Modalverb

Modal verbs are verbs that desire, compulsion or call option. The Germans are usually the six verbs can, should, want, need, like and may viewed as modal verbs when they are connected with an infinitive without. They also have a number of peculiarities in their flexion. Modal verbs are either counted as auxiliary verbs or established as a separate group between auxiliary verbs and main verbs.

List of modal verbs in Germanic languages

The following list outlines the historical comparability of modal verbs in various Germanic languages. Here, their meanings in different languages ​​coincide despite the same structure and similar function no longer complete.

The modal verb

In addition, the Konjugationsreihe of conjunctive II is in the present tense of love (want, want, etc.: I want to drink a cup of coffee ) as an attenuation of want ( I want to drink a cup of coffee ) felt should analogous to the pair ( Thou shalt call the boss) and must (You must immediately call the boss ). Most German - speakers do not realize that and would like to correspond morphologically as well as could and can. In other words ( to have to do wish, wish ) The observable distance between the standard meanings of want and like ( appreciate, find sympathetic, like to eat ), and the relative abundance of want at relatively rare occurrences of like in the spoken language obscure the relationship these forms, unlike may ( can perhaps) and can ( can actually ).

Since modal verbs are used much like auxiliary verbs, they are also referred to as modal auxiliary verbs.

In contrast to the auxiliary verbs have and be requiring a participial, modal verbs in German are syntactically " to" always used in an infinitive construction without: "I want to see you." (Unlike the infinitive with which a much larger group verbs can be formed: "I expect to see you tomorrow." )

Furthermore, modal verbs in the present tense are marked by identical forms of the 1st and 3rd person singular, as is the case only in the past tense with other verbs: I should - he shall, as I came - he came. Also know the verb has this special feature (I know - he knows ), but is not one of the modal verbs. According to their type of education will know and summarized the modal verbs (except want ) under the name Präteritopräsentia.

In colloquial usage is now also the verb "need" ( in negation) with the meaning " must " as a modal verb (ie to with infinitive without, there are dialectal even the shape he needs ) is used, this is standard language, however, as wrong.

German modal verbs have in use as a quasi- auxiliary two forms of the participle perfect tense: The high linguistic form corresponds to the infinitive ( "I could not have known " ), colloquially known as the education pattern of weak verbs is used skillfully ( "I did not write the. "). Often in such cases, resorting to the past tense is ("I could not know / write "). As verbs modal verbs always have the 'normal' past participle with ge verb stem -t ( "He had not willed it otherwise ").

Furthermore, soaked in high language German subordinate clauses with modals as quasi- auxiliary verbs and another auxiliary verb in a multipart Verbverband ( future tense, passive, perfect ... ) the ' procession sequence ' of the verbs at the end of the subordinate clause from the usual ranking from. Normally in the subordinate clause is the finite auxiliary verb at the end ( " I know that he has not told the truth " ), but not when a modal verb is involved as a quasi- auxiliary verb ( " I know that she never could have bring himself, the children give away "). This is conditioned by the highly demanded linguistically participle, which is identical with the infinitive and in such situations leads to irritation ( "Whether he really should have known, who knows ... "). In everyday language, such designs often be avoided ( " He would not know that anyway. ").

On the Transformation of flexion of the modals

Also historically modals differ in flexion of the other verbs. Striking is the form of the second person singular present indicative: It said in the modal verbs must, should and want still in Early New time - t; So: you darft, you shall and you wilt. With the beginning of the 15th century is in these three verbs change a by -t was gradually replaced by the model of the other verbs by -st, so we only you are allowed today, you shall and you want to know. Such processes are generally known as an analogy. Striking is now, however, that this process verbs in the same class ( here: the modal verbs ) proceeds at very different speeds: it is the verb may already completed around 1530; in want and to the old forms are, however, still be observed until the first third of the 19th century. The timing of this language change takes place lawfully in accordance with the law Piotrowski.