German modal verbs

GERMAN MODAL VERBS


eg Ich kann gut schwimmen, Wir können nicht nach Chadstone gehen

Present Tense
Imperfect Tense



müssen       (must, to have to)
sollen          (to be supposed to)
dürfen           (to be allowed to)
können         (can, to be able)
wollen        (to want [to...])
mögen       (to like [to do])


  
     möchten   (would like [to...])





* ich

(I) muss /darf/ kann /will /soll /mag/ möchte

du

(you, informal) musst /darfst/ kannst/ willst/ sollst/ magst/ möchtest

* er / sie / es

(he / she / it) muss/ darf/ kann/ will/ soll/ mag/ möchte

* wir

(we) müssen /dürfen/ können/ wollen/ sollen/ mögen /möchten

ihr

(you, informal, plural) müsst /dürft/ könnt/ wollt/ sollt/ mögt /möchtet

* sie

(they) müssen /dürfen/ können/ wollen/ sollen/ mögen/ möchten

* Sie

(you, formal) müssen/ dürfen /können /wollen /sollen /mögen /möchten

TIPS!

 * The ich form and the er/sie/es form are the same. * The wir form, the sie (they) form and the Sie (you, formal) forms are the same.

 Except for ich and er/sie/es, the other endings are the same as with normal regular verbs.

 Each of the modal verbs except for sollen and möchten change their vowel in the ich, du, and er/sie/es forms.

 Modal verbs usually need a second verb in the sentence in order to make sense. That verb is in its infinitive form (like in your German dictionary) and comes at the end of the sentence.

eg - Ich kann Fußball gut spielen.

Exceptions: Ich kann Deutsch. I can speak German. (It's obvious from the word "Deutsch" what I can do.) - Ich muss nach Berlin. I have to go to Berlin (If I say "nach Berlin" it's already obvious that I'm talking about going there.) - Ich kann nichts dafür. I can't help it.

 Perfect Tense - You use haben as well, and the modal verb stays in the infinitive  at the end of the sentence.

eg :Er hat Tennis spielen müssen. (He had to play tennis.)

 müssen: Be careful when using it with nicht. It doesn't mean the same as the English "(you) musn't". It means "(you) don't have to (if you don't want to)."

E.g. Du musst das nicht tun. (You don't have to do that.)

E.g. Das darfst du nicht tun. (You musn't do that / You're not allowed to do that.)

 können/dürfen: In English "can" is sometimes used to mean "may" (Can I sit here?). In German there's a clear difference between können (can) and dürfen (may, be allowed to).

E.g. Darf ich hier sitzen? (Can/May I sit here?)

 sollen: E.g.

Ich soll nächste Woche nach Österreich fliegen. (I am to fly to Austria next week.)

Sie soll sehr intelligent sein. (She is supposed to be very intelligent.)

Sie sollen sehr unfreundlich sein. (They are said to be very unfriendly.)



Modal verbs & their meanings

The German modal verbs are a group of 6 verbs that behave and are formed in much the same way. Modal verbs indicate the attitude of the sentence subject with regard to what is being said in the rest of the sentence.

Modal verb Primary (& secondary)

"modes" it conveys English meaning

können ability (possibility) can, to be able to (may, might)

dürfen permission (probability) may, to be allowed to

(in the negative: ought not)

müssen necessity, compulsion must, to have to, to need to

(should, ought)

mögen liking (probability, possibility) to like (may, can)

wollen desire, intention to want to, to intend to, shall

(to claim to)

sollen obligation (intention, prediction) shall, to be supposed to

(should, is said to be, ought to)





ENGLISH MODALS vs. GERMAN MODALS



While English modal verbs have only two tenses -- past and present (can, could - like, liked - have to, had to, etc.) -- German modal verbs have a full range of tenses and moods. This can sometime create confusion for English-speakers, because in English the past tense is sometimes used to relate a conditional meaning. For example: Ich konnte gehen. (past indicative) and Ich könnte gehen. (present subjunctive) both translatate into English as I could go but they don't mean the same thing. Ich konnte gehen means I was able to go, whereas Ich könnte gehen means It would be possible for me to go. Though it may seem confusing at first, it is important that English speakers develop a sense of these differences in German.

________________________________________



Usage

These verbs behave much like an auxiliary verb in that they are typically used in combination with other verbs. The modal verb is conjugated to agree with the subject of the sentence. The other verb is at the end of the sentence in its infinitive form.









________________________________________

MODAL VERB + INFINITIVE

EXAMPLES of MODAL VERB + PRESENT INFINITIVE

Wir können nicht kommen. We can't come.

Sie kann zu Hause sein. She might be at home.

Er darf heute nach Hause gehen. He's allowed to go home today.

Wollen wir uns treffen? Shall we meet?

Ich soll hier bleiben. I am supposed to stay here.

EXAMPLES of MODAL VERB + PERFECT INFINITIVE

Das muss ein Mißverständnis gewesen sein. That must have been a misunderstanding.

Er will das Buch schon gelesen haben. He claims to have read the book already.

EXAMPLES of MODAL VERB + PASSIVE INFINITIVE

Es musste sofort gegessen werden. It had to be eaten immediately.

Dürftet ihr zusammen gesehen werden? Are you allowed to be seen together?

EXAMPLES of MODAL VERB + PASSIVE PERFECT INFINITIVE

Der Brief mag schon geschrieben worden sein. The letter may already have been written.

Es soll schon verkauft worden sein. It is supposed to have been sold already.



________________________________________

THE SPECIAL STATUS OF MÖGEN



Unlike the other modal verbs, the verb mögen is usually used without an additional verb when it is used to express a liking of someone or something. When used with another verb, it often means may. The most common use of mögen is the subjunctive form möchte, would like.

