The table below provides the present tense conjugations of the modal verbs.
The modal verbs have similar meanings to their English counterparts:
wollen – to want to
können – can, to be able to
müssen – must, to have to
sollen – shall, to be supposed to
dürfen – may, to be permitted/allowed to
mögen – may, to like
The modal verb “sollen” is not translated here as “should,” even though in English it is often used interchangeably with indicative and subjunctive (e.g. I am supposed to clean the kitchen (indicative = obligation) VS. I should clean the kitchen before it becomes a total mess (subjunctive = hypothetical)). Native speakers often use “should” in place of “supposed to,” but in German there is a difference between using “sollen” (indicative) and “sollten” (subjunctive).
Another nuanced meaning to be clarified is “mögen.” This modal verb appears to be readily substituted for “dürfen” because of the definition “may”; however, this is not the case. When using the modal verb “mögen” to mean “may,” it is typically part of an idiom (e.g. es mag sein / it may be; wie immer es sein mag / as the case may be). The English modal “might” is typically constructed in German using a form of “können,” not unlike another English equivalent: “it might be” is essentially the same as “it could be.”
Examples:
Er will in das Restaurant gehen. / He wants to go to the restaurant.
Ich kann (nicht) gut kochen. / I can (not) cook well.
Du kannst (sehr) schlecht hören. / You can (not) hear well.
Sabine muss ein Auto kaufen. / Sabine has to buy a car.
Peter soll das Auto waschen. / Peter should wash the car.
Der Vater soll das Fahrrad reparieren. / The father should repair the bike.
Du darfst den Rasen mähen. / You can/may cut the lawn.
Ich mag das schöne Wetter. / I like good weather.
Wir mögen den neuen Kinofilm. / We like the new movie.
