German Modal Verbs dürfen and sollen

In Brief

Use dürfen for permission: Darf ich gehen? means “May I leave?” Its negative, nicht dürfen, expresses prohibition: Du darfst nicht gehen means “You must not leave.” Use sollen for what someone is expected, instructed, or advised to do: Du sollst mehr schlafen means “You should sleep more.”

Overview

Dürfen and sollen are modal verbs: verbs that add an idea such as permission, obligation, or advice to another action. They are common on signs, in rules, at work, at school, and in everyday requests. They also help you report another person’s instructions: Ich soll Frau Klein anrufen (“I’m supposed to call Ms Klein”).

This is an A1 topic, and the beginner pattern is manageable. Conjugate the modal verb to match the subject (the person or thing performing the action), and place the other verb in the infinitive (its basic dictionary form, such as gehen or arbeiten) at the end. You already use the same structure with können and müssen.

The main challenge for English speakers is meaning, not formation. English “should” can give personal advice, report a duty, or describe what is likely. German often distinguishes these ideas more clearly. In particular, sollen frequently implies that the expectation comes from another person or an outside rule, while nicht dürfen means “must not,” not “do not have to.”

How It Works

Present-tense forms

Both verbs are irregular in the singular. Dürfen changes ü to a in ich, du, and er/sie/es. Like other modal verbs, both have no ending in the first- and third-person singular.

Person	dürfen	sollen
ich	darf	soll
du	darfst	sollst
er / sie / es	darf	soll
wir	dürfen	sollen
ihr	dürft	sollt
sie / Sie	dürfen	sollen

Notice the useful pair ich darf / er darf and ich soll / er soll. Do not add the regular endings -e or -t to these forms.

Basic statement word order

In a main-clause statement, the conjugated modal verb occupies the usual second position. The infinitive goes to the end:

subject + conjugated modal + other information + infinitive

• Ich darf heute länger bleiben. — I may stay longer today.
• Wir sollen um acht Uhr kommen. — We are supposed to come at eight.

“Second position” means the second sentence element, not necessarily the second written word. If another element comes first, the subject follows the modal:

• Heute darf ich länger bleiben. — Today I may stay longer.
• Nach dem Essen sollt ihr die Küche aufräumen. — After the meal, you are supposed to tidy the kitchen.

Separable verbs do not split when they remain infinitives. For example, aufräumen stays together at the end; it does not become räumen ... auf.

Questions

In a yes/no question, put the conjugated modal first. In a question with a question word, put that question word first and the modal second:

• Darf ich hier sitzen? — May I sit here?
• Wann soll ich anrufen? — When should I call?
• Was dürfen wir mitbringen? — What are we allowed to bring?

Darf ich ...? is the standard everyday pattern for asking permission. English speakers sometimes use “Can I ...?” to ask permission; German Kann ich ...? is also heard, but Darf ich ...? explicitly asks whether something is permitted.

Permission and prohibition with dürfen

Affirmative dürfen says that an action is permitted:

• Ihr dürft den Garten benutzen. — You may use the garden.

Negative nicht dürfen says that an action is forbidden:

• Ihr dürft den Garten nicht betreten. — You must not enter the garden.

This contrast is essential:

German	Core meaning	Natural English equivalent
Du darfst gehen.	You have permission to go.	You may go.
Du darfst nicht gehen.	You do not have permission to go.	You must not go.
Du musst nicht gehen.	Going is not necessary.	You do not have to go.

The position of nicht depends on what is being negated, but in the basic modal pattern it normally comes before the final infinitive: Hier darf man nicht rauchen.

Instructions, expectations, and advice with sollen

Sollen usually points to a source outside the speaker: another person, an instruction, a plan, a rule, or a social expectation.

• Ich soll diese Tabletten morgens nehmen. — I am supposed to take these tablets in the morning. (The doctor told me.)
• Die Gäste sollen um sechs da sein. — The guests are expected to be there at six.
• Du sollst höflich sein. — You should be polite. (Advice or a rule.)

