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AQA A-Level German (7662) · Grammar backbone 5 of 10 — Modal verbs and infinitive constructions
A-Level Grammar

Modals and infinitives

The six modal verbs reshape a clause: they take the finite slot while the main verb drops to an infinitive at the end. This lesson also builds the zu-infinitive, the um…zu / ohne…zu / anstatt…zu constructions, and the tricky double infinitive.

modal (V2) … infinitive (end)Ich kann gut Deutsch sprechen.

Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to spot the form, some to build it. Collect ⭐ and press Start.

The six modals

Meaning and forms

Learn the six modals with their exact meanings. In the present they are irregular in the singular and take no -t in the er-form:

personkönnen (can)müssen (must)wollen (want)
ichkannmusswill
dukannstmusstwillst
er/sie/eskannmusswill
wir/siekönnenmüssenwollen

False friend: will means "want", not "will"! The others: dürfen (may/allowed), sollen (should/supposed to), mögen / möchte (like / would like).

Quick check

Modal + infinitive

?Complete: Ich ___ gut Deutsch sprechen. ("I can speak German well.")
The pattern

Infinitive at the end

The modal is the finite verb, so it sits in position 2. The verb it governs becomes an infinitive and closes the bracket at the very end:

  • Wir müssen jetzt gehen.
  • Du darfst hier nicht rauchen.
  • Sie möchte einen Kaffee trinken.

Everything else — objects, adverbs, negation — sits between the modal and the final infinitive.

Type it

Your turn — the er-form

1Fill the modal: Er ___ heute arbeiten. ("He has to work today.") — from müssen, er-form.
Hint: modals take no -t in the er-form. ich and er share the same form here.
Sort it

Choose the correct form

Quick check

No -t in the er-form

?Complete: Er ___ jeden Tag Sport machen. ("He wants to do sport every day.") — from wollen.
zu + infinitive

When a verb needs zu

Many verbs and expressions govern a zu-infinitive (unlike modals, which take a bare infinitive): versuchen, hoffen, beginnen, vergessen, Lust haben, es ist wichtig…

  • Ich versuche, früh aufzustehen.
  • Es ist wichtig, viel zu üben.

Separable verbs: the zu slots inside the verb, between prefix and stem — aufstehen → aufzustehen, anrufen → anzurufen.

Quick check

zu with a separable verb

?Complete: Ich versuche, früh ___. ("I try to get up early.") — from aufstehen.
Type it

Your turn — zu-infinitive

2Fill the zu-infinitive: Ich habe keine Zeit, dich ___. ("I have no time to call you.") — from anrufen.
Hint: separable 'anrufen' → an-zu-rufen.
um … zu

Purpose, without and instead

Three infinitive constructions carry key meanings — all end in zu + infinitive:

  • um … zu — in order to: Ich lerne, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
  • ohne … zu — without (doing): Er ging, ohne zu bezahlen.
  • (an)statt … zu — instead of (doing): Statt zu arbeiten, schlief er.

Same subject: um … zu works only when both clauses share a subject. If the subjects differ, use damit + a full clause instead.

Quick check

In order to

?Complete: Ich lerne viel, ___ die Prüfung zu bestehen. ("… in order to pass the exam.")
Game · Match

Match the modal to its meaning

Tap a modal on the left, then its English meaning.

MODAL
können
müssen
dürfen
sollen
wollen
mögen
MEANING
should / supposed to
can / be able to
to like
must / have to
to want to
may / be allowed to
Double infinitive

The perfect of a modal

When a modal governs another verb in the perfect, the modal itself appears as an infinitive, not a participle — giving a double infinitive, always with haben:

  • Ich habe gestern arbeiten müssen. — "I had to work." (not 'gemusst')
  • Er hat nicht kommen können. — "He couldn't come."

In a subordinate clause the auxiliary jumps in front of the double infinitive: …, weil ich habe arbeiten müssen.

Quick check

Perfect of a modal

?Complete: Ich habe gestern viel arbeiten ___. ("I had to work a lot yesterday.") — from müssen.
Type it

Your turn — infinitive at the end

3Fill the final infinitive: Wir müssen jetzt ___. ("We must go now.") — from gehen.
Hint: after a modal, the main verb stays an infinitive and closes the sentence.
Sort it

zu-infinitive, or bare infinitive?

Sort each word by what kind of infinitive follows it.

+ zu + Infinitiv

+ bare Infinitiv

Type it

Your turn — without doing

4Fill the connector: Er ging weg, ___ zu bezahlen. ("He left without paying.")
Hint: "without (doing)" = … zu + infinitive.
Type it

Your turn — a full sentence

5Translate "I want to learn German" into German (use wollen + lernen).
Hint: modal 'will' in second place, object 'Deutsch', infinitive 'lernen' at the end.
Recap

Your modal toolkit

Six modals: können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, mögen — irregular singular, no -t in er, and 'will' = wants.

Modal + infinitive: modal is V2, bare infinitive at the end.

zu-infinitive: after versuchen, hoffen, es ist wichtig… Separable verbs take zu inside (aufzustehen).

um/ohne/anstatt … zu; double infinitive in the perfect (haben … arbeiten müssen), with the auxiliary fronted in subordinate clauses.

Cluster 6 drills the case-governing power of prepositions — including the two-way Wechselpräpositionen. Press Finish.

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