müssen
must / to have to
müssen means must / to have to.
Use müssen for strong obligation or necessity: taking medicine, going to the doctor, resting.
We use Präteritum to describe past situations: patient histories, what happened yesterday, or what the doctor said.
| Person | Context | müssen |
|---|---|---|
| ich | I | musste |
| du | you (one person, informal) | musstest |
| er/sie/es | he / she / it | musste |
| wir | we | mussten |
| ihr | you (several people, informal) | musstet |
| sie/Sie | they / you (formal, one or more people) | mussten |
German has three ways to say you:
- du – informal, one person
- ihr – informal, several people
- Sie – formal, one or more people (always capitalised when it means “you”)
The word sie (lowercase) can also mean she or they. Context and the verb form tell them apart:
- sie ist = she is
- sie sind = they are
- Sie sind = you are (formal)
Clinical register: In medical practice, use Sie with patients. Du/ihr are for colleagues, friends, or family.
Medical examples with the three you forms:
- Du musstest zum Arzt gehen
You (informal, one person) had to go to the doctor - Ihr musstet zum Arzt gehen
You (informal, several people) had to go to the doctor - Sie mussten zum Arzt gehen
You (formal) had to go to the doctor
- zum Arzt gehen – go to the doctor
- die Tablette nehmen – take the tablet
- viel Wasser trinken – drink a lot of water
- im Bett bleiben – stay in bed
- Affirmative: Ich musste zum Arzt gehen.
I had to go to the doctor - Negative: Du musstest die Tablette nicht nehmen.
You (informal, one person) did not have to take the tablet - Affirmative: Der Patient musste viel Wasser trinken.
The patient had to drink a lot of water - Affirmative: Sie mussten im Bett bleiben.
You (formal) had to stay in bed - Question: Musstest du zum Arzt gehen?
Did you (informal, one person) have to go to the doctor? - Negative: Wir mussten die Tablette nicht nehmen.
We did not have to take the tablet
- Conjugation — type the correct form for each person.
- Multiple choice — pick the verb that fits the sentence.
- Fill in the blank — type the missing modal form.
- Reorder — put the words in correct German order (modal in position 2, infinitive at the end).
- Dialogue — fill in the missing verb at the start of a doctor-patient question.
- Error correction — find and fix the wrong verb form.
- Translate — write the German sentence from English.
- Match — pair persons with forms or verbs with meanings.
Translate to German: You (formal) had to go to the doctor
Show answer
Sie mussten zum Arzt gehen.
Translate to German: You (informal, one person) did not have to take the tablet
Show answer
Du musstest die Tablette nicht nehmen.
Ask the question in German: Did you (informal, one person) have to drink a lot of water?
Show answer
Musstest du viel Wasser trinken?
Put the words in the correct order: Bett / musste / im / bleiben / Patient / Der
Show answer
Der Patient musste im Bett bleiben
- Meaning: müssen means must / to have to.
- Key forms: Präteritum forms of müssen: ich musste, du musstest, er/sie/es musste, wir mussten, ihr musstet, sie/Sie mussten.
- Word order: Subject + Präteritum form of the modal + main verb at the end.
- Register: Use Sie with patients; du/ihr with peers, friends or family.
Practice this verb with exercises, or take a mixed test with all verbs.