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Six Verbs on Their Own by Jeffery Donley, Ph.D.

A group of six verbs create an idiomatic conjugation of their own and are called the modal auxiliary verbs. These verbs require the infinitive of a full verb to finalize a sentence, except in special cases, discussed in Part 7. For example, “You must” is not a complete sentence in German, nor is “you may.” These modal verbs require a verb such as “go” in “You must go” to make a complete sentence. However, these can be tricky because the modal auxiliaries are very idiomatic.

Exercise 39

Translate the six modal auxiliaries.

<tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>müssen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>wollen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>können</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>mögen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>dürfen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>sollen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 40</h2> <p>With the exception of <emphasis>sollen</emphasis>, the present tense requires a vowel change in the first, second, and third person singular of every modal auxiliary. The first and third person singular require no ending, but the forms of the plural acquire the endings of the present tense and are added on the infinitive stems.</p> <p>Some of the examples below have mistakes. Find them and correct them.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>wollen</emphasis> = should</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>sollen</emphasis> = want</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>müssen</emphasis> = must</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>mögen</emphasis> = to like</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>können</emphasis> = may</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>dürfen</emphasis> = can</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 41</h2> <p>Translate the following German phrases.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>ihr könnt</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>wir können</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>sie können</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>du kannst</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>er kann</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>ich darf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>er darf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>du darfst</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>wir dürfen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. <emphasis>ich kann</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11. <emphasis>sie dürfen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12. <emphasis>ihr dürft</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 42</h2> <p>Translate the following.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>ihr müsst</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>sie müssen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>du musst</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>wir müssen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>er muss</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>ich mag</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>er mag</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>du magst</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>ihr mögt</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. <emphasis>wir mögen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11. <emphasis>ich muss</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12. <emphasis>sie mögen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 43</h2> <p>For every modal auxiliary, the conjugation in the present indicative of <emphasis>können</emphasis> (“can, to be able”) functions as a standard. This means that the first person singular and the third person singular are the same conjugation: <emphasis>ich</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">kann</emphasis>, <emphasis>du kannst, er</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">kann</emphasis>, <emphasis>sie</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">kann</emphasis>, <emphasis>es</emphasis> <emphasis role="Bolditalic">kann</emphasis>, <emphasis>wir können, ihr könnt, sie können</emphasis>. Translate <emphasis>können</emphasis> in the given tense and then match each phrase with its English equivalent.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. Future Perfect Tense: <emphasis>ich werde gekonnt haben</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>I shall be able</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Past Perfect Tense: <emphasis>ich hatte gekonnt</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>I could</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. Future Tense: <emphasis>ich werde können</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>I had been able</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Past Tense: <emphasis>ich konnte</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>I have been able</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. Present Perfect Tense: <emphasis>ich habe gekonnt</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>I shall have been able</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 44</h2> <p>The modals acquire the endings of the weak conjugation, except in the present tense, and in the second past participle when used with another verb.</p> <p>Questions 1–4 deal with <emphasis>dürfen</emphasis>, 5–8 deal with <emphasis>können</emphasis>, and 9–12 deal with <emphasis>müssen</emphasis>. Answers 1, 5, and 9 have been provided for you.</p> <p>Provide the principal parts (first person singular) of the modal auxiliary verbs in the tense indicated.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="4" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <entry namest="col1" nameend="col3"><p>1. Infinitive: <emphasis>dürfen</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>(“to be permitted”)</p></td> <td><p>___________</p></td> <entry/> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Past:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. Present:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Past Participles:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <entry namest="col1" nameend="col3"><p>5. Infinitive: <emphasis>können</emphasis> (“to be able”)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. Past:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. Present:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. Past Participles:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <entry namest="col1" nameend="col3"><p>9. Infinitive: <emphasis>müssen</emphasis> (“to have to”)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. Past Participles:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11. Present:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12. Past:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 45</h2> <p>A small change in the stem vowel occurs in the past tense. Also, you take out the umlaut of the infinitive in the past participle. Make sure that <emphasis>sollen</emphasis> and <emphasis>wollen</emphasis> retain their stem vowel. Modals acquire the weak endings except for the present tense and second past participle.</p> <p>Questions 1–4 deal with <emphasis>mögen</emphasis>, questions 5–8 deal with <emphasis>sollen</emphasis>, and 9–12 deal with <emphasis>wollen</emphasis>. Answers 3, 7, and 10 have been provided for you. Translate the principal parts of the modal auxiliary verbs.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="4" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. Past:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Past Participles:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <entry namest="col1" nameend="col3"><p>3. Infinitive: <emphasis>mögen</emphasis> (“to like”)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Present:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. Past:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. Past Participles:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <entry namest="col1" nameend="col3"><p>7. Infinitive: <emphasis>sollen</emphasis> (“shall”)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. Present:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. Past Participles:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <entry namest="col1" nameend="col3"><p>10. Infinitive: <emphasis>wollen</emphasis> (“to want, will”)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11. Present:</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12. 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