Modal Verbs in German

How to Use Them Correctly

Through my work as a German teacher, I have often seen how challenging it can be to use these verbs correctly.

On this page, I want to help you understand and confidently use German modal verbs.

If you want to learn about all types of verbs, not just modal verbs, then take a look at the main page on German Verbs.

If you want to read this article about modal verbs in German, you can switch to the page Modalverben im Deutschen.

And in Spanish you can read it here: Verbos modales en alemán.

What Are Modal Verbs?

Modal verbs are special verbs in German.

They help us to express more precisely what we want or need to do. With modal verbs, we can indicate whether something is allowed, possible, or necessary.

What are the 6 modal verbs in German?

In German, there are six modal verbs.

These are:

mögen – Preference: „Ich mag Schokolade.“ (I like chocolate)

müssen – Necessity: „Ich muss früh aufstehen.“ (I have to get up early)

wollen – Desire: „Ich will ein Buch lesen.“ (I want to read a book)

können – Ability or possibility: „Ich kann gut singen.“ (I can sing well)

dürfen – Permission: „Ich darf heute länger aufbleiben.“ (I am allowed to stay up late today)

sollen – Advice or obligation: „Ich soll mehr Wasser trinken.“ (I should drink more water)

Are “möchten” and “lassen” modal verbs?

No, möchten and lassen are not modal verbs, although they are sometimes used similarly.

So, there are not 8, but only 6 modal verbs!

Möchten often expresses a polite request and is frequently used in the present tense in German, although it is actually the subjunctive II form of “mögen.”

Lassen means to allow something or to have someone perform an action for you.

Although both verbs can function similarly to modal verbs in certain contexts, they are not grammatically classified as such.

“Möchten” is a form of “mögen,” and “lassen” is an independent full verb.

Example:

Ich möchte ins Kino gehen.
(A polite request to go to the cinema.)

Ich lasse mein Fahrrad reparieren.
(Someone else is repairing my bicycle.)

How do you use modal verbs?

Modal verbs are often used together with another verb.

The other verb is placed at the end of the sentence in its infinitive form.

Example:

„Ich muss jetzt gehen.“

Here, „muss“ is the modal verb and „gehen“ is the full verb at the end of the sentence.

More examples:

Ich muss früh aufstehen.
(I have to get up early)

Er will heute lernen.
(He wants to study today)

Wir können gut schwimmen.
(We can swim well)

More information about modal verb können sentences in German and a listening exercise can be found here.

Ihr dürft im Park spielen.
(You are allowed to play in the park)

Du sollst mehr üben.
(You should practice more)

Sie mag Musik hören.
(She likes to listen to music)

More information about modal verb mögen sentences in German and a listening exercise can be found here.

The Meaning of Modal Verbs

Modal verbs change the meaning of a sentence by indicating whether an action is possible, necessary, allowed, desired, or required.

They affect the meaning of the verb and give the sentence a specific context.

For example:

Lisa singt. (A simple statement about an action)

Using modal verbs, the sentence changes as follows:

Lisa mag singen.
(Lisa likes to sing)

Lisa muss singen.
(It is necessary that Lisa sings)

Lisa will singen.
(Lisa wants to sing)

Lisa kann singen.
(Lisa is able to sing)

Lisa darf singen.
(Lisa is allowed to sing)

Lisa soll singen.
(Lisa is expected to sing)

Negation of Modal Verbs

In German, modal verbs can be negated to express that something is not allowed, not possible, or not necessary.

mögen:

Positive: „Ich mag spielen.“
(I like playing)

Negative: „Ich mag nicht spielen.“
(I don’t like playing)

müssen:

Positive: „Ich muss lernen.“
(I have to study)

Negative: „Ich muss nicht lernen.“
(I don’t have to study)

wollen:

Positive: „Ich will ins Kino gehen.“
(I want to go to the cinema)

Negative: „Ich will nicht ins Kino gehen.“
(I don’t want to go to the cinema)

können:

Positive: „Ich kann gut malen.“
(I can paint well)

Negative: „Ich kann nicht gut malen.“
(I can’t paint well)

dürfen:

Positive: „Ich darf ausschlafen.“
(I am allowed to sleep in)

Negative: „Ich darf nicht ausschlafen.“
(I am not allowed to sleep in)

sollen:

Positive: „Du sollst mit dem Fahrrad fahren.“
(You are supposed to ride the bike)

Negative: „Du sollst nicht mit dem Fahrrad fahren.“
(You are not supposed to ride the bike)

Negation changes the meaning of the sentence to the opposite, while the meaning of the modal verb remains the same.

If you want to learn more about negation in German, take a look at my detailed article with examples and a quiz on negation in German with nicht and kein.

How are German modal verbs conjugated?

Conjugation in the Present Tense

In the following two tables, you can see how the modal verbs are conjugated in the present tense for the different personal pronouns.

Table for müssen, dürfen, and sollen:

Table for können, mögen, and wollen:

Conjugation of “müssen” in the Present and Simple Past

The conjugation of modal verbs in the present tense and Präteritum (simple past) follows a similar pattern.

In the following table, I will show you the conjugation using the verb “müssen” as an example:

Conjugation in the Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future Tense

Modal verbs can also be used in the Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future tenses.

Present Perfect:
Ich habe das Buch lesen müssen.

Past Perfect:
Ich hatte das Buch lesen müssen.

Future I:
Ich werde das Buch lesen müssen.

Future II:
Ich werde das Buch gelesen haben müssen.

Modal Verbs without Main Verbs

Sometimes the modal verb stands alone, without another verb.

Strictly speaking, we should add a main verb, but often the context makes it clear what is meant, so we simply leave it out.

For example:

• Willst du mit?
  Instead of: „Willst du mitkommen?“
• Magst du noch mehr Tee?
  Instead of: „Magst du noch mehr Tee trinken?“
• Kannst du das?
  Instead of: „Kannst du das machen?“

Further information:

If you want to dive deeper into the topic of modal verbs, you can find more details in the Wikibooks article on modal verbs.