What are the German modal verbs?

German has six modal verbs: können (can / be able to), müssen (must / have to), dürfen (may / be allowed to), sollen (should / be supposed to), wollen (want to), and mögen (like). A seventh form, möchten ("would like to"), is technically the Konjunktiv II of mögen but functions as its own present-tense modal in everyday speech. Modal verbs bend the meaning of another verb in the sentence and are introduced in the first weeks of every A1 curriculum.

How do you conjugate modal verbs in the present tense?

Modal verbs share an irregular pattern: the ich and er/sie/es forms are identical and use a vowel-changed stem — ich kann / er kann, ich muss / er muss, ich darf / er darf, ich will / er will, ich mag / er mag. Only sollen keeps its original stem unchanged (ich soll / er soll). The plural forms wir, sie, and Sie use the infinitive stem with standard -en endings; ihr uses -t with the original stem. This 1st = 3rd singular collision is the defining signature of German modal conjugation.

What is the difference between müssen and sollen?

Both translate loosely as "must" or "should" in English, which is the single biggest source of confusion. Müssen expresses internal or objective necessity — the pressure comes from the situation itself: "Ich muss um fünf gehen" (I have to leave by five). Sollen expresses external instruction or expectation from another person: "Du sollst ihn anrufen" (You are supposed to call him — someone else told you to). The English "should" maps to sollen when reporting an external expectation, and to sollte (Konjunktiv II of sollen) when giving advice.

What is the difference between dürfen and können?

Dürfen expresses permission — whether one is allowed to do something: "Darf ich hier rauchen?" (Am I allowed to smoke here?). Können expresses ability or possibility — whether one is capable of doing something: "Ich kann schwimmen" (I can swim). In English both collapse onto "can," so learners often reach for können when permission is actually meant. In formal German, "Kann ich hier rauchen?" asking for permission is considered a mistake; "Darf ich?" is the correct form.

What is the difference between mögen and möchten?

Mögen (ich mag) expresses a general liking or preference, most often with a noun object: "Ich mag Kaffee" (I like coffee). Möchten (ich möchte) means "would like to" and is used for polite requests, most often with an infinitive or a noun in an ordering context: "Ich möchte einen Kaffee" (I would like a coffee). Möchten is grammatically the Konjunktiv II of mögen, but in everyday speech it functions as a standalone present-tense modal. Use mögen for stating general preferences and möchten when placing an order, making a request, or expressing a current desire.

Where does the second verb go in a sentence with a modal?

The second verb goes to the very end of the clause in its bare infinitive form, creating the Satzklammer ("verb bracket"): the conjugated modal sits in position 2, the infinitive closes the clause. Example: "Ich kann morgen Deutsch lernen." In a subordinate clause introduced by weil, dass, or wenn, the modal itself moves to the end and the infinitive comes just before it: "…weil ich morgen Deutsch lernen kann." This verb-bracket pattern is the same structure used by separable verbs and the Perfekt tense.

How do you put a modal verb in the past?

Modal verbs overwhelmingly use Präteritum, not Perfekt, even in spoken German — just like sein, haben, and werden. The six Präteritum forms are: konnte (could), musste (had to), durfte (was allowed to), sollte (was supposed to), wollte (wanted to), mochte (liked). All six follow the regular weak-verb -te- pattern. The vowel-changed singular stems (kann-, muss-, darf-, mag-) revert to their root forms (konn-, muss-, durf-, moch-) in the past. Saying "ich konnte" in conversation is perfectly natural; "ich habe gekonnt" as a simple past sounds markedly odd.

What is the double-infinitive rule with modal verbs?

When a modal appears in the Perfekt (or Plusquamperfekt or Futur II) together with another infinitive, the modal's Partizip II is replaced by its infinitive form — producing two infinitives at the end of the clause: "Ich habe arbeiten müssen" (I had to work), not "Ich habe arbeiten gemusst." The auxiliary is always haben, never sein, even when the secondary infinitive would normally take sein. If the modal stands alone with no secondary infinitive, the standard Partizip II is used: "Ich habe es gekonnt" (I managed it).

Six modals, one pattern: ich = er, infinitive at the end.

Modal verbs bend the meaning of every other verb in the sentence — adding ability, permission, obligation, or desire. They are introduced in week two of every A1 curriculum, yet they hold secrets that trip up even B1 learners: an identical ich/er form, a verb bracket that sends the infinitive to the end, and a double-infinitive rule in Perfekt that catches everyone off guard.

