German Modal Verbs: können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, mögen
🇩🇪 German · 20 cards · A2 · by Annika Vogel
Six little verbs carry an enormous amount of everyday German: können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, mögen. This deck gives you each one in the present tense and then the Präteritum you actually hear in conversation (konnte, musste, durfte…), because nobody says "ich habe gemusst" when they talk about yesterday. Two things trip learners up: "du musst nicht" means you don't have to, not you mustn't, and "möchte" has quietly become its own verb. I've added könnte, dürfte, nicht brauchen, lassen and the double-infinitive perfect, because you'll meet all of them on the U-Bahn. Say the examples out loud and watch where the second verb lands: right at the end.
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All 20 cards
| # | German | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | können ich kann, du kannst, er kann, wir können, ihr könnt. With a language it means "know": Ich kann Spanisch. | can, to be able to | Kannst du mir kurz helfen? Can you help me for a second? | |
| 2 | müssen ich muss, du musst, er muss, wir müssen. "raus müssen" is everyday speech for having to get up and leave. | must, to have to | Ich muss morgen früh raus. I have to be out of the house early tomorrow. | |
| 3 | wollen ich will, du willst, er will, wir wollen. Careful: will is German, not English "will". With a direction the verb of motion (gehen/fahren) is usually dropped. | to want to, to intend to | Wir wollen heute Abend ins Kino. We want to go to the cinema tonight. | |
| 4 | sollen ich soll, du sollst, er soll, wir sollen. Reports someone else's instruction or wish, not your own opinion. | should, to be supposed to | Was soll ich mitbringen? What should I bring? | |
| 5 | dürfen ich darf, du darfst, er darf, wir dürfen. Permission and rules. | to be allowed to, may | Hier darf man nicht rauchen. You're not allowed to smoke here. | |
| 6 | mögen ich mag, du magst, er mag, wir mögen. In spoken German it takes a noun or pronoun; for activities use "gern": Ich tanze gern. | to like | Ich mag keinen Kaffee. I don't like coffee. | |
| 7 | möchten Historically the Konjunktiv II of mögen, today used as its own verb: ich möchte, du möchtest, er möchte, wir möchten. Polite; for the past use wollte. | would like | Ich möchte bitte einen Tee. I'd like a tea, please. | |
| 8 | konnte Präteritum of können – the umlaut disappears: ich/er konnte, du konntest, wir konnten. Don't mix it up with könnte (could, polite). | could, was able to | Ich konnte gestern Nacht nicht schlafen. I couldn't sleep last night. | |
| 9 | musste Präteritum of müssen: ich/er musste, du musstest, wir mussten. This is the normal past form, also in speech. | had to | Wir mussten eine Stunde warten. We had to wait for an hour. | |
| 10 | wollte Präteritum of wollen: ich/er wollte, du wolltest, wir wollten. Also serves as the past of möchten. | wanted to, meant to | Sie wollte eigentlich anrufen. She actually meant to call. | |
| 11 | sollte One form, two jobs: Präteritum of sollen (Ich sollte um acht da sein) and the standard way to give advice. | was supposed to; should | Du solltest mehr schlafen. You should get more sleep. | |
| 12 | durfte Präteritum of dürfen: ich/er durfte, du durftest, wir durften. | was allowed to | Wir durften leider nicht rein. Unfortunately we weren't allowed in. | |
| 13 | mochte Präteritum of mögen: ich/er mochte, du mochtest, wir mochten. One letter apart from möchte (would like) – listen for the umlaut. | liked | Als Kind mochte ich kein Gemüse. As a child I didn't like vegetables. | |
| 14 | nicht müssen Classic trap: this never means "you must not". For a prohibition use nicht dürfen. | not to have to, not to need to | Du musst nicht mitkommen. You don't have to come along. | |
| 15 | nicht dürfen Expresses a prohibition – this is the real English "must not". | must not, not to be allowed to | Das darfst du ihm nicht sagen. You mustn't tell him that. | |
| 16 | könnte Konjunktiv II of können: polite requests and possibilities (Das könnte stimmen – that might be true). Politer than kannst du. | could, might | Könntest du das Fenster aufmachen? Could you open the window? | |
| 17 | dürfte Konjunktiv II of dürfen. Very formal in requests – offices, shops, with Sie. It also expresses likelihood: Das dürfte teuer sein (that's probably expensive). | might, would probably; may I (polite) | Dürfte ich Sie kurz stören? Might I bother you for a moment? | |
| 18 | nicht brauchen Common alternative to nicht müssen, almost always with a negation. Standard German uses zu before the infinitive; in speech many people drop it. | not to need to | Du brauchst nichts mitzubringen. You don't need to bring anything. | |
| 19 | lassen Not a modal, but it behaves like one: second verb at the end, no zu. Also: Lass uns gehen! (Let's go.) | to let, to allow; to have something done | Ich lasse mir die Haare schneiden. I'm getting my hair cut. | |
| 20 | habe … müssen In the perfect, a modal with a second verb keeps its infinitive form (arbeiten müssen), not gemusst. In speech the Präteritum (musste) is far more common. | had to (perfect tense with double infinitive) | Ich habe gestern länger arbeiten müssen. I had to work late yesterday. |
Hamburg native. I spent years explaining German word order to exchange students and still enjoy it. My decks favour the words you hear on the U-Bahn over the ones in textbooks.
Questions about this deck
- What is the difference between "nicht müssen" and "nicht dürfen"?
- "Du musst nicht kommen" means you don't have to come – it's optional. "Du darfst nicht kommen" means you must not come – it's forbidden. English "must not" always maps to nicht dürfen, never to nicht müssen. A softer everyday alternative to nicht müssen is nicht brauchen: Du brauchst nicht zu kommen.
- Why do Germans say "ich musste" instead of "ich habe gemusst"?
- With modal verbs the Präteritum is the normal past tense in both speech and writing: konnte, musste, wollte, sollte, durfte, mochte. The perfect exists, but with a second verb it needs a double infinitive (Ich habe arbeiten müssen), which sounds clumsy, so people avoid it. Forms like gemusst or gekonnt appear only when the modal stands alone: Ich habe es nicht gekonnt.
- Is "möchten" the same verb as "mögen"?
- Historically yes – möchte is the Konjunktiv II of mögen – but today they work as two separate verbs. mögen means to like something (Ich mag Hunde), while möchte means would like and is the polite way to order or ask for things (Ich möchte einen Kaffee). möchten has no past of its own: for the past you say wollte, or mochte if you mean liked.
- Do I need "zu" before the second verb with German modals?
- No. Modal verbs take a bare infinitive that goes to the end of the clause: Ich muss heute länger arbeiten. The same goes for lassen (Ich lasse das Auto reparieren). Only brauchen takes zu in standard German – Du brauchst nicht zu warten – although many speakers leave it out in conversation.
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