Conjugation German "können" - All forms of verb, examples, rules (2024)

FAQs

How do you conjugate können in German? ›

What Are The 6 Conjugations of Können? The 6 conjugations of 'können' in the present tense line up with our 6 subject pronouns to give us 'ich kann', 'du kannst', 'er / sie / es kann', 'wir können', 'ihr könnt', and 'sie können. ' There are, of course, even more forms of 'können' in other tenses (and moods).

"When you conjugate a verb, you have to cover all three aspects of finiteness: time (that's tense), people (that's person, as in first person, second person, and third person), and quantity (that's number, either singular or plural."

Modal verbs in German are verbs that express an attitude about a particular action happening in a sentence. These verbs are German modal verbs: wollen (to want to or intend to), sollen (to be supposed to), dürfen (to be allowed to), müssen (to need to or have to), können (to be able to), and mögen (to like).

“Konnten” is the Präteritum (simple past) of the verb “können.” This means we use it when we want to express that somebody could do (in the sense of had the ability to do) something. This verb is used to describe actions that have already happened.

German Verb Conjugation Isn't As Hard As It May Seem

Although German verb conjugation may appear difficult at first, looks can be deceiving. Most German verbs follow regular rules with simple endings that can be learned quickly.

Conjugation is the change that takes place in a verb to express tense, mood, person and so on. In English, verbs change as they are used, most notably with different people (you, I, we) and different time (now, later, before).

Hungarian – Hungarian is considered by many linguists to have one of the most complex grammar out there due to its numerous cases and verb conjugations that must be mastered for sentences to make sense.

For example, "eat" becomes "will eat." The primary auxiliary verbs be, do, and have are used to conjugate main verbs to show tense and person. "She has visited the museum before." Here, the auxiliary verb has shows the perfect aspect.

Können is most often used to express ability (= to be able to). For example: Ich kann gut singen. (I can sing well.)

Müssen is a common German modal verb that means “to have to” or “must.” Whether you come across the verb on instructional signs or hear it in conversation, to fully understand all the things you might “have to do,” it's important to know your müssen conjugation.

Would past tense in German? ›

Luckily, German irregular verbs usually follow one of five vowel stem changes, making them much easier to learn. By taking note of the different ways that irregular German verbs can change, you'll quickly catch onto a pattern that helps you memorize them.

Regular verbs use the ending -t in the past participle and the endings -te, -test, -te, -ten, -tet, -ten for the simple past, whereas strong verbs take the ending -en for the past participle and have no endings in the first (ich) and third (er, sie, es) person singular in the simple past.

Modal verbs

They need an infinitive to help the sentence make sense. For example, the modal verb können (to be able to or can) needs an infinitive to make clear what it is you can do. Ich kann spielen - I can play. Ich kann Klavier spielen - I can play the piano.

können refers to ability or possibility. dürfen refers to permission by another person. But in colloquial language können is often used instead of dürfen, especially when talking to persons of equal standing. In English you may hear people say "Can I" to ask for permission from someone to do something.

Können Conjugation in Future Tense (Futur I)

For example: Ich werde tanzen. (I will dance.) The können conjugation in future tense is not complicated at all.

The perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “haben” or “sein” in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example: Ich habe gestern Deutsch gelernt. (I learned German yesterday.)