TL;DR

Six modals: können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, mögen (plus möchten as its own polite form). Conjugation: ich and er/sie/es forms are identical and use a vowel-changed stem — ich kann, er kann. Satzklammer: modal in position 2, bare infinitive at the end of the clause. Past tense: always Präteritum — konnte, musste, durfte, sollte, wollte, mochte. Perfekt: modal + secondary infinitive produces a double infinitive (arbeiten müssen, not gemusst).

What modal verbs do

A modal verb does not express an action on its own — it modifies another verb. "I go" becomes "I can go," "I must go," "I may go," "I want to go." In German, modal verbs follow four structural rules that set them apart from every other verb class:

The six modals at a glance

German modal verbs — meanings and examples

TABLE

Each modal adds a distinct layer of meaning to the verb it modifies.

Modal	Core meaning	English gloss	Example
können	ability / possibility	can, be able to	Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. I can speak German.
müssen	obligation / necessity	must, have to	Wir müssen jetzt gehen. We have to leave now.
dürfen	permission	may, be allowed to	Hier darf man nicht rauchen. Smoking is not allowed here.
sollen	external expectation	should, be supposed to	Du sollst ihn anrufen. You are supposed to call him.
wollen	desire / intention	want to	Sie will nach Berlin reisen. She wants to travel to Berlin.
mögen / möchten	liking / polite request	like / would like to	Ich mag Kaffee. / Ich möchte einen Kaffee. I like coffee. / I would like a coffee.

Present-tense conjugation

The signature of modal conjugation is the ich = er/sie/es collision: both forms use the same vowel-changed stem with no ending. Compare: a regular verb gives "ich lerne / er lernt" — a modal gives "ich kann / er kann." The plural and ihr forms are regular: wir/sie/Sie take the infinitive stem + -en, ihr takes the original stem + -t.

sollen is the exception: it keeps its original stem throughout (ich soll, du sollst, er soll). There is no vowel change and no ich/er collision — it conjugates like a regular verb except that it has no -e in the ich form.

Full present-tense conjugation — all six modals

TABLE

Rows shaded in the ich and er/sie/es positions highlight the identical stem-vowel-changed forms.

Person	können	müssen	dürfen	sollen	wollen	mögen / möchten
ich	kann	muss	darf	soll	will	mag / möchte
du	kannst	musst	darfst	sollst	willst	magst / möchtest
er/sie/es	kann	muss	darf	soll	will	mag / möchte
wir	können	müssen	dürfen	sollen	wollen	mögen / möchten
ihr	könnt	müsst	dürft	sollt	wollt	mögt / möchtet
sie / Sie	können	müssen	dürfen	sollen	wollen	mögen / möchten

The Satzklammer — modal + final infinitive

In a main clause, the conjugated modal locks into position 2 and the bare infinitive moves to the very end of the clause. Everything else — time expressions, objects, adverbs — fills the middle field.

Main clause — Satzklammer

subject Ich

middle field morgen mit dir nach Berlin

infinitive (final) fahren.

"I would like to travel to Berlin with you tomorrow."

Subordinate clause variant. When the clause is introduced by weil, dass, or wenn, the modal itself moves to the very end — after the infinitive: …weil ich morgen mit dir nach Berlin fahren möchte. The infinitive comes second-to-last, the modal closes the clause.

This is the same verb-bracket pattern that governs separable verbs ("aufstehen → Ich stehe auf") and the Perfekt auxiliary ("habe … gelernt"). One rule, three surface forms.

The pairs learners confuse

Three modal pairs share semantic territory with English "can," "should," and "like." Getting them wrong is the most visible grammar mistake for A1–A2 learners.

müssen vs. sollen

Both translate loosely as 'must' or 'should' — but the source of the obligation is different.

müssen internal / objective necessity

The pressure comes from the situation itself.

Ich muss um fünf gehen.

I have to leave by five. (That is just how it is.)

sollen external instruction / expectation

Someone else expects or instructed this.

Du sollst ihn anrufen.

You are supposed to call him. (Someone told you to.)

For advice ('you should rest'), use sollte (Konjunktiv II of sollen). 'Du solltest mehr schlafen' = You should sleep more.

dürfen vs. können

Both can translate as 'can' in English — but one is permission, the other is ability.

dürfen permission — am I allowed?

Use when asking or granting permission.

Darf ich hier rauchen?

Am I allowed to smoke here?

können ability / possibility — am I able?

Use when expressing capability or possibility.

Ich kann gut Gitarre spielen.

I can play guitar well.

Colloquial German often uses können for permission ('Kann ich kurz raus?'), but in formal contexts and exams, dürfen is the correct choice for permission.

mögen vs. möchten

Mögen states a general preference; möchten expresses a current polite desire or request.

mögen general liking — ich mag

General preference, most often with a noun.

