Conjugations › German › müssen

müssen

must, to have to

German Irregular
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The German verb "müssen" means "must, to have to" in English. It is an irregular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "müssen" across all 7 tenses.

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Present Simple Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Subjunctive I Subjunctive II

How to Conjugate "müssen" in the Present Tense

Präsens Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
ich I muss
du you (informal) musst
er/sie/es he/she/it muss
wir we müssen
ihr you all (informal) müsst
sie/Sie they/you (formal) müssen
Er muss den Test bestehen.
He must pass the test.

How to Conjugate "müssen" in the Simple Past Tense

Präteritum Completed actions in the past (written/formal)
Person English Conjugation
ich I musste
du you (informal) musstest
er/sie/es he/she/it musste
wir we mussten
ihr you all (informal) musstet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) mussten
Er musste lange arbeiten.
He had to work for a long time.

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How to Conjugate "müssen" in the Present Perfect Tense

Perfekt Completed actions (spoken German)
Person English Conjugation
ich I habe gemusst
du you (informal) hast gemusst
er/sie/es he/she/it hat gemusst
wir we haben gemusst
ihr you all (informal) habt gemusst
sie/Sie they/you (formal) haben gemusst
Er hat arbeiten müssen.
He has had to work.

How to Conjugate "müssen" in the Past Perfect Tense

Plusquamperfekt Actions completed before another past action
Person English Conjugation
ich I hatte gemusst
du you (informal) hattest gemusst
er/sie/es he/she/it hatte gemusst
wir we hatten gemusst
ihr you all (informal) hattet gemusst
sie/Sie they/you (formal) hatten gemusst
Er hatte arbeiten müssen.
He had had to work.

How to Conjugate "müssen" in the Future Tense

Futur I Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
ich I werde müssen
du you (informal) wirst müssen
er/sie/es he/she/it wird müssen
wir we werden müssen
ihr you all (informal) werdet müssen
sie/Sie they/you (formal) werden müssen
Er wird das lernen müssen.
He will have to learn that.

How to Conjugate "müssen" in the Subjunctive I Tense

Konjunktiv I Indirect speech and formal requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I müsse
du you (informal) müssest
er/sie/es he/she/it müsse
wir we müssen
ihr you all (informal) müsset
sie/Sie they/you (formal) müssen
Er meint, er müsse arbeiten.
He thinks that he must work.

How to Conjugate "müssen" in the Subjunctive II Tense

Konjunktiv II Hypothetical situations and polite requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I müsste
du you (informal) müsstest
er/sie/es he/she/it müsste
wir we müssten
ihr you all (informal) müsstet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) müssten
Er müsste den Brief schreiben.
He would have to write the letter.
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Frequently Asked Questions About "müssen"

Is "müssen" regular or irregular in German?
"Müssen" is an irregular German verb, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns and must be memorized individually.
What does "müssen" mean in English?
The German verb "müssen" means "must, to have to" in English.
How do you conjugate "müssen" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Präsens): ich → muss, du → musst, er/sie/es → muss, wir → müssen, ihr → müsst, sie/Sie → müssen.
How many tenses does "müssen" have in German?
"Müssen" is conjugated across 7 tenses in German: Present, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future, Subjunctive I, Subjunctive II.

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