sollen
should / to be supposed to
sollen means should / to be supposed to.
Use sollen for advice, instructions, or what someone else says you should do.
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 + sollen
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 viel Wasser trinken sollen
You (informal, one person) have been supposed to drink a lot of water - Ihr habt viel Wasser trinken sollen
You (informal, several people) have been supposed to drink a lot of water - Sie haben viel Wasser trinken sollen
You (formal) have been supposed to drink a lot of water
- viel Wasser trinken – drink a lot of water
- die Tablette nehmen – take the tablet
- sich ausruhen – rest
- gesund essen – eat healthily
- Affirmative: Ich habe viel Wasser trinken sollen.
I have been supposed to drink a lot of water - Negative: Du hast die Tablette nicht nehmen sollen.
You (informal, one person) have not been supposed to take the tablet - Affirmative: Der Patient hat sich ausruhen sollen.
The patient has been supposed to rest - Affirmative: Sie haben gesund essen sollen.
You (formal) have been supposed to eat healthily - Question: Hast du viel Wasser trinken sollen?
Have you (informal, one person) been supposed to drink a lot of water? - Negative: Wir haben die Tablette nicht nehmen sollen.
We have not been supposed 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) have been supposed to drink a lot of water
Show answer
Sie haben viel Wasser trinken sollen.
Translate to German: You (informal, one person) have not been supposed to take the tablet
Show answer
Du hast die Tablette nicht nehmen sollen.
Ask the question in German: Have you (informal, one person) been supposed to rest?
Show answer
Hast du dich ausruhen sollen?
Put the words in the correct order: hat / Der / Patient / sollen / essen / gesund
Show answer
Der Patient hat gesund essen sollen
- Meaning: sollen means should / to be supposed to.
- Key forms: In the perfect tense, sollen stays as an infinitive at the very end, after the main verb: the double-infinitive order is ... + main verb + sollen.
- 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.