KS3 · German · Year 7
Improve your lifestyle: modal verbs 'müssen', 'dürfen', 'wollen' + infinitive
Improve your lifestyle: modal verbs 'müssen', 'dürfen', 'wollen'
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IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/12
Your learning goal
I can recognise how modal verbs are used to express what people want, must or can do, in positive and negative statements.
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Improve your lifestyle: modal verbs 'müssen', 'dürfen', 'wollen' + infinitive: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.
Original teaching resources
The original illustrated PowerPoint is available as well as the IllumED text slides. It retains the publisher’s design and credits.
Download original PowerPoint ↓What you’ll learn
I can recognise how modal verbs are used to express what people want, must or can do, in positive and negative statements.
Key learning points
- [ü] is pronounced long as in 'Tür' or short as in 'fünf'.
- Modal verbs express ideas of necessity or possibility (must, can, want).
- Modal verbs are used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, which goes to the end of the sentence (two-verb rule).
- Modal verbs include ‘müssen’ - to have to, must; ‘dürfen’ - to be allowed to, may; ‘wollen’ - to want to.
- Put 'nicht' before an infinitive ('Ich muss nicht singen') but forms of 'kein' before nouns ('Er will kein Buch lesen').
Words to know
- [ü]
- pronounced long as in 'Tür' or short as in 'fünf'
- modal verb
- expresses ideas of necessity or possibility (must, can, want, allowed); used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive
- two-verb rule
- position of the 2nd verb at the end of two-verb sentences, e.g., 'Ich will jetzt Obst essen.'
- nicht
- 'not'
- keinen, keine, kein
- 'not a'
Common mistakes
The infinitive follows the conjugated verb, as in the English 'I can play'.
In German, the infinitive is placed at the end of a sentence when used with a modal verb, as in 'Ich kann spielen.'.
For parents, carers and teachers
- Ask students to write their responses on mini whiteboards for the picture reveal check activities.