Introduction

The modal verbs in German are:

drfen (to be allowed) , /

knnen (to be able to)- ()

mgen (to like)- ()

mssen (must, to have to)-

sollen (should, to be supposed to)-

wollen (to want)- ( ,

)

Conjugation

Prsens
drfen knnen mssen

ich darf kann muss

du darfst kannst musst

er/sie/e darf kann muss

s

wir drfen knnen mssen

ihr drft knnt msst

 sie drfen knnen mssen

The 3rd person singular does not have the "t" ending.

The 3 singular forms do not have an "Umlaut" ( ). The 3

plural forms always have it if the infinitive has it.

Was wollen Sie trinken?

What do you want to drink?

Prteritum
The Prteritum is much more common with modal verbs than
the Perfekt.

The Prteritum is much more common with modal verbs than

the Perfekt.

drfen knnen mssen

ich durfte konnte musste

du durftest konntest musstest

er/sie/es durfte konnte musste

wir durften konnten mussten

ihr durftet konntet musstet

sie durften konnten mussten

 Careful with the verb "mgen". The verb stem is not that same
as that of the Prteritum.

Drfen
It means to "be allowed to".

Du darfst mich Hans nennen

You can call me Hans
Man darf hier nicht rauchen
You cant smoke here
Was drfen Sie essen?
(What are you allowed to eat?)
Drfen Sie Alkohol trinken?
(Can you drink alcohol?)
Great care must be taken when translating the English word "can" into German.
You need to distinguish between two different possible meanings of "can": "to
be able to do something" (= "knnen") and "to have permission to do
something" (= "drfen"). For example:
Ich kann Rad fahren.
(I can (= know how to) ride a bicycle.)
Ich darf Rad fahren.
(I can (= have permission to) ride a bicycle.)
Andrea kann Deutsch.
(Andrea can (= knows how to) speak German.)
Andrea darf nach Deutschland fahren.
(Andrea is able to (= has permission to) go to Germany.)
 Darf ich rauchen? May I smoke? Er durfte das nicht. He wasn't permitted to do
that

Knnen
It means to "be able to".

Wir knnen Deutsch sprechen

We can speak German
Er konnte nicht schwimmen
He didnt know how to swim
When asking questions, you would use the present tense of "knnen" if you are
merely asking for a simple statement of fact, and the conditional if you are
trying to be more polite.
Kann ich Ihnen helfen?
(Can I help you?)
Knnen Sie um 12.40 Uhr kommen?
(Can you come at 12:40?)
Kann ich bitte Herrn Doktor Schmidt sprechen?
(Can I please speak to Doctor Schmidt?)
Knnte ich vielleicht Herrn Schneider sprechen?
(Could I perhaps speak to Mr. Schneider?)
Knnten Sie mich bitte mit Frau Hartmann verbinden?
(Could you please connect me with Frau Hartmann?)

Ich kann Ihnen helfen.

(I can help you.)

Ich knnte Ihnen helfen.

(I could help you.) ()

Er kann gut fahren. He can drive well.

Er konnte sie nicht leiden. He couldn't stand her. ()

 Mssen
It means "to have to" / "must".

Ich muss heute zu Hause bleiben

I have to stay home today
Du musst nicht das Glas essen, sondern das Bier trinken
You shouldnt eat the glass but rather drink the beer
Wir mssen nicht nach Hause gehen.
We do not have to go home.
Die Studentin hat diese ganze Woche fleiig lernen mssen.
The (woman) student has had to study hard this entire week.

Prsens
mgen sollen wollen

ich mag soll will

du magst sollst willst

er/sie/es mag soll will

wir mgen sollen wollen

ihr mgt sollt wollt

sie mgen sollen wollen

"mgen":
 1) To like something:

Ich mag keine Eier. I don't like eggs.

Sie mag ihn nicht. She doesn't like him.

2) "mgen" is frequently used in the subjunctive to shape

requests or wishes:

Ich mchte ein Glas Leitungswasser. I'd like a glass of tap water.
Mchtest du etwas anderes machen? Would you like to do something else?

Meine Tchter mgen nicht laute Musik hren.

Ich mag Fuball spielen

I like to play soccer

mgen can also be translated as to like instead of to like

to: DasKind mag Eis (The child likes ice cream).

In addition mag can mean may suggesting possibility: Das mag

wahr sein. (That may be true.)

It translates as a more polite (and more restrained) way of saying "I want to" than "ich
will". Thus in the final example below, it would appear rude to say: "WollenSie spter noch
mal anrufen?".

Ich will eine Nachricht hinterlassen.

(I want to leave a message.)

Ich mchte eine Nachricht hinterlassen.

(I would like to leave a message.)

Mchten Sie spter noch mal anrufen?

(Would you like to ring back later?)

Ich mag dieses Auto

I like this car
The verb "mgen" is used very often with the Konjunktiv
II when we ask for something politely.

Ich mchte gern ein Bier trinken

I would like to drink a beer
 Sollen
It means "to be supposed to"/"should" in the context of complying
with a task, a law or an order. The difference in meaning between
"mssen" and "sollen" is slight and both can be used in many cases.

Meaning of "sollen" in German

The verb "sollen" means:

1.- must, to be supposed to (in the sense of complying with an

order, law or task)

Wir sollten sofort zahlen

We should pay right away
Soll ich dir etwas aus der Stadt mitbringen?
Should I bring you something from the city?
Ihr sollt nicht vergessen, eure Hausaufgaben zu
machen.
You shouldnt forget to do your homework
Soll ich die Rechnung bezahlen?
Should I pay the bill?

wollen":

1) To express want, desire, or intention:

Ich will dich nie wieder sehen. I don't ever want to see you again.
Was willst du jetzt? What do you want now?
Sie will nur das Beste fr ihr Kind. She only wants the best for her child.
Willst du mich heiraten?
Do you want to marry me?
Wer will spielen/ essen?
Who wants to play/eat?

Sie will nicht gehen. She doesn't want to go

. It means to want. But be careful with saying Ich will" as it
sounds impolite if you are asking for something. It is more
appropriate to say "Ich mchte" or "Ich htte gern".

Die Kinder wollen spielen

The children want to play
Sie will dieses Buch lessen. She wants to read this book.

1. Ich (wollen) in diesem Jahr nach Berlin fahren.

2. (Wollen) du mit mir ins Kino gehen?
3. Ich (knnen) dich heute besuchen.
4. Meine Schwester (wollen) eine neue Wohnung kaufen.