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    Handout - The Modal Verbs Möchten and Können PDF

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    Özlem AGVAN
    This document introduces the German modal verbs möchten and können. [1] It explains that these verbs conjugate differently than other verbs by not adding endings. [2] It provides conjugation tables and discusses verb placement, with the modal verb first and the infinitive verb at the end. [3] Examples are given to illustrate usage with separable prefixes, negation, and omitting the infinitive when context is clear.

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    Handout - The Modal Verbs Möchten and Können PDF

    Uploaded by

    Özlem AGVAN
    581 views2 pages
    This document introduces the German modal verbs möchten and können. [1] It explains that these verbs conjugate differently than other verbs by not adding endings. [2] It provides conjugation tables and discusses verb placement, with the modal verb first and the infinitive verb at the end. [3] Examples are given to illustrate usage with separable prefixes, negation, and omitting the infinitive when context is clear.

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    This document introduces the German modal verbs möchten and können. [1] It explains that these verbs conjugate differently than other verbs by not adding endings. [2] It provides conjugation tables and discusses verb placement, with the modal verb first and the infinitive verb at the end. [3] Examples are given to illustrate usage with separable prefixes, negation, and omitting the infinitive when context is clear.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    581 views2 pages

    Handout - The Modal Verbs Möchten and Können PDF

    Uploaded by

    Özlem AGVAN
    This document introduces the German modal verbs möchten and können. [1] It explains that these verbs conjugate differently than other verbs by not adding endings. [2] It provides conjugation tables and discusses verb placement, with the modal verb first and the infinitive verb at the end. [3] Examples are given to illustrate usage with separable prefixes, negation, and omitting the infinitive when context is clear.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    BACK TO GRAMMAR WORKSHEETS

    Handout: The Modal Verbs Möchten and Können

    In the German we've been using so far, you have never had more than one verb per clause. This is about to change. In this chapter and in the next chapter you will be introduced to the German modal verbs. We have modal verbs in English too, though we don't usually call them
    that: examples of modal verbs in English are can, must, should, etc. Just like in English, using a modal verb means that there will be another verb in the same clause: ‘I can play piano’ = Ich kann Klavier spielen.

    The two modal verbs you learn about in this chapter are möchten (=would like) and können (=can). First off, you conjugate these verbs quite differently than the other verbs you’ve learned up to now: you do NOT add an –e to the end of the ich form, and you do NOT add a –t to
    the end of the er/sie/es form. In the case of können, there is also a vowel change: ö changes to a in the singular forms.

       können (to be able to, can)       möchten (would like)  


    ich   kann         wir   können                  ich   möchte         wir   möchten        
    du   kannst         ihr   könnt                  du   möchtest         ihr   möchtet        
    er/sie/es   kann         sie/Sie   können                  er/sie/es   möchte         sie/Sie   möchten        

    The next thing to pay attention to is verb placement. When there is a modal verb in a sentence, it is the conjugated verb (e.g. kann or möchte), and the other verb is the infinitive (with the -en ending) form, which goes at the very end of the sentence:

    Ich kann gut reiten.


    Ich möchte morgen mit meinen Freunden ins Restaurant gehen.
    Kannst du am Mittwoch zur Klasse kommen?

    What happens when you have a 'nicht' in the sentence, or a separable-prefix, both of which are supposed to move to the end of the sentence, too? Well, the infinitive takes priority and gets the final slot. With nicht:

    Ich kann heute nicht kommen.


    Er möchte seine Mutter nicht besuchen.

    With separable-prefix verbs, because you're using the infinitive (dictionary-form) of the verb, the separable prefix is STUCK BACK ON to the verb at the end of the sentence:

    Möchtest du Wein und Kuchen mitbringen?


    Wir möchten am Wochenende Ski laufen.
    Könnt ihr bitte früh aufstehen?

    As described in your book, with möchten and können, if it is clear form the context of the sentence what you can or would like to do, you can omit the infinitive at the end. English often leaves off “to have” (‘I would like a glass of wine’), but be aware that German can leave
    off almost any verb as long as the context is clear:

    Wir möchten ein Glas Wein (haben), bitte.


    Ich kann Deutsch (sprechen).
    Ich möchte nach Hause (gehen)!

    Now try putting all the pieces together. Use these words to form complete sentences. Make sure you conjugate the modal verb correctly and put each verb in its correct place.

    1. Susan / singen / können / überhaupt nicht gut.


      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    2. können / du / Klavier spielen ?
      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    3. ich / können / überhaupt nicht / Nein, / Klavier spielen .
      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    4. möchten / am Samstag / ihr / nach Chicago / fahren ?
      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    5. Peter / sehr gut / möchten / kochen // aber / er / können / nicht .
      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    6. Sie (form) / möchten / etwas Brot / haben ?
      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    7. ich / Ja, / möchten / ein bisschen Brot / haben .
      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    8. wir / im Sommer / können / spazieren / gehen .
      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

    BACK TO GRAMMAR WORKSHEETS

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