A1.2 · 7 of 36
Modalverben
Lesson · 4 rules · about 5 min
With six small verbs (können, müssen, wollen, möchten, dürfen, sollen) you can ask, offer, refuse and order politely.
- 1ich and er are the same, with no ending
- 2The bracket: modal at 2, infinitive at the end
- 3The vowel change in the singular
- 4möchten vs wollen — polite vs blunt
Why this matters
Modal verbs colour another verb: können (can, be able), müssen (must, have to), wollen (want to), möchten (would like to), dürfen (may, be allowed), sollen (should, be supposed to). Two things make them a system of their own. Their forms: in the singular the vowel usually changes and the ich- and er-forms are identical with no ending — ich kann, er kann; ich muss, sie muss. And their word order: the modal takes position 2 and pushes the other verb, as an infinitive, to the very end of the sentence — Ich kann heute nicht kommen. That bracket, with the sentence held between the two verbs, is the shape of half of German grammar to come, so it is worth getting right now.
können (can)
du mir bitte helfen? (können)
Can you help me, please?
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Exercise
Modalverben · A1.2
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