Wollen makes it possible to express a strong, even irresistible desire to do something.Nevertheless, they express desire in a more or less strong way. In this case it is the physical, technical or mental ability to do something.Įxample Dürfen : Du darfst mit mir gehen / You are allowed to come with meĮxample Können : Er kann Deutsch sprechen / He can speak German Modal verbs that express liking/desire : mögen and wollen This modal verb expresses mainly capacity. Können does not serve to express permission and prohibition.If it is used with a negative sentence then it indicates prohibition. Dürfen is the modal verb that is used to signify authorisation.Modal verbs that express capacity/ability/permission: dürfen and können Müssen ( to have to, must, to need to) and sollen ( shall, to be supposed to) Mögen ( to like) and wollen ( to want to, to intend to) There are 6 modal verbs in German and they express different conditions: Ability / Permissionĭürfen ( to be allowed to, may) and können ( to be able to, can) They accompany another verb and affect its primary meaning. These verbs are not verbs like the others. They are indispensable for speaking German correctly.
In German, in addition to strong verbs and auxiliaries, there is another category of verbs that cannot be ignored: modal verbs.
