Question 1

What are the German modal verbs?

Accepted Answer

The 6 German modal verbs are: können (can/to be able to), müssen (must/to have to), wollen (to want to), dürfen (may/to be allowed to), sollen (should/to be supposed to), and mögen (to like). A seventh commonly used form is möchten (would like), which is the Konjunktiv II of mögen and is used for polite requests.

Question 2

How do modal verbs work in German sentences?

Accepted Answer

In German, the modal verb takes position 2 in the sentence (conjugated to match the subject), and the main verb goes to the END of the sentence in its infinitive form. For example: 'Ich muss morgen arbeiten' (I must work tomorrow) — 'muss' is in position 2, 'arbeiten' is at the end.

Question 3

What is the difference between müssen and sollen in German?

Accepted Answer

'Müssen' expresses internal necessity or obligation — something you must do because of circumstances or rules: 'Ich muss zum Arzt' (I have to go to the doctor). 'Sollen' expresses an obligation from another person — something someone told you to do: 'Der Arzt sagt, ich soll mehr schlafen' (The doctor says I should sleep more).

	können (can)	müssen (must)	wollen (want to)	sollen (should)	dürfen (may)	möchten (would like)
ich	kann	muss	will	soll	darf	möchte
du	kannst	musst	willst	sollst	darfst	möchtest
er/sie/es	kann	muss	will	soll	darf	möchte
wir	können	müssen	wollen	sollen	dürfen	möchten
sie/Sie	können	müssen	wollen	sollen	dürfen	möchten

Modal Verbs — können, müssen, wollen

The 6 Modal Verbs — Conjugation

Examples in Real Germany Situations

möchten — The Polite "Would Like"