sollen
should; to be supposed to
Sollen can report an instruction, expectation or someone else's claim. With another governed infinitive, the perfect construction uses a double infinitive.
| Person | PresentPräsens | Simple pastPräteritum | PerfectPerfekt |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | soll | sollte | habe gesollt |
| du | sollst | solltest | hast gesollt |
| er / sie / es | soll | sollte | hat gesollt |
| wir | sollen | sollten | haben gesollt |
| ihr | sollt | solltet | habt gesollt |
| sie / Sie | sollen | sollten | haben gesollt |
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways. Tap or focus a German form for its meaning.
Learn these together
sollen · ich sollte · ich habe gesollt
Using the table
The rows cover the six person/number patterns. Formal Sie uses the same verb form as plural sie, with its capital letter retained in a sentence. German Perfekt often translates naturally as an English simple past, so choose the meaning from context.
These are ordinary main-clause forms. A separable prefix stays joined with its verb in a verb-final subordinate clause. Modal verbs with another governed infinitive use the separate double-infinitive pattern rather than mechanically keeping the standalone perfect forms above.