{"id":276,"date":"2026-10-27T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/?p=276"},"modified":"2026-10-31T09:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:09:43","slug":"german-modal-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"German Modal Verbs: The Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Modal verbs are the six verbs that change what another verb means \u2014 whether something is <em>possible<\/em>, <em>necessary<\/em>, <em>allowed<\/em>, <em>wanted<\/em> or <em>supposed to happen<\/em>. In German they are <strong>k\u00f6nnen, m\u00fcssen, d\u00fcrfen, sollen, wollen<\/strong> and <strong>m\u00f6gen\/m\u00f6chten<\/strong>, and every intermediate learner needs them because they appear in almost every real conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The good news: once you learn the pattern \u2014 modal in position 2, infinitive at the end \u2014 the structure is the same every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 6 German modal verbs: meanings at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Verb<\/th><th>Core meaning<\/th><th>English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>k\u00f6nnen<\/strong><\/td><td>ability, possibility<\/td><td>can, to be able to<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>m\u00fcssen<\/strong><\/td><td>necessity, compulsion<\/td><td>must, to have to<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>d\u00fcrfen<\/strong><\/td><td>permission<\/td><td>may, to be allowed to<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>sollen<\/strong><\/td><td>obligation from outside<\/td><td>to be supposed to, should<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>wollen<\/strong><\/td><td>will, intention<\/td><td>to want to<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>m\u00f6gen \/ m\u00f6chten<\/strong><\/td><td>preference \/ polite wish<\/td><td>to like \/ would like to<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>M\u00f6gen<\/em> and <em>m\u00f6chten<\/em> share a root. <em>M\u00f6chten<\/em> is the Konjunktiv II form of <em>m\u00f6gen<\/em>, but it behaves like a separate modal in practice and is far more common in everyday speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conjugation tables (present tense)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All modals except <em>m\u00f6chten<\/em> are irregular in the singular: <em>ich<\/em> and <em>er\/sie\/es<\/em> have the same form with no ending, and most change their stem vowel (<em>sollen<\/em> does not). Learn these by heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">k\u00f6nnen (can \/ to be able to)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th>singular<\/th><th>plural<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ich<\/td><td><strong>kann<\/strong><\/td><td>wir <strong>k\u00f6nnen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>du<\/td><td><strong>kannst<\/strong><\/td><td>ihr <strong>k\u00f6nnt<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>er\/sie\/es<\/td><td><strong>kann<\/strong><\/td><td>sie\/Sie <strong>k\u00f6nnen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">m\u00fcssen (must \/ to have to)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th>singular<\/th><th>plural<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ich<\/td><td><strong>muss<\/strong><\/td><td>wir <strong>m\u00fcssen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>du<\/td><td><strong>musst<\/strong><\/td><td>ihr <strong>m\u00fcsst<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>er\/sie\/es<\/td><td><strong>muss<\/strong><\/td><td>sie\/Sie <strong>m\u00fcssen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">d\u00fcrfen (may \/ to be allowed to)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th>singular<\/th><th>plural<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ich<\/td><td><strong>darf<\/strong><\/td><td>wir <strong>d\u00fcrfen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>du<\/td><td><strong>darfst<\/strong><\/td><td>ihr <strong>d\u00fcrft<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>er\/sie\/es<\/td><td><strong>darf<\/strong><\/td><td>sie\/Sie <strong>d\u00fcrfen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">sollen (to be supposed to)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th>singular<\/th><th>plural<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ich<\/td><td><strong>soll<\/strong><\/td><td>wir <strong>sollen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>du<\/td><td><strong>sollst<\/strong><\/td><td>ihr <strong>sollt<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>er\/sie\/es<\/td><td><strong>soll<\/strong><\/td><td>sie\/Sie <strong>sollen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">wollen (to want to)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th>singular<\/th><th>plural<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ich<\/td><td><strong>will<\/strong><\/td><td>wir <strong>wollen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>du<\/td><td><strong>willst<\/strong><\/td><td>ihr <strong>wollt<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>er\/sie\/es<\/td><td><strong>will<\/strong><\/td><td>sie\/Sie <strong>wollen<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">m\u00f6gen \/ m\u00f6chten<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th>m\u00f6gen<\/th><th>m\u00f6chten<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ich<\/td><td>mag<\/td><td><strong>m\u00f6chte<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>du<\/td><td>magst<\/td><td><strong>m\u00f6chtest<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>er\/sie\/es<\/td><td>mag<\/td><td><strong>m\u00f6chte<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>wir<\/td><td>m\u00f6gen<\/td><td><strong>m\u00f6chten<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ihr<\/td><td>m\u00f6gt<\/td><td><strong>m\u00f6chtet<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sie\/Sie<\/td><td>m\u00f6gen<\/td><td><strong>m\u00f6chten<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Word order: the key rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a modal verb, the <strong>modal goes in position 2 and the infinitive goes to the end<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ich <strong>kann<\/strong> gut Deutsch <strong>sprechen<\/strong>.<br>\nDu <strong>musst<\/strong> jetzt nach Hause <strong>gehen<\/strong>.<br>\nEr <strong>darf<\/strong> hier nicht <strong>parken<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a subordinate clause (after <em>weil, dass, wenn<\/em>), both verbs go to the end, with the conjugated modal last:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ich wei\u00df, dass ich mehr <strong>\u00fcben muss<\/strong>.<br>\nEr sagt, dass sie jetzt nach Hause <strong>gehen soll<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Each modal in detail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">k\u00f6nnen \u2014 ability and possibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ability:<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich kann Fahrrad fahren.<\/em> (I can ride a bike.)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Sprechen Sie Englisch? \u2014 Ja, ich kann gut Englisch sprechen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Possibility:<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Das kann ein Problem sein.<\/em> (That could be a problem.)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Kannst du mir helfen?<\/em> (Can you help me?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Polite request:<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>K\u00f6nnten Sie das bitte wiederholen?<\/em> (Could you please repeat that?) \u2014 <a href=\"\/blog\/konjunktiv-ii-polite-requests\/\">Konjunktiv II, more formal<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">m\u00fcssen \u2014 necessity and compulsion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Necessity:<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich muss morgen fr\u00fch aufstehen.<\/em> (I have to get up early tomorrow.)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Du musst das Formular unterschreiben.<\/em> (You have to sign the form.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Logical conclusion:<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Er ist nicht da. Er muss krank sein.<\/em> (He must be ill \u2014 logical deduction.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Negation trap:<\/strong> <em>nicht m\u00fcssen<\/em> means <em>don&#8217;t have to<\/em> (no necessity), not <em>must not<\/em>:<br>\n&#8211; <em>Du musst nicht kommen.<\/em> = You don&#8217;t have to come.<br>\n&#8211; <em>Du darfst nicht kommen.<\/em> = You must not come. (\u2192 use <em>d\u00fcrfen<\/em> for prohibition)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">d\u00fcrfen \u2014 permission and prohibition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Permission:<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Darf ich hier sitzen?<\/em> (May I sit here?)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Hier darf man rauchen.<\/em> (Smoking is allowed here.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Prohibition (negation):<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Man darf hier nicht parken.<\/em> (You must not park here.)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Du darfst das nicht essen.<\/em> (You must not eat that.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Polite offer:<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Darf ich Ihnen helfen?<\/em> (May I help you?) \u2014 standard German for offering help<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">sollen \u2014 obligation from outside<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sollen<\/em> expresses what someone <em>else<\/em> has said or required. It comes from outside the speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Der Arzt sagt, ich soll mehr trinken.<\/em> (The doctor says I should drink more.)<\/li><li><em>Du sollst um 8 Uhr da sein.<\/em> (You are supposed to be there at 8.)<\/li><li><em>Was soll ich tun?<\/em> (What am I supposed to do?)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contrast with <em>m\u00fcssen<\/em> (inner necessity) and <em>d\u00fcrfen<\/em> (permission):<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich muss gehen<\/em> \u2014 I have to go (personal necessity).