Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
sollen 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 | sollI should |
|---|---|
| du | sollstyou should |
| er/sie/es | sollhe/she should |
| wir | sollenwe should |
| ihr | solltyou should |
| sie/Sie | sollenthey should |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | sollteI was supposed to |
|---|---|
| du | solltestyou was supposed to |
| er/sie/es | solltehe/she was supposed to |
| wir | solltenwe was supposed to |
| ihr | solltetyou was supposed to |
| sie/Sie | solltenthey was supposed to |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gesolltI have been supposed to |
|---|---|
| du | hast gesolltyou have been supposed to |
| er/sie/es | hat gesollthe/she has been supposed to |
| wir | haben gesolltwe have been supposed to |
| ihr | habt gesolltyou have been supposed to |
| sie/Sie | haben gesolltthey have been supposed to |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gesolltI had been supposed to |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gesolltyou had been supposed to |
| er/sie/es | hatte gesollthe/she had been supposed to |
| wir | hatten gesolltwe had been supposed to |
| ihr | hattet gesolltyou had been supposed to |
| sie/Sie | hatten gesolltthey had been supposed to |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde sollenI will be supposed to |
|---|---|
| du | wirst sollenyou will be supposed to |
| er/sie/es | wird sollenhe/she will be supposed to |
| wir | werden sollenwe will be supposed to |
| ihr | werdet sollenyou will be supposed to |
| sie/Sie | werden sollenthey will be supposed to |
sollen in use
- A1
Ich soll viel Wasser trinken.
I'm supposed to drink lots of water.
- A1
Was soll ich machen?
What should I do?
- A2
Du solltest mehr schlafen.
You should sleep more.
advice: sollte
Good to know
- Modal verb: the second verb goes to the end.
- Advice: Du solltest ... = You should ...
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 sollen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
sollen takes haben. For example: habe gesollt.
What is the past tense of sollen?
Präteritum: sollte. Perfekt: habe gesollt.
Is sollen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.