The modal verb "sollen" in German
Meaning of "sollen" in German
The verb "sollen" means:
1.- must, to be supposed to (in the sense of complying with an order, law or task)
Wir sollten sofort zahlen
We should pay right away
Soll ich dir etwas aus der Stadt mitbringen?
Should I bring you something from the city?
Ihr sollt nicht vergessen, eure Hausaufgaben zu machen.
You shouldn’t forget to do your homework
Dieser Film soll sehr gut sein
This film is supposed to be really good
Grammar of "sollen"
"sollen" is a modal verb, which means that it needs another verb to complement its meaning.
The verb "sollen", as the other modal verbs, uses haben as auxilary verb.
| Verb | 3rd Person | Präteritum | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sollen | (soll) | sollte | gesollt | must |
Main article: The modal verbs.
Conjugation of "sollen"
Present simple (Präsens Indikativ)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich soll | I must |
| du sollst | you must |
| er/sie/es soll | he must |
| wir sollen | we must |
| ihr sollt | you must |
| sie sollen | they must |
Der Fahrer soll die wichtigsten Gesetze kennen
The driver should know the main laws
Soll ich die Rechnung bezahlen?
Should I pay the bill?
Simple past (Präteritum)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich sollte | I had to |
| du solltest | you had to |
| er/sie/es sollte | he had to |
| wir sollten | we had to |
| ihr solltet | you had to |
| sie sollten | they had to |
Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II)
| Conjugation |
|---|
| ich sollte |
| du solltest |
| er/sie/es sollte |
| wir sollten |
| ihr solltet |
| sie sollten |
Participle (Partizip)
| Partizip I | Partizip II |
|---|---|
| sollend (having to) | gesollt (had to) |
Du solltest besser deine Hausaufgaben machen
You should be working on doing your homework
Imperative (Imperativ)
"sollen" like the rest of modal verbs. It does not have an imperative.
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