dürfen
das Modalverb dürfen
dürfen is a German modal verb meaning “to be allowed to”: ich darf · du darfst · er darf.
dürfen carries the meaning of permission and “may”; in the negative it means forbidden. The biggest trap: nicht dürfen is not “don’t have to” — it is “must NOT” (the prohibition itself).
The conjugation table
With modal verbs, the ich and er/sie/es forms are exactly the same and take no ending at all. Memorise this once; it helps with every modal verb.
The only endings you see in the table are du (-st), ihr (-t) and wir/Sie/sie (-en).
| Person | Form | Hint |
|---|---|---|
| ich | darf | no ending |
| du | darfst | adds -st |
| er / sie / es | darf | same as ich |
| wir | dürfen | infinitive form |
| ihr | dürft | adds -t |
| Sie / sie | dürfen | infinitive form |
The umlaut (ü) appears only in the plural persons (wir, ihr, Sie, sie); in the singular (ich, du, er) the letter stays ‘a’.
When to use it
dürfen turns up in three main situations: asking for or giving formal permission, general permissions based on rules, and polite offers.
| Situation | German sentence | English |
|---|---|---|
| Asking formal permission | Darf ich hier parken? | May I park here? |
| Rule-based permission / ban | Man darf hier nicht rauchen. | Smoking is not allowed here (it is forbidden). |
| Permission from a parent | Mein Vater sagt, ich darf heute länger wach bleiben. | My dad says I’m allowed to stay up later today. |
| Polite offer | Darf ich Ihnen helfen? | May I help you? (Can I give you a hand?) |
man is the pronoun for “people in general / one / you”. English usually says “you” or “people”, or uses a passive: “smoking isn’t allowed here”.
- Darf ich ...? May I …? / Am I allowed to …? Asking permission
- Man darf nicht ... You’re not allowed to … / … is forbidden. Announcing a general ban
- Du darfst ... You may … / You’re allowed to … Giving personal permission
- Wir dürfen ... We may … / We’re allowed to … Shared permission
- Nicht dürfen Forbidden (absolutely don’t) Negative meaning
- Wann / Wo darf ich ...? When / Where may I …? Asking permission with a question word
Sentence structure
The rule is simple: the modal verb sits conjugated in second position, and the main verb goes to the very END of the sentence as an infinitive.
In the negative, nicht comes after the modal verb and before the main verb; it marks the prohibition.
In a question, the modal verb jumps to the front (verb first), the subject moves to second place, and the main verb still stays at the end.
| Sentence type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Subject + modal (2nd) + … + infinitive (last) | Ich darf heute nach Hause gehen. |
| Negative | Subject + modal (2nd) + nicht + … + infinitive (last) | Ich darf heute nicht nach Hause gehen. |
| Yes/no question | Modal (1st) + subject + … + infinitive (last)? | Darf ich heute nach Hause gehen? |
| Question word | Question word + modal (2nd) + subject + … + infinitive (last)? | Wann darf ich nach Hause gehen? |
The main verb is never conjugated; it always sits at the end of the sentence as an infinitive (e.g. gehen, machen, schlafen).
The mix-up: negative = FORBIDDEN
In English, “you don’t have to go” (no need) and “you must not go” (forbidden) are different — but German nicht müssen looks like “must not”, so learners mix it up with nicht dürfen. In German the difference is sharp:
nicht dürfen = FORBIDDEN (stop, don’t do it).
nicht müssen = NO NEED (do it if you like, skip it if you don’t).
The negatives of these two modal verbs are complete opposites; mix them up and you lose the meaning entirely.
| German | Meaning | English |
|---|---|---|
| Du darfst nicht rauchen. | Forbidden | You must not smoke. / Smoking is forbidden. |
| Du musst nicht rauchen. | No need / not obligatory | You don’t have to smoke (if you want to, go ahead). |
German muss nicht looks like English “must not”, but it means “don’t have to”. “Must not” is nicht dürfen. Whichever modal verb you choose decides the meaning.
Traps
Conjugating the main verb or putting it in second place
If the modal verb is in second position, the main verb must stay at the end as an infinitive. Learners instinctively pull the main verb into second place or conjugate it too.
Ich darf gehe nach Hause.
gehe is conjugated and in third position; both the place and the form are wrong.
Ich darf nach Hause gehen.
The modal darf is in second position, the main verb gehen is an infinitive at the end.
Saying “forbidden” when you mean “no need”
German musst nicht looks like English “must not”, so it keeps getting confused with darfst nicht. German asks for two different modal verbs, and the meaning changes completely.
Du darfst nicht kommen.
this means “you are FORBIDDEN to come”
Du musst nicht kommen.
You don’t have to come. (come if you like)
Adding a personal ending to the modal
Regular verbs take -e for ich (ich gehe). Modal verbs do not.
Ich darfe nach Hause gehen.
a modal takes no ending for ich
Ich darf nach Hause gehen.
I may go home. (I have permission)
What you just learned
Du ___ hier nicht rauchen.
Show the answer
darfst. The verb dürfen, used to express a ban, becomes darfst with du.
“Ich darfe nach Hause gehen.” is correct.
Show the answer
False. With modal verbs the first person singular ich takes no ending; the correct form is ich darf.
“May I call Mum?” (asking permission)
Show the answer
Darf ich Mama anrufen? To ask permission you use dürfen. müssen asks about obligation, wollen about what you want. In everyday speech you also hear Kann ich …?; the exact, polite way to ask permission is Darf ich …?.
Build the sentence yourself
Tap the words and put them in order. This is the hardest part of German — and there are no options to pick from, you build it.
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tap the words
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tap the words
Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- dürfen = permission
Asking permission is Darf ich …?, giving it is Du darfst …. It is the verb of permission, not of ability (können).
Darf ich das Fenster öffnen?
- nicht dürfen = forbidden
Man darf hier nicht rauchen. — the language of signs and rules.
Hier darf man nicht parken.
- The umlaut drops in the singular
ich/er darf · du darfst but plural wir/sie dürfen · ihr dürft.
ich darf → wir dürfen
- Don’t mix it up with nicht müssen
nicht dürfen is forbidden, nicht müssen is “no need”. German muss nicht looks like English “must not” — that is the trap.
Du darfst nicht rauchen ≠ Du musst nicht rauchen
Du musst hier nicht rauchen. (when you mean “forbidden”)
Du darfst hier nicht rauchen.
nicht müssen only says “you don’t have to”; a prohibition needs nicht dürfen.
Wir darfen früher gehen.
Wir dürfen früher gehen.
The plural goes back to the infinitive form: dürfen.
Hier darf man nicht zu rauchen.
Hier darf man nicht rauchen.
After a modal verb the infinitive takes no zu.
Er darft heute nicht kommen.
Er darf heute nicht kommen.
The third person singular of a modal takes no -t.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
Say “Smoking is forbidden here” in German.
“May I call Mum?” (asking permission)
Complete the sentence: “Wir heute früher nach Hause gehen.” (permission granted)
Form the negative sentence: “I’m not allowed to go out today (no permission / forbidden).”
Form the question: “Are you (formal) allowed to go into this room?”
Which sentence is correct if you want to say “You don’t have to smoke”?
Practice done — –
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dürfen pocket card
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