German Modal Verbs: Conjugation of 'Duerfen,' 'Koennen,' and 'Moegen'

Conjugating the German modal verbs is an important part of learning the language. The tables below show how to conjugate three modal verbs, dürfen, können, and mögen, including examples of how they are used in sample modal sentences and expressions. There are actually six modal verbs in German:

Dürfen> may, be permitted
Können > can, be able
Mögen > like
Müssen > must, have to
Sollen > should, ought to

Wollen > want to

Modals derive their name from the fact that they always modify another verb. Additionally, they are always used in tandem with the infinitive form of another verb, as in, Ich muss morgen nach Frankfurt fahren (ich muss + fahren), which translates as "I have to go to Frankfurt tomorrow."

Conjugating the Modals

The modal verbs in the table are presented in all of their tenses. For all modals with umlauts, the simple past (preteriteImperfekt) has no umlaut, but the subjunctive form always has this diacritical mark.

Modalverben–Modal Verbs
PRÄSENS (Present)	PRÄTERITUM (Preterite/Past)	PERFEKT (Pres. Perfect)
Dürfen- be allowed/permitted, may
ich darf I may (am permitted)	ich durfte I was allowed	ich habe gedurft * I was allowed
du darfst you may	du durftest you were allowed	du hast gedurft * you were allowed
er/sie darf he/she may	er/sie durfte he/she was allowed	er/sie hat gedurft * he/she was allowed
wir/Sie/sie dürfen we/you/they may	wir/Sie/sie durften we/you/they were allowed	wir/Sie/sie haben gedurft * we/you/they were allowed
ihr dürft you (pl.) may	ihr durftet you (pl.) were allowed	ihr habt gedurft * you (pl.) were allowed
* In the present perfect or past perfect tense with another verb, the double infinitive construction is used, as in the following examples: ihr habt sprechen dürfen = you (pl.) were allowed to speak ich hatte sprechen dürfen = I had been allowed to speak Sample Modal Sentences for Dürfen Present: Darf ich rauchen? May I smoke? Past/Preterite: Er durfte das nicht. He wasn't permitted to do that. Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Er hat dort nicht parken dürfen. He was not permitted to park there. Past Perfect/Plusquamperfekt: Wir hatten das damals machen dürfen. We had been allowed to do that back then. Future/Futur: Wir werden das machen dürfen. We will be allowed to do that. Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Wenn ich dürfte... If I were permitted... Sample Idiomatic Expressions Was darf es sein? May I help you? (store clerk) Wenn ich bitten darf. If you please.
Können–be able, can
ich kann I can, am able	ich konnte I could	ich habe gekonnt * I could
du kannst you can	du konntest you could	du hast gekonnt * you could
er/sie kann he/she can	er/sie konnte he/she could	er/sie hat gekonnt * he/she could
wir/Sie/sie können we/you/they can	wir/Sie/sie konnten we/you/they could	wir/Sie/sie haben gekonnt * we/you/they could
ihr könnt you (pl.) can	ihr konntet you (pl.) could	ihr habt gekonnt * you (pl.) could
* In the present perfect or past perfect tense with another verb, the double infinitive construction is used, as in the following examples: Wir haben schwimmen können. = We were able to swim. Ich hatte schwimmen können. = I had been able to swim. Sample Modal Sentences for Können Present: Er kann gut fahren. He can drive well. Past/Preterite: Er konnte sie nicht leiden. He couldn't stand her. Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Er hat sie nicht leiden können. He couldn't stand her. Past Perfect/Plusquamperfekt: Er hatte sie nicht leiden können. He had not been able to stand her. Future/Futur: Er wird sie nicht leiden können. He won't be able to stand her. Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Wenn ich ihn nur leiden könnte... If I could only stand him... Sample Idiomatic Expressions Sie könnten sich irren. You could be mistaken. Das kann man wohl sagen. You can say that again. Er kann Deutsch. He knows German. ("can German") Er kann Sie jetzt sprechen. He can see you now. (doctor, dentist)
Mögen - like, want, may
ich mag I like	ich mochte I liked	ich habe gemocht * I liked
du magst you like	du mochtest you liked	du hast gemocht * you liked
er/sie mag he/she likes	er/sie mochte he/she liked	er/sie hat gemocht * he/she liked
wir/Sie/sie mögen we/you/they like	wir/Sie/sie mochten we/you/they liked	wir/Sie/sie haben gemocht * we/you/they liked
ihr mögt you (pl.) like	ihr mochtet you (pl.) could	ihr habt gemocht * you (pl.) could
* In the present perfect or past perfect tense with another verb, the double infinitive construction is used, as in the following examples: Wir haben schwimmen mögen. = We liked to swim Ich hatte schwimmen mögen. = I had liked to swim mögen is often used in its subjunctive (möchte) "would like" form: Ich möchte lieber Kaffee (haben). = I would rather have coffee. Wir möchten ins Kino. = We'd like to go to the movies. Sample Modal Sentences for Mögen Present: Er mag die Suppe. He likes the soup. Past/Preterite: Er mochte die Stadt nicht. He didn't like the city. Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Er hat das Essen nicht gemocht. He didn't like the food. Future/Futur: Er wird das schon mögen. He'll like that. Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Ja, er möchte Wein. Yes, he'd like (some) wine. Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Ich möchte... I would like... Sample Idiomatic Expressions: Das mag wohl sein. That well may be. / That may be so. Das mag der Himmel verhütten! Heaven forbid! Er mag/mochte etwa 1,3 Meter groß sein. He must be/must have been about 1.3 meters tall.