{"id":1073,"date":"2018-01-08T12:09:03","date_gmt":"2018-01-08T12:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=1073"},"modified":"2021-03-30T14:34:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T14:34:21","slug":"german-modal-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are 6 German modal verbs, some sources may say 7, of them and\u2026 they are all irregular! Hooray! But there are also some simple rules for how to use modal verbs in German, and they have a lot of similarities.<\/p>\n

Modal verbs or auxiliary verbs are a special class of verbs. As you can guess by their name, they are used in a sentence to \u201chelp\u201d another verb. That\u2019s why you will most likely always use and find them in company with another verb. But not always – because you are learning German and there is always at least one exception…<\/p>\n

What are modal verbs in German?<\/h2>\n

The six modal verbs in German are: d\u00fcrfen, k\u00f6nnen, m\u00f6gen, m\u00fcssen, sollen, wollen.<\/strong> As mentioned, these verbs are \u201cassisting\u201d another verb in a sentence. Modal verbs are verbs which express a mood like \u201cwant to\u201d or \u201clike to\u201d.<\/p>\n

They all have a general meaning and some have more meanings, based on the context they are used in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Verb<\/strong><\/td>\nMeaning<\/strong><\/td>\nExample<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
d\u00fcrfen<\/td>\nto be allowed to (to have the permission to)<\/td>\nWir d\u00fcrfen heute nicht ins Kino gehen.
\nWe are not allowed to go to the cinema today.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
k\u00f6nnen<\/td>\nto be able to (to can)<\/td>\nSie k\u00f6nnen sehr laut singen.
\nThey can sing very loudly. \/ They are able to sing very loudly.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
m\u00f6gen<\/td>\nto like to<\/td>\nWir m\u00f6gen im Schatten spielen.
\nWe like to play in the shade.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
m\u00fcssen<\/td>\nto have to<\/td>\nIhr m\u00fcsst fr\u00fch ins Bett gehen.
\nYou have to go to bed early<\/i>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sollen<\/td>\nto be supposed to \/ should<\/td>\nSie sollen das Medikament nehmen.
\nYou are supposed to take the medicine. \/ You should take the medicine.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wollen<\/td>\nto want to<\/td>\nSie wollen am Samstag schwimmen.
\nThey want to swim on Saturday.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As you can see in the examples, in each sentence is a combination of modal verb and main verb. That is the usual case; let\u2019s say in 95% of the sentences, but there are some minor exceptions, where they can be used on their own.<\/p>\n

Conjugation of German modal verbs<\/h2>\n

Like all verbs, modal verbs need to be conjugated to build a sentence, and they change with the tense as well. Prepare yourself for a lot of tables!<\/p>\n

Conjugation of modal verbs \u2013 Present Tense<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nd\u00fcrfen<\/strong><\/td>\nk\u00f6nnen<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6gen<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00fcssen<\/strong><\/td>\nsollen<\/strong><\/td>\nwollen<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ich<\/strong><\/td>\ndarf<\/td>\nkann<\/td>\nmag<\/td>\nmuss<\/td>\nsoll<\/td>\nwill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du<\/strong><\/td>\ndarfst<\/td>\nkannst<\/td>\nmagst<\/td>\nmusst<\/td>\nsollst<\/td>\nwillst<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es<\/strong><\/td>\ndarf<\/td>\nkann<\/td>\nmag<\/td>\nmuss<\/td>\nsoll<\/td>\nwill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wir<\/strong><\/td>\nd\u00fcrfen<\/td>\nk\u00f6nnen<\/td>\nm\u00f6gen<\/td>\nm\u00fcssen<\/td>\nsollen<\/td>\nwollen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr<\/strong><\/td>\nd\u00fcrft<\/td>\nk\u00f6nnt<\/td>\nm\u00f6gt<\/td>\nm\u00fcsst<\/td>\nsollt<\/td>\nwollt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sie\/Sie<\/strong><\/td>\nd\u00fcrfen<\/td>\nk\u00f6nnen<\/td>\nm\u00f6gen<\/td>\nm\u00fcssen<\/td>\nsollen<\/td>\nwollen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Conjugation of modal verbs \u2013 Simple Past Tense<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nd\u00fcrfen<\/strong><\/td>\nk\u00f6nnen<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6gen<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00fcssen<\/strong><\/td>\nsollen<\/strong><\/td>\nwollen<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ich<\/strong><\/td>\ndurfte<\/td>\nkonnte<\/td>\nmochte<\/td>\nmusste<\/td>\nsollte<\/td>\nwollte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du<\/strong><\/td>\ndurftest<\/td>\nkonntest<\/td>\nmochtest<\/td>\nmusstest<\/td>\nsolltest<\/td>\nwolltest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es<\/strong><\/td>\ndurfte<\/td>\nkonnte<\/td>\nmochte<\/td>\nmusste<\/td>\nsollte<\/td>\nwollte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wir<\/strong><\/td>\ndurften<\/td>\nkonnten<\/td>\nmochten<\/td>\nmussten<\/td>\nsollten<\/td>\nwollten<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr<\/strong><\/td>\ndurftet<\/td>\nkonntet<\/td>\nmochtet<\/td>\nmusstet<\/td>\nsolltet<\/td>\nwolltet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sie\/Sie<\/strong><\/td>\ndurften<\/td>\nkonnten<\/td>\nmochten<\/td>\nmussten<\/td>\nsollten<\/td>\nwollten<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Hint:<\/strong> Like a lot of German grammar, you will have to learn these tables by heart. The modal verbs are irregular, but there are some patterns they follow:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The form for the first and third person is always the same, no matter which time is used.<\/li>\n
  2. In the singular persons (ich, du, er\/sie\/es) are no umlauts used.<\/li>\n
  3. In the Simple Past Tense is no umlaut at all.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There are Perfect Tense forms of the auxiliary verbs as well, but they are very rarely used. It is more common, to use \u201chaben\u201d to build a sentence with a modal verb in Perfect Tense.<\/p>\n

    Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Present Tense: Wir m\u00fcssen<\/b> um 8 Uhr nach Hause gehen.
    \nSimple Past Tense: Wir mussten<\/b> um 8 Uhr nach Hause gehen.
    \nPerfect Tense: Wir haben<\/b> um 8 Uhr nach Hause gehen m\u00fcssen<\/b>.
    \nPast Perfect Tense: Wir hatten<\/b> um 8 Uhr nach Hause gehen m\u00fcssen<\/b>.<\/p>\n

    Future Tense follows the same pattern, but instead of \u201chaben\u201c, \u201cwerden\u201c is used.<\/p>\n

    Future Tense: Wir werden<\/b> um 8 Uhr nach Hause gehen m\u00fcssen<\/b>.<\/p>\n

    How to use German modal verbs in a sentence<\/h2>\n

    Like mentioned in the beginning, German modal verbs are accompanying a main verb to express a mood. In a sentence, there have to be the conjugated modal verb and the infinitive form of the main verb (except for very rare exception, see below). Therefore, in a main clause, the modal verb is at position 2 of the sentence and the infinitive is at the very end.<\/p>\n

    Examples \u2013 main clauses with modal verbs:<\/h3>\n

    Der Mann darf<\/b> im Restaurant nicht rauchen<\/b>.
    \nThe man is not allowed to smoke in the restaurant.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Montags m\u00fcssen<\/b> alle Kinder um 7 Uhr aufstehen<\/b>.
    \nOn Mondays, all kids have to get up at 7 o\u2019clock.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Wir k\u00f6nnen<\/b> dich jederzeit besuchen<\/b>.
    \nWe can visit you anytime.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Der Arzt soll<\/b> das Bein noch einmal gr\u00fcndlich untersuchen<\/b>.
    \nThe doctor should \/ is supposed to examine the leg once again in depth.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Zu Weihnachten mag<\/b> ich ein Pferd haben<\/b>.
    \nFor Christmas, I’d like to have a horse.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Ihr wollt<\/b> n\u00e4chstes Jahr in den Urlaub fahren<\/b>.
    \nYou want to go on vacation next year.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Letztes Jahr musste<\/b> Familie Meier viel sparen<\/b>.
    \nLast year, the Meier family had to save a lot.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Ich konnte<\/b> leider nicht kommen<\/b>.
    \nUnfortunately, I could not come.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Peter sollte<\/b> seine Hausaufgaben p\u00fcnktlich machen<\/b>.
    \nPeter was supposed to do his homework in time.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Lisa mochte<\/b> als Kind (gern) Zitronen essen<\/b>.
    \nAs a child, Lisa liked to eat lemon.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Vor ein paar Jahren durfte<\/b> man im Flugzeug rauchen<\/b>.
    \nA couple of years ago, you were allowed to smoke on a plane.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Gestern wolltest<\/b> du noch S\u00e4ngerin werden<\/b>.
    \nYesterday you still wanted to become a singer.<\/i><\/p>\n

    In subordinate clauses, there are a conjugated modal verb and an infinitive form of the main verb as well, but in a different structure. In these kinds of sentences, the modal verb is positioned at the very end and the infinitive form comes just before it.<\/p>\n

