Conjugations › German › sollen

sollen

should, to be supposed to

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

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

How to Conjugate "sollen" in the Present Tense

Präsens Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
ich I soll
du you (informal) sollst
er/sie/es he/she/it soll
wir we sollen
ihr you all (informal) sollt
sie/Sie they/you (formal) sollen
Er soll heute zu Hause bleiben.
He is supposed to stay home today.

How to Conjugate "sollen" in the Simple Past Tense

Präteritum Completed actions in the past (written/formal)
Person English Conjugation
ich I sollte
du you (informal) solltest
er/sie/es he/she/it sollte
wir we sollten
ihr you all (informal) solltet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) sollten
Er sollte den Brief abgeben.
He was supposed to hand in the letter.

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How to Conjugate "sollen" in the Present Perfect Tense

Perfekt Completed actions (spoken German)
Person English Conjugation
ich I habe gesollt
du you (informal) hast gesollt
er/sie/es he/she/it hat gesollt
wir we haben gesollt
ihr you all (informal) habt gesollt
sie/Sie they/you (formal) haben gesollt
Er hat helfen sollen.
He has been supposed to help.

How to Conjugate "sollen" in the Past Perfect Tense

Plusquamperfekt Actions completed before another past action
Person English Conjugation
ich I hatte gesollt
du you (informal) hattest gesollt
er/sie/es he/she/it hatte gesollt
wir we hatten gesollt
ihr you all (informal) hattet gesollt
sie/Sie they/you (formal) hatten gesollt
Er hatte helfen sollen.
He should have helped.

How to Conjugate "sollen" in the Future Tense

Futur I Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
ich I werde sollen
du you (informal) wirst sollen
er/sie/es he/she/it wird sollen
wir we werden sollen
ihr you all (informal) werdet sollen
sie/Sie they/you (formal) werden sollen
Er wird hier warten sollen.
He will be supposed to wait here.

How to Conjugate "sollen" in the Subjunctive I Tense

Konjunktiv I Indirect speech and formal requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I solle
du you (informal) sollest
er/sie/es he/she/it solle
wir we sollen
ihr you all (informal) sollet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) sollen
Er meint, er solle helfen.
He thinks that he should help.

How to Conjugate "sollen" in the Subjunctive II Tense

Konjunktiv II Hypothetical situations and polite requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I sollte
du you (informal) solltest
er/sie/es he/she/it sollte
wir we sollten
ihr you all (informal) solltet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) sollten
Er sollte mehr Wasser trinken.
He should drink more water.
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Frequently Asked Questions About "sollen"

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

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