German Modal Verbs (können, müssen, wollen)
After this lesson you can say what you can, must and want to do.
Do this first: Verb position
German Modal Verbs (können, müssen, wollen)
Modal verbs say what you can, must, want or are allowed to do. They come with a second verb, and that second verb goes to the very end of the sentence.
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Kulturnotiz
Getting wollen and möchte right matters more than most grammar points, because the difference is heard as manners rather than accuracy. Ich will einen Kaffee lands like "give me a coffee"; Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte is what an adult German says. Children say will, and adults notice.
Common questions
+Why is ich will "I want" and not "I will"?
A false friend. German wollen means "to want"; the English future "will" is unrelated. Ich will gehen means "I want to go", not "I will go".
+Why do modals have no -e in the ich form?
They are a small historical class with their own pattern. Ich kann, ich muss, ich will — and the er/sie/es form is identical, which is unusual in German and makes them easy to spot.
+What is the difference between müssen and sollen?
Müssen is genuine necessity — Ich muss arbeiten. Sollen is obligation from someone else, closer to "am supposed to" — Ich soll früher kommen, meaning someone told me to.
+Do I ever need zu before the main verb?
Not with modals. Ich will lernen, never Ich will zu lernen. Other verbs like versuchen do take zu, but that comes later.