    Examples \u2013 subordinate clauses with modal verbs:<\/h3>\n

    Ich rufe dich an, weil ich heute nicht kommen<\/b> kann<\/b>.
    \nI am calling you, because I cannot come today.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Da er die Adresse wissen<\/b> m\u00f6chte<\/b>, fragt er die Frau.
    \nBecause he likes to know the address, he asks the woman.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Maria ist zu Hause, obwohl sie arbeiten<\/b> muss<\/b>.
    \nMaria is at home, although she has to work.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Als das Kind noch nicht laufen<\/b> konnte<\/b>, war es oft frustriert.
    \nWhen the child was not able to walk, it was often frustrated.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Stefan gibt Lisa das Geld, wenn sie ein Buch kaufen<\/b> will<\/b>.
    \nStefan gives Lisa the money, when she wants to buy a book.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Der Arzt sagt, dass du die Tabletten jeden Tag nehmen<\/b> sollst<\/b>.
    \nThe doctor says that you are supposed to \/ should take the pills every day.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Als ich krank zu Hause bleiben<\/b> musste<\/b>, war mir oft langweilig.
    \nWhen I had to stay at home ill, I was often bored.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Wir arbeiteten viel, weil wir uns ein sch\u00f6nes Haus kaufen<\/b> wollten<\/b>.
    \nWe worked a lot, because we wanted to buy a nice house.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Vor einigen Jahren war es normal, dass man \u00fcberall rauchen<\/b> durfte<\/b>.
    \nSome years ago it was normal, that you were able to smoke everywhere.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Die Familie fuhr jedes Jahr ans Meer, obwohl keiner von ihnen schwimmen<\/b> konnte<\/b>.
    \nThe family went to the sea every year, although no one of them was able to swim.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Da Anna keinen Kuchen essen<\/b> mochte<\/b>, gab sie ihn ihrem Bruder.
    \nBecause Anna didn\u2019t like to eat cake, she gave it to her brother.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Die Lehrerin erkl\u00e4rte, wie die Sch\u00fcler die Hausaufgaben machen<\/b> sollten<\/b>.
    \nThe teacher explained, how the students were supposed to do their homework.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Exceptions \u2013 single use of modal verbs<\/h3>\n

    Since you came so far learning German, you already know, it wouldn\u2019t be as much fun, if there weren\u2019t any exceptions, so here they come!<\/p>\n

    \u201cm\u00f6gen\u201d and \u201ck\u00f6nnen\u201d can be used on their own, without accompanying main verbs, in some cases.<\/p>\n

    1) When \u201cm\u00f6gen\u201d is used as \u201cto like\u201d instead of \u201cto like to\u201d, it is used alone.<\/p>\n

    Die Frau mag<\/b> Schokolade.
    \nThe woman likes chocolate.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Kinder m\u00f6gen<\/b> Eis.
    \nChildren like ice cream.<\/i><\/p>\n

    2) \u201ck\u00f6nnen\u201d is used sometimes with the meaning of \u201cto know\u201d, in these cases, it is used on its own.<\/p>\n

    Die Sch\u00fcler k\u00f6nnen<\/b> gut Deutsch.
    \nThe students know German well.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Kannst<\/b> du Spanisch?
    \nDo you know (speak) Spanish?<\/i><\/p>\n

    When the meaning of the sentence is clear without the main verb, it is (in spoken language) often omitted. This is done the most with main verbs like \u201chaben\u201d, \u201cmachen\u201d, \u201cgehen\u201d, \u201cfahren\u201d, \u201ctun\u201d and \u201csprechen\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Examples:<\/p>\n

    Willst<\/b> du einen Kaffee (haben)?
    \nDo you want (to have) a coffee?<\/i><\/p>\n

    Ich muss<\/b> fr\u00fch ins Bett (gehen).
    \nI have to go to bed early.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Nein, sie k\u00f6nnen<\/b> das nicht.
    \nNo, they cannot do this.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Er darf<\/b> nicht ins Kino (gehen).
    \nHe isn\u2019t allowed to go to the cinema.<\/i><\/p>\n

    For Simple Past Tense, the same forms are used as if there was another verb. Perfect Tense and Past Perfect Tense are a little bit different, they are built with \u201chaben\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Simple Past Tense<\/h3>\n