Ich mag keine Filme. I don't like movies.


Magst du diesen Lehrer? Do you like this teacher?


Das mag wohl sein. That may well be.


Er möchte eine Tasse Kaffee. He would like a cup of coffee.


Möchtest du noch länger schlafen? Would you like to sleep longer?




________________________________________

OMISSION OF THE 2nd VERB



Occasionally, the infinitive of the 2nd verb may be omitted when its meaning is understood from the context of the sentence. This occurs most often with verbs of motion, tun, and haben, or when the verb has been previously mentioned. It also occurs with the verb können when expressing a knowledge of something that has been learned.

Wir müssen bald nach Hause. We have to go home soon.


Er will nach England. He wants to travel to England.


Wollten Sie ein Stück Kuchen? Did you want a piece of cake?


Was soll ich mit dem Auto? What am I supposed to do with the car?


Ich rauche gern, aber ich darf (es) nicht. I like to smoke, but I'm not allowed to.


Ich kann gut Deutsch. I can speak German well.


Kannst du Schach? Can you play chess?

________________________________________



Tense Formation (Indicative)

As mixed verbs, the modal verbs have irregularities in their conjugations. As with all verbs, each of the tenses of the modal verbs is formed with one of the verb's principle parts:

Infinitive Present tense stem Simple past stem Past participle

können kann konnte gekonnt

dürfen darf durfte gedurft

müssen muss musste gemusst

mögen mag mochte gemocht

wollen will wollte gewollt

sollen soll sollte gesollt



________________________________________

PRESENT TENSE



All of the modal verbs (except for sollen) have characteristic stem changes in their present tense singular forms. Note that the the ich-form and er/sie/es-forms of the modal verbs all lack personal endings and these two forms are also identical for each verb. Present tense plural forms of modal verbs are wholly regular.


As noted above, when used in a sentence, the modal verb falls in the 2nd position in a sentence and any accompanying infinitive appears at the end of the sentence:

EXAMPLES:

Wir müssen morgen aufräumen. We have to clean up tomorrow.

Er kann das Buch geschrieben haben. He may have written the book.



________________________________________

SIMPLE PAST TENSE



The simple past tense forms are created using the simple past stem. These forms look much like the forms for weak verbs, with the difference that the 4 verbs that have umlauts in their infinitive forms drop them in the simple past tense.

Simple past forms = Simple past stem (infinitive minus -en & minus umlaut + weak simple past suffix -te) + personal endings: -, -st, -, -en, -t, -en.



Another way to approach the simple past of modals is: Simple past forms = Infinitive minus -en & minus umlaut + simple past personal endings: -te, -test, -te, -ten, -tet, -ten.

können -müssen- dürfen -mögen -wollen- sollen

ich konnte; ich musste ; ich durfte ; ich mochte ; ich wollte ; ich sollte


du konntest ; du musstest ; du durftest ; du mochtest;  du wolltest;  du solltest


er konnte; sie musste ;es durfte ;es mochte ;er wollte ;sie sollte


wir konnten ;wir mussten ;wir durften ;wir mochten ;wir wollten ;wir sollten


ihr konntet ;ihr musstet ;ihr durftet ;ihr mochtet; ihr wolltet; ihr solltet


sie konnten ;Sie mussten ;sie durften ;Sie mochten; Sie wollten ;sie sollten

Just like in the present tense, modal verbs in the simple past tense occur in the finite form and any accompanying verb is in its infinitive form at the end of the sentence.







EXAMPLES:

Er konnte die Aufgabe nicht machen. It couldn't do the assignment.


Wir mussten früh aufstehen. We had to get up early.


Sie wollten mich schon besucht haben. They claimed to have visited me already.


Durftest du es wissen? Were you allowed to know?



________________________________________





FUTURE, PRESENT PERFECT, PAST PERFECT & FUTURE PERFECT TENSES



All of the other verb tenses are compound tenses, i.e. they employ a helping verb (or two helping verbs) in addition to the modal verb. In these tenses, a helping verb is the finite verb in the 2nd position in the sentence and the modal verb is relegated to a place at or near the end of the sentence. In the perfect tenses, the helping verb for all modal verbs is haben.

Tense Form English equivalent

FUTURE ich werde ... können


er wird ... wollen I will be able to


he will want to


PRES. PERFECT ich habe ... gekonnt


er hat ... gewollt I could, I have been able to


he wanted to, he has wanted to


PAST PERFECT ich hatte ... gekonnt


er hat ... gewollt I had been able


he had wanted


FUTURE PERFECT ich werde ... gekonnt haben


er wird ... gewollt haben I will have been able


he will have wanted

When the modal verb is accompanied by another verb in any of these 4 compound tenses, a double infinitive construction is used. In the perfect tenses this means that the double infinitive takes the place of the past participle:

Tense Form English equivalent

FUTURE ich werde ... schreiben können


er wird ... arbeiten wollen I will be able to write


he will want to work


PRES PERF ich habe ... schreiben können


er hat ... arbeiten wollen






FREQUENTLY USED ALTERNATIVE: (SIMPLE PAST)


ich konnte ... schreiben.


er wollte ... arbeiten. I have been/I was able to write


he (has) wanted to work














I was able to/could write.


he wanted to work


PAST PERFECT ich hatte ... schreiben können


er hatte ... arbeiten wollen I had been able to write


he had wanted to work


FUTURE PERFECT ich werde ... haben schreiben können


er wird ... haben arbeiten können


**This future perfect form


with modals is rarely used. I will have been able to write


he will have wanted to work






________________________________________