To reach the top bands you need to say more than facts — what you can, must and want to do, what you will do, and what you think. This lesson covers the six modal verbs, the future with werden, the preference words gern / lieber / am liebsten, and opinion phrases like meiner Meinung nach.
Work through each screen and answer the questions as you go — some ask you to recognise the right form, some ask you to produce it by typing. Collect ⭐ stars and press Start.
A modal verb (can, must, want…) works with a second verb. The modal is conjugated in second position; the other verb drops to the very end as an infinitive:
The end slot is the key habit: English keeps the verbs together ("can play well"), German splits them ("kann … spielen").
Modals are irregular: the ich and er/sie/es forms are identical and take no ending. Most also change their vowel:
| ich | kann |
| du | kannst |
| er / sie / es | kann |
| wir | können |
| ihr | könnt |
| sie / Sie | können |
No -t on "er": it's er kann, never er kannt. The same shape (ich = er, no ending) is true for all six modals.
| infinitive | ich form | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| können | ich kann | can / be able to |
| müssen | ich muss | must / have to |
| wollen | ich will | to want |
| dürfen | ich darf | to be allowed to |
| sollen | ich soll | should / ought to |
| mögen | ich mag | to like |
False friend: ich will means "I want", not "I will". The future is a different verb (werden) — coming up.
Two forms you'll use constantly for opinions and orders:
möchte is the polite favourite — softer than will ("want"). Like a modal, it sends any second verb to the end: möchte … gehen.
For a clear future, use werden ("will") + an infinitive at the end — just like a modal:
| ich werde | wir werden |
| du wirst | ihr werdet |
| er/sie/es wird | sie/Sie werden |
Remember from cluster 2: for the near future the plain present + a time word also works (Morgen fahre ich…). Use werden when you want to stress "will".
To say you like, prefer or most like doing something, add one small word after the verb:
| gern | Ich spiele gern Fußball. | I like playing… |
| lieber | Ich spiele lieber Tennis. | I prefer playing… |
| am liebsten | Am liebsten spiele ich Basketball. | I most like playing… |
No extra "to like" verb needed: gern does the job on its own. The opposite is nicht gern ("don't like"): Ich sehe nicht gern fern.
A modal sends the main verb to the end. Sort these infinitives: modal, or ordinary?
Lift your marks by framing opinions. Watch the word order after a fronted phrase — the verb stays second:
Two useful boosters: Meiner Meinung nach ("in my opinion") fills slot 1, so the verb comes next; and dass sends its verb to the end (more in cluster 8).
Tap a modal verb on the left, then tap its meaning on the right.
Modals: können, müssen, wollen, dürfen, sollen, mögen — ich = er, no ending; main verb goes to the end as an infinitive.
möchte = "would like" (polite); ich will = "I want" (not "I will").
Future: werden + infinitive at the end (Ich werde … fahren).
Preferences: gern (like), lieber (prefer), am liebsten (like best).
Opinions: ich finde, ich denke, meiner Meinung nach — keep the verb second after a fronted phrase.
Now we turn to the past. Press Finish to see your score.
You can now express plans and opinions in Cambridge IGCSE German. 🎉
Your stars: 0 / 0
Next in the spine: The perfect tense — the Perfekt with haben and sein, and past participles. Then lock this in with the Evaluate confidence quiz.