    Wolltest<\/b> du einen Kaffee?
    \nDid you want a coffee?<\/i><\/p>\n

    Ich musste<\/b> fr\u00fch ins Bett gehen.
    \nI had to go to bed early.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Nein, sie konnten<\/b> das nicht.
    \nNo, they could not do this.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Er durfte<\/b> nicht ins Kino.
    \nHe was not allowed to go the cinema.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Perfect Tense<\/h3>\n

    Hast<\/b> du einen Kaffee gewollt<\/b>?
    \nHave you wanted a coffee?<\/i><\/p>\n

    Ich habe<\/b> fr\u00fch ins Bett gemusst<\/b>.
    \nI had to go to bed early.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Nein, sie haben<\/b> das nicht gekonnt<\/b>.
    \nNo, they have not been able to do this.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Er hat<\/b> nicht ins Kino gedurft<\/b>.
    \nHe has not been allowed to go to the cinema.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Past Perfect Tense<\/h3>\n

    Hattest<\/b> du einen Kaffee gewollt<\/b>?
    \nHad you wanted a coffee?<\/i><\/p>\n

    Ich hatte<\/b> fr\u00fch ins Bett gemusst<\/b>.
    \nI have had to go to bed early.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Nein, sie hatten<\/b> das nicht gekonnt<\/b>.
    \nNo, they had not been able to do this.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Er hatte<\/b> nicht ins Kino gedurft<\/b>.
    \nHe had not been allowed to go to the cinema.<\/i><\/p>\n

    False Friends<\/h2>\n

    Especially if English is your mother tongue, there are some false friends among the German modal verbs to watch out for.<\/p>\n

    \u201cM\u00fcssen\u201d and its forms resemble the English \u201cmust\u201d so closely, that it is easy to mistranslate it, especially when it comes to the negative form of \u201cm\u00fcssen\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Examples:<\/p>\n

    Wir m\u00fcssen<\/b> nicht<\/b> nach Hause gehen<\/b>.
    \nWe do not have to go home.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Die Hausaufgaben m\u00fcssen<\/b> nicht<\/b> bis Montag gemacht<\/b> werden<\/b>.
    \nThe homework doesn\u2019t have to be done until Monday.<\/i><\/p>\n

    \u201cm\u00fcssen\u201d means \u201chave to\u201d and the \u201cnicht\u201d negates it. Thus \u201cm\u00fcssen\u201d plus a negative means \u201cto not have to\u201d. It does not mean \u201cmust not.\u201d The mix-up is a common mistake made by English speakers. They misunderstand these examples as \u201cWe must not go home.\u201d and \u201cThe homework must not be done until Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The same danger applies when translating \u201cd\u00fcrfen\u201d:<\/p>\n

    Wir d\u00fcrfen<\/b> nicht<\/b> nach Hause gehen<\/b>.
    \nWe are not allowed to go home. OR: We must not go home.<\/i><\/p>\n

    An English speaker might misunderstand this sentence as: \u201cWe are allowed to not go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

    One last German modal verb<\/h2>\n

    Like mentioned in the beginning, in some books they say there are seven modal verbs in German. The seventh one is \u201cm\u00f6chten\u201d. Some people count it as a modal verb and some don\u2019t. \u201cM\u00f6chten\u201d is a special form of \u201cm\u00f6gen\u201d. It has the meaning of \u201cwould like\u201d and is used very frequently in German, e.g. when you want to order something and want to be polite.<\/p>\n

    Its conjugation pattern is more regular than the other modal verbs, but just like them, it can be used with the infinitive form of a main verb as well as without one, based on the context. Just like the other German modal verbs, the forms \u201cm\u00f6chten\u201d for the first and third person are the same. The good news is, it has no Simple Past, Perfect or Past Perfect Tense! It is only used in Present Tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    \u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6chten<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ich<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6chte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    du<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6chtest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    er\/sie\/es<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6chte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    wir<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6chten<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ihr<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6chtet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    sie\/Sie<\/strong><\/td>\nm\u00f6chten<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Zum Geburtstag m\u00f6chte<\/b> ich eine Torte haben<\/b>.
    \nFor my birthday I would like to have a cake.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Peter m\u00f6chte<\/b> n\u00e4chstes Jahr mehr Geld verdienen<\/b>.
    \nPeter would like to earn more money next year.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Die Kinder m\u00f6chten<\/b> im Wald spielen<\/b>.
    \nThe children would like to play in the forest.<\/i><\/p>\n

    M\u00f6chtest<\/b> du einen Kaffee oder einen Tee trinken<\/b>?
    \nWould you like to drink a coffee or a tea?<\/i><\/p>\n

