The verb "müssen" means
"to have to" or "must"
"müssen" is a modal verb, which means that normally it needs another verb to complement its meaning.
Müssen’s auxiliary verb, like the rest of modal verbs, is haben.
| Verb | Präteritum | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| müssen | musste | gemusst | must |
Main article: The modal verbs
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich muss | I must |
| du musst | you must |
| er/sie/es muss | he/she/it must |
| wir müssen | we must |
| ihr müsst | you must |
| sie müssen | they must |
Ich muss ein Auto kaufen
I have to buy a car
Wir müssen dieses Spiel gewinnen
We have to win this game
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich musste | I had to |
| du musstest | you had to |
| er/sie/es musste | he/she/it had to |
| wir mussten | we had to |
| ihr musstet | you had to |
| sie mussten | they had to |
Ich musste nicht lange warten
I didn’t have to wait long
| Conjugation |
|---|
| ich müsste |
| du müsstest |
| er/sie/es müsste |
| wir müssten |
| ihr müsstet |
| sie müssten |
| Partizip I | Partizip II |
|---|---|
| müssend (having to) | gemusst (had to) |
"müssen" like the rest of modal verbs. It does not have an imperative.