Four more modals, same frame
dürfen (may, be allowed to), sollen (be supposed to, shall), mögen (like) and möchten (would like) work like the modals you already know. They are just as frequent in everyday German.
The forms
dürfen, sollen, mögen, möchten
| Person | dürfen | sollen | mögen | möchten |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | darf | soll | mag | möchte |
| du | darfst | sollst | magst | möchtest |
| er / sie / es | darf | soll | mag | möchte |
| wir | dürfen | sollen | mögen | möchten |
| ihr | dürft | sollt | mögt | möchtet |
| sie / Sie | dürfen | sollen | mögen | möchten |
Present tense. ich and er have no ending, except with möchten.
sollen is regular apart from the missing endings on ich and er. möchten is the odd one out: ich möchte and er möchte keep an -e. Treat it as a verb of its own that means would like.
What each modal does
dürfen: permission
Someone allows something, or you ask whether you may. Darf ich …? is the polite way to ask for permission.
Darf ich hier sitzen?
May I sit here?
Du darfst mein Fahrrad nehmen.
You can take my bike.
Die Kinder dürfen heute länger aufbleiben.
The children are allowed to stay up longer today.
sollen: someone else's instruction
The idea is not yours: someone told you, or it is expected. As a question, Soll ich …? is an offer, shall I …?, not a question about rules.
Ich soll um acht da sein.
I'm supposed to be there at eight.
Soll ich das Fenster aufmachen?
Shall I open the window?
Was sollen wir mitbringen?
What should we bring?
mögen: liking
Usually with a noun and no second verb. To say you like doing something, use gern: Ich schwimme gern. Negate a noun without an article with kein.
Ich mag Hunde.
I like dogs.
Magst du italienisches Essen?
Do you like Italian food?
Ich mag keinen Fisch.
I don't like fish.
möchten: polite wish
Would like, for the moment: ordering, asking and offering. It takes a noun or an infinitive. Ich will einen Kaffee sounds blunt, Ich möchte einen Kaffee is friendly.
Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte.
I'd like a coffee, please.
Möchtest du noch einen Tee?
Would you like another tea?
Wir möchten bitte zahlen.
We'd like to pay, please.
The trap: nicht müssen is not must not
English you mustn't forbids something, and you don't have to lifts a duty. German uses two different verbs for these. The one English speakers expect is the wrong one.
nicht müssen: not required
The duty is gone, the action is still allowed: you don't have to, there's no need.
Du musst nicht warten.
You don't have to wait.
Sie müssen nicht bar bezahlen.
You don't have to pay in cash.
nicht dürfen: forbidden
The permission is gone: you mustn't, you're not allowed to. This is the verb on signs and rules.
Hier darf man nicht parken.
Parking is not allowed here.
Sie dürfen nicht fotografieren.
You must not take photographs.
The first sentence is correct German, but it means you don't have to smoke here. Nobody will correct you, so check which one you mean: duty gone is müssen, permission gone is dürfen.
