The 6 Modal Verbs

Modal verbs let you express ability, permission, necessity, desire, and obligations—turning flat statements into real human intentions. Once you learn the six German modals, you unlock hundreds of natural sentences immediately, because the second verb stays in its basic infinitive form at the end of the sentence.

Word Order: The Modal Satzklammer

In a standard German main clause, the conjugated modal verb occupies Position 2, while the main action verb sits at the absolute end in its infinitive form (never conjugated, and without zu):

• Ich kann gut Deutsch sprechen. (I can speak German well.)
• Wir müssen heute Abend für die Prüfung lernen. (We have to study for the exam tonight. — die Prüfung)
• Darf ich hier parken? (May I park here? — Yes/no question puts the modal in Position 1.)

And in a subordinate clause (weil, dass, wenn), the conjugated modal moves behind the infinitive to the very end: …, weil wir heute lernen müssen.

The 6 German Modals, Meanings & Negation Traps

1. dürfen — permission / may, be allowed to: Man darf hier parken. (You are allowed to park here.)
   • Negation (nicht dürfen): strict prohibition (must not / not allowed to)! Hier darf man nicht rauchen. (Smoking is forbidden here / You must not smoke here.)
2. können — ability, skill, or possibility / can, be able to: Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. (I can speak German.) Kannst du morgen kommen? (Can you come tomorrow?)
3. müssen — necessity, obligation / must, have to: Wir müssen lernen. (We must / have to study.)
   • Negation (nicht müssen): lack of obligation (don’t have to / don’t need to)—NEVER “must not”! Du musst nicht kommen, wenn du keine Zeit hast. (You don’t have to come if you don’t have time. — die Zeit) (Everyday alternative with the same meaning: Du brauchst nicht zu kommen.)
4. sollen — an obligation, expectation, or instruction coming from someone else / to be supposed to: Der Arzt sagt, ich soll mehr schlafen. (The doctor says I’m supposed to sleep more. — der Arzt)
   • Friendly advice (“should”): Use the Konjunktiv II form sollte: Du solltest zum Arzt gehen. (You should see a doctor.)
5. wollen — strong will, firm intention, personal plan / want to: Ich will Erfolg haben. (I want to succeed. — der Erfolg) (Careful: saying “Ich will einen Kaffee” at a counter sounds blunt—use möchte for polite requests!)
6. mögen — to like (usually a noun or concept, often without a second verb): Ich mag Musik. (I like music. — die Musik) / Sie mag keinen Fisch. (She doesn’t like fish. — der Fisch)
   • Polite desire (möchten): Literally the Konjunktiv II of mögen, treated in beginner German as its own present-tense verb meaning would like: Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte. (I would like a coffee, please. — der Kaffee)

(Note: Beyond these everyday “objective” meanings, B2 German also uses modal verbs subjectively to show how certain the speaker is or to report claims—covered in Subjective Use of Modal Verbs.)

Present Conjugation Table

Spot the two signature rules in this chart:

1. Five of the six modals change their stem vowel in the singular (sollen is the only one that does not!).
2. Every single modal has NO personal ending in ich and er/sie/es—so ich and er/sie/es are always 100% identical!

Notice also du musst (only two -s- letters, never *mussst), and notice that all plural forms (wir, ihr, sie/Sie) drop right back to the infinitive stem.

Dropping the Second Verb When Context Is Clear

When the action is obvious—especially verbs of movement (gehen, fahren) or tun/sprechen—German speakers often drop the final infinitive:

• Ich muss jetzt nach Hause. (I have to [go] home now. — das Haus)
• Er kann schon sehr gut Deutsch. (He already [speaks] German very well.)
• Darf ich das? (Am I allowed [to do] that?)

(Practice conjugating all modals across Präsens, Präteritum, and Konjunktiv II in the Verb Conjugator, and inspect modal brackets in the Sentence Analyzer.)

Common Mistakes: Wrong vs. Right