A modal verb says something about another verb. Do you want to do it? Can you? Must you? Are you allowed to? Dutch has four of them: willen, kunnen, moeten and mogen. You use them all the time.
Four verbs, four meanings
| Verb | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| willen | want | Ik wil koffie. | I want coffee. |
| kunnen | can, be able to | Ik kan fietsen. | I can ride a bike. |
| moeten | must, have to | Ik moet werken. | I have to work. |
| mogen | may, be allowed to | Mag ik hier zitten? | May I sit here? |
The forms
Willen, kunnen and mogen break the normal rule. You say hij kan, not hij kunt. Hij wil and hij mag take no t either. Moeten is regular: ik moet, hij moet. With wij, jullie and plural zij all four use the full verb.
| Subject | willen | kunnen | moeten | mogen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ik | wil | kan | moet | mag |
| jij | wilt or wil | kunt or kan | moet | mag |
| u | wilt or wil | kunt or kan | moet | mag |
| hij, zij, het | wil | kan | moet | mag |
| wij, jullie, zij (plural) | willen | kunnen | moeten | mogen |
The second verb goes to the end
A modal verb usually comes with a second verb. That verb goes to the end of the sentence. It does not change: you use the full verb, ending in -en. This is called the infinitive.
| Subject | Modal | Middle | Full verb | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | wil | graag Nederlands | leren. | I would like to learn Dutch. |
| Zij | moet | vandaag een brief | schrijven. | She has to write a letter today. |
| U | kunt | hier met de bus | gaan. | You can go by bus from here. |
| Wij | mogen | hier niet | roken. | We are not allowed to smoke here. |
In a question the modal comes first. The second verb stays at the end: Kunt u mij helpen? (Can you help me?)