<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich soll gehen<\/em> \u2014 I&#8217;m supposed to go (someone told me to).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">wollen \u2014 will and intention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Ich will Deutsch lernen.<\/em> (I want to learn German.)<\/li><li><em>Willst du mitkommen?<\/em> (Do you want to come along?)<\/li><li><em>Er will nicht helfen.<\/em> (He doesn&#8217;t want to help \/ he refuses.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> <em>wollen<\/em> is strong and direct. In requests to others, <em>m\u00f6chten<\/em> or <em>k\u00f6nnen<\/em> is more polite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">m\u00f6gen and m\u00f6chten<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>M\u00f6gen<\/strong> \u2014 general liking (usually without infinitive):<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich mag Kaffee.<\/em> (I like coffee.)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Magst du Jazz?<\/em> (Do you like jazz?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>M\u00f6chten<\/strong> \u2014 polite wish, &#8220;would like to&#8221;:<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich m\u00f6chte einen Kaffee, bitte.<\/em> (I would like a coffee, please.)<br>\n&#8211; <em><a href=\"\/blog\/ordering-at-german-restaurant\/\">M\u00f6chten Sie etwas trinken?<\/a><\/em> (Would you like something to drink?)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich m\u00f6chte Deutsch lernen.<\/em> (I would like to learn German.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use <em>m\u00f6chten<\/em> whenever you want something politely \u2014 in a caf\u00e9, at a shop, in a formal situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"siplingo-store-badges\" style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin:24px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/app\/id6783970183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/app_store.png\" alt=\"Download SipLingo on the App Store\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=ch.zgdevelopment.siplingo&amp;referrer=utm_source%3Dblog%26utm_medium%3Dpost%26utm_campaign%3Dgerman-modal-verbs%26utm_content%3Dbadge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/play_store.png\" alt=\"Get SipLingo on Google Play\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The past tense of modal verbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In spoken German, you normally use the <strong>Perfekt<\/strong>, but modal verbs almost always use the <strong>Pr\u00e4teritum<\/strong> in both spoken and written German:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Modal<\/th><th>Pr\u00e4teritum (ich)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>k\u00f6nnen<\/td><td>konnte<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>m\u00fcssen<\/td><td>musste<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>d\u00fcrfen<\/td><td>durfte<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sollen<\/td><td>sollte<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>wollen<\/td><td>wollte<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>m\u00f6gen<\/td><td>mochte<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>m\u00f6chten<\/td><td>(use: wollte)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples:<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich konnte nicht schlafen.<\/em> (I couldn&#8217;t sleep.)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Sie musste fr\u00fch aufstehen.<\/em> (She had to get up early.)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Durfte er das?<\/em> (Was he allowed to do that?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Perfekt with another verb, the modal appears as its own infinitive at the end (<a href=\"\/blog\/german-perfekt-haben-sein\/\">double infinitive<\/a>):<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich habe nicht schlafen <\/em><em>k\u00f6nnen<\/em><em>.<\/em> (spoken, possible)<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich <\/em><em>konnte<\/em><em> nicht schlafen.<\/em> (preferred)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"\/blog\/praeteritum-vs-perfekt\/\">The Pr\u00e4teritum form is simpler<\/a> and you should use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Using <em>m\u00fcssen<\/em> for prohibition<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; Wrong: <em>Du musst hier nicht rauchen.<\/em> (means: you don&#8217;t have to smoke here)<br>\n&#8211; Right: <em>Du <\/em><em>darfst<\/em><em> hier nicht rauchen.<\/em> (you are not allowed to smoke here)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Wrong word order: infinitive before the modal<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; Wrong: <em>Ich kann sprechen Deutsch.<\/em><br>\n&#8211; Right: <em>Ich kann Deutsch <\/em><em>sprechen<\/em><em>.<\/em> (infinitive at the end)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Forgetting that <em>wollen<\/em> is direct<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; Wrong: <em>Ich will einen Kaffee.<\/em> (sounds blunt in a caf\u00e9)<br>\n&#8211; Right: <em>Ich <\/em><em>m\u00f6chte<\/em><em> einen Kaffee, bitte.