Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
müssen in every tense
The three you'll use most are highlighted: Präsens for now, Perfekt for the past when you speak, Futur I for later.
Präsens
now
| ich | mussI must |
|---|---|
| du | musstyou must |
| er/sie/es | musshe/she must |
| wir | müssenwe must |
| ihr | müsstyou must |
| sie/Sie | müssenthey must |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | mussteI had to |
|---|---|
| du | musstestyou had to |
| er/sie/es | musstehe/she had to |
| wir | musstenwe had to |
| ihr | musstetyou had to |
| sie/Sie | musstenthey had to |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gemusstI have had to |
|---|---|
| du | hast gemusstyou have had to |
| er/sie/es | hat gemussthe/she has had to |
| wir | haben gemusstwe have had to |
| ihr | habt gemusstyou have had to |
| sie/Sie | haben gemusstthey have had to |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gemusstI had had to |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gemusstyou had had to |
| er/sie/es | hatte gemussthe/she had had to |
| wir | hatten gemusstwe had had to |
| ihr | hattet gemusstyou had had to |
| sie/Sie | hatten gemusstthey had had to |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde müssenI will have to |
|---|---|
| du | wirst müssenyou will have to |
| er/sie/es | wird müssenhe/she will have to |
| wir | werden müssenwe will have to |
| ihr | werdet müssenyou will have to |
| sie/Sie | werden müssenthey will have to |
müssen in use
- A1
Ich muss heute arbeiten.
I have to work today.
- A1
Musst du schon gehen?
Do you have to go already?
- A2
Du musst nicht kommen.
You don't have to come.
nicht müssen = don't have to
- A2
Gestern musste ich lange warten.
Yesterday I had to wait a long time.
Good to know
- Modal verb: the second verb goes to the end.
- nicht müssen = don't have to (not 'must not': that's 'nicht dürfen').
Build it yourself.
Ziplex has a Verben bauen game: build verb forms from tiles, with the verbs from your own posts. Plus short posts at your level to see them in action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is müssen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
müssen takes haben. For example: habe gemusst.
What is the past tense of müssen?
Präteritum: musste. Perfekt: habe gemusst.
Is müssen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.