Modal verbs (die Modalverben) modify (or modulate) the meaning of other verbs in a sentence, which is where their name comes from. They require a different verb to be at the end of the sentence. The basic meanings of modal verbs allow us to accurately express various intentions, possibilities, needs, imperatives and abilities.
Modal verbs have another function. With their help we can determine the probability of events. Modal verbs then do not occur with their basic meaning, but are only used to express our suppositions. This works on the same principle as in English.
For example, we also say that something “can’t be true” or something “must have happened”. See the table below:
| German | English | |
|---|---|---|
| müssen – 90% (almost certainly) | Er muss krank sein, weil er nicht zur Schule gekommen ist. | He must be sick because he didn’t come to school. |
| dürften* – 75% (very likely) | Sie dürften schon angekommen sein. | They should have already come. |
| können – 50% (possible) | Sie kann schon zu Hause sein, da sie ihren Schlüssel hat. | She could already be home because she has her key. |
| mögen – 40% (perhaps) | Es mag ja sein! | It may be so! |
| können nicht – 0% (impossible) | Das kann nicht wahr sein! Ich kann es einfach nicht glauben. | It can’t be true! I just can’t believe it. |
*dürften – the verb dürfen in the conditional mode Konjunktiv II
Modalverben: wollen vs. sollen
Special attention should be paid to the verbs wollen and sollen. They are used to distance oneself from a statement and introduce a certain distance from the information being conveyed, suggesting that the speaker may have doubts or is not fully convinced of the truth of the information.
- wollen – we use this when someone gives us information, but we don’t believe them.
- sollen – we use this to pass on information that we have heard somewhere (e.g., rumors, media), but we are not sure if it is true or there is no direct evidence that the information is true.
Here are some examples:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Er will das gemacht haben. | He claims to have done so (but I have my doubts about it). |
| Er soll das gemacht haben. | He is said to have done this. (I don’t know if this is true; someone told me so.) |
| Er will angeblich fließend Französisch sprechen. | He says he speaks fluent French (but I don’t believe him). |
| Er soll angeblich fließend Französisch sprechen. | Apparently, he speaks fluent French (so I heard from someone, but I don’t know if this is true). |
If you’re interested in learning more about modal verbs, check out our articles “What are modal verbs in German”, “How to build sentences with modal verbs” and “Meaning and conjugation of modal verbs.”
