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WORD GRAMMAR
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Verb
- Conjugation in indicative
- Person and number
- Tenses
- Voice
- Mood
- Verb categories
- Valency
- Semantic categories of verbs
- Finite / non-finite verb forms
- Noun
- Adjective
- Adverb
- Article
- Pronoun
- Preposition
- Conjunction
- Particle
- Interjection
-
Verb
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SENTENCE GRAMMAR
- Clause types
- Complex clauses
- Constituents of a sentence
- Sentence structure
- Word order in a sentence
- Negation
Meaning of modal verbs (overview)
The table below shows the main objective meanings of the modal verbs.
| modal verb |
dürfen
|
können
|
mögen
|
müssen
|
sollen
|
wollen
|
||||||
| permission |
IND
|
KII
|
IND
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| prohibition |
IND
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
| (im-)possibility |
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| (in-)ability |
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| wish |
|
|
|
|
|
KII
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
KII
|
| liking / dislike |
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| necessity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
KII
|
IND
|
|
IND
|
|
| lack of necessity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
|
|
| request/demand |
IND
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
IND
|
KII
|
IND
|
|
IND
|
|
| advice / recommendation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
|
KII
|
|
|
| proposal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KII
|
IND
|
|
| requirement |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KII
|
|
|
| will, intention |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
| aim / purpose |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
| question / doubt |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
KII
|
|
|
| future |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
IND
|
|
| indirect request |
|
|
|
|
|
KI/II
|
|
|
|
KI/II
|
|
|
| concession |
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The table below shows the main subjective meanings of the modal verbs.
| modal verb |
dürfen
|
können
|
mögen
|
müssen
|
sollen
|
wollen
|
||||||
| supposition |
|
KII
|
IND
|
KII
|
|
|
IND
|
KII
|
|
|
|
|
| reporting a statement "without certainty" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IND
|
|
|
|
| reporting one's personal assertion of oneself |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
IND
|
|