You read: Er soll sehr reich sein. You know sollen — it means "should" or "is supposed to." So: "he is supposed to be very rich"? That's grammatically possible but doesn't quite fit. What the sentence actually means is: people say he is very rich — the speaker is reporting something they heard, without vouching for it.
This is the subjective use of modal verbs (subjektiver Gebrauch der Modalverben), also called epistemic modality. Every German modal verb has two parallel systems of meaning: an objective use expressing obligation, permission, ability, or necessity — and a subjective use expressing the speaker's degree of certainty, the source of information, or the probability of something being true.
At B2 level, the subjective layer is everywhere — in news reporting, in conversation, in literature. Misreading it produces systematic misunderstandings of what speakers and writers are actually saying.
Objective vs. Subjective Use
The structural difference is subtle but consistent. In both uses, the modal verb is conjugated and the main verb appears as an infinitive at the end. What changes is the type of infinitive used for past reference, and the meaning shifts from describing what someone does or must do to describing the speaker's assessment of a situation.
| Use | What it expresses | Subject of the modal | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective | obligation, permission, ability, necessity | the person performing or permitted the action | Er muss arbeiten. (He has to work.) |
| Subjective | certainty, probability, source of claim | the person being assessed or reported on | Er muss krank sein. (He must be ill — i.e. he's probably ill.) |
In the objective use, er muss arbeiten — he has an obligation to work. In the subjective use, er muss krank sein — the speaker is concluding, based on evidence, that he is probably ill. The modal expresses the speaker's epistemic stance, not the subject's obligation.
Müssen — Near Certainty
Subjective müssen expresses a confident conclusion based on evidence or reasoning. The speaker considers the situation almost certainly true. English equivalent: "must be," "has to be," "it's clear that."
Sie ist seit drei Tagen nicht erschienen. Sie muss krank sein.
She hasn't shown up for three days. She must be ill. (= I conclude she's ill.)
Das Licht brennt noch. Er muss noch zu Hause sein.
The light's still on. He must still be home.
Du hast seit heute früh nichts gegessen. Du musst hungrig sein.
You haven't eaten since this morning. You must be hungry.
The reasoning from evidence is key. Subjective müssen is not a guess — it's a confident inference. If the evidence is weaker, use dürfte or könnte instead.
Dürfen — Cautious Probability
Subjective dürfen — almost always in the Konjunktiv II form dürfte — expresses careful, hedged probability. It's softer than müssen and more polished than könnte. English equivalent: "is likely to," "should be," "may well be." This is a formal and written register marker — common in journalism, official statements, and academic writing.
Das dürfte der Hauptgrund für den Rückgang sein.
That is likely the main reason for the decline.
Die Verhandlungen dürften noch einige Wochen dauern.
The negotiations are likely to last several more weeks.
Das dürfte kaum ausreichen.
That is unlikely to be sufficient. / That probably won't be enough.
Dürfte — almost always Konjunktiv II
In the subjective sense, dürfen almost exclusively appears as dürfte (Konjunktiv II), not as the indicative darf. Darf in the subjective sense sounds archaic. If you encounter dürfte in a news article, it is nearly always expressing probability, not permission — that reading is almost never intended in formal written German.
Können — Possibility or Doubt
Subjective können expresses that something is conceivable or possible, without endorsing it as likely. It also appears in negative constructions expressing strong doubt or near-impossibility. English equivalents: "could be," "might be," "can't possibly be."
Er könnte der Täter sein.
He could be the perpetrator. (= it's possible, I'm not sure)
Das kann nicht stimmen.
That can't be right. (= I'm certain it's wrong)
Sie könnte recht haben.
She might be right.
Das kann sein.
That may be. / That's possible.
Negative subjective können — das kann nicht sein — expresses disbelief or near-certainty that something is false. It's one of the most common subjective modal constructions in everyday speech.
Sollen — Reported Information
Subjective sollen is distinct from all the others. It doesn't express the speaker's own degree of certainty — it attributes the claim to a third party. The speaker is reporting what others say, without confirming or denying it. English equivalents: "is said to," "reportedly," "people say that," "allegedly."
Er soll sehr reich sein.
He is said to be very rich. / Reportedly he's very rich. (I heard this — I'm not confirming it.)
Das neue Restaurant soll ausgezeichnet sein.
The new restaurant is supposed to be excellent. (= people say it is)
Sie soll früher als Ärztin gearbeitet haben.
She is said to have worked as a doctor in the past.
Der Verdächtige soll zur Tatzeit am Bahnhof gewesen sein.
The suspect is alleged to have been at the station at the time of the crime.
Sollen = distancing from the claim
When a German speaker uses subjective sollen, they are explicitly declining to endorse the information. It signals: "this is what I've heard, but I cannot verify it." This makes it the standard tool in journalism for reporting unconfirmed information — functionally equivalent to "allegedly" or "according to sources." Misreading it as objective sollen (obligation) produces nonsense in these contexts.
Wollen — Unverified Self-Claim
Subjective wollen is the mirror image of subjective sollen. Where sollen attributes a claim to third parties, wollen reports what the subject claims about themselves — with the speaker implying scepticism. English equivalents: "claims to," "allegedly," "is said by themselves to."
Er will den Täter gesehen haben.
He claims to have seen the perpetrator. (I'm not sure I believe him.)
Sie will die Beste in ihrer Klasse gewesen sein.
She claims to have been the best in her class.
Der Zeuge will nichts gehört haben.
