Would, could, should
The conditional form of the modal verbs 办枚苍苍别苍 (to be able) and sollen (to be supposed to) can be used to describe what could or should happen.
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | sollen |
| ich k枚nnte 鈥 I could | ich sollte 鈥 I should |
| du k枚nntest 鈥 you could | du solltest 鈥 you should |
| er/sie/es/man k枚nnte 鈥 he/she/it could | er/sie/es/man sollte 鈥 he/she/it/one should |
| wir k枚nnten 鈥 we could | wir sollten 鈥 they should |
| ihr k枚nntet 鈥 you could | ihr solltet 鈥 you should |
| Sie k枚nnten 鈥 you could | Sie sollten 鈥 you should |
| sie k枚nnten 鈥 they could | sie sollten 鈥 they should |
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | ich k枚nnte 鈥 I could |
|---|---|
| sollen | ich sollte 鈥 I should |
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | du k枚nntest 鈥 you could |
|---|---|
| sollen | du solltest 鈥 you should |
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | er/sie/es/man k枚nnte 鈥 he/she/it could |
|---|---|
| sollen | er/sie/es/man sollte 鈥 he/she/it/one should |
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | wir k枚nnten 鈥 we could |
|---|---|
| sollen | wir sollten 鈥 they should |
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | ihr k枚nntet 鈥 you could |
|---|---|
| sollen | ihr solltet 鈥 you should |
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | Sie k枚nnten 鈥 you could |
|---|---|
| sollen | Sie sollten 鈥 you should |
| 办枚苍苍别苍 | sie k枚nnten 鈥 they could |
|---|---|
| sollen | sie sollten 鈥 they should |
These verbs are very useful for making suggestions and giving advice.
Hilfsvokabeln 鈥 Helpful vocabulary
- fettig 鈥 fatty
- 驳谤眉苍诲别苍 鈥 to establish
- Obst und Gem眉se 鈥 fruit and vegetables
- sich strecken 鈥 to do stretches
- spazieren gehen 鈥 to go for a walk
- vermeiden 鈥 to avoid
- weniger 鈥 less
Question
Read the advice below about living a healthy lifestyle and match the German with the English translations.
| German | English |
| 1. Du solltest jeden Tag spazieren gehen. | A. You should be active. |
| 2. Du solltest fettiges Essen vermeiden. | B. You could do more sport. |
| 3. Du k枚nntest zu Fu脽 zur Schule gehen. | C. You should go for a walk every day. |
| 4. Du solltest nicht rauchen. | D. You should never take drugs. |
| 5. Du solltest jeden Tag Obst und Gem眉se essen. | E. You should avoid fatty food. |
| 6. Du k枚nntest mehr Sport treiben. | F. You should not smoke. |
| 7. Du k枚nntest weniger S眉脽igkeiten essen. | G. You could walk to school. |
| 8. Du solltest aktiv sein. | H. You could eat fewer sweets. |
| 9. Du solltest nie Drogen nehmen. | I. You should eat fruit and veg every day. |
| German | 1. Du solltest jeden Tag spazieren gehen. |
|---|---|
| English | A. You should be active. |
| German | 2. Du solltest fettiges Essen vermeiden. |
|---|---|
| English | B. You could do more sport. |
| German | 3. Du k枚nntest zu Fu脽 zur Schule gehen. |
|---|---|
| English | C. You should go for a walk every day. |
| German | 4. Du solltest nicht rauchen. |
|---|---|
| English | D. You should never take drugs. |
| German | 5. Du solltest jeden Tag Obst und Gem眉se essen. |
|---|---|
| English | E. You should avoid fatty food. |
| German | 6. Du k枚nntest mehr Sport treiben. |
|---|---|
| English | F. You should not smoke. |
| German | 7. Du k枚nntest weniger S眉脽igkeiten essen. |
|---|---|
| English | G. You could walk to school. |
| German | 8. Du solltest aktiv sein. |
|---|---|
| English | H. You could eat fewer sweets. |
| German | 9. Du solltest nie Drogen nehmen. |
|---|---|
| English | I. You should eat fruit and veg every day. |
- Du solltest jeden Tag spazieren gehen. 鈥 C. You should go for a walk every day.
- Du solltest fettiges Essen vermeiden. 鈥 E. You should avoid fatty food.
- Du k枚nntest zu Fu脽 zur Schule gehen. 鈥 G. You could walk to school.
- Du solltest nicht rauchen. 鈥 F. You should not smoke.
- Du solltest jeden Tag Obst und Gem眉se essen. 鈥 I. You should eat fruit and veg every day.
- Du k枚nntest mehr Sport treiben. 鈥 B. You could do more sport.
- Du k枚nntest weniger S眉脽igkeiten essen. 鈥 H. You could eat fewer sweets.
- Du solltest aktiv sein. 鈥 A. You should be active.
- Du solltest nie Drogen nehmen. 鈥 D. You should never take drugs.
Did you know?
Many German towns have several pharmacies which are easy to spot thanks to the distinctive red 鈥楢鈥 logo, which stands for Apotheke.
Because only trained pharmacists are permitted to sell medications in Germany, staff members in pharmacies are always very knowledgeable and an excellent source of advice on all sorts of remedies.
Under German law, all TV and radio adverts for medicines must end with a spoken disclaimer advising consumers to consult their doctor or pharmacist about any health risks or side effects 鈥 鈥瀂u Risiken und Nebenwirkungen bitte fragen Sie Ihren Arzt oder Apotheke鈥. The sentence is always spoken as quickly as possible to keep airtime to a minimum. How quickly can you say it?
