Modal verbs (die Modalverben) change the meaning of other verbs in a sentence – that’s where their name comes from, i.e. they modulate other verbs. They include können, wollen, müssen, dürfen, sollen, mögen and möchten. They need a different verb, which should be placed at the end of the sentence. The fundamental meanings of modal verbs allow us to precisely express different intentions, options, requirements, commands and skills.
The most important rule for sentence construction in German is: The verb should always come second in the sentence. You should keep this in mind when constructing sentences with modal verbs in all tenses.
Present tense – Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich muss mein Zimmer aufräumen. | I have to clean my room. |
| Er kann gut schwimmen. | He can swim well. |
| Sie darf nicht auf die Party gehen. | She is not allowed to go to the party. |
| Wir wollen ein neues Auto kaufen. | We want to buy a new car. |
| Soll ich ihm helfen? | Should I help him? |
In the present tense, the conjugated modal verb is in the second place in the sentence. We move the main verb in infinitive form to the very end of the sentence.
Past tense – Präteritum
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich musste mein Zimmer aufräumen. | I had to clean the room. |
| Er konnte gut schwimmen. | He was able to swim well. |
| Sie durfte nicht auf die Party gehen. | She was not allowed to go to the party. |
| Wir wollten ein neues Auto kaufen. | We wanted to buy a new car. |
| Sollte ich ihm helfen? | Should I have helped him? |
The formation of the past tense with modal verbs is very simple. A sentence in the Präteritum tense looks the same as in the Präsens: in the second place there is a conjugated modal verb, and at the very end there is the main verb in the infinitive. Remember to conjugate the verb appropriately.
The good news: modal verbs are almost always used in the Präteritum tense, not in the Perfekt. It is much simpler, and knowing this is enough for you to converse fluently in German 90% of the time.
Past tense – Perfekt
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich habe mein Zimmer aufräumen müssen. | I had to clean the room. |
| Er hat gut schwimmen können. | He was able to swim well. |
| Sie hat nicht auf die Party gehen dürfen. | She was not allowed to go to the party. |
| Wir haben ein neues Auto kaufen wollen. | We wanted to buy a new car. |
| Habe ich ihm helfen sollen? | Should I have helped him? |
To form a sentence with a modal verb in the Perfekt tense we will need an auxiliary verb – haben. This time it is this that will be in the second position in the sentence – of course, conjugated according to the person. The modal verb wanders to the very end of the sentence in the form of an infinitive.
If you’re interested in learning more about modal verbs, check out our articles “Modal Verbs in German”, “Probability in German” and “Meaning and Variety of Modal Verbs.”
