfst |
| er/ sie/ es | darf |
| wir | dürfen |
| ihr | dürft |
| sie/ Sie | dürfen |
mögen
It is used to express what you like.
| Person | Conjugation |
| ich | mag |
| du | magst |
| er/ sie/ es | mag |
| wir | mögen |
| ihr | mögt |
| sie/ Sie | mögen |
- Ich kann am Computer arbeiten. (I can work on the computer.)
- Du musst nie allein fahren. (You must never drive alone.)
- Ross will ein Pferd reiten. (Ross wants to ride a horse.)
- Wir sollen den Kräutertee trinken. (We should drink the herbal tea.)
Difference between Mögen and Möchten
You all must be under the impression that these two are completely different verbs. Well, not exactly! In fact, möchten is derived from the modal verb mögen.
In German language, there is a grammar concept known as Konjunktiv II Verbs. These verb forms are used when we want to express something politely. Möchten is the Konjunktiv II verb form of Mögen.
The meaning of möchten is “would like”. It can be used together with a noun as well as a verb. For example, Ich möchte Kaffee / Ich möchte Kaffee bestellen (I would like coffee / I would like to order coffee). Mögen is usually used with a noun. For example, Ich mag Kaffee (I like coffee).
The conjugation of “möchten” in present tense is as follows:-
| Person | Conjugation |
| ich | möchte |
| du | möchtest |
| er/ sie/ es | möchte |
| wir | möchten |
| ihr | möchtet |
| sie/ Sie | möchten |
