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Modal Verbs
German has six modal verbs that you should memorize. They express an attitude about an action or condition
described by the main verb. The modal auxiliary is conjugated and placed in the second position of the
sentence. The main verb is in the infinitive form and placed at the end of the clause or sentence.
Ich kann eine Fahrkarte kaufen. (I can buy a ticket.) Kann is the conjugated auxiliary verb and kaufen is the
main verb in infinitive form.
This subjunctive of mögen expresses would like to and is used more often than the indicative of mögen. Ich
möchte eine Fahrkarte kaufen means I would like to buy a ticket.
Sometimes the infinitive is not required with modal verbs, if the meaning is clear enough without them. For
example, you can often omit sprechen and tun after können and you can omit verbs of motion if there is an
adverb of place.