German Modal Verbs are key to the German Language
Modal verbs in German are part of the core language. It is important when learning German to get a good grasp of these verbs as they are used on a very regular basis. A modal verb modifies or emphasises the meaning of other verbs and is conjugated in an unusual way. In English this would be something like “should”, e.g. I should play football rather than I play football. There are 6 modal verbs in the German language. Let’s take a closer look at them 🙂
| dürfen | können | mögen | |
| ich | darf | kann | mag |
| du | darfst | kannst | magst |
| er/sie/es | darf | kann | mag |
| wir | dürfen | können | mögen |
| ihr | dürft | könnt | mögt |
| sie | dürfen | können | mögen |
| English word | to be allowed to | to be able to | to like |
| müssen | sollen | wollen | |
| ich | muss | soll | will |
| du | musst | sollst | willst |
| er/sie/es | muss | soll | will |
| wir | müssen | sollen | wollen |
| ihr | müsst | sollt | wollt |
| sie | müssen | sollen | wollen |
| English word | to have to | shall | to want |
When you use a modal verb in combination with a second verb then the second verb will go to the end of the sentence and will stay in the infinitive form.
Examples
Ich will Fußball spielen. – I want to play football.
Er soll zu Hause bleiben. – He should stay at home.
Wir müssen nach Hause fahren. – We have to drive home.
Darfst du nach der Schule ins Kino gehen? – Are you allowed to go to cinema after school?
Leider kann ich dir nicht helfen. – Unfortunately I can’t help you.
Ich mag dich nicht danach fragen. – I dont want to ask you about it.