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Modal verbs express ability, permission, obligation, desire, or preference. They are among the most frequently used verbs in German and have special conjugation patterns and sentence structures. German has six modal verbs, and mastering them will dramatically expand what you can express.
| Modal Verb | Core Meaning |
|---|---|
| können | can, to be able to |
| müssen | must, to have to |
| dürfen | may, to be allowed to |
| sollen | should, to be supposed to |
| wollen | to want to |
| mögen | to like |
Modal verbs are irregular in the singular forms (ich, du, er/sie/es) — the vowel often changes, and ich and er/sie/es have no endings.
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | kann |
| du | kannst |
| er/sie/es | kann |
| wir | können |
| ihr | könnt |
| sie/Sie | können |
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | muss |
| du | musst |
| er/sie/es | muss |
| wir | müssen |
| ihr | müsst |
| sie/Sie | müssen |
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | darf |
| du | darfst |
| er/sie/es | darf |
| wir | dürfen |
| ihr | dürft |
| sie/Sie | dürfen |
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | soll |
| du | sollst |
| er/sie/es | soll |
| wir | sollen |
| ihr | sollt |
| sie/Sie | sollen |
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | will |
| du | willst |
| er/sie/es | will |
| wir | wollen |
| ihr | wollt |
| sie/Sie | wollen |
Warning: German will means "wants to," NOT "will" (future). Do not confuse it with the English future tense.
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | mag |
| du | magst |
| er/sie/es | mag |
| wir | mögen |
| ihr | mögt |
| sie/Sie | mögen |
Möchten (would like) is the subjunctive form of mögen and is used much more commonly:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | möchte |
| du | möchtest |
| er/sie/es | möchte |
| wir | möchten |
| ihr | möchtet |
| sie/Sie | möchten |
Modal verbs create a bracket structure: the modal verb goes in position 2 (conjugated), and the main verb goes to the end of the clause in infinitive form.
Pattern: Subject + Modal (conjugated, position 2) + ... + Main Verb (infinitive, end)
| Position 1 | Position 2 (Modal) | Middle | End (Infinitive) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ich | kann | gut | schwimmen. |
| Du | musst | jetzt | gehen. |
| Er | will | Deutsch | lernen. |
| Wir | dürfen | hier nicht | rauchen. |
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