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In the German we've been using so far, you have never had more than one verb per clause. This is
about to change. In this chapter and in the next chapter you will be introduced to the German modal
verbs. We have modal verbs in English too, though we don't usually call them that: examples of modal
verbs in English are can, must, should, etc. Just like in English, using a modal verb means that there
will be another verb in the same clause: ‘I can play piano’ = Ich kann Klavier spielen.
The two modal verbs you learn about in this chapter are möchten (=would like) and können (=can).
First off, you conjugate these verbs quite differently than the other verbs you’ve learned up to now:
you do NOT add an –e to the end of the ich form, and you do NOT add a –t to the end of
the er/sie/es form. In the case of können, there is also a vowel change: ö changes to a in the singular
forms.
können (to be möchten (w
able to, can) ould like)
ich kann wir könne ich möchte wir möchte
n n
du kannst ihr könnt du möchte ihr möchte
st t
er/si kann sie/Si könne er/si möchte sie/ möchte
e/es e n e/es Sie n
The next thing to pay attention to is verb placement. When there is a modal verb in a sentence, it is
the conjugated verb (e.g. kann or möchte), and the other verb is the infinitive (with the -en ending)
form, which goes at the very end of the sentence:
Ich kann gut reiten.
Ich möchte morgen mit meinen Freunden ins Restaurant gehen.
Kannst du am Mittwoch zur Klasse kommen?
What happens when you have a 'nicht' in the sentence, or a separable-prefix, both of which are
supposed to move to the end of the sentence, too? Well, the infinitive takes priority and gets the final
slot. With nicht:
Ich kann heute nicht kommen.
Er möchte seine Mutter nicht besuchen.
With separable-prefix verbs, because you're using the infinitive (dictionary-form) of the verb, the
separable prefix is STUCK BACK ON to the verb at the end of the sentence:
As described in your book, with möchten and können, if it is clear form the context of the sentence
what you can or would like to do, you can omit the infinitive at the end. English often leaves off “to
have” (‘I would like a glass of wine’), but be aware that German can leave off almost any verb as long
as the context is clear:
Now try putting all the pieces together. Use these words to form complete sentences. Make sure you
conjugate the modal verb correctly and put each verb in its correct place.
Modalverben
Modal verbs are auxiliary (helping) verbs that combine with another main verb in one sentence or clause.
Their meaning tells us about the speaker’s attitude or feelings regarding the action of the verb: Do
you want to read a book? Should you read the book? Do you have to read the book?
Last week we learned the modal verbs können (can) and möchten (would like). This week we’ll be reviewing
those and adding five other modal verbs. The same usage rules apply to können as to all the other modal
verbs. The chart below summarizes the modal verbs in German and their conjugations. Note that all modals
are irregular, but they all have a similar pattern: they have ‘regular’ plural forms, whereas the singular
forms (ich, du, er/sie/es) are marked by a vowel change (except for sollen). The ich and er/sie/es forms
have NO ending.
can, to be able may, to be must, to have to like (to) to want (to) should, to be
to allowed to to supposed to
You will need to memorize these forms, but really, once you get used to them, you’ll find them very easy to
use and invaluable in helping you to say exactly what you mean in German.
Möchten, which we learned last week, has a different conjugation because technically speaking, it’s the
subjunctive form of mögen (“would like”, not just “like”). But it’s extremely easy to use and it’s incredibly
useful and common, so it’s best to learn it now as an irregular verb. It follows the same usage rules
(infinitive at end of sentence) as the other modals; only its conjugation is different.
When you use a modal verb, the main verb appears as an infinitive (unconjugated verb ending in -en) at
the very end of the sentence. Sometimes the infinitive can be omitted, but only if the context makes it clear
what the infinitive would be. Also notice the word order in the following examples:
Ich will heute schwimmen.
Ich will meinen schwarzen Mantel nach
Deutschland mitnehmen.
Ich muss zum Deutschkurs gehen, aber dann darf ich nach (infinitive omitted)
Hause.
Ich kann Auto fahren, Tennis spielen und sehr gut kochen. (modal not repeated for each
verb)
English also has modal verbs (can, should, must, may, etc.), and the meanings are often similar in German,
although there are a few differences you need to watch out for, especially when a ‘nicht’ is added to the
sentence. For example, “du musst nicht” does not have the same meaning as it does in English.
When you are talking about what someone may not do or must not do, you use dürfen + nicht:
When you are talking about what someone doesn’t have to do (but they may do it), you use müssen + nicht:
Wollen is close in meaning to English “want”, but be aware that it can quickly sound demanding or impolite
in German in certain settings, and möchten is usually preferred. In ordering food or requesting something to
eat or drink, you will almost always use möchten, and when making plans with friends, möchten is also more
common:
If you use wollen in these sentences instead of möchten, it’s not ‘wrong,’ but it makes you sound very
forceful and demanding. In general, use möchten when you want to politely request or inquire about
something, and reserve wollen for very firm statements of intention or purpose, e.g:
A. Lückensätze. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the modal verb in parentheses.
B. Mögen or möchten? Remember that mögen means “to like or enjoy”, while möchten translates as
“would like”. Fill in the blanks so that the second sentence means approximately the same thing as the
first.
C. Kleine Gespräche. Complete these short conversations, using the modal verbs in each box.
können • mögen • wollen
dürfen • mögen • wollen
dürfen • können • mögen • sollen
Karl: Warum kochst du denn dein tolles Chili con carne nicht, Bettina? Ich _________________ es
so sehr!
Bettina: Mein Chili con carne? Das nimmt zu viel Zeit. Aber du _________________ es gern
selbst (=yourself) kochen.
Karl: Ich? Ich _________________ gar nicht kochen!
Bettina: Dann _________________ du es lernen, es ist nicht schwer!
können • möchten • müssen (2x) • sollen • wollen
Florian: Kommst du heute Abend mit, Claudia? Wir _________________ tanzen gehen.
Claudia: Ich _________________ gern, aber ich _________________ nicht. Ich _________________
bis (=by) morgen früh ein ganzes Buch für Deutsch lesen. _________________ ihr denn nicht
morgen Abend tanzen gehen?
Florian: Nein, das geht nicht. Morgen Abend _________________ wir für ein Examen in Mathe
lernen.