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German Modal Verbs Trivia Quiz

This quiz on the German modal auxiliary verbs is, I suspect, not exactly elementary. Pick out the closest English translation - and have fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by bloomsby. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
bloomsby

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
91,833

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
3677

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Du mu�t nicht dahingehen. Hint

You can't have gone there.

You mustn't go there.

You don't have to go there.

You must have gone there.

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Du darfst so etwas nicht tun. Hint

You won't do that kind of thing.

You must do something like that.

You mustn't do a thing like that.

You needn't do anything like that.

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Wir haben nach Hause fahren m�ssen. Hint

We had to drive home.

We drove home because we had to.

We must have driven home.

We were told to drive home.

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Ich habe das immer tun wollen. Hint

I will always do that.

I always did that.

I shall always do that.

I've always wanted to do that.

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Er will den Mord selber gesehen haben. Hint

He wishes he'd seen the murder himself.

He claims to have seen the murder himself.

He wants to see the murderer himself.

He would just love to see a murder.

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Sie mu� da gewesen sein. Hint

She had to be there.

She must have seen it.

She has had to go there.

She must have been there.

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Ich wei�, dass ich das viel fr�her h�tte tun sollen. Hint

I know that it should have happened much sooner.

I know that I could have done that much earlier.

I know I did that far too early.

I know I should have done that much earlier.

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Ich wei� nicht, wann ich es werde reparieren k�nnen. Hint

I don't know when I'll be able to repair it.

I don't know if I could have repaired it.

I don't know if I could repair it.

I don't know when I might have been able to repair it.

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. M�gen sie noch so flei�ig arbeiten, das Auto wird erst morgen wieder in Ordnung sein. Hint

However hard they work, the car won't run again till tomorrow.

They may enjoy working, but the car won't be running till tomorrow.

They enjoy working hard, so the car may be running again tomorrow.

They may work hard, but the car won't be in working order for another two days.

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Sie wollen doch nicht etwa behaupten, wir seien alle verr�ckt? Hint

You think we are all quite simply crazy?

Are you telling us we're all crazy?

You surely don't mean to say we're all crazy?

You want to drive us all crazy with your claims?

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Du mu�t nicht dahingehen.

Answer: You don't have to go there.

m�ssen + negative - need not, not to have to. In speech 'mu�t' would normally be stressed, often quite heavily, in this context.

2. Du darfst so etwas nicht tun.

Answer: You mustn't do a thing like that.

d�rfen + negative - must not.

3. Wir haben nach Hause fahren m�ssen.

Answer: We had to drive home.

All the German modals, *unlike* their English counterparts, exist in the full range of tenses. (In written German 'Wir mu�ten ...' would be equally acceptable and mean the same as 'Wir haben nach Hause fahren m�ssen'). In English, where 'must' exists only in the present tense, one has to switch to 'have to' for past tenses as '*musted' and '*have must' simply don't exist.

4. Ich habe das immer tun wollen.

Answer: I've always wanted to do that.

wollen - to want, *not* will. Note that the perfect of the modal *auxiliary* is always haben + infin.

5. Er will den Mord selber gesehen haben.

Answer: He claims to have seen the murder himself.

A modal auxiliary in the present tense + *perfect infin.* nearly always has a non-literal sense, in the case of 'wollen' most commonly 'to claim to have [done or been something]'.

6. Sie mu� da gewesen sein.

Answer: She must have been there.

m�ssen + *perfect* perticiple - corresponds to the must + perf. participle in English. Here the sense of m�ssen is again non-literal and has nothing to do with obligation.

7. Ich wei�, dass ich das viel fr�her h�tte tun sollen.

Answer: I know I should have done that much earlier.

At the end of a subordinate clause 'haben' and modal infin. may be 'in competition' as it were for the last position in the the subordinate clause. Where this happens 'haben' is brought forward: the modal always has priority for this position.

8. Ich wei� nicht, wann ich es werde reparieren k�nnen.

Answer: I don't know when I'll be able to repair it.

As the German modals exist in the full range of tenses there's a fully formed future tense, unlike with English 'can'. Here there's 'competition' for the final place in the subordinate clause, so as with the perfect, the modal infin. has priority and 'werden' is as it were, 'brought forward'. Compare with Question 7.

9. M�gen sie noch so flei�ig arbeiten, das Auto wird erst morgen wieder in Ordnung sein.

Answer: However hard they work, the car won't run again till tomorrow.

Note this special use of 'm�gen' and the construction associated with it - 'm�gen ... noch so ...' ('M�gen' can also mean 'to like' as in 'Ich mag keinen starken Tee' - but here it's not used as an auxiliary and has a direct object).

10. Sie wollen doch nicht etwa behaupten, wir seien alle verr�ckt?

Answer: You surely don't mean to say we're all crazy?

Note also (though it doesn't involve a modal) 'Sie meinen doch wohl ...' - 'Surely you mean ...'

Source: Author bloomsby

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