It is enough to ponder the name of this variety of the verb - âmodalâ to understand the features of their meaning. As is known from formal logic, there are two components of the utterance: dictum and mode, where dictum is the content, that is, the actual component of the message, and mode is a personal assessment. Thus, modal verbs are intended to express attitudes towards actions. These are the words "I want," "I can," "I wish."
All modal verbs in German can be divided into groups: I can, I must, I want. Each of them has two verbs. We consider them in this order.
Modal verbs in German: "I can"
DĂŒrfen and können - both of these words are used to describe the possibility of an action. However, there are nuances of their meanings.
DĂŒrfen is used in two cases:
1. When you need to express a ban or permission. It is translated as âallowedâ, âimpossibleâ, âforbiddenâ, âpossibleâ (in the meaning of âhave permissionâ).
2. When it is necessary to say about recommendations (eg, "these tablets are recommended to be taken in the morning").
Können has a different semantic connotation: to be able, able, able, able to accomplish something. For example: âI can move the cupboardâ (I am not allowed to do this, but I have such an opportunity), âhe can play tennisâ (he was not allowed to play tennis here, but he knows how to handle the ball and racket).
Modal verbs in German: âI mustâ
The following pair of modal verbs: sollen - mĂŒssen. Both of them are close in meaning to the Russian "must."
Sollen is used in three cases:
1. Following the laws or commandments (you must not take other people's things).
2. Following duty and morality (you must respect the opinions of others).
3. Following someoneâs order, assignment (father said that I should study).
MĂŒssen is translated, as a rule, in the same way - a must. Use alone in other cases. This word is less rigid and emphasizes that the speaker must do something on his own internal motivation, or he does it under the pressure of external circumstances (in this case we often translate mĂŒssen as âforcedâ, ânecessaryâ). For example: âI have to study wellâ (I do it for my father, not because he asked me, but because I believe that it should be), âI have to go homeâ (I have to go home because it is raining) . In addition, there is a third case when we use mĂŒssen: if we are talking about a situation that, in our opinion, was inevitable (it should have been).
Modal verbs in German: âI wantâ
The two verbs wollen and möchten are intended to express wishes regarding some events or actions. Consider the features of their values.
Wollen is a firm intention, plans, there is no uncertainty, the translation of not only âwantâ or âgoingâ, but âplanningâ is quite appropriate.
Möchten means to have a desire. As a rule, this verb translates as "I would like to." By the way, it is a form of the famous word mögen, which is used to express sympathy (I like, I love).
And also this verb can express a desire, an urge to do something. You can often see how it is translated âmustâ (you must arrive as early as possible), but you should not confuse it with sollen or mĂŒssen, which can also mean it. Möchten is a soft, albeit compelling request. More accurate translation options: "it is advisable that you do ...", "I would really like you ...", "you should do ...".
Thus:
- dĂŒrfen: I can swim (I was allowed to be a doctor);
- können: I can swim (I can do it);
- sollen: I have to swim (the whole team hopes for me);
- mĂŒssen: I have to swim (I want to work out before passing the standards);
- wollen: I am going to swim (I will go and study);
- möchten: I would like to swim (someday, maybe when I have time, anyway, even if I donât go to the pool, I would like that).
How to learn modal verbs?
The German language, exercises for which can be easily found in the specialized literature, may indeed seem difficult. In this article, we did not touch on the forms that modal verbs can take, and in fact they are inclined according to faces and numbers. Those students who already have at least intermediate English in their asset can find a lot of acquaintances. And indeed, English is very similar to German. Conjugation of modal verbs is the only significant difference. German shows a greater variety of forms. As for the meanings of modal verbs, their areas really intersect. Moreover, even their sound can be close (can - kann). This is not surprising: English and German belong to the same language group. Learning one after the other will be much easier. As for those students who learn German from scratch, the following strategy will be a win-win. First of all, one should master the semantic meaning of each modal verb, learn to understand in which situations they should be used. Then, when it is firmly understood that wollen is want-intention, and möchten is want-dream, etc., one can begin to study the forms of modal verbs.