Hitzefrei: 'müssen' vs 'sollen', 'sollen' vs 'sollte' | German

Starter quiz

Match the German and English.

zahlen

⇔

to pay, paying ✓

Freizeit

⇔

free time ✓

Glas

⇔

glass ✓

Eis

⇔

ice, ice cream ✓

Flasche

⇔

bottle ✓

Laden

⇔

shop ✓
Match the following nouns to the correct genders.

Zuschauer

⇔

masculine singular and plural ✓

System

⇔

neuter ✓

Linie, Ordnung

⇔

feminine singular ✓

Ferien

⇔

plural ✓
Which modal verb does not change its vowel in any present tense forms?

dürfen

können

sollen ✓

mögen

wollen
Modal verbs usually occur with a verb in the ______ form at the end of the sentence.

'infinitive' ✓
Which of these modal verb sentences are grammatically correct?

Kannst du morgen ins Kino gehen? ✓

Er muss seine Cousine besuchen. ✓

Man soll seine Kenntnisse.

Ich darf essen keine Nüsse.

Mögt ihr Wasser trinken? ✓
Wir __________ (must) morgen einkaufen gehen! Du __________ (want) am Fest teilnehmen, aber man __________ (is allowed to) keine Jeanshose tragen - __________ (should) ich dir neue Kleidung kaufen?

1

⇔

müssen

2

⇔

willst

3

⇔

darf

4

⇔

soll

Exit quiz

Match the English and German.

alone

⇔

allein, alleine ✓

outside

⇔

draußen ✓

perhaps, maybe

⇔

vielleicht ✓

individual, single, separately

⇔

einzeln ✓

everywhere

⇔

überall ✓
Match the modal verbs to their English meanings.

dürfen

⇔

to be allowed to, may ✓

sollen

⇔

should, ought to, be supposed to ✓

wollen

⇔

to want to ✓

müssen

⇔

to have to , must ✓

können

⇔

to be able to, can ✓

mögen

⇔

to like, liking ✓
Which of the young people below would definitely be eligible for 'Hitzefrei' in very hot weather?

Schüler ✓

Schülerinnen ✓

Grundschülerinnen ✓

Jugendliche

die Jugend
'Man sollte die Umwelt schützen. Man muss weniger oft Auto fahren.'. Which set of translations of the modal verbs in this sentence is correct?

should, can

ought to, are allowed to

must, should

ought to, must ✓

can, like
Which of these is not expressed by the verb 'sollen'?

obligation

necessity ✓

expectation

probability

possibility
Match the moods expressed by modal verbs with the most appropriate German sentence.

obligation

⇔

Man soll immer die Wahrheit sagen. ✓

expectation

⇔

Ich soll schnell nach Hause gehen, denn meine Eltern warten auf mich. ✓

necessity

⇔

Ich muss zum Arzt gehen, denn ich bin krank. ✓

probability

⇔

Morgen soll es warm und sonnig sein. ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Modal verbs express necessity, possibility, expectation or obligation and are used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive.
'Müssen' means ‘to have to, must’ and expresses necessity.
'Sollen' translates as ‘should’ and conveys strong obligation or command but also expresses probability.
'Sollte' expresses a softer style of obligation and may be translated as ‘ought to’.

Common misconception

In German, you always use 'müssen' to say what you have to do.

The verb 'sollen' is another way of expressing an obligation, something you have to do. It has several uses, including strong commands (you should ring the doctor straightaway), which are similar to the 'have to, must' meaning of 'müssen'.

Keywords

Modal verb - verb of necessity, possibility, expectation or obligation used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive
Müssen - modal verb meaning 'to have to', 'must'
Sollen - modal verb meaning 'should', 'be supposed to', 'ought to'
Sollte - form of 'sollen' expressing obligation in a softer, more polite way