At A1, you learn the six modal verbs in their literal (“objective”) meanings: Ich kann schwimmen (ability), Er muss arbeiten (obligation), Sie will nach Wien fahren (desire).
At B2, German unlocks a second, equally important layer: the subjective (epistemic) use of modal verbs. Instead of stating a physical rule or desire, the modal verb expresses the speaker’s assessment of how likely something is—or passes along someone else’s claim.
1. Degrees of Certainty (Vermutung)
When you weigh the evidence and state how sure you feel, German offers a clear spectrum from near certainty down to total impossibility:
| Modal Expression | Speaker’s Certainty | Example | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| muss | Almost sure (logical conclusion) | Er muss krank sein. | He must be ill. |
| dürfte | Probable (well-founded guess) | Das dürfte reichen. | That should probably be enough. |
| wird (wohl) | Assumption | Sie wird wohl zu Hause sein. | She’s probably at home. |
| kann | Possible | Das kann stimmen. | That may be true. |
| könnte | Possible, less sure | Es könnte regnen. | It might rain. |
| kann nicht | Ruled out (logically impossible) | Das kann nicht sein. | That can’t be true. |
The ranking above is a practical guide—in real conversation, context and vocal stress nudge kann or wird slightly higher or lower. (Notice also how wird (wohl) overlaps directly with assumptions using Futur I & II.)
Important grammar note: In Das dürfte reichen, dürfte is formally the Konjunktiv II of dürfen, but in this subjective role it has zero connection to permission. Never translate Er dürfte krank sein as “He was allowed to be ill”—it always means “He is likely ill.”
2. Reported Claims: sollen vs. wollen
German journalism, everyday gossip, and academic writing rely heavily on sollen and wollen to distance the speaker from an unverified statement—without having to switch into Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I):
- sollen = “it is said / reportedly / people say” — the claim comes from other people (the press, neighbors, rumors): Das Restaurant soll sehr gut sein. (The restaurant is said to be very good. — das Restaurant) Die Mieten in der Innenstadt sollen wieder steigen. (Rents downtown are reportedly rising again. — die Miete, die Innenstadt)
- wollen = “claims to” — the subject themselves makes the claim about themselves, and the speaker strongly doubts it: Er will den Täter gesehen haben. (He claims to have seen the culprit—though I doubt it. — der Täter) Sie will von dem Fehler nichts gewusst haben. (She claims she knew nothing about the mistake. — der Fehler)
Notice how clean that contrast is: sollen points outward to third-party sources, whereas wollen points right back at the subject’s own self-serving claim!
3. Talking About the Past: Modal + Infinitiv Perfekt
How do you say “He must have forgotten” or “She might have left”? Keep the modal verb in the present tense—because you are making your judgment right now—and put the event itself into the Infinitiv Perfekt (Partizip II + haben or sein at the end):
- Er muss den Termin vergessen haben. (He must have forgotten the appointment. — der Termin)
- Sie könnte schon abgereist sein. (She might have departed already. — abreisen takes sein!)
- Er soll sehr reich gewesen sein. (He is said to have been very rich.)
- Er will die ganze Nacht gearbeitet haben. (He claims to have worked all night. — die Nacht)
Compare the subjective past carefully with the objective past:
| Objective Past (Real Past Obligation/Ability) | Subjective Past (Present Guess About the Past) |
|---|---|
| Er musste gestern arbeiten. (He had to work yesterday.) | Er muss gestern gearbeitet haben. (He must have worked yesterday.) |
| Sie konnte nicht kommen. (She wasn’t able to come.) | Sie kann nicht gekommen sein. (She can’t have come.) |
| Er wollte Arzt werden. (He wanted to become a doctor.) | Er will Arzt gewesen sein. (He claims to have been a doctor.) |
Negation Caution: muss nicht vs. kann nicht
In objective German, muss nicht means “doesn’t have to.” In subjective German, nicht müssen and nicht können also separate sharply:
- Das kann nicht wahr sein! = That cannot be true! (100% ruled out)
- Das muss nicht wahr sein. = That doesn’t necessarily have to be true. (possible, just not guaranteed)
(Inspect complex Infinitiv Perfekt brackets in the Sentence Analyzer or check modal forms in the Verb Conjugator.)
Common Mistakes: Wrong vs. Right
| Mistake | Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Präteritum musste for a present guess about the past | Er musste den Zug verpasst haben. | Er muss den Zug verpasst haben. | Your deduction is happening now (present muss); the past event lives in Partizip II + haben/sein. |
| Mixing up sollen and wollen in hearsay | Die Nachbarin will nett sein. (when others told you) | Die Nachbarin soll nett sein. | Third-party reports/rumors use sollen; wollen means the person claims it themselves. |
| Translating subjective dürfte as permission | Sie dürfte jetzt zu Hause sein. = “She was allowed home.” | Sie dürfte jetzt zu Hause sein. = “She’s probably at home now.” | Subjective dürfte always means probable, never permission. |
| Using haben with movement verbs in Infinitiv Perfekt | Sie könnte schon abgereist haben. | Sie könnte schon abgereist sein. | Verbs that take sein in the Perfekt keep sein in the Infinitiv Perfekt. |