A1 Grammar · Unit 10 · Topic 22 of 30

Modal Verbs: möchte, können, wollen, müssen

About 3 minutes · tables, common mistakes and practice with answers

In short

Modal verbs (can, must, want to) push the main verb to the end of the sentence. This is one of the first real shifts in German sentence structure.

Modal verbs

German modal verbs: position and present-tense forms

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A modal verb changes the meaning: can, must, want to, would like, may. It takes position 2 and pushes the main verb to the end, where it stays in the infinitive. ich and er/sie/es share the same form, with no -t.

हिंदी में समझें

Modal verb वाक्य का अर्थ बदलता है: सकना, पड़ना, चाहना, इजाज़त होना। यह दूसरे नंबर पर आता है और असली verb को आख़िर में भेज देता है, जहाँ वह अपने मूल रूप (infinitive) में रहता है। ich और er/sie/es का रूप एक जैसा होता है, बिना -t के।

Modal verbs let you talk about wishes, abilities, and plans. The modal verb is conjugated and goes in position 2. The main verb stays in the infinitive at the end.

Können (can, be able to, be allowed to), wollen (want to, plan to), möchte (would like to, polite wish), müssen (must, have to).

Ich and er/es/sie have the same form: ich kann, er kann.

möchtekönnenwollenmüssen
ichmöchtekannwillmuss
dumöchtestkannstwillstmusst
er/es/siemöchtekannwillmuss
wirmöchtenkönnenwollenmüssen
ihrmöchtetkönntwolltmüsst
sie/Siemöchtenkönnenwollenmüssen
Position 1Position 2MiddleEnd
Ichkannheute nichtkommen.
Krishnawillin Deutschlandarbeiten.
Kannstdumorgen um achtkommen?

Common Mistakes in Modal Verbs: möchte, können, wollen, müssen

The second verb stays in the infinitive. "Ich will lerne Deutsch" is wrong. It's "Ich will Deutsch lernen." And the second verb goes to the end, not right after the modal.

Memory trick

The modal is the boss. It pulls the second verb all the way to the end like a rubber band.

Practice

Conjugate the modal.

  1. Ich ___ (können) gut schwimmen.
  2. Du ___ (wollen) Deutsch lernen.
  3. Er ___ (möchte) einen Tee.
Show answers

Answers: kann, willst, möchte.

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