The witness claims to have heard nothing.
| Modal | Source of claim | Speaker's stance |
|---|---|---|
| sollen | third parties, general rumour | neutral — neither confirming nor denying |
| wollen | the subject themselves | sceptical — the claim is unverified |
Mögen — Concessive Possibility
Subjective mögen — usually in the form mag or möge — expresses a concession: "it may well be that X, but..." The speaker acknowledges a possibility without accepting its consequences. This is literary and formal; in spoken German it is relatively rare.
Das mag stimmen, aber es ändert nichts an der Situation.
That may well be true, but it doesn't change the situation.
Er mag jung sein, aber er ist sehr erfahren.
He may be young, but he's very experienced.
So mag es gewesen sein.
That may be how it was.
The Certainty Scale
Arranging the subjective modals by degree of certainty they express:
| Modal | Certainty level | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| muss | ~90% — near certain | I conclude it's true based on evidence |
| dürfte | ~70% — probable | it is likely; careful hedged assessment |
| könnte / mag | ~40–50% — possible | it's conceivable; I'm not committing |
| soll | ? — unverified | others say so; I'm not endorsing it |
| will | ? — self-claimed | they say so themselves; I'm sceptical |
| kann nicht | ~95% negative | I'm almost certain it's false |
Sollen and wollen sit outside the certainty scale because they're about the source of information, not the probability of it being true.
Expressing the Past — Müssen + Haben/Sein
To express subjective modality in the past — what was probably or allegedly the case — the modal stays in the present tense and the main verb shifts to a perfect infinitive: haben/sein + Partizip II.
Structure: [modal — present] + [Partizip II] + [haben / sein — infinitive]
Er muss krank gewesen sein.
He must have been ill. (= I conclude he was ill.)
Sie dürfte das gewusst haben.
She probably knew that. / She is likely to have known.
Er soll das Geld gestohlen haben.
He is alleged to have stolen the money.
Der Zeuge will den Angeklagten erkannt haben.
The witness claims to have recognised the defendant.
Das kann nicht wahr gewesen sein.
That can't have been true.
Modal stays present, infinitive goes perfect
For past subjective meaning, the modal itself does not go into the past tense. Er musste krank sein is objective past — he had to be ill (obligation in the past). Er muss krank gewesen sein is subjective — I now conclude that he was ill at some point in the past. The distinction is: past modal = objective past; present modal + perfect infinitive = subjective past assessment.
Sollen in Journalism
Subjective sollen is the workhorse of German news reporting. When a journalist cannot or does not want to confirm information directly — because it comes from unnamed sources, is part of ongoing proceedings, or hasn't been verified — sollen does the work that "allegedly" or "according to reports" does in English.
Der Minister soll von den Vorgängen gewusst haben.
The minister is alleged to have known about the events.
Das Unternehmen soll Millionen an Steuern hinterzogen haben.
The company is said to have evaded millions in taxes.
Die Verhandlungen sollen kurz vor dem Abschluss stehen.
The negotiations are reportedly close to conclusion.
Reading German news without knowing subjective sollen means systematically misreading allegation as confirmed fact, or reported claims as statements of obligation. It is one of the highest-value B2 constructions for comprehension of written German.
Common Traps
Trap 1 — Reading subjective müssen as obligation
Er muss zu Hause sein.
Context determines which reading applies. If someone is explaining why they're not going to call — "he must be home" as a conclusion from evidence — it's subjective. If someone is stating a rule — "he has to be home by ten" — it's objective. The sentence structure is identical; only context disambiguates.
Trap 2 — Reading subjective sollen as obligation
Das neue Gesetz soll nächsten Monat in Kraft treten.
Objective reading: the new law is supposed to come into force next month (it's planned/mandated). Subjective reading: the new law is reportedly going to come into force next month (unconfirmed). Again, context — particularly journalistic vs. official contexts — usually makes clear which is intended.
Trap 3 — Using past tense modal for subjective past meaning
Er musste der Täter sein. ✗ (objective — he had to be the perpetrator, by some rule)
Er muss der Täter gewesen sein. ✓ (subjective — I conclude he was the perpetrator)
Trap 4 — Confusing sollen and wollen
Er soll das Geld genommen haben. (others say he took it — reported, speaker neutral)
Er will das Geld nicht genommen haben. (he himself claims he didn't take it — speaker sceptical)
The subject of sollen is spoken about. The subject of subjective wollen is speaking about themselves.
Quick Recap
- German modal verbs have two parallel use systems: objective (obligation, permission, ability) and subjective (expressing certainty, probability, or source of information).
- Müssen — near certainty based on evidence. "He must be ill" = I'm confident he's ill. (~90%)
- Dürfte (Konjunktiv II of dürfen) — careful, hedged probability. "That is likely." Common in formal writing and journalism. (~70%)
- Können / könnte — open possibility. "He could be the one." Also in negative: das kann nicht stimmen = near-certain disbelief.
- Sollen — reported claim from third parties. Speaker neither confirms nor denies. "He is said to be rich." Essential for reading German news.
- Wollen — unverified self-claim. Speaker is sceptical. "He claims to have seen it."
- Mögen / mag — concessive possibility. "That may be true, but..." Formal and literary.
- Sollen and wollen are about the source of information, not the probability of truth.
- Past subjective: modal stays in the present tense + Partizip II + haben/sein infinitive. Er muss krank gewesen sein. Using past tense modal gives objective past meaning, not subjective.
- Context disambiguates objective from subjective readings — structure alone is usually insufficient.