Modals: present tense
The present tense modals describe what you have to do, can do, want to do, are allowed to do, should do or what you like to do now.
Most modal verbs have to be used with an The part of the verb found in the dictionary. It is the basic form of a verb without a subject, and the equivalent of English 'to...' verbs, and usually ends in -en, -n, -ern, -eln in German, eg spielen - to play. verb, which goes to the end of each sentence, eg:
- Ich muss babysitten. – I have to babysit.
- Wir können später kommen. – We can come later.
- Ich will Tennis spielen. – I want to play tennis.
- Er soll seine Oma besuchen. – He is supposed to visit his granny.
- Sie dürfen in die Stadt gehen. – They are allowed to go into town.
- Sie mag lesen. – She likes reading.
Look at the last two sentences above. They both begin with the same word, but the first example is Sie (formal you) and the second example uses sie (she). Of course, at the start of a sentence, where you have to use a capital letter, these two sentences could be a little confusing, until you see the conjugation of the modal verb. This is why it's important to match the correct endings each time.
Question
Write down the correct part of the modal verb which would complete these sentences so that they match the English translations.
- Wir __________ Eis essen. – We want to eat ice-cream.
- Ich __________ zu Hause bleiben. – I have to stay at home.
- Sie __________ gut singen. – They can sing well.
- Er __________ schneller arbeiten. – He ought to work more quickly.
- __________ du wandern? – Do you like hiking?
- Sie __________ jetzt auf der Autobahn fahren. – She is now allowed to drive on the motorway.
- Wir wollen Eis essen. – We want to eat ice-cream.
- Ich muss zu Hause bleiben. – I have to stay at home.
- Sie können gut singen. – They can sing well.
- Er soll schneller arbeiten. – He ought to work more quickly.
- Magst du wandern? – Do you like hiking?
- Sie darf jetzt auf der Autobahn fahren. – She is now allowed to drive on the motorway.
How 'mögen' differs
In the present tense mögen is often used differently from other modal verbs.
As well as being used with an infinitive, it may be used with a noun, eg:
- Ich mag Bananen. – I like bananas.
- Er mag Schokolade. – He likes chocolate.
- Wir mögen ihn. – We like him.
When you want to say you like doing an activity, it is more usual to use gern than mögen, eg
- Sie spielen gern Tennis. – They like playing tennis.
- Ich höre gern Musik. – I like listening to music.