<\/em> (polite)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Conjugating the infinitive<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; Wrong: <em>Er kann geht nach Hause.<\/em><br>\n&#8211; Right: <em>Er kann nach Hause <\/em><em>gehen<\/em><em>.<\/em> (infinitive stays unchanged)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Confusing sollen and m\u00fcssen<\/strong><br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich muss das machen<\/em> \u2014 I personally have to do it.<br>\n&#8211; <em>Ich soll das machen<\/em> \u2014 Someone told me to \/ I&#8217;m supposed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick reference table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Situation<\/th><th>Use<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>I can do something<\/td><td><strong>kann<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>I have to<\/td><td><strong>muss<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>I&#8217;m not allowed to<\/td><td><strong>darf nicht<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>I don&#8217;t have to<\/td><td><strong>muss nicht<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Someone told me to<\/td><td><strong>soll<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>I want to (direct)<\/td><td><strong>will<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>I would like to (polite)<\/td><td><strong>m\u00f6chte<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>I like something<\/td><td><strong>mag<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practise using them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reading tables is not speaking. The next step is to put modals into your own sentences, in real time, until they become automatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SipLingo builds modal verbs into everyday conversation practice: you say what you can do, what you have to do, and what you&#8217;d like \u2014 and get corrected in your own language when the form is wrong.<\/strong> That&#8217;s how grammar goes from a table to a habit. <a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=german-modal-verbs&amp;utm_content=inline\">Try it free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For related grammar, see <a href=\"\/blog\/german-word-order-rules\/\">German word order rules<\/a> and <a href=\"\/blog\/german-cases-explained\/\">the 4 German cases explained<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the official details and the latest updates, see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.duden.de\/sprachwissen\/fuer-lernende\/wortarten-verben\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duden: Duden for learners: verbs (tense, mood, modal verbs)<\/a> \u2013 Verb person, tense, mood and voice; modal verbs and werden<\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/grammis.ids-mannheim.de\/fragen\/99\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IDS Mannheim (grammis): grammis: Perfekt of modal verbs<\/a> \u2013 habe kommen m\u00fcssen vs gemusst \u2013 the substitute infinitive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are the 6 German modal verbs?<\/strong><br>\nK\u00f6nnen (can), m\u00fcssen (must), d\u00fcrfen (may), sollen (should\/supposed to), wollen (want to) and m\u00f6gen\/m\u00f6chten (like\/would like).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do you use modal verbs in German?<\/strong><br>\nPut the modal in second position and the infinitive at the end: <em>Ich kann Deutsch sprechen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is the difference between m\u00fcssen and d\u00fcrfen in negation?<\/strong><br><em>Nicht m\u00fcssen<\/em> = don&#8217;t have to. <em>Nicht d\u00fcrfen<\/em> = must not, not allowed. This is one of the most important distinctions in German modals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When do you use m\u00f6chten instead of wollen?<\/strong><br>\nUse <em>m\u00f6chten<\/em> in polite requests and when ordering or asking for something. <em>Wollen<\/em> is more direct and can sound rude in service situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do you say modal verbs in the past tense in German?<\/strong><br>\nUse the Pr\u00e4teritum form: <em>konnte, musste, durfte, sollte, wollte, mochte<\/em>. These forms are preferred even in spoken German.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Use modal verbs in real conversations.<\/strong> SipLingo corrects your German as you speak, in your own language. A1 to B2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=german-modal-verbs&amp;utm_content=footer\">Start free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 6 German modal verbs explained with conjugation tables, sentence position rules and common mistakes, with examples for every meaning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-german-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>German Modal Verbs: k\u00f6nnen, m\u00fcssen, d\u00fcrfen, sollen, wollen, m\u00f6gen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 6 German modal verbs explained with conjugation tables, sentence position rules 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