Ich kann Deutsch sprechen.
English: I can speak German.
- Language
- German
- Level
- B1
- Unit
- Verbformen und Gebrauch
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Modal verbs in German are special verbs that express ability, permission, necessity, obligation, or desire. They are used with another verb in the infinitive form.
When to use it
Use modal verbs in German to talk about what you can, must, may, should, want, or would like to do. Modal verbs help you express possibilities, permissions, obligations, or wishes.
Key forms
- ich kann, du kannst, er/sie/es kann (können)
- ich muss, du musst, er/sie/es muss (müssen)
- ich darf, du darfst, er/sie/es darf (dürfen)
- ich soll, du sollst, er/sie/es soll (sollen)
- ich will, du willst, er/sie/es will (wollen)
- ich möchte, du möchtest, er/sie/es möchte (möchten)
Examples
Darf ich hier sitzen?
English: May I sit here?
Wir müssen heute arbeiten.
English: We must work today.
Er will ins Kino gehen.
English: He wants to go to the cinema.
Sie möchte einen Kaffee trinken.
English: She would like to drink a coffee.
Tips
- The modal verb comes in the second position, and the main verb goes to the end of the sentence in infinitive form.
- Modal verbs are irregular—learn their forms carefully.
- Only the modal verb is conjugated; the other verb stays in its basic (infinitive) form.
Exceptions and edge cases
- In the simple past (Präteritum), modal verbs are often used instead of the perfect tense in spoken German.
- Some modal verbs have irregular forms, especially 'können' and 'müssen'.