The modal verb "mögen" in German
Meaning of "mögen" in German
The verb "mögen" means:
to like
Ich mag Fußball spielen
I like to play soccer
It is very common to use the verb "mögen" in Konjunktiv II: "möchten".
Möchten means "would like".
wir möchten ein Kind adoptieren
We would like to adopt a child
Differences between "mögen" and "möchten"
The verb "mögen" is used frequently in the Konjunktiv II: möchten, which is why some people believe mistakenly that möchten is the infinitive of another verb.
Differences between "mögen", "gefallen" and "schmecken"
mögen vs gefallen vs schmecken
The 3 verbs mean "to like". The difference is:
"schemecken": It is only used for food and drink.
"Mögen" and "gefallen" are synonyms but there is one small difference. Mögen is more emotional. In comparison, gefallen is more superficial (it takes the outside into account). There are words that one can say to awake more emotions than others even though they have the same meaning, like "I promise" or "I swear".
Grammar of "mögen"
"mögen" is a modal verb. This means that it might need another verb to complement its meaning.
| Verb | 3rd Person | Präteritum | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mögem | (mag) | mochte | gemocht | to like |
Main article: The modal verbs
Conjugation of "mögen"
Present simple (Präsens Indikativ)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich mag | I like |
| du magst | you like |
| er/sie/es mag | he/she/it likes |
| wir mögen | we like |
| ihr mögt | you like |
| sie mögen | they like |
Wir mögen Konkurrenz
We like competition
Simple past (Präteritum)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich mochte | I liked |
| du mochtest | you liked |
| er/sie/es mochte | he liked |
| wir mochten | we liked |
| ihr mochtet | you liked |
| sie mochten | they liked |
Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II)
| Conjugation |
|---|
| ich möchte |
| du möchtest |
| er/sie/es möchte |
| wir möchten |
| ihr möchtet |
| sie möchten |
ich möchte Deutsch lernen
I’d like to learn German
Participle (Partizip)
| Partizip I | Partizip II |
|---|---|
| mögend (liking) | gemocht (liked) |
Imperative
"mögen" like the rest of modal verbs. It does not have an imperative.
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