German modal verbs: können, müssen and the rest
German has six modal verbs: können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, mögen. They rank among the most useful words in the language, letting you say what you can, must, may or want to do. All six follow the same sentence pattern, so learning one gives you the frame for the rest.
Six verbs, one frame
| Modal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| können | can, be able | ich kann schwimmen |
| müssen | must, have to | ich muss gehen |
| dürfen | may, be allowed | du darfst bleiben |
| sollen | should | ich soll warten |
| wollen | to want | er will lernen |
| mögen | to like | ich mag Kaffee |
Modal second, verb last
The modal takes the normal second position, and the main verb goes to the very end as an infinitive. This bracket is one of German’s signature structures, and modals are where you first meet it.
ich and er look the same
Modals change their stem vowel in the singular, and the ich and er forms come out identical, with no ending. That overlap trips learners who expect a regular -t.
| können | müssen | |
|---|---|---|
| ich | kann | muss |
| du | kannst | musst |
| er/sie/es | kann | muss |
möchte vs wollen
- Ich will einen Kaffee.
- "I want a coffee."
- plain, even blunt
- Ich möchte einen Kaffee.
- "I would like a coffee."
- for ordering or asking
The plural forms are regular and easy; the singular ones, with the vowel change and the ich/er overlap, are where mistakes live. Verboteca schedules each form separately, so the tricky singulars come back more often than the easy plurals.