Ich möchte ... / Kann ich ...?
Two verbs that unlock an enormous amount of daily German: möchten ("would like") for ordering, requesting, and shopping, and können ("can") for asking permission or ability. Bakeries, doctor's offices, and shops all run on these two verbs.
| Pronoun | möchten | können |
|---|---|---|
| ich | möchte | kann |
| du | möchtest | kannst |
| Sie | möchten | können |
Handy shortcut: for both verbs, ich and er/sie/es use the same form (möchte/möchte, kann/kann) - unlike regular verbs from Lesson 3. Full table: Reference - Modal Verbs.
Whenever you use a modal verb, the actual action (in its plain dictionary form) gets pushed all the way to the end of the sentence:
Ich möchte einen Kaffee bestellen. (I'd like to order a coffee.)
Kann ich das Fenster öffnen? (Can I open the window?)
This feels backwards at first if you're translating word-by-word from English, but it's completely consistent - the infinitive is always the very last word, however long the sentence gets in the middle.
Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte.
Ich möchte das Brot, bitte. (pointing at bread in a bakery)
Können Sie mir helfen? (Can you help me? - formal, very useful everywhere)
1. "I would like" - Ich ______.
2. "Can you [formal] help me?" - ______ Sie mir helfen?
3. Where does the infinitive go in a modal-verb sentence?
4. "Would you [informal] like...?" - ______ du ...?
5. Which two pronouns always share the same modal-verb form?
Cross-checked against the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste.
Want to practice ordering at a specific kind of shop (bakery, pharmacy, restaurant)? Ask your teaching agent to role-play it with you.