Modalverben konjugieren

What is a modal verb in German?

The modal verbs in German are dürfen (be allowed to/may), können (be able to/can), mögen (to like/may), müssen (to have to/must), sollen (to ought to/should) and wollen (to want to). Modal verbs express ability, necessity, obligation, permission or possibility.

Master the rules for conjugating modal verbs and get tips on how and when to use them in German. In the exercises, you can practise what you have learnt.

Example

When to use German modal verbs

We generally use modal verbs with the infinitive of the full verb. The meaning of the sentence changes depending on which modal verb we use.

Example:

Max will/darf/soll Automechaniker werden.Max wants to/may/should become an auto mechanic.

If the full verb is assumed to be obvious from context, we often leave it off in colloquial speech.

Example:

Kannst du Deutsch (sprechen)?Do you know (how to speak) German?

Willst du eine Pizza (essen)?Do you want (to eat) pizza?

Ich darf das (machen).I’m allowed to (do this).

How to conjugate the German modal verbs

To conjugate modal verbs in the present and simple past, we use the finite form of the modal verb. However, to conjugate modal verbs in the perfect tense, we use the infinitive form of the modal verb and full verb and the finite form the auxiliary verb.

We only use the past participle of a modal verb in the present perfect and past perfect tenses in sentences without a full verb.

Example:

Das habe/hatte ich nicht gewollt.I didn’t want that.

Table of Conjugation

The following table shows the conjugation of modal verbs in the present and simple past tenses as well as the verb conjugation for the past participle and the Subjunctive II.

* mögen is usually used without a full verb nowadays – ich mag dich

** möchten is in fact the subjunctive form of mögen, but nowadays it is used in the present tense as a separate modal verb (for past tenses, we use wollen).