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.
At C1 we mix tenses and focus on small differences: nicht dürfen (forbidden) vs. nicht müssen (not necessary), passive modals, and FSP-style dialogues.
| Person | Context | sollen |
|---|---|---|
| ich | I | sollte |
| du | you (one person, informal) | solltest |
| er/sie/es | he / she / it | sollte |
| wir | we | sollten |
| ihr | you (several people, informal) | solltet |
| sie/Sie | they / you (formal, one or more people) | sollten |
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 solltest viel Wasser trinken
You (informal, one person) should drink a lot of water - Ihr solltet viel Wasser trinken
You (informal, several people) should drink a lot of water - Sie sollten viel Wasser trinken
You (formal) should 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 soll viel Wasser trinken.
I should / be supposed to drink a lot of water - Negative: Du solltest die Tablette nicht nehmen.
You (informal, one person) were not supposed to take the tablet - Affirmative: Der Patient sollte sich ausruhen.
The patient should rest - Affirmative: Sie sollten gesund essen.
You (formal) should eat healthily - Question: Sollst du viel Wasser trinken?
Should you (informal, one person) drink a lot of water? - Negative: Wir sollten die Tablette nicht nehmen.
We were not 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) should drink a lot of water
Show answer
Sie sollten viel Wasser trinken.
Translate to German: You (informal, one person) should not take the tablet
Show answer
Du solltest die Tablette nicht nehmen.
Ask the question in German: Should you (informal, one person) rest?
Show answer
Solltest du dich ausruhen?
Put the words in the correct order: sollte / Der / gesund / Patient / essen
Show answer
Der Patient sollte gesund essen
- Meaning: sollen means should / to be supposed to.
- Key forms: At C1, sollen appears in several tenses. Pay attention to register: use Sie with patients and du/ihr with colleagues.
- Word order: Choose the right tense and modal verb for the medical context.
- 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.