Year 10 - German
Hitzefrei: 'müssen' vs 'sollen', 'sollen' vs 'sollte'
Studying and my future: Aufwachsen, Altersgrenzen und Zukunftspläne
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit revisits a wide range of grammar, including modal verbs, the future tense, two-verb structures. It introduces the conditional 'würd-' with gern and lieber and 'hätte' and wäre'. Pupils learn to distinguish müssen vs sollen, and dürfen vs können regarding responsibilites and future plans.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use 'müssen' and 'sollen' to discuss necessities and obligations.
Key Notes
- Modal verbs express necessity, possibility, expectation or obligation and are used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive.
- 'Müssen' means 'to have to, must' and expresses necessity.
- 'Sollen' translates as 'should' and conveys strong obligation or command but also expresses probability.
- 'Sollte' expresses a softer style of obligation and may be translated as 'ought to'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- modal verb: verb of necessity, possibility, expectation or obligation used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive
- müssen: modal verb meaning 'to have to', 'must'
- sollen: modal verb meaning 'should', 'be supposed to', 'ought to'
- sollte: form of 'sollen' expressing obligation in a softer, more polite way
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- In German, you always use 'müssen' to say what you have to do.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Modal verbs express necessity, possibility, expectation or obligation and are used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive. 'Müssen' means 'to have to, must' and expresses necessity.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'modal verb'
verb of necessity, possibility, expectation or obligation used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: In German, you always use 'müssen' to say what you have to do. Correction: The verb 'sollen' is another way of expressing an obligation, something you have to do. It has several uses, including strong commands (e.g. 'you should ring the doctor straightaway'), which are similar to the 'have to, must' meaning of 'müssen'.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Berufe: 'werden' + infinitive, wh-questions in future and conditional tenses Study Guide
- Berufserfahrung: 'Sie', 'Ihnen', interrogatives 'wer', 'wen', 'wem' Study Guide
- Berufserfahrung: verbs with indirect objects, dative pronouns Study Guide
- Das Pfandsystem: word order with 'wenn', inversion, plural nouns Study Guide
- Junge Deutsche: neuter adjectival nouns, nominalisation, adjectival agreement Study Guide
- Junge Deutsche: telling the time, uses of 'es' Study Guide
- Junge Deutsche: weak plural masculine nouns, feminine person nouns Study Guide
- Meine Pläne: adding -er to verb stems for male agent nouns, extended writing Study Guide
- Pläne: word order with 'sobald', 'solange' and 'wenn' Study Guide
- Was darf man ab wann? 'Dürfen' vs 'können', wh- questions and modal verbs Study Guide
- Wenn ich 16 bin: würd- with gern and lieber, imperfect subjunctive hätte, wäre Study Guide
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