Ich mag Kaffee sehr.

I really like coffee.

möchten polite desire — ich möchte

Polite current request, ordering, or plan.

Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte.

I would like a coffee, please.

Möchten is grammatically the Konjunktiv II of mögen, but it is used as a standalone modal in present-tense speech and does not feel 'subjunctive' in everyday use.

Modal verbs in the past — always Präteritum

German modals are among the few verb groups that use Präteritum even in casual spoken conversation — just like sein, haben, and werden. "Ich konnte nicht kommen" is what a native speaker says; "Ich bin nicht kommen können" (Perfekt) is technically grammatical but sounds markedly awkward as a standalone past statement.

The stem vowels that changed in the present (kann-, muss-, darf-, mag-) revert to their root forms in Präteritum (konn-, muss-, durf-, moch-). All six follow the regular weak-verb -te- pattern.

können → konnte

Ich konnte gestern nicht schlafen.

I could not sleep yesterday.

müssen → musste

Sie musste früh aufstehen.

She had to get up early.

dürfen → durfte

Er durfte als Kind nicht fernsehen.

He was not allowed to watch TV as a child.

sollen → sollte

Ich sollte eigentlich arbeiten.

I was actually supposed to be working.

wollen → wollte

Wir wollten ins Kino gehen.

We wanted to go to the cinema.

mögen → mochte

Er mochte keine Spinat als Kind.

He did not like spinach as a child.

Full Präteritum guide →

The double-infinitive rule in Perfekt

This is the highest-friction rule for English-speaking learners. Internalize the three sub-points and you will never misuse a modal in Perfekt again.

Standalone modal → standard Partizip II

When a modal verb stands alone in Perfekt with no secondary infinitive, it uses its regular Partizip II:

Ich habe es gekonnt. I was able to / I managed it.

Er hat es gewollt. He wanted it.

Sie hat ihn gemocht. She liked him.

This form is rare in practice — most Perfekt usage of modals involves a second verb (sub-point 2).

Modal + secondary infinitive → double infinitive

When a modal appears in Perfekt alongside a second infinitive, the modal's Partizip II is replaced by its infinitive form — creating a double infinitive at the end of the clause:

correct

Ich habe arbeiten müssen.

I had to work.

not NOT: gemusst

correct

Sie hat den Brief schreiben können.

She was able to write the letter.

not NOT: gekonnt

correct

Wir haben das nicht machen dürfen.

We were not allowed to do that.

not NOT: gedurft

Auxiliary is always haben — never sein

Even when the secondary infinitive belongs to a verb that normally takes sein in Perfekt (motion verbs, change-of-state verbs), the auxiliary with a modal is always haben:

Ich habe schwimmen müssen. I had to swim. (NOT: Ich bin schwimmen müssen.)

Sie hat nach Hause gehen müssen. She had to go home. (NOT: ist)

The auxiliary follows the conjugated verb — which is the modal, and modals are haben-verbs. The secondary infinitive's normal haben/sein selection is irrelevant here.

Full Perfekt guide — haben vs. sein, Partizip II →

Continue learning

Verbs & conjugation Present tense (Präsens) Perfekt Präteritum Word order Subordinate clauses

Six modals, one pattern: ich = er, infinitive at the end.

What modal verbs do

The six modals at a glance

German modal verbs — meanings and examples

Present-tense conjugation

Full present-tense conjugation — all six modals

The Satzklammer — modal + final infinitive

The pairs learners confuse

müssen vs. sollen

dürfen vs. können

mögen vs. möchten

Modal verbs in the past — always Präteritum

The double-infinitive rule in Perfekt

Standalone modal → standard Partizip II

Modal + secondary infinitive → double infinitive

Auxiliary is always haben — never sein

Continue learning

Frequently asked questions

Practice modal verbs in context

Six modals, one pattern: ich = er, infinitive at the end.

What modal verbs do

The six modals at a glance

German modal verbs — meanings and examples

Present-tense conjugation

Full present-tense conjugation — all six modals

The Satzklammer — modal + final infinitive

The pairs learners confuse

müssen vs. sollen

dürfen vs. können

mögen vs. möchten

Modal verbs in the past — always Präteritum

The double-infinitive rule in Perfekt

Standalone modal → standard Partizip II

Modal + secondary infinitive → double infinitive

Auxiliary is always haben — never sein

Modal-like verbs: bare infinitive, no zu

Continue learning

Frequently asked questions

Practice modal verbs in context