For a strong necessity that the speaker presents as a fact, German commonly uses müssen instead:

• Ich muss morgen arbeiten. — I have to work tomorrow.
• Ich soll morgen arbeiten. — I am supposed to work tomorrow; someone scheduled or told me to.

In a question, sollen can ask for instructions or offer to do something:

• Was soll ich tun? — What should I do?
• Soll ich das Fenster öffnen? — Shall I open the window?
• Sollen wir anfangen? — Shall we start?

When the main verb is understood

German can omit the final infinitive when the action is obvious from context, especially with a destination:

• Darf ich rein? — May I come in?
• Ich soll zum Chef. — I am supposed to go to the boss.
• Du darfst nach Hause. — You may go home.

For a beginner, it is safest to learn the full modal-plus-infinitive pattern first. These shorter forms are common, but they depend on shared context.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Darf ich hier rauchen?	May I smoke here?	A direct request for permission
Hier darf man nicht parken.	You are not allowed to park here.	Impersonal man is common in rules
Kinder dürfen kostenlos mitfahren.	Children may travel free of charge.	General permission
Du darfst mein Fahrrad nehmen.	You may take my bicycle.	Permission given directly
Dürfen wir einen Hund mitbringen?	May we bring a dog?	Yes/no question
Heute dürft ihr länger aufbleiben.	You may stay up later today.	The time expression occupies first position
Du sollst mehr schlafen.	You should sleep more.	Advice, perhaps from a doctor
Ich soll Herrn Weber zurückrufen.	I’m supposed to call Mr Weber back.	Reports another person’s request
Wann sollen wir kommen?	When are we supposed to come?	Asks for instructions
Soll ich dir helfen?	Shall I help you?	An offer
Ihr sollt eure Handys ausschalten.	You are supposed to turn off your phones.	Instruction to more than one person
Der Zug soll um 18 Uhr ankommen.	The train is supposed to arrive at 6 p.m.	Timetable or expectation
Was soll ich jetzt machen?	What should I do now?	Asks for advice
Du darfst nicht alles glauben.	You must not believe everything.	nicht dürfen expresses a warning or prohibition

Common Mistakes

Translating “must not” with nicht müssen

• Wrong: Du musst hier nicht rauchen. (intended: “You must not smoke here.”)
• Right: Du darfst hier nicht rauchen.
• Why: Nicht müssen means that something is unnecessary: “You do not have to smoke here.” A prohibition requires nicht dürfen.

Keeping the main verb next to the modal

• Wrong: Ich darf gehen heute früher.
• Right: Ich darf heute früher gehen.
• Why: In a normal main clause, the conjugated modal is in second position and the infinitive closes the clause.

Conjugating both verbs

• Wrong: Sie soll kommt um neun.
• Right: Sie soll um neun kommen.
• Why: Only the modal is conjugated. The second verb stays in its infinitive form.

Using regular singular endings

• Wrong: Ich darfe das machen. / Er sollt warten.
• Right: Ich darf das machen. / Er soll warten.
• Why: First- and third-person singular modal forms have no ending: ich darf, er darf; ich soll, er soll.

Treating sollen as identical to müssen

• Less accurate: Ich muss meine Mutter anrufen. (when you mean that she asked you to call)
• Better: Ich soll meine Mutter anrufen.
• Why: Müssen states necessity. Sollen often reports another person’s request, instruction, or expectation.

Splitting a separable infinitive

• Wrong: Ihr sollt das Licht aus machen.
• Right: Ihr sollt das Licht ausmachen.
• Why: A separable verb remains one word when used as an infinitive with a modal.

Usage Notes

Rules often use man

German man means people in general, similar to English “one,” “you,” or an impersonal passive. Signs and general rules therefore often combine man with dürfen:

• Hier darf man fotografieren. — Photography is allowed here.
• Im Museum darf man die Bilder nicht berühren. — You must not touch the pictures in the museum.

