German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Dürfen and What They Really Mean
German modal verbs express ability, necessity, permission, intention or similar attitudes towards an action. In a simple main clause, conjugate the modal and put the main infinitive near the end: Ich kann kommen. Be especially careful with nicht müssen, meaning not have to, and nicht dürfen, meaning not be allowed to. Those are different instructions.
Published 14 September 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026
Du musst nicht kommen lets you stay away. Du darfst nicht kommen tells you that coming is forbidden. Confusing them is a practical problem, not just a lost grammar point.
The main meanings
Modal
Useful first meaning
Example
können
can / be able to
Ich kann kommen. — I can come.
müssen
must / have to
Ich muss arbeiten. — I have to work.
dürfen
may / be allowed to
Darf ich fragen? — May I ask?
wollen
want to
Ich will lernen. — I want to learn.
sollen
should / be supposed to
Ich soll warten. — I’m supposed to wait.
mögen
like
Ich mag Kaffee. — I like coffee.
A modal verb adds a meaning such as possibility or obligation to another action. Mögen also commonly takes a noun directly. These verbs have further uses for probability and reported claims; start with the practical meanings above.
Learn the singular forms together
For ich and er/sie/es: kann, muss, darf, will, soll, mag. For du: kannst, musst, darfst, willst, sollst, magst. The wir forms are the infinitive-like plural forms: wir können, wir müssen and so on.
Unlike a regular verb such as lernen, the first- and third-person singular modal forms do not add the ordinary -e and -t endings. Learn ich kann / er kann as a useful pair instead of generating er kannt.
Keep the action at the end
Ich kann heute Deutsch üben means I can practise German today. Kann is conjugated; üben is the infinitive. A basic modal construction does not add zu before that infinitive.
For a yes/no question, move the modal first: Kannst du heute kommen? — Can you come today? The action still arrives later. Practise the beginning and ending together so you do not lose the final verb while adding details.
Permission is different from necessity
Du musst nicht bezahlen means You don’t have to pay. Du darfst nicht bezahlen means You are not allowed to pay. English mustn’t normally translates to the latter kind of prohibition, not to a literal German nicht müssen.
Du brauchst nicht zu bezahlen is another way to say You don’t need to pay. It has a different construction with brauchen and zu; do not insert that zu into ordinary müssen sentences.
A softer request
Ich möchte einen Kaffee — I’d like a coffee — is often more suitable than a blunt Ich will einen Kaffee. Möchte is a conditional form associated with mögen, not a separate infinitive to conjugate as möchten. Könnten Sie mir helfen? — Could you help me? — is another useful polite phrase.
Choose the meaning: a sign says Sie dürfen hier nicht rauchen. Is smoking optional or prohibited? Prohibited. A host says Du musst nicht bleiben. Are you forbidden to stay? No; staying is not required. Learning this pair accurately is worth more than memorising six translations without their negatives.