What is a modal verb?

Modal verbs express possibility, necessity, permission, or desire — they modify the main verb rather than describe an action directly. German has 6 modals: können (can/to be able), müssen (must/to have to), dürfen (may/to be allowed), sollen (should/to be supposed to), wollen (to want), and mögen/möchten (to like/would like). They always pair with an infinitive at the end of the clause.

Do modal verbs have a Perfekt form?

Yes, but the Perfekt of modal verbs is unusual. When a modal is used with an infinitive, the Perfekt uses the infinitive form of the modal (called the "double infinitive"): "Ich habe gehen müssen" (I had to go). When a modal is used without an infinitive, the normal past participle is used: "Das habe ich gewollt" (That is what I wanted). In practice, the Präteritum form is more common than Perfekt for modals in German.

What is the difference between sollen and müssen?

Müssen expresses internal necessity or logical conclusion — you feel compelled by circumstances: "Ich muss arbeiten" (I have to work — because I need money). Sollen expresses external expectation — someone else has told you to do something: "Ich soll arbeiten" (I'm supposed to work — my boss said so). The key distinction: müssen comes from within, sollen comes from without.

How does word order change with modal verbs?

Modal verbs follow the Satzklammer (sentence bracket) rule: the conjugated modal occupies position 2 (after the subject), and the main verb infinitive goes to the end of the clause. "Ich kann heute nicht kommen" — kann is in position 2, kommen is at the end. In subordinate clauses, both the modal and the infinitive go to the end, with the modal last: "..., weil ich nicht kommen kann."

German modal verbs: all 6 conjugated

Modal verbs express possibility, necessity, permission, and desire. All 6 conjugated across present and Präteritum — plus a meaning card for each one.

Modal verb conjugations

Modal	Meaning	ich	du	er/sie	wir	ihr	sie/Sie	Typical use
können	can / to be able to	kann	kannst	kann	können	könnt	können	Ability or possibility — "Ich kann Deutsch sprechen" (I can speak German)
müssen	must / to have to	muss	musst	muss	müssen	müsst	müssen	Necessity or obligation — "Ich muss arbeiten" (I have to work). Note: "nicht müssen" means not having to, not being forbidden.
dürfen	may / to be allowed to	darf	darfst	darf	dürfen	dürft	dürfen	Permission or prohibition — "Hier darf man nicht parken" (parking not allowed here). "Nicht dürfen" is a prohibition, which is stronger than "nicht müssen".
sollen	should / supposed to	soll	sollst	soll	sollen	sollt	sollen	Duty or instruction from an external source — "Du sollst das nicht tun" (you are not supposed to do that). Implies someone else is the source of the obligation.
wollen	to want to	will	willst	will	wollen	wollt	wollen	Desire or strong intention — "Ich will nach Berlin fahren" (I want to go to Berlin). More assertive than "möchten", which is the polite form.
mögen	to like / may	mag	magst	mag	mögen	mögt	mögen	Liking or preference — "Ich mag Kaffee" (I like coffee). The Konjunktiv II form "möchte" (would like) is more common in polite requests than "wollen".

Amber cells show where the singular stem differs from the infinitive stem — a pattern shared by all modal verbs.

Modal	Meaning	ich	du	er/sie	wir	ihr	sie/Sie	Typical use
können	can / to be able to	konnte	konntest	konnte	konnten	konntet	konnten	Ability or possibility — "Ich kann Deutsch sprechen" (I can speak German)
müssen	must / to have to	musste	musstest	musste	mussten	musstet	mussten	Necessity or obligation — "Ich muss arbeiten" (I have to work). Note: "nicht müssen" means not having to, not being forbidden.
dürfen	may / to be allowed to	durfte	durftest	durfte	durften	durftet	durften	Permission or prohibition — "Hier darf man nicht parken" (parking not allowed here). "Nicht dürfen" is a prohibition, which is stronger than "nicht müssen".
sollen	should / supposed to	sollte	solltest	sollte	sollten	solltet	sollten	Duty or instruction from an external source — "Du sollst das nicht tun" (you are not supposed to do that). Implies someone else is the source of the obligation.
wollen	to want to	wollte	wolltest	wollte	wollten	wolltet	wollten	Desire or strong intention — "Ich will nach Berlin fahren" (I want to go to Berlin). More assertive than "möchten", which is the polite form.
mögen	to like / may	mochte	mochtest	mochte	mochten	mochtet	mochten	Liking or preference — "Ich mag Kaffee" (I like coffee). The Konjunktiv II form "möchte" (would like) is more common in polite requests than "wollen".

Präteritum (simple past) forms — used in writing and formal speech.

What each modal means

Modal verb word order

Modal verbs use the Satzklammer (sentence bracket): the conjugated modal goes in position 2, the main verb infinitive goes to the end.

Main clause: Ich kann heute nicht kommen.

Subordinate clause: …, weil ich heute nicht kommen kann.

Word order guide → Conjugation tables →

German modal verbs: all 6 conjugated

Modal verb conjugations

What each modal means

Modal verb word order

Modals unlock real German sentences fast

Frequently asked questions

German modal verbs: all 6 conjugated

Modal verb conjugations

What each modal means

können

müssen

dürfen

sollen

wollen

mögen / möchten

Modal verb word order

Modals unlock real German sentences fast

Frequently asked questions