Man always takes a third-person singular verb: man darf, not man dürfen.

The source behind sollen may remain unstated

A sentence with sollen does not have to name the person giving the instruction. Context may make the source clear: Ich soll um zehn da sein might refer to a manager, teacher, doctor, or invitation. If the source matters, add it explicitly: Der Arzt sagt, ich soll mehr trinken (“The doctor says I should drink more”).

Advice can sound different in English and German

English “You should ...” often sounds like a friendly personal suggestion. German Du sollst ... can sound more authoritative because it may imply a duty or instruction. For gentler advice, speakers frequently use solltest, discussed below, or expressions such as Vielleicht kannst du ... (“Maybe you can ...”). Tone and context still matter.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but they explain forms you will soon encounter.

sollte for softer advice

Sollte is the subjunctive II form (a verb form used here to make advice less direct) of sollen. In everyday advice, sollte often corresponds closely to English “should”:

• Du solltest früher ins Bett gehen. — You should go to bed earlier.
• Sollten wir vorher reservieren? — Should we book in advance?

Compare Du sollst zum Arzt gehen, which can report someone’s instruction, with Du solltest zum Arzt gehen, which usually sounds like the speaker’s recommendation.

sollen for reported claims

In news, formal writing, and careful speech, sollen can show that information comes from someone else and that the speaker does not personally confirm it:

• Der Schauspieler soll in Berlin leben. — The actor is said to live in Berlin.
• Das Gebäude soll sehr alt sein. — The building is reportedly very old.

This is sometimes called the reportative use: it reports a claim while keeping distance from its truth. The surrounding context distinguishes it from duty or expectation.

dürfte for probability and polite phrasing

Dürfte, the subjunctive II form of dürfen, does not always concern literal permission. It can express a careful probability:

• Das dürfte stimmen. — That is probably correct.
• Er dürfte schon zu Hause sein. — He is probably home already.

It also appears in very polite questions, though these can sound formal: Dürfte ich Sie etwas fragen? (“Might I ask you something?”).

Past time

The simple past forms are common when talking about past permission or instructions:

Person	dürfen (simple past)	sollen (simple past)
ich / er / sie / es	durfte	sollte
du	durftest	solltest
wir / sie / Sie	durften	sollten
ihr	durftet	solltet

• Als Kind durfte ich lange aufbleiben. — As a child, I was allowed to stay up late.
• Ich sollte gestern anrufen. — I was supposed to call yesterday.

Be careful: sollte can therefore be either past “was supposed to” or present-oriented “should.” Context normally makes the meaning clear.

German also forms the perfect with a modal and another verb using two infinitives: Ich habe nicht kommen dürfen (“I was not allowed to come”). This double-infinitive pattern is a later topic; at beginner level, the simple past Ich durfte nicht kommen is easier and very natural.

Word order in subordinate clauses

A subordinate clause (a clause introduced by a word such as weil, “because”) usually sends the conjugated verb to the end. With a modal, the infinitive comes before that final modal:

• Ich gehe, weil ich morgen arbeiten muss. — I’m leaving because I have to work tomorrow.
• Sie fragt, ob sie hier parken darf. — She asks whether she may park here.

This extends the same basic idea: the action verb remains an infinitive, while the modal carries the person and tense.

Practice Tips

1. Learn meanings in contrasting pairs. Say Ich muss gehen (I have to go), Ich muss nicht gehen (I do not have to go), Ich darf gehen (I may go), and Ich darf nicht gehen (I must not go). This prevents the most serious meaning error.
2. Build permission and instruction questions. Choose five everyday actions and ask both Darf ich ...? and Soll ich ...?: Darf ich anfangen? Soll ich anfangen? Answer each question aloud.
3. Listen for the source of sollen. When you encounter soll, ask: Is this advice, an instruction, an expectation, or a reported claim? This habit prepares you for advanced uses without making the beginner rule harder.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Modal Verbs: können, müssen — introduces the modal-plus-infinitive structure and the important contrast with necessity.