    \n

    Practice conjugating German modal verbs with thousands of sentences on Clozemaster<\/a>!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There are 6 German modal verbs, some sources may say 7, of them and\u2026 they are all irregular! Hooray! But there are also some simple rules for how to use modal verbs in German, and they have a lot of similarities. Modal verbs or auxiliary verbs are a special class of verbs. As you can …<\/p>\n

    Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know<\/span>Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1018],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-german-grammar"],"yoast_head":"\nModal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The definitive guide to learning modal verbs in German - everything you need to know including tables, charts, and lots of example sentences!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The definitive guide to learning modal verbs in German - everything you need to know including tables, charts, and lots of example sentences!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Clozemaster Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/clozemaster\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-08T12:09:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-30T14:34:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kerstin Guenes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@clozemaster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@clozemaster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kerstin Guenes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kerstin Guenes\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/260a53f58dbfd971e1b045d1213b9ff4\"},\"headline\":\"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-08T12:09:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-30T14:34:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2158,\"commentCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"German Grammar\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/\",\"name\":\"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-08T12:09:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-30T14:34:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"The definitive guide to learning modal verbs in German - everything you need to know including tables, charts, and lots of example sentences!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/german-modal-verbs\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Learn German\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/topics\\\/learn-german\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"German Grammar\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/topics\\\/learn-german\\\/german-grammar\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Clozemaster Blog\",\"description\":\"Language learning, getting fluent faster, and Clozemaster\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Clozemaster\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/icon.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/icon.jpg\",\"width\":240,\"height\":240,\"caption\":\"Clozemaster\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/clozemaster\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/clozemaster\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/clozemaster\\\/\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/clozemaster\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/260a53f58dbfd971e1b045d1213b9ff4\",\"name\":\"Kerstin Guenes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/642609454ff50a981bae4c6275834899ed03b7376b8d8b3e7a5e6495a36de4b5?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/642609454ff50a981bae4c6275834899ed03b7376b8d8b3e7a5e6495a36de4b5?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/642609454ff50a981bae4c6275834899ed03b7376b8d8b3e7a5e6495a36de4b5?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kerstin Guenes\"},\"description\":\"Hi, I am Kerstin, a German native from Berlin, currently teaching German to students from all over the world. Fluent in English (with a medical background), graduated with a Chemistry Masters in 2010 (bilingual program). I\u2019ve been translating English texts into German for over 10 years now.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clozemaster.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/kerstin-guenes\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know","description":"The definitive guide to learning modal verbs in German - everything you need to know including tables, charts, and lots of example sentences!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know","og_description":"The definitive guide to learning modal verbs in German - everything you need to know including tables, charts, and lots of example sentences!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/","og_site_name":"Clozemaster Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/clozemaster","article_published_time":"2018-01-08T12:09:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-30T14:34:21+00:00","author":"Kerstin Guenes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@clozemaster","twitter_site":"@clozemaster","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kerstin Guenes","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/"},"author":{"name":"Kerstin Guenes","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/260a53f58dbfd971e1b045d1213b9ff4"},"headline":"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know","datePublished":"2018-01-08T12:09:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-30T14:34:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/"},"wordCount":2158,"commentCount":4,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["German Grammar"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/","url":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/","name":"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-01-08T12:09:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-30T14:34:21+00:00","description":"The definitive guide to learning modal verbs in German - everything you need to know including tables, charts, and lots of example sentences!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learn German","item":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/topics\/learn-german\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"German Grammar","item":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/topics\/learn-german\/german-grammar\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Modal Verbs in German: Everything You Need to Know"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/","name":"Clozemaster Blog","description":"Language learning, getting fluent faster, and Clozemaster","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Clozemaster","url":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/icon.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/icon.jpg","width":240,"height":240,"caption":"Clozemaster"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/clozemaster","https:\/\/x.com\/clozemaster","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/clozemaster\/","http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/clozemaster"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/260a53f58dbfd971e1b045d1213b9ff4","name":"Kerstin Guenes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/642609454ff50a981bae4c6275834899ed03b7376b8d8b3e7a5e6495a36de4b5?s=96&d=retro&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/642609454ff50a981bae4c6275834899ed03b7376b8d8b3e7a5e6495a36de4b5?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/642609454ff50a981bae4c6275834899ed03b7376b8d8b3e7a5e6495a36de4b5?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Kerstin Guenes"},"description":"Hi, I am Kerstin, a German native from Berlin, currently teaching German to students from all over the world. Fluent in English (with a medical background), graduated with a Chemistry Masters in 2010 (bilingual program). I\u2019ve been translating English texts into German for over 10 years now.","url":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/author\/kerstin-guenes\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1073"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4189,"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions\/4189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}