It is enough to think about the name of this kind of verb - "modal" to understand the peculiarities of their meaning. As is known from formal logic, there are two components of an utterance: dictum and modus, 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. Let's look at them in that order.
Modal verbs in German: "I can"
Dürfen and können - both of these words are used to describe the possibility of doing something. However, there are nuances to their meanings.
Dürfen is used in two ways:
1. When to express prohibition or permission. It is translated as “allowed”, “not allowed”, “forbidden”, “possible” (meaning “to have permission”).
2. When to talk about recommendations (e.g. "these pills are recommended to be taken according tomorning").
Können has a different connotation: to be able, to be able, to be able, the ability to accomplish something. For example: "I can move the closet" (I'm not allowed to do this, but I have such an opportunity), "he can play tennis" (he was not allowed to play tennis here, but he knows how to handle the ball and racket).
Modal verbs in German: "I must"
The next pair of modal verbs: sollen – müssen. They are both close in meaning to the Russian "should".
Sollen is used in three ways:
1. Following the laws or commandments (you can not take other people's things).
2. Following duty and morality (you must respect the opinions of others).
3. Following someone's order, assignment (father said that I should study).
Müssen is translated, as a rule, in exactly the same way - must. However, use it on other occasions. This word is less rigid and emphasizes that the speaker must do something on his own inner impulse, or he does it under the pressure of external circumstances (in this case we often translate müssen as "forced", "must"). For example: "I have to study well" (I'm doing this for my father, not because he asked me, but because I think it's necessary), "I have to go home" (I have to go home because it's raining). In addition, there is a third case in which we use müssen: when we are talking about a situation that we thought was inevitable (as it should have been).
Modal verbs in German: "I want"
Two verbs wollen and möchten are intended to express wishes regarding some events or actions. Consider the features of their meanings.
Wollen is a firm intention, plans, there is no uncertainty, it would be quite appropriate to translate not only “I want” or “I'm going”, but “I plan.”
Möchten means "to have a wish". As a rule, this verb is translated as "would like." 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 wish, an impulse to do something. You can often see it translated "should" (you should arrive as early as possible), but it should not be confused with sollen or müssen, which can also mean this. Möchten is a soft, albeit persuasive, request. More accurate translations: "I wish you did…", "I wish you would…", "You should do…".
Thus:
- dürfen: I can swim (doctors let me);
- können: I can swim (I can do it);
- sollen: I have to swim (the whole team hopes for me);
- müssen: I have to swim (I want to work out before passing the standards);
- wollen: I'm going to swim (I'll walk and study);
- möchten: I would like to swim (someday, maybe when I have time, anyway, even if I don't go toswimming pool, I would like it).
How to learn modal verbs?
German, exercises for which can be easily found in the specialized literature, can really seem difficult. In this article, we did not touch on the forms that modal verbs can take, and yet they are declined for persons and numbers. Those students who already have at least intermediate English in their assets, passing this topic, can find a lot of familiarity. Indeed, English is very similar to German. The conjugation of modal verbs is the only thing that will make a 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 are learning German from scratch, the following strategy will be a win-win. First of all, you should master the semantic meaning of each modal verb, learn to understand in what situations you should use them. Then, when it is firmly learned that wollen is to want-intend, and möchten is to want-to dream, etc., you can take up the study of the forms of modal verbs.
