Modal verbs express an attitude toward an action — ability, necessity, permission, wish. German has six, and they follow one clear sentence pattern: the modal is conjugated in position two, and the main verb goes to the very end as an infinitive.
| Modal | Meaning | ich form | er/sie/es form |
|---|---|---|---|
| können | can, to be able to | kann | kann |
| müssen | must, to have to | muss | muss |
| wollen | to want to | will | will |
| sollen | should, to be supposed to | soll | soll |
| dürfen | may, to be allowed to | darf | darf |
| mögen (möchte) | to like (would like) | mag (möchte) | mag (möchte) |
Notice that the ich and er/sie/es forms are identical and take no ending — that's typical of modals. Most also change their stem vowel in the singular (müssen → ich muss).
The sentence frame
Ich kann gut schwimmen.
I can swim well.
kann (2nd) … schwimmen (end)
Wir müssen jetzt gehen.
We have to go now.
modal + infinitive at the end
Darf ich hier parken?
May I park here?
In a question the modal comes first.
Ich möchte einen Kaffee.
I'd like a coffee.
möchte can stand alone with just an object.
✗Ich muss gehen nach Hause.
✓Ich muss nach Hause gehen.
The infinitive gehen must be the last word.
✗Er kann spielt Klavier.
✓Er kann Klavier spielen.
After a modal the second verb is an infinitive, not conjugated.
The negation trap: nicht müssen ≠ nicht dürfen
Negate a modal and the meaning can flip. English uses “must not” for prohibition, but German does not negate müssen that way — nicht müssen simply removes the obligation. Prohibition is nicht dürfen.
Du musst nicht kommen.
You don't have to come.
no obligation — coming is optional
Du darfst nicht kommen.
You must not come.
prohibition — coming is forbidden
Ich muss heute nicht arbeiten.
I don't have to work today.
a free day, not a ban
Tipp · Read “müssen nicht” as “no need”, and “dürfen nicht” as “not allowed”. If you can replace it with “kein Zwang”, it is müssen; if with “verboten”, it is dürfen.
können or dürfen?
können is ability, dürfen is permission. “Kann ich hier parken?” asks whether parking is physically possible; “Darf ich hier parken?” asks whether it is allowed. In everyday speech können is often used for both, but in writing and with officials the distinction is worth keeping.
Tipp · möchte (would like) is the polite everyday form of mögen — use it to order and to ask for things without sounding blunt.