dürfen
to be allowed to / may
dürfen means to be allowed to / may.
Use dürfen for permission or prohibition. It answers the question: Is this permitted?
We use the perfect tense to say what someone has had to do, has been able to do, etc. The modal stays as an infinitive at the very end.
In the perfect tense the modal verb stays as an infinitive at the end. The auxiliary haben is conjugated:
| Person | Context | haben (auxiliary) |
|---|---|---|
| ich | I | habe |
| du | you (one person, informal) | hast |
| er/sie/es | he / she / it | hat |
| wir | we | haben |
| ihr | you (several people, informal) | habt |
| sie/Sie | they / you (formal, one or more people) | haben |
Structure: subject + haben + ... + main verb infinitive + dürfen
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 hast Schokolade essen dürfen
You (informal, one person) have been allowed to eat chocolate - Ihr habt Schokolade essen dürfen
You (informal, several people) have been allowed to eat chocolate - Sie haben Schokolade essen dürfen
You (formal) have been allowed to eat chocolate
- Schokolade essen – eat chocolate
- Auto fahren – drive a car
- nach Hause gehen – go home
- das Zimmer verlassen – leave the room
- Affirmative: Ich habe Schokolade essen dürfen.
I have been allowed to eat chocolate - Negative: Du hast Auto nicht fahren dürfen.
You (informal, one person) have not been allowed to drive a car - Affirmative: Der Patient hat nach Hause gehen dürfen.
The patient has been allowed to go home - Affirmative: Sie haben das Zimmer verlassen dürfen.
You (formal) have been allowed to leave the room - Question: Hast du Schokolade essen dürfen?
Have you (informal, one person) been allowed to eat chocolate? - Negative: Wir haben Auto nicht fahren dürfen.
We have not been allowed to drive a car
- 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) have been allowed to eat chocolate
Show answer
Sie haben Schokolade essen dürfen.
Translate to German: You (informal, one person) have not been allowed to drive a car
Show answer
Du hast Auto nicht fahren dürfen.
Ask the question in German: Have you (informal, one person) been allowed to go home?
Show answer
Hast du nach Hause gehen dürfen?
Put the words in the correct order: hat / Zimmer / Der / verlassen / das / dürfen / Patient
Show answer
Der Patient hat das Zimmer verlassen dürfen
- Meaning: dürfen means to be allowed to / may.
- Key forms: In the perfect tense, dürfen stays as an infinitive at the very end, after the main verb: the double-infinitive order is ... + main verb + dürfen.
- Word order: Subject + haben (conjugated) + ... + main verb infinitive + modal infinitive.
- 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.